The novelist Ian McEwan penned a timely and elegant feature which fronted yesterday’s G2, and which coincidentally explores the themes of the post below in far more depth. McEwan’s piece is entitled The World’s Last Chance and basically argues that the fate of the world now rests on Obama’s shoulders. McEwan, who wrote Saturday, Enduring [...]
Archive for November, 2008
Our last chance, by Ian McEwan
Posted in Reading, tagged G2, ian mcewan climate change, ian mcewan obama, the guardian, the world's last chance on November 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A changing climate, at last
Posted in Thinking, tagged al gore obama, jason grumet, obama climate change on November 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
“Enjoy the holiday season…and rest up, because it’s going to be a very, very busy 2009,” Obama’s lead environment and energy adviser Jason Grumet told a carbon conference in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, according to Ian Talley at the WSJ. It sends a shiver of excitement down the spine. Obama promised that if he won [...]
Picturing Iraq
Posted in Watching, tagged iraq photo essay, the frontline club, time magazine, yuri koyzrev on November 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Frontline Club, a hub for independent journalists in London, today announced the winner of its 2008 award: the Russian photographer Yuri Kozyrev, “for his exceptional coverage of the Iraq war.” Even as the conflict has faded from the headlines amid global financial meltdown and hopes that the “surge” of 2007 had established the foundations [...]
Coalfinger
Posted in Watching, tagged coalfinger, david mitchell, e.on, greenpeace, kingsnorth, quantum of solace on November 8, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Last night I saw Quantum of Solace. I’d been warned that the latest Bond movie consisted of sheer action devoid of narrative substance, but as light entertainment it turned out to be suprisingly enjoyable. I’m learning that with action movies it’s all about low expectations. Anyway, David Mitchell – the dark-haired one from Peep Show [...]
Philip Stephens on Obama’s win
Posted in Reading, tagged ft, philip stephens, philip stephens obama on November 7, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Great comment in today’s FT by my absolute favourite British columnist, Philip Stephens. “One of Mr Obama’s most dangerous enemies will be the impatience of our age: the ever present demands that tomorrow’s problems be fixed yesterday… but this is a moment for optimism. Once in a while, politicians do change the course of history.”
As Aladdin would say, a whole new world
Posted in Watching, tagged alexandra matzke, obama election night pictures, obama michelle, zillycakes on November 5, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Waking up this morning felt like Christmas Day, when you open your eyes to find Santa has left the exact present you wanted under the tree. I don’t really have anything else to say, except that pictures seem to tell the story best today. I love this one by Alex Matzke. It’s from a very [...]
Trailer of the Week: Wendy and Lucy
Posted in Watching, tagged kelly reichardt, michelle williams, trailer of the week, wendy and lucy on November 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The first glimpses of Michelle Williams’ stricken, timid beauty in this trailer make it look like a film that is sure to beget tears. It also seems to be a truly independent movie; shot in twenty days, highly textured with an unfamiliar, meditative rhythm. The kind of film that evokes such an authentic landscape you [...]
