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Royals
At a time when news outlets are preoccupied by the fate of imprisoned princesses and fleeing princes and duchesses, I feel called upon to bring to your attention another piece of news about royalty. In light of the fact that US authorities seem reluctant to take punitive action against the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin…
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This is Apartheid
There isn’t much good news going around, but when a prominent Israeli humanitarian organisation uses the word, maybe people will finally listen. No need to expound. BTSELEM explains it all very clearly here:https://www.btselem.org/publications/fulltext/202101_this_is_apartheid Please do read the entire report. It’s important to understand on what grounds the word is found to be applicable. Here is…
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Good reads
My dog’s health is declining. I won’t go into detail, but the latest development is that she has started to limp, on alternating paws. One of these days, I shall have to take her to the vet’s for the final solution. She has had 12 good years and will have a painless death. I will…
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With God on our side
Though I do not devote much negative attention to Russia or China or, for that matter, the so-called “Democratic” Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Nigeria or Iran, I’m very glad I do not live in any of those countries. Had I done so, I would have been honour-bound to direct my darts at them, at great…
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Cockroach rhetoric
I assume we have all heard exclamations such as “He treats her like an animal!”. I have even read somewhere that Amazon treats its workers “like animals”. However, more and more often, I find that this sort of juxtaposition of animals and humans is not quite to the point. I suggest substituting the word “animal”…
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Once upon a time…
Not so very long ago, there was a country where most of the people were very poor, and some were very well off. By dint of solidarity, self-sacrifice and organisation, the people who were very poor were able to elect a president who was actually willing do to his very best for them, even to…
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Torture was the driving force
There are those who would disagree with me. In a ZDF documentary series about the history of Europe, Cristopher Clark, “Cambridge historian” (that is how he boldly presents himself), more than implies that what propels change is competition. I am being a little unfair to Mr Clark, as he does admit that what he values,…
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Ship to Gaza
The Gaza Strip is populated by nearly two million people and is often referred to as a “prison”, as it has been subjected to a brutal Israeli blockade for 12 years. The blockade is in contravention of international law. The humanitarian situation for the inhabitants of Gaza is nothing if not desperate. I know of…
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52 shot dead today in Gaza…
… and still counting. The emperor and his henchmen seem determined to unleash a new world war. I am not, for the moment, referring to the latest insults against Iran (though the gods above know there is reason to). I am asking myself: Where does he want all the Palestinians to go? Does he expect…
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Jerusalem
The website of El Pais had an unusual headline this morning, one that seemed to suggest an alliance between the Pope and Iran: “El Papa e Irán se unen al intento de evitar que Trump lleve la Embajada a Jerusalén“. Later in the day, El País changed the headline, but the fact remains that Iran…