Is it really all over for the office?
by Rashmee
Posted on October 23, 2020
Many companies don’t expect workers to return to offices until next summer. Those that have allowed employees back are doing so in a phased fashion. London law firm Osborne Clarke, for instance, plans to have up to 25% of workers in the office at any one time. Goldman Sachs executives said last week that about … Continue reading “Is it really all over for the office?”
Read MoreThe pandemic is throwing up new opportunities for phishing
by Rashmee
Posted on October 17, 2020
The other day I received an email offering a health check up with the blood drawn at home. It was a “spl offer”, the writer stressed. A handy hyperlink was below to “check details”. I never did check, having a sneaking suspicion it was a phishing link, so I have absolutely no idea what malicious … Continue reading “The pandemic is throwing up new opportunities for phishing”
Read MoreMargaret Ferrier, the Typhoid Mary of the 21st century?
by Rashmee
Posted on October 3, 2020
Is Margaret Ferrier the Typhoid Mary of the 21st century? At first glance the question sounds ludicrous. The two women could not be more dissimilar. Ms Ferrier is a Scottish member of the British parliament. Mary Mallon, aka Typhoid Mary, was an Irish cook who immigrated to the United States. The two women are separated … Continue reading “Margaret Ferrier, the Typhoid Mary of the 21st century?”
Read More‘Why would Norwegians want to come to America today, except as aid workers?’
by Rashmee
Posted on October 2, 2020
In the aftermath of the dispiriting September 29 slugfest on US television – it was neither presidential nor a debate – British journalist Simon Kuper’s lament for America is worth a careful read. Not just for what he said – “European attitudes to Americans are shifting from envy to compassion” – but his analysis of … Continue reading “‘Why would Norwegians want to come to America today, except as aid workers?’”
Read MoreOn National Poetry Day, here’s a sonnet that’s like rap, a protest poem for racial justice
by Rashmee
Posted on October 1, 2020
Today is National Poetry Day in Britain and I’ve been thinking a great deal about a poem from across the waters. It’s by Terrance Hayes, 48. He describes himself in interviews as a “jock” writing sonnets but don’t let the self-deprecation fool you. Hayes clothes and unclothes ideas with ease and grace and passion. The … Continue reading “On National Poetry Day, here’s a sonnet that’s like rap, a protest poem for racial justice”
Read MoreCorona karaoke and off-shoring refugees. Just another day in England
by Rashmee
Posted on September 30, 2020
As far as coronavirus goes, here are the rules in England, succinctly delivered by @DoughtyStreet human rights barrister Alex Wagner, @AdamWagner1: In the south six people are free to sing but in the north only one person is allowed to sing indoors, although six can sing outside. Here’s Mr Wagner’s beautifully expressed tweet: https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1311083297313902592?utm_source=POLITICO.EU&utm_campaign=e019b26700-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_09_30_06_10&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_10959edeb5-e019b26700-190565551 Mr … Continue reading “Corona karaoke and off-shoring refugees. Just another day in England”
Read MoreDemocracy’s defence lies in the hands of those who practice it. We, the people.
by Rashmee
Posted on September 25, 2020
It’s a familiar dirge. Democracy is in decline. With every month that passes, the world is less democratic. Everywhere you look, there are undemocratic governments. That’s what journalists and op-ed writers constantly insist and TV talking heads assert. I have written about this many times over. (Click here for my November 2018 piece, in the … Continue reading “Democracy’s defence lies in the hands of those who practice it. We, the people.”
Read MoreDemocracy doesn’t have to be Western-style, nor the development template
by Rashmee
Posted on September 19, 2020
Veteran foreign policywallah Kishore Mahbubani once wrote a piece for The New York Times titled ‘How Strongmen Co-opted Democracy’. He should know. Mr Mahbubani was, from 2004 to 2017, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (National University of Singapore). His country knows all about strongmen. That’s not to be snarky, just … Continue reading “Democracy doesn’t have to be Western-style, nor the development template”
Read MoreGeopolitics and conscious uncoupling – up to a point
by Rashmee
Posted on September 18, 2020
‘Conscious uncoupling’ became famous – both as a term and a concept – in 2014, when actress Gywneth Paltrow and singer Chris Martin were in the throes of a divorce. But the neologism was coined much before, and not by Ms Paltrow. In fact, it was California marriage and family therapist Katherine Woodward Thomas who … Continue reading “Geopolitics and conscious uncoupling – up to a point”
Read MoreDreaming of Sitopia in Britain
by Rashmee
Posted on August 31, 2020
BBC Radio 4 has aired one of the more unusual – and inspiring – food programmes I’ve ever heard. ‘Sitopia – a land with food at its centre’ is set in 2030. It features a Prime Minister Carolyn Steel, who led her Sitopia Party to victory in the 2022 general election and proceeded to … Continue reading “Dreaming of Sitopia in Britain”
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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