Tag Archives: war

A message from my friend Mo in Gaza

Mo and his family have helped homeless and hungry cats in Gaza for many many years and have found many animal lover friends all over the world. This care for the cats didn’t stop during the invasion and genocide by Israel. Miraculously he and his family hold on and are still alive, but I saw this message from him from Twitter and I had to share it with you all. On Twitter: @helpcatsmsallam

Albert Camus: Art’s Corruption Under Brutality

“Brutality is never temporary. It does not respect the boundaries set for it, and so it is natural that brutality will spread, first corrupting art, then life. Then, out of the misfortunes and bloodshed of humankind, we see born insignificant literature, frivolous newspapers, photographed portraits, and youth-club plays in which hatred replaces religion. Art thenContinue reading “Albert Camus: Art’s Corruption Under Brutality”

Comforting Thought: And the people stayed home by Kitty O’Meara

“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still.” #alone #quote #healing #love #connection

The Sensual World of Polish Poet Anna Świrszczyńska

Anna Świrszczyńska, also known as Anna Swir wrote poems in direct, evocative language that spoke passionately and directly to the heart. She wrote affectionately about the female body, love, pain, loneliness, terror, war, childbirth, child-rearing and the passing of time. She focused a lot on the flesh – its elasticity and potential while young, alongContinue reading “The Sensual World of Polish Poet Anna Świrszczyńska”

Captain Seeks a Sea-Going Cat to Sign on for a Trip Around the World, New York Times (1922)

Captain Edwin Dyason, master of the freighter Woodfield will welcome any ablebodied seafaring cat wishing to join the crew of his vessel, sailing today for Manila and China. “We missed the ship’s cat shortly after we put into port here,” said the Captain. “Her name was Cleopatra. She joined on in Fremantle, Australia and didContinue reading “Captain Seeks a Sea-Going Cat to Sign on for a Trip Around the World, New York Times (1922)”

Book Review: Warlight by Michael Ondaatje

*Contains no spoilers Right from the start I was hooked on this novel by the celebrated author Michael Ondaatje who wrote the classic The English Patient which won the Booker Prize in 1992 and was turned into an equally successful film. His follow up, Anil’s Ghost failed to hit the mark, at least for me.Continue reading “Book Review: Warlight by Michael Ondaatje”

Book Review: Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky: A London Trilogy by Patrick Hamilton

*No spoilers Patrick Hamilton isn’t really as well known as he should be, which is a crime and a shame. He is a fantastic and yet underrated British writers of the post-war era. You may recognise his work in the play Rope which was turned into a well-known Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name.Continue reading “Book Review: Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky: A London Trilogy by Patrick Hamilton”

Book Review: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

*Contains no plot spoilers. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Pachinko is a family saga about Korean migrants living in Japan against the backdrop of the unheaval of the 20th Century. The novel traces struggles, triumphs and colourful personalities of several generations of one family. It rockets along at an amazing pace and doesn’t let up. This is a bookContinue reading “Book Review: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee”

The Black Swan Model: the domesticated chicken and what it never expected

Writer Nassim Nicholas Taleb calls the phenomenon of people being unable to predict the future based on the past the Black Swan principle. This name is inspired by the the 17th Century early explorers. People in Europe had always assumed that all swans were white. Imagine their surprise when they found that black swans thatContinue reading “The Black Swan Model: the domesticated chicken and what it never expected”