Hej far Kobenhavn, Too many cars in peak hour? Too much pollution in the city? Too many fat people getting fatter with the sedentary lifestyle of city work? The Danes have an answer. The solution is to encourage more and more to ride bicycles to and from work and whenever they need to …Read More
Hej, The definition of pretty, as in a pretty woman, has to be that she is pretty from all angles, in all seasons, in any light. The same goes for pretty cities, if one is going to apply such an adjective to a man-made complex. pretty from all angles Stockholm is pretty from all angles …Read More
An excerpt from Sarah Macdonald’s entertaining book “Holy Cow”, about her two years in India: “I can’t get a word in to tell the Raja of Red Tape that . . . . . As he speaks, four men watch, drinking in the glory of their Goebbels. They prostate before him, vigorously nod and fall …Read More
Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, Ever since Neil Young recorded “A Man Needs a Maid”, I’ve tried to work out what he means. To give a love, you gotta live a love. To live a love, you gotta be “part of”. What’s he on about? Arriving here on the sub-continent ten months ago, there was some …Read More
Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, It’s one of the enduring mysteries of capitalism that so many consumers appear to be unaware of the connection between cheap labour and cheap goods. So many make a beeline for the latter, rejoice ostentatiously in the acquisition and conveniently ignore the reasons for the cheapness. One doesn’t need to undertake …Read More
Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of Dhaka. Let me introduce you to two non-fictional cases of humanity that have something in common with each other. There’s a young boy – perhaps 16, perhaps older – who has been placed on the pedestrian …Read More
Namaste from the Andaman Islands, Naomi Klein – that courageous journalist from Canada – wrote about disaster capitalism in her book “The Shock Doctrine” in 2007. She outlined the growing number of cases in which right-wing ideologues had taken advantage of a people/community/nation at a time when they had just endured a traumatic natural disaster. …Read More
Namaste from Havelock Island, When the flames of freedom light up the hearts and souls of the people, how long can they be stopped? How long indeed. The abandoned prison in Port Blair on the Andaman Islands is testament to the way suppression can only be temporary. The Andaman Islands are idyllic tropical paradise in …Read More
Shuvo shokal from Dhaka, There’s nothing like sport to boost a nation’s self-confidence. The cricket World Cup has provided Bangladesh with a chance to prove themselves worthy. It’s the talk of the town (at least amongst the blokes). Bangladesh’s fast bowler Rubel Hossain spent a night or two in gaol recently for reneging …Read More
Namaste from the Sundarbans (on the Indian side of the border), We have made our third foray into India, for a third dose of sensory overload. By happy coincidence, we’re in India on the day when India plays Australia in the semi-final of the cricket World Cup. In India, the passion for cricket intersects …Read More