I listened to most of the foreign correspondents on BBC radio 4 discussing their predictions for 2023. They were all well informed guesses and often they get it right because for the most part, the players are all in place. But, as is the way of predictions and life in general, we must always suppose…
Month: December 2022
The Year Gone By
We look back, we look forward. We take stock. We make decisions But I am not sure that we ever tell ourselves the truth. Meanwhile the planet struggles and in many countries nothing changes for what we perceive as ‘the better’. And years are a method of counting based on the sun and earth which…
Traffic
Coming down from a Christmas in London on 27th the motorways were crowded. It was almost impossible to go at 70 mph (the national speed limit) anywhere between London and Bristol (roughly100 miles) and then the problems continued well past Taunton, added to which it rained. There was only one accident that we passed so…
International Politics
I chat with my friend Ed on occasions and we talk about how human beings run themselves and he has a phrase, that we are ‘gathering nuts’. The animal instinct to protect oneself and survive by making sure our food sources are protected, that we are warm and can maintain a modicum of health. That…
Christmas in London
I have been invited to spend Christmas in London, near Hampstead, with friends who are more like family than either of my families ever have been. Not at all sure what it will be like, the house is huge and I don’t think I have sat round a table of eleven diners since I was…
Everyone Wants A Hero
or to be one. The myths surrounding heroics nearly always have same things in common – whoever the person is or people are – there has to be a conflict. Whether born of the gods or chosen because of some special personality trait, a war or a battle against a terrible foe makes one a…
Which 30%?
Sounds quite grand. A lot of countries coming together to protect 30% of the planet for wildlife to stop extinctions and preserve biodiversity. But with companies wanting to plunder the Artic and governments always ready to grant money-making schemes the question is which 30% and why only 30%? Does the science tell us where to…
Guns
It is not what we do with what we create, but what others do. They have now free templates online to make and load 3d printable runs. The hobbyists who make them are having fun, making strange and ornate weapons and meeting to shoot on ranges. But the guns are obviously untraceable and can kill….
No Earnings
I am tired for the poor being made to pay for the absurd decisions of the powerful when things go wrong. I am tired for the powerful making laws that allow them to not pay taxes by putting money into tax havens and then turn around to the poor and say ‘I didn’t break any…
London Homeless
I heard on the radio the history of homeless people sleeping outdoors in the richest parts of the city. The theory being that because of the lighting and p9olicing it is considered a safe area. Homes people think it is because rich people may give them more when they beg. In my experience rich people…