George Orwell

An offbeat and compelling book about Orwell’s amazing sense of smell

Poor marks for a new technology

Alice Funke talks to Allan Gregg about his thoughts on Orwell and the Harper government.

Allan Gregg considers the Harper government’s approach to evidence, reasoning and language in policy and our current political culture.

Dirty Dancing, a fireworks battle and spying on Muslims

Memo:

It’s not clear who the ‘elites’ are, but they sure do make life miserable

It is fitting that Terry Glavin begins his book Come from the Shadows: the Long and Lonely Struggle for Peace in Afghanistan with a quote from George Orwell — who once said it is not enough to oppose fascism; one must stand against totalitarianism in all its forms.

This essay had a huge influence on my thinking when I first read it as an undergraduate. In it, Orwell uses, and admits to using, the word “nationalism” very loosely — it could apply to any movement or group to which people can apply blind loyalty or irrational contempt. He wishes people would notice their own “nationalisms” and attempt to correct for them:

Amazon’s Kindle deletions sparked a host of questions over e-book rights and privacy