The terrible truths about politics and power in America
by Rashmee
Posted on March 25, 2021
/IT’S THE BUSINESS For those who don’t know about ‘Popular Information’, it’s a newsletter that says it’s about “politics and power”. And how! Written by Judd Legum, ‘Popular Information’ does more to reveal the terrible truths about the relationship between politics and power than some of America’s biggest media groups. Consider this. On March 18, … Continue reading “The terrible truths about politics and power in America”
Read MoreIs it humane to appropriate all the suffering in the world, leaving none for the Palestinians?
by Rashmee
Posted on March 24, 2021
/ TAKE UP ONE IDEA Israel’s fourth general election in two years (on March 23) reminded me of how earnestly – and determinedly – Israelis have engaged in nation-building. And it also a reminder of how carefully, Israel has worked to preserve ethnic nationalism. Back in 2019, CUNY associate professor and Haaretz columnist Peter Beinart … Continue reading “Is it humane to appropriate all the suffering in the world, leaving none for the Palestinians?”
Read MoreWhat might the big Biden controversy be? White French cuffs?
by Rashmee
Posted on March 23, 2021
/ POLITICS & AMERICA As usual, Ed Luce of the Financial Times put it best (paywall). Writing about the state of Washington in March 2021 – two months after Joe Biden took control and after six weeks of his own book leave – Mr Luce described it as follows: “People don’t talk about the president … Continue reading “What might the big Biden controversy be? White French cuffs?”
Read MoreBritain as a force for uber good?
by Rashmee
Posted on March 22, 2021
/ BLIMEY BLIGHTY I seem to remember Tony Blair popularising the use of the phrase “Britain as a force for good”. As prime minister, Mr Blair repeated it so often, the phrase became almost meaningless, just the usual twaddle of politicians and other snake oil salesmen. It was hard to believe at the time, anyway. … Continue reading “Britain as a force for uber good?”
Read MoreWhat dress codes and Zoom backgrounds have in common with social inequity
by Rashmee
Posted on March 21, 2021
/ TRAVELS IN MY MIND In the Before Times, we judged people by their clothes (and presumably the designer they liked or could afford). Now, we rate their Zoom background. There’s a connection and it was DealBook, the NYT’s sassy newsletter on the intersection of business, policy and culture, that recently revealed it. DealBook reported on … Continue reading “What dress codes and Zoom backgrounds have in common with social inequity”
Read MoreImmersive theatre Vs the real thing
by Rashmee
Posted on March 20, 2021
/FAITH, HOPE… An interesting experiment comes to an end today (March 20). The Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) ‘Dream’, live immersive theatre on television screens in your living room, wraps up its high-tech stuff. So the virtual curtain comes down on a week of performances in which gaming technology and VR was used to allow audiences … Continue reading “Immersive theatre Vs the real thing”
Read MoreHomage to Catalonia: A profoundly European disconnect between words and deeds
by Rashmee
Posted on March 19, 2021
/ LANGUAGE There are words and then there are deeds. On March 9, the European Parliament voted by secret ballot to remove the parliamentary immunity of three of its members, all Catalans who were formerly part of the government of that prosperous region of Spain. All three MEPs are wanted by Spain over Catalonia’s 2017 … Continue reading “Homage to Catalonia: A profoundly European disconnect between words and deeds”
Read MoreDanone stirs the ESG pot and sprinkles on some scepticism
by Rashmee
Posted on March 18, 2021
/IT’S THE BUSINESS It was Gillian Tett at the Financial Times who joined the dots and spelt out the words. Fickleness. About. ESG. Indeed, the corporate stance on Environmental and Social Governance appears all too shifting and contradictory this year. As Ms Tett pointed out in the FT’s Moral Money section, Danone removed an ESG-espousing … Continue reading “Danone stirs the ESG pot and sprinkles on some scepticism”
Read MoreWomen’s rights mean coming to the table ‘as you are, knitting needles in hand’
by Rashmee
Posted on March 17, 2021
/ TAKE UP ONE IDEA Two of the more interesting ideas on gender equity have emerged from Europe, more specifically, from the European Commission’s executive vice-president Margrethe Vestager. Politico recently reported that Ms Vestager has been calling for a gender perspective on tech regulation. That’s because if the current, “very non-diverse community” builds Artificial Intelligence … Continue reading “Women’s rights mean coming to the table ‘as you are, knitting needles in hand’”
Read MoreSharing the parents. William and Harry face the same issues as all siblings
by Rashmee
Posted on March 15, 2021
/ BLIMEY BLIGHTY It was interesting – but rather sad – to read a story about Prince William’s alleged unhappiness with a photo of used by Harry and Megan on their Archewell Foundation website on New Year’s Day. The photo, according to the story, was of William and Harry’s mother, Princess Diana. She was carrying … Continue reading “Sharing the parents. William and Harry face the same issues as all siblings”
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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