Green good news shoots from Britain
by Rashmee
Posted on February 17, 2021
/ BLIMEY BLIGHTY Two pieces of green good news from Britain. Only one is a direct result of Brexit. On February 1, Britain decided to ban bottom trawling, the fishing technique that allows enormous nets to be dragged along the bottom of the sea, in a protected area of the North Sea. This is to be … Continue reading “Green good news shoots from Britain”
Read MoreLow spirits aren’t good for business, British or any other
by Rashmee
Posted on February 8, 2021
/ BLIMEY BLIGHTY A Brexit update doesn’t mean it’s business as usual. Au contraire. This week, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic will visit the British capital to have a good long chat with Boris Johnson’s Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove. The topic will be: post-Brexit friction in Northern Ireland. Good luck with that. Arelene Foster, … Continue reading “Low spirits aren’t good for business, British or any other”
Read MoreThe Pomskies and Cavpooshons of Greenwich Park
by Rashmee
Posted on February 7, 2021
/ TRAVELS IN MY MIND Move over Goldendoodles, Maltipoos and Morkies. The Pomsky and the Cavpooshon are here. Every week, I see new varieties of mixed breed dogs gambolling in Greenwich Park in southeast London. The Pomsky, a cross between a pomeranian and a husky, had the erect triangular ears and distinctive face markings of … Continue reading “The Pomskies and Cavpooshons of Greenwich Park”
Read MoreBrexit Newspeak: End of free movement of people is ‘freedom’
by Rashmee
Posted on February 5, 2021
/ LANGUAGE January 1 was the first day that new (supposedly more free and therefore, more fulfilling) travel and trade rules went into effect for Britain in relation to the European Union. It finally happened…more than four years after Britain voted to leave the EU. Britain, Brexiteer politicians tell us, is finally free. Is it? … Continue reading “Brexit Newspeak: End of free movement of people is ‘freedom’”
Read MoreThe Real Bread movement arrives in East Greenwich
by Rashmee
Posted on January 31, 2021
/ TRAVELS IN MY MIND Rejoice, all ye in east Greenwich, we have a real bakery. Not only is it now possible for everyone wending their way up Trafalagar Road to buy a fresh loaf, a scone or a slab of chocolate cake, Fingal’s Bakery is part of the Real Bread movement. That 12-year campaign … Continue reading “The Real Bread movement arrives in East Greenwich”
Read MoreHubris and humility: Remembering Ozymandias, ‘that colossal wreck’
by Rashmee
Posted on January 21, 2021
Just the other day Donald Trump was likened to Ozymandias, the Greek name for the legendary Egyptian pharaoh, at least in the sense that Mr Trump’s sketchy legacy was obviously crumbling in his last weeks in office. The Economist said its cover was meant to convey as much, even as it mentioned Ozymandias and Mr … Continue reading “Hubris and humility: Remembering Ozymandias, ‘that colossal wreck’”
Read MoreWhat British sofa beds – or the lack thereof – tell us about the ’empire of things’
by Rashmee
Posted on January 2, 2021
I have been trying – and failing – to buy a sofa bed for delivery within the next month or two and it’s got me thinking about something that historian Frank Trentmann has called the “empire of things”. Mr Trentmann’s 2016 book ‘Empire of Things’ chronicled the “global advance of goods” from the 15th century. … Continue reading “What British sofa beds – or the lack thereof – tell us about the ’empire of things’”
Read More‘Surveillance capitalism’ to ‘infocommunism’: the big tech battle
by Rashmee
Posted on December 22, 2020 / The National
It has been quite an extraordinary year for big tech. Giants of the technology sector cannily leveraged the expanding economic opportunities thrown up by the pandemic. But now they find themselves in the crosshairs of regulatory authorities in Europe, America, the UK and China. Will 2020 come to be seen as an inflection point, when … Continue reading “‘Surveillance capitalism’ to ‘infocommunism’: the big tech battle”
Read MoreIs that a nargisi kofta you’re chowing down with your pint?
by Rashmee
Posted on December 17, 2020
Coronavirus restrictions in England sent sales of a humble, often unregarded pub snack soaring. Across the land, pubs in “tier 2” tried to comply with rules that they only serve drinks to customers who consume a “substantial” meal. Amid much discussion over what constitutes a “substantial” pub meal, a government minister confirmed that scotch eggs … Continue reading “Is that a nargisi kofta you’re chowing down with your pint?”
Read MoreTo tackle vaccine hesitancy, choose your words wisely
by Rashmee
Posted on December 9, 2020 / The National
As the global vaccination effort prepares to get under way, there is an urgent need for a parallel inoculation process that deploys words. The right words can help fight outbreaks of vaccine hesitancy and scepticism, outright disbelief in science and distrust of government intentions and recommendations. This matters. Consider the situation in Britain, the western … Continue reading “To tackle vaccine hesitancy, choose your words wisely”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK