-
On this day
It’s Christmas Eve. “Palestinian Christians refuse to celebrate Christmas.” “Churches in Bethlehem have cancelled activities.” Several churches and hospitals have been bombed. Faithful to my promise to not look away, I go to the news to see what is happening in Gaza: UPI, AP and Reuters tell us virtually nothing. And yet, there is a…
-
Post scriptum
I have wondered how Hamas could even consider carrying out the October 7 attack, knowing as they did, as did I, how viciously Israel would retaliate. I thought: The Gazans will cease to support Hamas, will hate Hamas for having subjected them to Israeli viciousness. How very wrong I was! According to Al Jazeera, support…
-
Gaza
Much has been said and written about the ongoing genocide. Many of us have described our sense of impotent rage and despair. Caitline Johnstone has done so particularly poignantly, I think, in an article titled I will not look away. Rather than waste your time on more of my rants, I urge you to read…
-
No!
No, Mr Biden and his lot do not believe that “all men [and women] are created equal”. I have no doubt he says he does, but nobody should ever take the word of a man (or woman) in his position. Mr Biden may, however, believe that all men [and women] are created equal, but that…
-
From bad to worse
A lof of what has happened these past two years has not surprised me. What has, however, astounded and shocked me has been 1) the silencing in the press of all criticism of the US and NATO’s handling of the war in Ukraine and 2) the US and UK crackdown on criticism of Israel post…
-
Frost
Most of the year I’ll be complaining about the weather. It’s never right, as it were. Too mild in winter, too wet or too dry in summer. “Climate change,” I’ll sigh, pointedly nodding towards the window. So now, I should rejoice and tell anybody who is willing to listen to me, that here where I…
-
Mary had a little lamb
I used to love The Guardian. You could find discussions about just about anything there, views right left and centre, philosophical musings, analyses of books, films and even a magnificent series in which Andras Schiff presented each and every one of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. It was a site that continued where school education left off,…
-
Impotence
Joe Biden and Israel have turned international law into toilet paper. Hamas knew, of course, that Israel would bomb the Shifa hospital, which is why they were NOT hiding there. Anyway, there is nothing more to be added. Nothing. No further monstrosity can outdo what has been done. The ink in my pen has run…
-
The Dog and I – part II
About four months ago I stumbled across an add that ran approximately so: “Please take this dog. She needs family. I can’t keep her.” It had evidently been written by a foreigner. Now, I had no intention of getting a dog. The problem was that the picture of the dog in question looked very much…
-
The dog and I
I have a dog. I’ve almost always had a dog. Big dog, small dog – no matter – I’m rather good at training dogs. Dogs, you see, are basically quite like humans. You tell a dog to “sit”, and the dog will sit. You tell the dog not to sniff the neighbour’s shoes – “the…