Daily Archives: February 22, 2012

11 posts

Elmina Castle: Place of No Return

Lured by rumors of gold and ivory and in search of a new trade route to Asia, in 1471, the Portuguese first arrived at what is now present-day Ghana. What they found was an established gold trade by the existing inhabitants, who were members of the Fante ethic group. To participate in the gold trade, the Portuguese established a trading post in the present-day town of Elmina. Continue reading

How to Speak Like Rick Santorum

I assume you’ve been paying close attention to Rick Santorum’s rhetoric. If you’re not, then jeez, this must be a really boring political season for you. But if you are paying attention, then you know that Rick Santorum says things, and that the things he says, they mean things, other things, important things. Republicans seem to agree: Santorum is a good speaker, which is important in a President, unless that President is Barack Obama, in which case good speaking skills only prove what a strange, dangerous Other he is. Continue reading