Mammoth in the Living Room

In reply to: Jemima, Deer, ‘Inconvenient truths: the psychology of coronavirus and the climate crisis’, The Canary (16/04/20). <https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2020/04/16/inconvenient-truths-the-psychology-of-coronavirus-and-the-climate-crisis/> Dear Jemima, I enjoyed your excellent psychological parallel between C-19 and climate crisis. Very neat. As apes our scope for alertness to danger is indeed immediate, small scale. So we cannot grasp on an everyday basis … Read moreMammoth in the Living Room

How girls (and boys) are used (up)

I was reading about a new film about Christine Keeler and it threw up the real, brutal meaning of “abuse” which trains so many young people into a kind of slavery.She was ‘abused’ by her stepfather, and then pregnant at 15 by a boyfriend. Now sex when growing up (unless with another child with equal … Read moreHow girls (and boys) are used (up)

Tory interview runs on tears

saf2008 27/06/2019 The Gurdian BTL commentJohn Crace political sketch.This is not my writing but so delicious it deserves tribute and conservation. Tonight at the Tory Hustings (kind of) Hannah Vaughan Jones: “Mr Cu… Hunt, why should you be PM?”Hunt: “I will be the first ever PM with a background as an entrepreneur and I will be … Read moreTory interview runs on tears

Success and simplicity

Arthur C. Brooks, ‘Your Professional Decline Is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think’, Atlantic Monthly (June 2019) Refreshingly thoughtful article about living to compete to stay at peak until the last gasp vs. understanding the life cycle, and valuing stages which are not peak achievement. Brooks refers to the Hindu triadic life pattern: trainee, materialist, … Read moreSuccess and simplicity