Apparently "we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations (1945 ( Read more... )

There are more refugees than ever.  According to the UN refugee agency there were 65.3 million refugees, asylum seekers or internally displace people at the end of 2015.

That's 65.3 million women, children (half of refugees are children, many alone), babies, men, old people, teenagers, trying to find somewhere to live because where they were ( Read more... )

Did you miss me, Dear Reader?  Come on, admit it, did you even notice I'd not been around all that much?  Have you had a good Easter?  Here the bank holidays have co-incided with the end of March 'clock change'.  In the UK the clocks now go forward an hour on the last weekend in March.  This year that is the Easter weekend.  Consequently we have a ( Read more... )

"There is no such thing as 'international terrorism'.

To declare war on 'international terrorism' is nonsense.  Politicians who do so are either fools or cynics, and probably both." Uri Avnery in his weekly column in Gush Shalom, this week  Uri Avnery, now in his nineties, has been around a while.  He's seen a lot, including WWII, the rise of ( Read more... )

While I was at junior school there were reports on the news about the conflict in Aden - a city on the Red Sea coast in Yemen.  It had been part of the British Empire.  It was situated very handily for defending the southern end of the Suez Canal and ships passing therethrough.  But the locals had gotten fed up of being part of the Empire and were ( Read more... )

We're doing well for commemorations this week.  Magna Carta on Monday, today it's Waterloo - the battle in 1815, not the station.  Which reminds me, someone was telling another person how their great-great-great grandfather died at Waterloo.  "Oh?" Replied the listener.  "Which platform ( Read more... )

Apparently today is Darwin Day.  Well, there appear to be days for more or less everything else so why not for the old guy?  He whose reasoning gave 'Scientific Evidence' to the atheists that there is no need for a Divine Being.  He whose reasoning gave 'Scientific' basis for those who argued (and still try to argue) that white people are the ( Read more... )

You know about Pop Up shops don't you, Dear Reader?  Well a corner shop has popped up in Bethnal Green for the duration of August.  19 Wellington Row, London E2 7BB to be precise.  The whole shop is an art installation by Lucy Sparrow.  All the 'goods' on the shelves are hand made from felt -shaped, layered, stuffed and embroidered felt.  They are ( Read more... )

Hmmm.  I've always been a bit diffident about this kind of thing.  Yes, remember those who died.  Yes, remember that war is a Bad Thing.  Yes, look after the casualties and survivors, be they forces or civilian - and the civilian casualties are always worse.  But don't, whatever you do, glorify any of it.  Because war isn't glorious.  Ever ( Read more... )

It's NOT hot!

Honestly, it isn't.  Well, not hot hot hot as it has been.  Just that we were getting reaccustomed to temperatures in the lower 20s°C.  Today the northerly breeze has veered  more westerly. w00t!  We can benefit from that.  (Our house will catch breezes from South East & West, not North, except in the depths of winterrrrr!)   The ( Read more... )