The Monday Mix (07/03/2022)
Hi friends,
Once again, I’m late in sending this newsletter out. A recurring theme at this point! There’s not much to report other than I’ll be sending out my reading list for February on Wednesday, as opposed to right at the end of the month!
Here’s what I want to share with you this week.
Best Books on Russia and Ukraine
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine still ongoing and turning ever more bloody, I’ve been trying to read up on the history of the two countries. I covered some Russian history at school, and have learnt some more since I graduated from university, but I know next to nothing about Ukraine. Thankfully, there are plenty of great books on the history of both countries and their relationship to one another.
This list of five books is a great starting point if you want to know some of the history behind the conflict. Almost every war has a history behind it, and this one is no different.
Reflections on Welsh Identity
I live on the border between England and Wales. Chester is a border city, and you’re only ten minutes from the border in most directions here. Driving into Wales is normal for me, even though I’m driving into another country, it never feels like I’ve crossed a border per se. There are differences between England and Wales but they’re subtle, especially around the border. The further west you go, the greater the difference between England and Wales.
Wales isn’t the most well-known place, and unless you’re from the UK, I doubt most of you will be aware of its rich culture, beautiful scenery and fascinating language. This article was an interesting read for me and taught me a lot about how the Welsh feel about their country. I hope it can shine some light onto a forgotten part of the UK that deserves more exposure to the wider world.
Tiny islands and climate change
A fascinating article about how tiny islands are adapting to meet the challenges of climate change. They’re almost uniquely positioned to manage the transition owing to their small size and exposure out to sea in the case of the examples in this article.
The great thing about these examples is they offer a clear pathway to how we can utilise clean energy for all of us. Scaling up will be a challenge, but if these ingenious islanders can manage the transition then so can we.
Book I’m reading - Moneyland by Oliver Bullough
Another book on the world of dirty money and how it’s subverting our world. This one is different in style from Kleptopia and reads more like a conventional non-fiction book detailing how the world of offshore banking works and came to be. If you want to understand this murky world, Moneyland and Kleptopia are the two books to read!
Quote I’m pondering: “He who loses money, loses much; he who loses a friend, loses more; he who loses faith, loses all.” – Irish proverb
That’s all for this week.
Until next time,
Tom