Will You Enjoy This Post Before You’ve Read It?

One of the online communities I'm in is engaged in the discussion of the difference between preference for the familiar and prejudice. Instinctively, we recognise there is a difference but where it lies can be much harder to pin down. For me, the starting point is pre-emptive denigration. We all have preferences, both general and …

A Sprained Ankle of a Deal

After going into extra time, COP26 has produced a result. A result that has been cast as great or terrible by different sources. I'm still pondering the nuances but my immediate impression is that it's as good as falling from a second-storey window and spraining one's ankle. Imagine falling from the window, that hollow sensation …

Green Joy

The Green Party Conference was last weekend, marked—among other things—by the first speech of Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsey as new Co-leaders of the Party. As the last forever years show, pretty speeches don't necessarily result in progress, but I found this one inspiring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzuf9Ikv6eg I love the clear enthusiasm to learn the lessons of …

A Chain of Infinite Length Can Still Be Cut

Today is Anti-Slavery Day in the United Kingdom, a day that is not—as one might hope—a celebration of our victory over the scourge of oppressive servitude but a solemn reminder that slavery remains a close part even of the modern Western world. How you might best oppose slavery will vary depending on where you live …

Raising a Cup to Melitta Bentz

As I drink my second mug of coffee today, I am reminded of Melitta Bentz and feel a series of small joys. At the start of the Twentieth Century, coffee in Europe was almost always brewed with the grounds loose in the pot. This method has two main issues: the resulting coffee tends to have …

Rocks in My Head

Sometimes to relax, I look at photographs of karesansui (‘Zen’ gardens) or watch videos of them being maintained. A few days ago I recalled that, when younger, I found them quite boring and started to ponder whether I have actively learnt to like them or would always have developed into it. As frequent readers will …

As the Prophecy Didn’t Foretell

Whether it's people being shot in Plymouth, the situation in Afghanistan, the latest IPCC statement, or another global, national, or personal matter, there are plenty of reasons to feel humans aren't a great species. As that bleakness can grind one down, I thought I'd share a little Taoist-inspired pondering that reminds us the people we …

I Discovered They Were a Gilman

It is easy to say that the debate on whether one can separate Lovecraft's work from his beliefs will never be resolved. However, I think the underlying question is still worth asking: because deciding whether or not to read a dead author's work isn't the only judgement we make in life. Synchronicity summoned up the …

Yog-Sothoth Doesn’t Play Ball Games

Commentary on Lovecraftian horror often takes a fixed stance on Lovecraft's racism (was he a racist; is his work racist; does liking Lovecraft make you a racist) so this video by Athena Productions on whether art can be separated from artist was a pleasant surprise to my nuance-seeking mind. However, I noticed one critical factor …

Awaken Your Tongues

There is an article in the Telegraph today (another article) rejecting the idea that we shouldn't require correct English from students. As someone who has used English professionally for most of my working life, the argument that language matters resonates strongly with me. And thus the article spoke to me: specifically, it said Χρησιμοποίησα έναν …