Catte, writing in OffGuardian yesterday … Does anyone in the West understand what the real point of Putin’s comments about Russia’s new weaponry? The Guardian’s coverage (“Putin threatens US arms race with new missiles declaration”) shows us their masters see this … Read More »
The last half mile of yesterday’s walk brought snow, in light flurries to begin with. For thirty-six hours it fell, frequently a swirling white-out though with occasional breaks. Early this afternoon I kitted up: wellies, merino skinware, layers of down, … Read More »
No city in Britain rivals Sheffield for ease of access to open country. Yesterday Jasper and I left our home in one of its leafy southwest suburbs for two minutes of walking on terraced roads – Peveril, Carrington, Louth and … Read More »
Yesterday a wintry sun lit up the White Peak. With the delightful Ting, who works at the highly rated by me Mini-Voyager Hostel in Hualien, and survived the Richter 6.4 earthquake by having the good sense to be on a … Read More »
The propaganda war on Syria now centres on Eastern Ghouta. In a rational world BBC coverage would be scorned by an intelligentsia priding itself on critical thinking. And in this one? It will be swallowed in its entirety, I fear, … Read More »
Thanks to Jawed Siddiqi for alerting me to this. Heartwarming.
Most of us accept that human activity has brought us to the eve of destruction. Which kind of bothers us, on and off, especially those with kids. So let me ask: do you think we can pull back from the … Read More »
Two excellent offerings from OffGuardian this week. Yesterday was a video featuring Peter Ford, ambassador to Syria 2003-6, telling the “Imperialism on Trial” symposium in Derry that humanitarian invasion and sanctions are simply updated versions of the “White Man’s Burden” … Read More »
Two years ago, in a post on privatisation as a global phenomenon, I wrote: … whether or not the demonising of distant regimes has substance, and whether or not it is hypocritical, are secondary questions. In no case – cold war … Read More »
A few years ago I heard a veteran journalist on how, with pounding heart and now-or-never audacity as his one and only interview with Woody Allen drew to a close, he’d asked: How come someone as ugly as you attracts … Read More »