Flashgordon’s Items of Note

When I was a kid I used to go to the Colorado Renaissance Festival outside of Larkspur. Set in the beautiful pine forests of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, this festival features a cast of hundreds of authentically costumed merrymakers living and working throughout the “village.” With performances continually taking place upon the festival’s seven stages, the illusion of a rollicking Medieval festival day is created. One of my favorite parts of the festival was the sword fights – knights would battle bandits as the audience watched with amazement at the swordsmanship and athletic daring. At the festival they sell small wooden swords that you can take home and practice with – envisioning yourself fighting off the King’s enemies with skill and bravery. I guess because of these early experiences I’ve always had a fascination for this period in time, and especially about the swordsmanship that required to survive. The recent book by Jack Sorenson took me back to these early days and let me re-imagine

Sword of Eibhlinis the story of two master swordsmen, although in this case one is a woman. Edwin and Eibhlin grow up in the countryside of medieval England, learning all of the tricks and techniques involved in being an expert swordsman. One day, however, a marauding group of bandits come and pillage the village. Edwin and Eibhlin attempt to protect the people against these men, but are overwhelmed by their sheer number. Captured, they are carried across the landscape until they no longer recognize the countryside.

Read more about this Medieval Sword Fighting Romance Book: A Tale of Love Not Lost here.

Drylands cover 40% of the earth’s terrestrial surface and are home to over 2 billion people, the majority of whom belong to the poorest people in the world (MA 2005b). Most of the ‘poorest’ people living in drylands are pastoralists, hunter-gatherers and other traditional communities that can be considered as indigenous peoples according to international standards (ILO Convention No.169 Article 1). Dryland ecosystems are characterized by the limited availability of water and consequently a relatively low primary productivity. However, it is as much the uncertainty of precipitation as the total volume that determines many features of dryland ecosystems, as well as the livelihood strategies of the people. Based on the climatic conditions drylands are divided into dry subhumid, semiarid, arid and hyperarid areas.

Drylands host a unique array of biodiversity. About 32% of the global ‘‘biodiversity hotspots’’ are in drylands. At least 30% of the world’s cultivated plants originate in drylands and over 40% of all cultivated lands worldwide are within drylands. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment there is medium certainty that some 10–20% of the drylands are degraded and affecting the livelihoods of millions of people. Desertification thus ranks among the greatest environmental challenges. However, at the same time it is important not to forget that drylands are very resilient ecosystems.

Read more about Drought, Climate Change, and Indigenous Peoples: An Example from Sudan here.

Linda Villarosa

Passing for Black

Linda Villarosa has long used her writing to raise awareness. A journalist, editor and now a novelist, she’s written about a variety of important subjects from LGBT issues, African-Americans and HIV, to parenting and health. In 1991, as the executive editor of Essence magazine, she co-wrote an article with her mother entitled “Coming Out.” The article — about, you guessed it, how coming out affected Linda’s relationship with her mother — received a record number of responses at that time in the magazine’s history.

Villarosa is also the author or co-author of three books: Body & Soul: The Black Women’s Guide to Physical Health and Emotional Well-Being, Finding Our Way: The Teen Girls’ Survival Guide, and The Black ParentingBook. Dafina Books recently published her first novel, Passing for Black. The book follows Angela, a young black woman whose search for identity crosses lines of race, sexuality and family. Villarosa spoke with AfterEllen.com about the book, what inspired the novel and the challenges of using her skills as a journalist to write fiction. Read the rest of the interview here.

Read more about Fiction, Photography, Animals, and Basketball: Exciting Author Interviews for July here.