Hope and change in Bidenomics terms
by Rashmee
Posted on April 30, 2021
/ LANGUAGE On his 99th day in office, President Joe Biden used the language of hope and change because the “power of positive thinking”, as Norman Vincent Peale pointed out, is enormous. So is Mr Biden’s spending plan. At $4 trillion, split into two bills, it is simply enormous. The theme, clearly, was hope and … Continue reading “Hope and change in Bidenomics terms”
Read MoreLegislative thuggery in Georgia?
by Rashmee
Posted on April 2, 2021
/ LANGUAGE In 1897, Mark Twain described the menace of Thuggee in India on the basis of a 60-year-old British government report. Twain noted in ‘Following the Equator’ (sometimes published with the alternative title ‘More Tramps Abroad’) “that nobody could travel the Indian roads unprotected and live to get through; that the Thugs respected no … Continue reading “Legislative thuggery in Georgia?”
Read MoreThe 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 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 MoreHuman good and a Groundhog year when Trump goes on trial for a second time in 365 days
by Rashmee
Posted on February 9, 2021
/ POLITICS & AMERICA Here’s the silver lining as former president Donald Trump’s second Senate impeachment trial begins a second time: This is the last one. Be of good cheer, we will not have to revisit Mr Trump’s words and deeds after this, paying close attention to his dismal thought processes (if they can be … Continue reading “Human good and a Groundhog year when Trump goes on trial for a second time in 365 days”
Read MoreIt’s not about ‘will’. Can Joe Biden succeed as president?
by Rashmee
Posted on January 29, 2021
Here are the two questions everyone’s asking: ** Will Joe Biden succeed as America’s 46th president? ** Can Joe Biden succeed as America’s 46th president? The first question is ultimately unknowable. Who knows if Mr Biden will be able to restore order to his country’s politics and take America back to the superior position it … Continue reading “It’s not about ‘will’. Can Joe Biden succeed as president?”
Read MoreAmerica’s corporate citizens want a role in governing public life
by Rashmee
Posted on January 19, 2021 / The National
Can big business help clean up America’s public square? It’s a question that matters enormously in the current context, as the US gets a new president while still wrestling with the insurrectionist impulses and polarisation promoted by the outgoing one. A fortnight after the rampage at the US Capitol in Washington, at least two dozen … Continue reading “America’s corporate citizens want a role in governing public life”
Read MoreMAGA: In Trumpspeak, an aspirational euphemism for Republicanism?
by Rashmee
Posted on January 18, 2021
This is the last week that we need to invest Donald Trump’s pronouncements with the solemn weight that comes of where he stands. So here goes. Noticed something? Mr Trump increasingly speaks of his MAGA ‘movement’ but doesn’t mention the Republican Party. That may be just fine with sections of the Party, which is in … Continue reading “MAGA: In Trumpspeak, an aspirational euphemism for Republicanism?”
Read MoreAll that hasn’t happened in the hours since Trump incited violence against the US
by Rashmee
Posted on January 7, 2021
The morning after Donald Trump led the American equivalent of Al Qaeda to war with 250 years of democratic process, the following tweet popped up in my feed. It is both funny and tragically true: https://twitter.com/emilyjodell/status/1347140902368677890 It reads as follows: “Should we let white men on planes now considering what happened yesterday, white male … Continue reading “All that hasn’t happened in the hours since Trump incited violence against the US”
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