July 2020

  • Caste not the first stone

    Last week's Economist had a long article on the caste system in India – Hinduism's original sin.  I read this with the sustainable development goals in mind, although the author(s) did not mention them.  You can read the article here....

  • So, John Muir, human after all

    It appears that John Muir (1838 – 1914) was not a perfect human being after all.  Despite his huge contributions to conservation in the USA with lasting legacies to this day, it seems he was a product of his time.  He...

  • SARS-CoV-19 lockdown Haiku

    I've been writing limericks with my grandchildren.  Although I never find it easy to construct a good one where the story develops through the 5 lines, it's usually a fun process. [*] I was tempted to write haiku with them,...

  • The internalised wombs of Totnes, Glastonbury, Frome and Stroud

    Conformation, if it were needed, that XR is a well-heeled South of England phenomenon.  A study by the Universities of Exeter, Keele and Aston finds that those XR activists lying down for a week on Oxford Street last year were overwhelmingly...

  • Petroleum engineering – quo vadis?

    I listened into a conversation the other day about petroleum engineering courses in UK universities.  In this, one of the contributors expressed surprise – shock almost – that such courses still existed, given what we know about climate change and...

  • Well done Gavin Williamson

    I've never uttered these words before.  In fact, I'm not sure anyone has, and our benighted secretary of state for education is usually the recipient of criticism not compliment.  This has been doubly so in the last month or three...

  • The Teach the Future Advisory Board

    I'm pleased to say that I have been selected as a member of the Teach the Future Advisory Board – actually, the Teach the Future Adult Advisory Board.  Here's the detail of the application process and the rationale for its work....

  • Go on, rewild yourself

    Rewild Yourself: 23 Spellbinding ways to make nature more visible is a wonderful book by Simon Barnes with lovely illustrations by Cindy Lee Wright.  Published by Simon & Schuster UK – ISBN: 978-1-4711-7542-8 – at a cost of £8.99 (p.back).  You...

  • The Ramblers have lost their way

    I am a member of the Ramblers and admire the organisation for its work keeping rights of way open and in good repair, and for their encouragement of exercise in the open air (rain and shine).  I occasionally join local...

  • The Dasgupta Review

    I have respond to the interim report of the Dasgupta Review – the independent investigation of the economics of biodiversity.   This is part of what I said: I read your interim report with considerable interest and welcome the valuable pulling...