Month: June 2018
Stand and Bolivar
Venezuela is named for the Italian city of Venice, famed for its merchants, its tourism, and its wealth. There is a certain irony in this, because in the last half decade Venezuela has had none of these things. You could be forgiven for wondering how Venezuela has ended up in its current state. South America is in general quite a wealthy and democratic continent, trailing only Europe and North America in terms of prosperity and freedom. However, Venezuela is currently the glaring exception to this rule. Its problems lie, as so often, in oil. However, Venezuela’s oil problem is…
Deal or no Deal
Two years to the date of publication of this article, the UK voted to exit the European Union. Since then, neither of Theresa May’s governments have achieved anything of note in moving the leaving process along. Now, just nine months before the supposed final cut off point for the British exit, this lack of progress is finally causing problems. Britain’s problem currently is akin to a group project gone wrong. At the start of the project, the British government told all the big businesses and local councils that they were going to do most of the work, and that…
Football Diplomacy
The past year has felt like a return to the Cold War Era. We’ve had widespread reports of Russian meddling in American elections, a spy poisoned by Russians in Salisbury, and thinly veiled references to certain dangerous red buttons by major politicians. However, earlier this week, the World Cup kicked off in Moscow. And suddenly, all of that seemed to fade into the background. This is far from the first time sports have been the impetus to unite us all, in spite of our differences. Nazi Germany was gearing up towards its peak in 1936, but the Berlin Olympics…
Review: Jeune Femme
When is the right time to grow up? Do we have to grow up? Why not stay kids forever? New French film Jeune Femme answers those questions with beauty, precision and humour. Paula (Lætitia Dosch) has just been dumped by her long term and much older partner. As any normal person would, she has a bit of a breakdown and does not know how to put herself together. She has no family to go back to, and all her friends are actually his friends so she cannot count on them. Homeless and jobless she struggles to survive in…
A Tale of Kentish Sea and Settlement
Last week, I had the distinct displeasure of travelling to the dying town of Margate not once, but twice. How this misfortune befell me I will not go into, but the two visits – while obviously dreadful – were also fascinating. This was because the Margate seaside is simply beautiful. I know that sounds sarcastic, but I’m serious, check out this view: Not bad, right? And yet the town itself is a horror. The train station is vast, designed for hundreds, but it’s a shock to see even a tenth of that number. The promenade is graffitied and dirty,…