Showing 1 - 7 of 7
Musk's Starship: If it sounds too good to be true...
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 06/12/2025
» Elon Musk promised to build a spaceship that would put people and cargo into Earth orbit at one-hundredth of the current cost per kilo and even enable human beings to create a colony on Mars. A great many people were seduced by the idea, including me.
Make America Great Again heads to Panama
Oped, Ruti Teitel, Published on 04/01/2025
» US President-elect Donald Trump clearly does not intend to pursue a "good neighbour" policy. He has been mocking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by calling him "governor" while proclaiming that a country of 40 million people should become the 51st US state. His first telephone conversation with Mexico's new president, Claudia Scheinbaum, had to be followed by Ms Scheinbaum politely saying that she had agreed to none of the terms Mr Trump claimed that she had.
A perfectly British public paradox
Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/07/2024
» Much has been made of the "working class" background of the newly-elected government in the UK and how very few of Sir Keir Starmer's Cabinet attended posh "public schools". This brings us to one of the paradoxes of British and particularly English culture. The institutions which are called "public schools" in England are anything but public and are actually elite private fee-paying institutions.
Stench of anti-Chinese racism is deeply ingrained
Oped, Hsuan L Hsu, Published on 20/03/2021
» Since the arrival of Covid-19, people assumed to be Chinese have been stared at, yelled at, coughed on, spat on, sprayed with air freshener, beaten, splashed with acid, pushed, stabbed, and murdered -- sometimes for simply occupying public space. I have thought twice about spending time in public on days when allergies to cats, pollen or wildfire smoke might make me susceptible to the hazards of "coughing while Asian".
It's not a good time to be a statue
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/06/2020
» This past week has seen statues of controversial historical figures under attack around the globe. It is surprising it has taken so long. Hopefully the statues can be used for educational purposes by being placed into museums, accompanied by accurate historical accounts of what these people really did. The statues are an important reminder of an inglorious part of history. There is a possibility, however, that any statue or monument could become a target. One problem with statues is that they are quite vulnerable unless they are atop towering columns, like Nelson in Trafalgar Square.
Targeting Huawei will backfire as trade talks suffer
News, Pankaj Mishra, Published on 12/12/2018
» The arrest last week in Canada of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co, China's iconic company, is a watershed event. The arrest, made at the behest of the US Justice Department, has roiled markets around the world. It threatens to derail trade talks between the US and China, and to expose American businesses and executives in China to retaliation.
Once it was almost a botanical garden
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/11/2018
» About 20 years ago I was standing on the steps of the British ambassador's residence in Bangkok after interviewing England and Manchester United football legend Sir Bobby Charlton. Shameless name-dropping again, l know, but there is a point. While we were waiting for transport, Sir Bobby surveyed the embassy grounds and remarked what an idyllic scene it was, with all the trees, ponds and well-manicured lawns. He was definitely impressed. With traffic gridlock only a stone's throw away, it was a truly tranquil oasis presided over with aplomb by the statue of Queen Victoria.