I have been listening to a podcast about the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and learning a little more about Malta. Curious that Malta was admitted to the European Union and, say, Turkey was not. Or perhaps not that curious. Curious also that there are at least three British colonies – Ireland, Malta and Cyprus […]
Consumer drones
It’s an argument I’ve often railed against, or at least fulminated against, the plastic straw argument of disempowered consumerism. That there is no point giving up plastic straws for environmental reasons because it makes so little difference in the larger scheme, when it is corporations and governments that are responsible for climate change. Its most […]
Skeletons
I’m reading a very interesting article in the New Yorker about a pile of skeletons near a lake in the high Himalayas. It’s a curious piece, both rather romantic and occasionally draws me up short, such as with throwaway lines like the following, referring to genetic analyses of ancient bones: Under the scrutiny of science, […]
Morning in America
The GF said today that the Trump’s tenure has been rather like having a car alarm go off outside one’s window – the especially vile sort of alarm which changes tone and type so you can’t ignore it. Now, the alarm’s been turned off, and it really feels like that blessed first few minutes of […]
This is America
I have just watched Trump’s speech. Even if, at this point, Biden wins the presidency, this was another moment that marked the end of America. Maybe the moment. This election has also made it quite clear that when my American friends said that Trump’s is not the real America, that was nonsense. This is the […]
Oh dear
Concerned to realise that I might be the sort of person who, when distressed, does housework. What have I become? Middle aged, I daresay.
Inching forward
We are inching ever closer to the Galata flat. I am still very double minded about it, but continue to mistrust my own feelings, as my head is very clear that it is the right decision. But I do have a vision of a life in a beautiful place and buying this one feels like […]
Off his head
This is a rather late reaction to the news of the moment, but Trump getting COVID is really quite something. I watched two videos following his release from hospital. One, when he went onto the balcony and took his mask off, and looked like he was struggling for every breath and might come falling off […]
Looking back
There is a bit of this-ing and that-ing about the Caliphate podcast which I listened to a couple of years ago. Curious to see my brief notes from that listen and how they completely miss the controversies of both then and now.
Faulty defence
Read an interview with someone arguing for court packing the US Supreme Court. I have to say, it has rather convinced me the other way, though admittedly I already had a somewhat regressive fondness for norms and steering ships slowly rather than running through and breaking (other people’s) things. Though the argument that climate change […]