Gratified - is that the right word? (maybe smug?) - to report that the article that Mark Whitehead and I wrote on the governance of Covid 19 picks up on issues that are resurfacing at the moment, namely the government's "flirtation" with herd immunity and national government imposing restrictions on local communities without any consultation.
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1. What is Jersey’s political relationship with the UK?
2. Who wrote the novel “The Island of Doctor Moureau”? 3. Apart from the continental landmass of Australia, what is the world’s largest island? 4. On which fictional Caribbean island is Death in Paradise set? 5. What is the capital of the Isle of Man? 6. What separates the Isle of Wight from Hampshire? 7. What is the origin of the phrase “No man is an island”? 8. Who had a hit with “Island Girl” in the UK and US in 1975? 9. Which TV show “boasts” two former contestants and one former presenter committing suicide? 10. What is the Welsh name for the Isle of Anglesey? 11. Who wrote the 2003 novel “Shutter Island”, made into a film in 2010 by Martin Scorsese? 12. Where is Coney Island? 13. Which BBC sit-com is set and filmed “on” Barry Island? 14. What is Spanish name for the Falkland Islands? 15. Who was exiled to the island of Elba in 1814? 16. Island Life was an album by whom? We travel but we never see the grass crushed beneath our feet
Jet around the word, so free, (while) sisters perish in our heat So bright the light of faraway, such a dazzling place to be Back home, and what’s this called, this bloom, this bird, this tree? No time to learn of nature’s kin, so much world we must explore Clock up endless air-miles, experience more and more (and more) Experience, but we never know the creatures close at hand The shattered Earth is screaming now, forests turned to sand Earth give us the grace to see the world on which we tread Look down, look back, look homewards, the earth is blood and red Chorus Come down, come home to nature See what you might find Be with your brothers, sisters Travel deep inside Our footsteps across the Earth, are scorched into the soil Drink our fill of nature, trade its life-blood in for oil Exotic lands we have to roam, cultures we must possess Airlines fight to fill the skies, to get us there for less The last tourist in the Amazon, the last spall of coral reef The last member of a species, the last seed and flower and leaf If the world was our oyster, we have consumed it shell and all You mean the world to me, would mean we had a ball Dancing in the ashes, and spitting on the grave Of the family of nature, we were too far gone to save Chorus x 2 1. Which film star had the nickname “The Duke”?
2. Who was the Iron Duke? 3. What was the name of the popular 1970s TV action comedy that featured cousins Bo and Luke? 4. What is a slang term command to raise your fists to fight? 5. Which British nursery rhyme is a proverb about taking futile action? 6. Name the popstar who adopted the persona of “The thin white duke”? 7. What was the title of John Churchill whose wife Sarah Jennings had a famously influential friendship with Queen Anne? 8.Name the US jazz musician whose orchestra topped the charts from 1923 until his death in 1974? 9. In which sport did Briton Geoff Duke excel in the 1950s? 10. Where might you do your shopping in Duke Street Arcade? 11. Where is Duke University? 12. Who was the first Duke of Edinburgh? 13. Which city in US has a nickname The Duke City? 14. How many points would Duke get you as a single word score at Scrabble? 15. As of 14 April 2021, how many dukes are there in Britain and Ireland? "What I fear the most is that my life will pass unnoticed, that my name won't matter in the history of the world."
Semyon, Debdirge, Russia speaking in Life in a Day 2020 "What does success look like?" Question posed to the author in The Socrates Express. What does success look like to you? They had become friends on Facebook but this was their first face-to-face meeting. On Zoom, of course.
“Kevin! Good to see you.” “Rich, you look just like your profile picture.” “Well, I’m very happy to say that you don’t!” “You noticed my picture was a skull, huh?” “I just thought you’d put on weight!” “It’s plastic, in case you’re worried.” They laugh together. “How are you doing, Rich?” “Not too bad, all things considered. Yourself?” “Struggling along, you know how it is.” As was the new norm, they had pledged not to talk about the pandemic. As was also the norm, they instantly broke their compact. “How is where you are, Rich: locked down?” “As tight as a farmer’s purse strings, as they used to say around here, Kevin. Seems like overkill – whoops, bad word choice – in our rural backwater. Do you prefer Kevin or Kev, by the way?” “Kevin’s good: hate Kev.” “Cool. And are you also still totally locked down over there?” “Pretty much, in this city anyway, food shopping only at the moment. They advise click-and-collect, and that’s what most of us are doing: not many people braving indoor space these days, only those who have to for whatever reason. And, of course, the unbelievers.” “Increasing number of them, Kevin, despite the scary stats.” “Lots of people are just losing it, I reckon, after all this time.” “There’s talk of tightening things up here, even stopping two households that are not in a bubble meeting outside.” “The language has changed, eh Rich? Lockdown, bubble, fire-break, R-Number, vaccine-hesitancy, transmission-offence…” “I know, I know, and what about unmute yourself, share your screen, change your background, put on a party hat, and all this crazy video conferencing stuff.” “Which wave is this now, I’ve lost count?” “God knows.” “Probably the final wave farewell for our species!” “Ever the optimist, Kevin.” “I don’t know when governments will realise, but it’s beyond waves now, isn’t it?” “You’ve joined the perennial pandemic camp, Kevin?” “Verging on it, Rich, losing faith... Hey, this is depressing. Best leave dead dogs die. So, you liked the sci-fi novel I put you onto?” “Loved it, thanks for that recommendation. I have to say, I couldn’t keep track of all the parallel universes, but I lost myself in the characters: great dialogue.” This is what had brought them together, a common interest in books, cemented in the comment sections of the posts on a Facebook reading group. Then they had both joined another group which shared music videos. They had communicated in Messenger about their passion for movies. Kevin was in a soccer WhatsApp group that Rich has created, “Extra Time Looming”. Beer was yet another interest they found that they had in common. “What are you drinking tonight then, Rich? I’m on the alcohol-free, desperately trying not to drink myself into oblivion every night!” “I’ve fallen off the wagon again I’m afraid. Found this New England IPA on offer online and bought a dozen bottles: very tasty; orangey, if you can believe that, but in a good way.” “Sounds bloody great to me, mate, wanna swap?” “I’ll be back on the AF after the weekend.” “Enjoy it while you can, life is short.” “Getting way shorter by the minute, Kevin: Cheers!” Rich raises his favourite pint glass, takes a long pull of the IPA. Half a world away, Kevin mimes clinking his small green bottle of zero percent beer on the screen of his laptop. He restarts the conversation, again breaking the tarnished golden rule. “So all the current vaccines are useless against the new strain, it seems?” It was impossible to avoid: it was the elephant in the room, and the beast appeared terminally ill. “I heard the Chinese one offers fifty-percent protection, or something like that.” “Heads you win, tails you lose! Do not pass Go, go straight to hospital! Anyway, we don’t even have the new Chinese vaccine over here: do you Rich?” “No we don’t. All we can get is our own stuff since the government fell out with everybody. And that’s proved pretty useless against most variants.” ” Vaccine nationalism, another new term in dictionary.” “We’re in the Vaccine War, I read today: like the Cold War, an existential state.” “Maybe we can get the Chinese vaccine as a takeaway?” “That’s probably racist, Kevin!” ” Worse, it’s not even velly funny.” They chuckle together, naughty children, very much alike. Rich hopes that Kevin’s visually apparent Asian ethnicity rendered his humour if not politically correct, then at least acceptable as self-satire, and so okay for him to laugh along with. “That’s another change, Kevin, the takeaway delivery companies: I wish I’d invested in them way back when it all began.” ” You should have, Rich, you really should.” “Too late to buy shares in undertakers or death-trucks, too, not that I have any spare cash or crypto.” ” Another sort of takeaway! When will it end, Rich, eh?” “I wish I knew, Kevin, I really wish I knew.” Kevin is silent for a moment, staring blankly. Rich thinks his internet connection has frozen, but then his long-distance friend speaks. ” I really wish you knew too.” “If only I could wave a magic wand!” “If only.” “Hey, Kevin, we’d better pick up the pace or we’ll get maudlin… How much are you looking forward to cinemas opening?” That does the trick, Kelvin is instantly animated. “If they ever do, I will be first in every queue for every film showing: I’d even go to see a musical!” “Steady on, now: there are worse things than the plague!” “Seriously, I’d go to see anything: can you even remember monster tubs of popcorn!” “I’ve always been an ice-cream man: give me a chocolate covered ice-cream on a stick and an action blockbuster with screen-splitting CGI and heart-pounding sound!” ” Nothing arthouse and challenging then, Rich?” “Blockbuster first, deep and meaningful for dessert. Unless there’s a half-decent thriller.” “I’ll drink to that!” They toast each other across oceans and continents before turning to a topic they had exchanged comments on several times on social media over the humdrum months of their latest lockdowns. “What stories will come out of all this then, Kevin, what novels, what movies, what songs?” “I think everyone will steer clear, you know, too raw a nerve.” “They can’t keep writing fiction set in crowded rooms, though, movies where people aren’t wearing masks… Stories must be socially distanced stories, all art…” “People need escapism, Rich, we don’t want our noses rubbed in it.” “But the world is changed, to mis-quote Yates, I think, it’s changed utterly… ” And a terrible beauty is born.” “Indeed” “Oh god, poetry will be grimmer than ever, I suppose, song lyrics darker… I can’t bear to look at another arty photo-essay of empty streets, abandoned spaces, boarded up shops, field hospital…” “Overflowing morgues, mass graves....” “You know, Rich, a Zombie apocalypse would have been much more fun, even an alien invasion.” “Just imagine!” ” I can. And if I can, you certainly can: no more death by a thousand cuts of fear, isolation and boredom; we could be knocking the heads off the undead with cricket bats!” “Alien invasions don’t tend to end well, though Kevin.” Rich looks uneasy, nervously pulling at his beard. ” We could beat those Martians, Rich, people would think of something… Or the planet itself could come to our aid: the aliens could get the virus! Oh that’s War of the Worlds, isn’t it?” “An alien invasion would be terrible.” “It couldn’t be worse than this though, mate, could it?” “Terrifying…” ” But exciting, at least.” “If we keep to the rules, we’ll be safe: we’ll survive…” “There has to be more to life than survival, Rich. We’re losing our minds keeping our bodies safe!” “Let’s talk football, Kevin, firmer ground so to speak.” ” No, let’s not talk football, Rich, let’s talk about why you won’t end this freaking pandemic!” “Me?” Rich is so shocked by Kevin’s outburst that he splutters a mouthful of beer, just missing dribbling into his laptop. “It’s your imagination, Rich, or lack of it. At some level, you must know that?” “I think you’ve lost it, Kevin, are you okay?” “No, I am not okay: I am your imaginary friend in your imagined world and not only is it literally deadly, it is also deadly fucking dull!” “This pandemic is reality, Kevin, it’s nothing to do with me.” “It’s everything to do with you! Don’t you get it, this reality is like the Truman Show where Truman is in the Director’s chair and the rest of us are trapped on your set: you are Truman Burbank Unchained!” Rich laughs, though visibly discomfited, squirming in his chair. “Are you sure that’s alcohol-free beer, Kevin? Or have you been toking skunk, popping acid…” “If I had, you’d know all about it: we all do only what you imagine us doing.” “You’re serious aren’t you? This isn’t a send-up?” ” Deadly serious, Rich, deadly.” “But think about what you’re saying, Kevin, it makes no sense. How could I imagine nuclear physicists doing their thing when I know next to nothing about nuclear physics? How could I imagine a great composer, conductor or musician: I can’t read music, don’t play an instrument, can hardly hold a tune if I sing. How could I imagine a global economy? I’m overdrawn at the bank and maxed out on my credit card. How…” ” That’s obviously not how it works, Rich: you imagine us with imagination of our own; you imagine us with free will, diverse intelligences.” “Did I just imagine the whole of human history?” Write every novel? Conceive and record every sporting event that’s ever been…” “You tell me how it works, Rich, I’m just an extra.” “You’ve gone crazy, Kevin.” ” You’re right, I have. You have driven me bat-shit crazy!” “Look, maybe you should see someone…” “You know what would help, Rich? Just tell me what you’re so scared of? Why are you too frightened to risk living a real life? You’re squeezing the life out of the rest of us, and why? Is it just so you don’t have to chance death yourself, Rich, is that it?” “Really, Kevin, get a grip! I’m going to leave this chat, if you go on like this. You need professional help; I don’t think I can…” Kevin closes his eyes, sucks in a desperate deep breath, expels the air from his lungs as if sobbing. “You’re right, Rich, I’m sorry: I lost it. Don’t leave. Please.” “I’ve never seen you like that, Kevin, you’re always so… You know, cynical but upbeat.” “The sci-fi must have really got to me.” Kevin gives Rich a sick grin, bows his head, combs his fingers through his hair, faces front again. “You want to talk soccer, Rich?” “I can’t remember what I was going to say, you’ve put me off my stroke…” “Take your time, Rich, we’ve got all night. I’m not going anywhere, am I?” “Do you really think the pandemic is my doing? Do you really think I’m responsible for everything, for everybody?” Kevin sighs then speaks, deliberately and kindly. “We’re like your children, Rich, imaginary children, yes, but no less deserving of care. When you won’t imagine freedom - with all its risks - you’re killing us. And the less of us there are, the less of you there is. It’s self-harm.” “I didn’t cause the pandemic, Kevin.” “That’s not what I’m saying. “We have to be vigilant, obey the rules.” “You could be the change.” “That’s absurd!” “Live, Rich, live and let live!” “Just listen to yourself, Kevin.” “I know…” “I’m ending the call.” “Someone had to tell you, Rich, before it’s too late.” “Get help, Kevin. Goodbye.” Leave the meeting. Leave. Rich sleeps badly. When he logs in and checks social media in the morning, Kevin is gone, disappeared without trace. Poor guy, Rich would miss their chats. Checking the news, he saw that there was no let-up in the pandemic and governments all over the world were considering harsher measures. Protests were being ruthlessly crushed. In places ghettos had been created. China was suspected of culling infected populations. Sensible people everywhere were keeping their heads down and doing exactly as they were told. The good news was that there were advances in mental health treatments to help people cope with isolation, depression, paranoia… There were new drugs, therapies: people could adapt and be content, happy even. There would be change. Imagine that. Two of my songs are now on YouTube, Also in dark times sung by Cor Gobaith and Sisyphus song sung with Lotte Reimer. Both songs feature in the A Song For Us music project
On Friday 19th March at 7pm you are warmly invited to put on your glad-rags and to attend the World Premiere of Côr Gobaith’s recording of Also in Dark Times
We have made this recording in defiance of Covid-19, learning new digital recording and mixing technologies, and making our first music video. It’s an act of resistance and it’s for fun, celebrating our 15th anniversary as a street choir. But it’s also to raise desperately needed funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians. So please come to the Premiere, celebrate with us, and give generously 1. Who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)?
Mary Wollstonecraft 2. Who is Princess Diana of Themyscira, whose secret identity is Diana Prince? Wonder Woman 3. The Suffragettes were a militant group who fought for women’s right to vote in Britain. What was the name of their sister group which believed in peaceful, constitutional campaign methods? Suffragists 4. What was the name of Simone de Beauvoir’s foundational feminist book, published in 1949? The Second Sex 5. In which year was the Representation of the People Act passed in the UK, giving women over the age of 30 the right to vote in general elections? (a) 1910; (b) 1918; (c) 1922 6. Who wrote The Female Eunuch, published in 1970? Germaine Greer 7. On 9th October 2012, who told her political opponent: “If he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn't need a motion in the House of Representatives, he needs a mirror.” Australia’s first woman prime minister Julia Gillard to Tony Abbot (The Misogyny Speech) 8. Name the education activist who was shot by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012? (1 point for first name, 5 points for surname!) Malala Yousafza 9. By what name was Indian female rights activist and politician Phoolan Devi more popularly known? Clue: she was assassinated in 2001 in Delhi The Bandit Queen 10. Name the British folk hero who led her Celtic tribe in a rebellion against the Romans in AD 60 or 61? Clue: at least five possible spellings and pronunciations! Boudica, Boudicca, Boadicea, Boudicea, and in Welsh Buddug 11. Name the two leading actors in 1991’s Thelma and Louise? Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise 12. Name the US football star and LGBT activist who famously refused to meet Donald Trump after winning the World Cup in 2019, saying: “I’m not going to the fucking White House!” Megan Rapinoe 13. Who was the first woman MP in the UK, serving from 1919 to 1945? Nancy Astor 14. Who beat Bobby Riggs in a famous tennis match in 1973? Billie Jean King 15. Published in 1929, what is the name of Virginia Wolf’s feminist text which argues for space for women writers within a literary tradition dominated by men? A Room of One’s Own 16. Who wrote Fat is a Feminist Issue, published in 1978? Clue: She is married to the author Jeanette Winterson Susie Orbach 17. In 2014, American writer Rebecca Solnit published a collection of essays that has become a touchstone of the feminist movement: what was it called? Clue: The main essay in the book is called The New Republic Men Explain Things to Me 18. In 1973, Erica Jong published a book that was controversial because of its, then, radical view of female sexuality. What is it called? Clue: She also wrote How to Save Your Own Life Fear of Flying 19. Who wrote and first recorded Sisters Are Doing For Themselves in 1985? The Eurythymics (Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart) 20. What colours symbolise International Women’s Day? (Clue: 3 points) Green, purple and white 1. Who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792)?
2. Who is Princess Diana of Themyscira, whose secret identity is Diana Prince? 3. The Suffragettes were a militant group who fought for women’s right to vote in Britain. What was the name of their sister group which believed in peaceful, constitutional campaign methods? 4. What was the name of Simone de Beauvoir’s foundational feminist book, published in 1949? 5. In which year was the Representation of the People Act passed in the UK, giving women over the age of 30 the right to vote in general elections? (a) 1910; (b) 1918; (c) 1922 6. Who wrote The Female Eunuch, published in 1970? 7. On 9th October 2012, who told her political opponent: “If he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn't need a motion in the House of Representatives, he needs a mirror.” 8. Name the education activist who was shot by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012? (1 point for first name, 5 points for surname!) 9. By what name was Indian female rights activist and politician Phoolan Devi more popularly known? Clue: she was assassinated in 2001 in Delhi 10. Name the British folk hero who led her Celtic tribe in a rebellion against the Romans in AD 60 or 61? Clue: at least five possible spellings and pronunciations! 11. Name the two leading actors in 1991’s Thelma and Louise? 12. Name the US football star and LGBT activist who famously refused to meet Donald Trump after winning the World Cup in 2019, saying: “I’m not going to the fucking White House!” 13. Who was the first woman MP in the UK, serving from 1919 to 1945? 14. Who beat Bobby Riggs in a famous tennis match in 1973? Clue: “The Battle of the Sexes” 15. Published in 1929, what is the name of Virginia Wolf’s feminist text which argues for space for women writers within a literary tradition dominated by men? 16. Who wrote Fat is a Feminist Issue, published in 1978? Clue: She is married to the author Jeanette Winterson 17. In 2014, American writer Rebecca Solnit published a collection of essays that has become a touchstone of the feminist movement: what was it called? Clue: The main essay in the book is called The New Republic 18. In 1973, Erica Jong published a book that was controversial because of its, then, radical view of female sexuality. What is it called? Clue: She also wrote How to Save Your Own Life 19. Who wrote and first recorded Sisters Are Doing For Themselves in 1985? 20. What colours symbolise International Women’s Day? (Clue: 3 points) |
AuthorI am he as you are he as you are me, and we are all together Archives
December 2022
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I said, hey what's going on?
A story, essay, lyric or rhyme with no reason almost every day... or at least sometimes, randomly