One of the things that always irritates me about Christmas is the incredible commercialisation that goes with it. The frenzy starts around October these days and has got to the point where the major retail chains are advertising their Boxing Day sales weeks ahead of Christmas itself. Apparently the act of giving away avalanches of … More That ‘ol Christmas shopping zombie thing again
The response when a Southern Right Whale spent a week or so in Port Nicholson – Wellington’s harbour – highlights just how much the world has changed in the last while. Back in the nineteenth century the sight of a whale usually set a flurry of action going ashore, just as the whale did the … More Having a whale of a time…
I cannot but lament the moral void into which the world seems to be falling. Political intrigue. Weaponised social media. A new definition of ‘facts’ based not on empirical reality but on personal need. And it shows. I think everyday behaviour’s deteriorating, likely worldwide – and certainly around me. I worry about a loss of … More Lamenting the moral void into which society has fallen
Merry Christmas, my friends. All best wishes for every happiness for the festive season and into 2018. There are a couple of posts coming to round off the year, but otherwise I’m taking a short break and will be back blogging in early January. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2017
These days I am left thinking that the flood of ‘fake news’, baseless scare-mongering and other rubbish pouring over and around us from Facebook – and the internet in general – has reduced news to village gossip. Back in the old days – by which I mean less than ten years ago – journalism involved … More Fake news and village gossip – 2017 style
Albert Einstein once explained that nuclear weapons changed everything – except the way we think. He was right, of course. That worries me. There’s been a lot of talk about rogue-state nuclear weapons of late. A war using such appalling devices seems a real possibility – more so than during the dark days of the … More Einstein’s warning – and why even a small nuclear war could destroy humanity
I’m a huge fan of all sorts of music. Maybe not surprising given that I formally studied it for longer than anything else, including history and writing. I like almost everything – especially jazz of all genres, but also classical (meaning medieval, baroque, classical, romantic, modern orchestral and so on), all styles of rock, metal, … More Katy Perry vs Taylor Swift vs Tove Lo vs Lorde
