The Monday Mix (29/05/2023)
Hi friends,
Today is a bank holiday in the UK. so that means I’ve been able to relax more than usual and enjoy the great weather we’re having at the moment. I can’t believe I’m typing this, but I’ve forgotten the last time it rained. I think it was two weeks ago, but I’m not sure. As you can imagine, this is unusual in England, even during summer, where it can often rain more times than not.
I checked the two-week forecast today, and there’s no rain forecast for another two weeks. If that happened, while it would be great to have nice weather for such a lengthy period, it would fill me with unease. This isn’t normal. While it could just be a quirk, and things return to normal later on in the year, it does have me worried about years to come from now on.
It’s hard to feel like climate change is a thing in the UK because our weather is so variable. Travelling to Andalucia, I had no doubts it was happening, as the heat there was stifling in April and September when I visited. I can only imagine how unbearable it is during the height of summer. It feels odd to complain about warm weather here, but there is a cost that comes with it. And it’s one I think we will feel in the remainder of the decade.
A Drowning World
Speaking of climate change, this is a harrowing piece about floods in Kenya. It’s easy to think of climate change and only think in terms of rising temperatures. But those increases lead to a range of other phenomena with flooding being one of them. Recent flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy is a case in point. Unfortunately, we’re going to read more and more of these articles in the years to come, which makes it even more imperative that serious action on lowering emissions is taken.
The Counteroffensive
A good read on the upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive in the war against Russia and the implications. Anne Applebaum is one of the best writers today, tackling issues around democracy and its fight to survive in many countries. She makes it clear that this counteroffensive is important for many reasons. Perhaps the main one is that it could render Putin defeated in his attempts to conquer Ukraine. So far, the war has been a complete failure for the Russians, and their boasts of taking Kyiv in a matter of days are becoming more ridiculous with each passing day. We can only hope the counteroffensive is successful and pushes Russia and lands a defeat that neuters their imperial ambitions for good.
Tri-Generational Blood Swap
I don’t know what to make out of this article. Instinctively, I find this stuff downright weird. This particular case is even weirder, as the guy in question is having his son’s blood injected into him. But then, don’t we need a few crazy people like this, experimenting to see what works and what doesn’t? I mostly think this is a bit nuts, and that Bryan Johnson doesn’t look like a picture of health despite his stated aim to ‘de-age’ his body. I don’t know, maybe this will become more commonplace in the years to come but it just feels strange right now.
Book I’m reading - Courage Is Calling by Ryan Holiday
This is one of Holidaty’s most recent books, and if you’re familiar with his previous ones, it follows a similar pattern. I found this book for 50p in a clearance sale, so I thought why not buy it? The book is alright, a decent enough primer on courage, but these books are becoming ever more formulaic and it does like he’s just pumping them out at this point rather than writing something of substance.
Quote I’m pondering: – “Imagination and fiction make up more than three quarters of our real life.” – Simone Weil
That’s all for this week.
Until next time,
Tom