Nepotism babies and the myth of American meritocracy

Sonali Kolhatkar There is a common feeling that many of us have experienced in professional or academic environments, especially when we struggle against gender or racial bias. It’s called “imposter syndrome”—the feeling that one doesn’t deserve one’s position and that others will discover this lack of competence at any moment. I felt this way as… Read More Nepotism babies and the myth of American meritocracy

Brazil protests: Lula vows to punish ‘neo-fascists’ after Bolsonaro supporters storm congress

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has toured the wreckage of his presidential palace after an extraordinary day of political violence in the capital, Brasília, saw thousands of far-right extremists run riot through the country’s democratic institutions in a failed attempt to overthrow his week-old government. The massed attack by supporters of the ex-president Jair Bolsonaro was a… Read More Brazil protests: Lula vows to punish ‘neo-fascists’ after Bolsonaro supporters storm congress

Twenty-four hours of terror as cartel violence engulfs Mexican city

“They operate in six of the seven continents. The only continent they don’t operate in is Antarctica because penguins don’t have money to buy drugs,” At least 29 people killed in Culiacán as drug cartel gunmen fight bloody battle to stop transport of El Chapo’s son after arrest Mexican troops battled to regain full control… Read More Twenty-four hours of terror as cartel violence engulfs Mexican city

Ignorance is Strength; Freedom is Slavery; War is Peace

First posted January 13, 2013 NB: These extracts are from the Book within a Book in Chapter 9 of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four; first published in 1949. Sixty fours years later, the dystopian vision contained in the book throws light on the contemporary world, its fascination with war, violence and the fanatical ideologies that justify a continuous system of thought… Read More Ignorance is Strength; Freedom is Slavery; War is Peace

The revenge of history in Ukraine: year of war has shaken up world order

The Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko recalls a quote attributed to Otto von Bismarck: “Wars are not won by generals, but by schoolteachers and parish priests.” It’s a country’s taught collective memory, its shared sense of its own history, that are the decisive instruments for mobilisation, and are as important on the battlefield as weaponry. Few… Read More The revenge of history in Ukraine: year of war has shaken up world order