“Being born a woman is my awful tragedy”, Sylvia Plath journalled in 1959, four years before her death. “From the moment I was conceived I was doomed to sprout breasts and a womb and to adore men who are the enemies of my kind”. A year later, in 1960, poet Anne Sexton underwent an illegal… Continue reading The womb is a haunted house — looking to the works of Plath and Sexton as a woman in our times
Since the dawn of time humans have waged war. Day by day, year by year and generation after generation we have banded together in our tribes and troops to defeat that which we cannot comprehend, the other, each other. After all, all of the great foundational myths and legends are possessed with war, victory and domination – George and the Dragon, Fionn… Continue reading How history has hampered England’s sporting success
“What gives me strength in this difficult time is my faith. Praying together, reminding each other to stay strong, believing that better days will come”, this is how Zaher, 56, a resident of Gaza City, begins his account, while the internet connection cuts in and out during our conversation. Around him, the city lies in… Continue reading Living under the bomb — Zaher’s hope from Gaza
In the 1995 cult-classic film Before Sunrise, the main character Celine says: “You know, I have this awful paranoid thought that feminism was mostly invented by men so that they could, like, fool around a little more. You know, women, free your minds, free your bodies, sleep with me”. Although I am strongly opposed to… Continue reading Sexual liberation or exploitation?
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) stands at a complex crossroads where immense natural wealth coexists with protracted humanitarian crises, entrenched political fragility and persistent insecurity. Currently, the country’s trajectory is shaped by overlapping dynamics: conflict and displacement in the east; an uneven political transition following contentious elections; macroeconomic pressures in a mineral-dependent economy;… Continue reading Congo at a crossroads — humanitarian urgency, political flux and public health risks
In every corner of the world, a new language of defiance is being spoken — and more often than not, it is spoken by women. From the streets of Tehran to the squares of Santiago, from the alleys of Kabul to the boulevards of Warsaw, women have become the moral backbone of modern resistance. Their… Continue reading The female face of resistance — women redefining protest in the 21st century
Between the years of 1642 and 1651, the UK was in total turmoil as the Royalist and Parliamentarist forces competed to lead the way for the union’s future. One man, utterly disturbed by the skirmishes resulting in an uncertain future and a death toll of around 200.000, strived to find out how this outcome could… Continue reading Hobbes and artificial intelligence — the meta-Leviathan
Neither Attlee nor Wilson Undeniably, since suffering electoral defeat in 2019, Keir Starmer has taken the Labour Party further towards the right than under Corbyn, with subsequent electoral success. Resulting from this change of both direction and style the Labour Party has experienced, many comparisons have been made about Keir Starmer with former prime ministers.… Continue reading Who is Keir Starmer’s prime ministerial comparison?
A minute before the clock struck 10 in the evening, a 6.9 earthquake awakened the people of Bogo City from their sleep. The earthquake that happened last September 30 had affected a total of 747,979 people, with reported deaths at 79, and 559 were injured. Ten days later, another massive earthquake with a magnitude of… Continue reading How recent Philippine earthquakes revealed the power and peril of social media
An analysis of current events at the White House might seem redundant but is still as important as ever—another decision made by Trump that has not been approved by the correct institutions is impacting the foundation of the United States and is surprisingly closely tied to Trump’s private business life. The demolition of the East… Continue reading The symbolism of Trump’s East Wing demolition
