I posted a blog on June 22nd 2025 about the need for humans to keep control of words. A few months later I suffered the death of a member of my family. The experience and the moment of passing was unwordable and taught me about the depth of silence. This may seem obvious stuff, theContinue reading “Unwordable”
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The Pedagogical is Political
The recent visit by the Princess of Wales to Reggio Emilia has highlighted the Reggio Emilia School of early years education. The Reggio Emilia approach focuses on the child’s innate ability to learn and encourages that through the environment and a facilitating approach to learning. I had the honour through Ermes Bertani and his sisterContinue reading “The Pedagogical is Political”
W Words
As humans, we are distinguished from other creatures by our use of words. Words can move, inspire, scare, comfort, provoke thought and inform as well as just communicate a fact. And yet, in all institutions I am part of we defer to our ‘comms’ departments, whose main interest and purpose is protection of the organisation.Continue reading “W Words”
You forgot that I was a seed
The photo (not mine) is from Herefordshire. The rich red earth apparently lies dormant now. But anyone with any gardening task to do knows that this is the time to plant seeds. Which brings to mind the couplet written in 1978 by the Greek, gay, poet Dinos Christianopoulos in The Body and the Wormwood: whatContinue reading “You forgot that I was a seed”
The Chained Library
Amid a wonderful visit to the rolling green wonder that is Herefordshire, I came across this in Herefordshire Cathedral. The Chained Library was introduced by a lot of information about how time-consuming it was to prepare the vellum (animal skin) and to write on it. As a system against theft (but by whom and sellingContinue reading “The Chained Library”
It’s the policies.
Like many, I am glued to political developments in the U.S. Also, like many, I read Kamala Harris’ The truths we hold as soon as it was published in 2019. I was underwhelmed by it, and that seemed to be supported by the invisibility of Harris as VP throughout Covid. Now, it is clear thatContinue reading “It’s the policies.”
Bella Ciao: a tale of two songs
This is more a song for 25 April than to be discussed as we approach 25 December, but nevertheless, here goes. Few songs are better known than the song Bella Ciao, best known as a marching song by the Partisans. A recent film Bella Ciao – Song of Rebellion traced the “obscure origins” of theContinue reading “Bella Ciao: a tale of two songs”
Silicosis killing Rajasthani stoneworkers
Visitors to Rajasthan in India see its palaces and houses of pretty red and pink sandstone. Yet the work of quarrying and cutting that stone is costing workers their lives. On October 18th, on the outskirts of Jaipur, I participated in an important consultation on Business and Human Rights in the Mining Sector organised byContinue reading “Silicosis killing Rajasthani stoneworkers”
Pregnant pause over the pregnant man
In 1970, Saatchi & Saatchi famously designed an advertisement for the Health Education Council. It showed someone who was clearly a man, clearly pregnant. Would you be more careful if it was you that got pregnant? it asked. In 2022, Saatchi & Saatchi posted an update in response to the US Supreme Court’s Ruling inContinue reading “Pregnant pause over the pregnant man”
“They are only nameless because you do not know their names.”
I have just finished rewatching the film Persian Lessons. There is no actual Farsi/ Persian spoken, apart from at the very end. In fact, the whole film involves a suspension of disbelief. Set in a concentration camp, a small bedraggled man (we know him as Reza) finds ways to survive. He “teaches” Persian to oneContinue reading ““They are only nameless because you do not know their names.””
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