On a couple of previous, now deleted blogs, I wrote a fair number of pieces looking at so called Liveable Neighbourhoods, the concept of 15 minute cities and last but by no means least, the frustrations of trying to get around the Avon region. That’s getting around by driving, using public transport, cycling and walking. I include all modes of transport because I don’t want to pander to the divide and rule merchants who are doing their level best to pit users of different modes of transportation against each other. Which when you think about it is plain daft because regardless of whether we drive, use public transport or cycle, at some point we’ll all be walking along a pavement. In other words, being a pedestrian is a great leveller.

The aim of this piece is to revisit what I’ve written in the past and fuse them together to try and provide some kind of overview. Something that will hopefully form the basis for a rational discussion around the issues and problems relating to getting around the Avon region. This isn’t a comprehensive piece and there are issues raised that I’d like to examine in greater depth at some point in the future.

It’s disclosure time. The two of us behind this blog don’t drive. We use public transport, mainly rail, we occasionally use taxis and a lot of the time, we walk. Our experience of these modes of transport gives us some degree of authority when we talk about the parlous state of train travel in the region and also, the degraded state of the pedestrian infrastructure.

The discussion around the various modes of transport people choose to use to get around the Avon region all too often descends into what can best be described as a culture war. One that manifests itself in a variety of ways from the bitter rows between supporters and opponents of Liveable Neighbourhoods, through the tensions between cyclists and pedestrians and onto the element of die hard motorists who resent the subsidies given to public transportation, both rail and bus. That’s a lot of division that’s being fostered. Division that ignores the fact that we all have to be able to get around and that a holistic transport strategy that balances everyone’s needs fairly is what we really need. Well, we can all dream can’t we because with the calibre of politicians running the various authorities across the region we cover, we’re more likely to end up getting kidult style name calling and virtue signalling than anything coherent.

Liveable Neighbourhoods

On the surface, Liveable Neighbourhoods seem like a lovely idea – in theory that is. Imagine the bliss of living in an urban neighbourhood where measures have been put in to minimise the amount of traffic coming down your road, making it a much pleasanter place to live. Less, pollution, less noise and being outside on your street becomes a much pleasanter experience. Who could possibly object to streets in urban neighbourhoods having the amount of traffic using them substantially reduced? Let us try and explain why people do object...

Unless there are measures that actually reduce the overall volume of vehicles using the roads in a town or city, all Liveable Neighbourhoods achieve are shifting the traffic burden onto someone else. We're talking about measures such as vastly improved public transport networks that will persuade people to leave the car at home because the bus and/or train offering is a faster and more comfortable way to move around. We live in a region where bus services leave a lot to be desired and what remains of the local rail network after the Beeching cuts of the 1960s is widely seen as a joke. Also, it's a hilly region, so cycling is only a serious option for the younger, fitter and braver members of the populace. So sadly, many people are forced to rely on their cars to get around because there are no viable alternatives.

So what happens when there aren't anywhere near enough viable alternatives to having to use a car, yet Liveable Neighbourhoods are still being imposed? What happens is that the same volume of traffic is forced to use a smaller network of roads. The inevitable result is...more congestion! You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work that one out... As it tends to be the more affluent streets who can leverage the system to make sure they become a Liveable Neighbourhood, inevitably the displaced traffic is forced upon lower income areas. It could be argued that they’re a form of class war.

What they certainly are is a piecemeal, so called 'solution' to the problem of traffic. They're little more than a gesture that appeal to those with sharp elbows and a knowledge of how to work the system to get traffic in their neighbourhood reduced at the expense of others suffering more traffic. If they're not accompanied by sustainable, long term plans to offer a viable alternative to car use, they're essentially a waste of time at best and at worst, socially divisive.

15 minute neighbourhoods

‘15 minute neighbourhoods’ sound like a lovely idea – in theory. However, after decades of planning policy assuming near universal car ownership with our towns and cities developing accordingly, it's understandable that a fair few people will be bemused by the concept of a '15 minute neighbourhood'. Tract housing has been allowed to sprawl in such as way that when people need to do the weekly shop, all too often they have no alternative but to jump into the car to the nearest supermarket which may be miles away. We're talking about forty minute round trips just to pick up the groceries for the week. This is the reality of how our towns and cities have been allowed to sprawl for decades without any thought as to the long term when the resources needed to sustain a car based economy start to run out.

To ensure that as many of the amenities of life are within a fifteen minute walk would involve the reconfiguration of many suburbs and overspill towns that were built on the assumption of near universal car ownership. While it's perfectly possible for a lot of the amenities of life to be reasonably close to hand in the older suburbs such as Bedminster or Redland in Bristol, once you get out to places like Hartcliffe to the south or Bradley Stoke to the north, it's a very different story. Re-configuring the outer suburbs and the overspill towns to ensure that as many of life's amenities are within a fifteen minute walk is a gargantuan task because it involves correcting decades of flawed and ultimately, short sighted planning policies. That's before having the really serious conversation needed about how we adapt to a future when the resources needed to sustain a car based economy start to run out.

Liveable Neighbourhoods and so called '15 minute neighbourhoods' are essentially performative rather than achieving anything substantial in terms of reducing the overall volume of traffic on the roads. All each of these actually achieve is to add more to our lives in the way of digitised monitoring, tracking and sending out punitive fines in moves that suck us all further into what feels like a high tech, digital control matrix. You can forgive people for thinking that this may be the actual motivation for the imposition of these schemes rather than any substantial reduction in overall traffic volumes.

The rail ‘option’

What of the so called alternative modes of transport that would allegedly reduce the volume of traffic using the road network across the Avon region? There's the train 'service', most of which is still currently operated by Great Western Railway (GWR). The thing is, there's nothing 'Great' about it, nothing at all. That's unless you're a fan of buses on rails where the offering outside the mainline stations of Bristol and Bath is two or three coaches of these trundling through your station roughly once or twice an hour. That's until a creaking signalling system fails yet again, throwing what passes for a network into meltdown and you end up with, no trains and an expensive cab ride home, if you have the money that is. Whatever I may have said about the c2c rail service that operated in the south of Essex where I used to live, I wholeheartedly take it back!

When you look at the rail 'service' on offer in the Avon region, it offers little to no incentive for anyone to leave their car at home and take the train. An option that's denied to many people as a result of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s that left many areas of Bristol and Bath bereft of a train service. Also, should a significant number of those within easy reach of a train service actually decide to leave the car at home and take the train, the rail network as it currently stands doesn't have the capacity to accommodate a surge in passenger numbers.

As for the buses, we rarely use them so we aren’t really in a position to comment. Suffice to say that with what we’ve heard from various sources about the dire state of services across the Avon region, we have little incentive to use them.

Cycling and walking

The cycling infrastructure… At best, the cycling infrastructure across Bristol is patchy with a few scattered examples of how it can be done well standing in stark contrast to the shoddy state of much of what cyclists have to put up with. Bristol with its hills is not an obvious cycling city. Given the dire state of public transport across the city, cycling and walking are seen as more reliable options, despite the hazards faced by both cyclists and pedestrians. For many, it's a case of needs must rather than a positive lifestyle choice. Given the sclerotic pace that discussions about the future of public transport across Bristol are moving at, it's going to be a case of needs must for some time to come.

One thing we notice every time we go into Bristol is that the way the cycling infrastructure has been set up with poor delineation between cycle lanes and pedestrian footpaths, conflict between cyclists and pedestrians is inevitable. Cyclists and pedestrians should be natural allies, not at each others throats. Such is the lack of joined up thinking from the 'planners' that is responsible for this conflict.

As for Bath, while there’s some cycling along the Avon and also, the Kennet and Avon Canal, because of the hills, it’s not exactly a city for riding a bicycle around. Which makes walking around Bath as a pedestrian less stressful than walking around Bristol.

Then there’s the pedestrian infrastructure. The reality of being a pedestrian in both Bristol and Bath stands in stark contrast to the bullshit we're being fed about how wonderful it is to walk and how we should feel great about reducing our carbon emissions. The reality are pavements that are not fit for purpose. You should be able to walk around without having to constantly cast your eyes to the ground to avoid the numerous trip hazards caused by broken and uneven pavements. The reality is having to watch out for the selfish minority of cyclists who seem to think the rules don't apply to them and that they have no responsibility to look out for pedestrians while they're cycling around at speed. The reality is having to watch out for pillocks on e-bikes who, like the aforementioned cyclists, seem to think the rules don't apply to them. The reality is waiting ages at pedestrian crossings over busy roads before finally being able to cross.

Every time we're out and about walking where we live in Keynsham, it's a life lesson in how the needs of the motorist seem to take priority over those of us mere pedestrians. The main roads in and around Keynsham are busy and an absolute pain to cross in too many instances. Where the main roads go through the older residential areas of the town, the pavements are incredibly narrow making walking along them a pretty unpleasant experience. To get from where we live to the pub by the Avon that's our adopted local, even though it's only a ten minute walk away, because there isn't a continuous pavement along both sides of the main road that runs past it, we're obliged to cross the road three times!

The same applies to a fair few other towns in our region. Older town centres and residential areas that were not laid out with 21st century traffic levels in mind. One such town that sticks in my mind is Bradford-on-Avon, just over the border in Wiltshire. A lovely old town but blighted by a massive volume of through traffic which makes walking round the streets in the centre not just unpleasant but also, pretty risky.

A brief conclusion

On the one hand, people are being lectured on the need to leave the car at home and use 'alternative means' of travel. On the other hand, as outlined above, those 'alternative means' of travel simply don't hack it. We're being set up to fail aren't they? As for us non-drivers, we're being absolutely shafted. As already mentioned, the pedestrian and cycling infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired and as for public transport, it's dire. Look, I'm not asking for public transport to whisk me to every corner of the Avon region because I know that's impracticable. All I'm asking for is a reliable public transport system with solid plans for expansion that will help to reduce the volume of vehicles clogging up the roads. With my pedestrian hat on, all I'm asking for is for a safe walking environment. That's not much to ask for is it?

When we don't even get the basics we should expect in a so called civilised society, we can be forgiven for thinking that there is in fact, a silent war against non-drivers as well as drivers. In fact, it could be argued that there’s a war against movement regardless of the mode of transport that’s chosen. One that’s a significant part of the control matrix that will be a feature of the ‘great reset’ if we don’t start resisting it. Which is why the bastards who presume to rule over us will go to some lengths to pit the users of various modes of transport against each other. Anyone falling for these divide and rule tactics and engaging in the culture wars surrounding transport really needs to take a look at themselves in the mirror, because they are part of the problem.

This post is for the attention of the people mentioned in the title. A sizeable minority of whom seem to be relishing the prospect of what they think will be at least a partial societal collapse as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A closure that’s a consequence of the reckless, ill considered attack by Israel and the US on Iran. A closure that’s cutting off twenty percent of the oil supplies the modern world needs to keep functioning. A closure that could well start to disrupt the supply of many plastic based products derived from that oil. These include plastic based medical products, some of which I rely upon to keep functioning as normally as possible.

This is quite a personal post and I make no apologies for it. Should it result in me losing a few more subscribers and followers, so be it. It’s about an issue that’s dogged me for over two years. It’s about what can technically be described as a disability. Not an obvious, visible disability but a hidden one that can prove to be a bit life limiting at times.

Here’s how I got to the situation I’m in now. At the end of 2023, I was experiencing some nasty urinary tract issues. These came about as a result of a stricture in my urethra caused by an injury sustained back in 1988. An injury that since then has caused some occasional issues. In the early part of 2024, it was deemed necessary that I had to have a urethral dilation. This is something that I thought would be pretty routine and that after ten days living with an indwelling catheter post procedure, upon its removal I would be able to urinate normally again.

Come the trial without catheter day at the hospital, after having the indwelling catheter removed, I was instructed to start drinking water to see if I could urinate without any problems. Easy I thought as I sipped at the water reading the paper to pass the time. Come the time when my bladder was full, I tried to urinate naturally and nothing happened. I tried quite a few times and nothing happened. The urology nurses concluded that I would need to be using intermittent, disposable catheters for some time to come. With a bladder full to bursting, after being instructed on the procedure of inserting the catheter, I then did so and the feeling of relief was almost indescribable. However, I wasn’t going to be let go at that point. I had to drink more water, fill up my bladder again and then show the assembled urology nurses that I could use disposable catheters up to six times a day without any issues. I managed to achieve this and was sent home with a box of disposable catheters and the contact number for the outsourced health provider who would be supplying them.

Trust me, I have tried everything I can to be able to urinate naturally again. I really do not want to be in a situation where I’m reliant on external suppliers to provide the catheters and other related items I need to empty my bladder. I also don’t want to have to be reliant on the external supplies of the D-Mannose supplements I need to fend off bladder and urinary tract infections. Whatever I tried didn’t work and here I am, reliant on a healthcare system that I don’t trust to provide me with what I need to function. Needless to say, with the amount of disposable catheters I use along with the disposal bags, wipes and antiseptic hand cleaners, my environmental credentials are shot to pieces.

Quite what some of the anarcho-primitivists, the collapsists and the doomer-preppers would have to say about my total reliance on a range of disposable plastic products and a supply chain that cannot be allowed to fail is something I would like an honest answer to. As much as I may personally want to rail against modern civilisation at times, I’m now in a position where I’m utterly reliant upon it for my survival. Any failures in the manufacturing and supply chain that would stop me getting the disposable catheters I need, would lead to consequences that don’t bear thinking about.

I’ll freely admit that over the last two years, thinking too deeply about these consequences has led to to some pretty bleak moments. Whether the anarcho-primitivists, the collapsists and the doomer-preppers would even consider my plight is open to question. Not least because somehow, I suspect my existence and total dependence upon a healthcare system they despise is an inconvenient disruption to their purist beliefs and dare I say it, ableist assumptions. One of the reasons I’m writing this post is to get them to face up to the consequences of their rhetoric on the current state of my mental health, which thanks to these f**kers, is not in a good place.

Well, we’re now getting closer to a clusterf**k situation as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Oil supplies are being impacted. Oil doesn’t just run vehicles. As previously mentioned, it’s the feedstock for a wide range of products we rely upon, including plastics. The plastics that are used to manufacture the disposable catheters and the associated disposal bags that I now have to totally rely upon. Suffice to say that since the start of this poxy conflict, I’ve had more than my fair share of sleepless nights wondering just what the heck will happen to me should my supply of catheters be seriously disrupted or even terminated because of the forecast shortages of plastics to come.

A situation that’s not been helped by reading what the prepping community recommends that people do in order to deal with the clusterf**k we’re heading towards. None of which have bothered to acknowledge the situation faced by people like me who are totally dependent on an external supply of plastic medical products for our survival. This isn’t just the doomer preppers who have access to acres of land in a remote part of the Appalachian Mountains. It’s also the supposedly ‘normal’ preppers who have been expecting the start of the collapse of Western civilisation for some time to come now. It would seem that the needs of people like me are an inconvenient interruption to their fantasy of re-building after the collapse. A re-building I won’t be taking any part in because if my supply of catheters is terminated in a collapse scenario, I simply will not be around.

Inevitably, this is leading to feelings of despair. That’s despair at not having my predicament, and that of others in my position acknowledged. That’s also the despair of knowing that if the worst case scenarios predicted by some of the doomers turn out to be true, then my time on this mortal coil is somewhat limited. It’s despair at the number of ableist commentators and pundits out there who would see my demise as a result of not being able to access the catheters I need as mere ‘collateral damage’. It’s turning out that in a situation like the one we’re facing, I’m finding out who my real friends and allies are, and who the self serving grifters with an agenda are. It has been a painful and depressing process.

Over the last few weeks, this feeling has become particularly acute. That’s to the point of questioning why I’m still carrying on as an activist if I may only have a limited amount of time left. After reading a few too many posts from doomer preppers, I came close to jacking it in. I thought that if the worst of the doomsday scenarios is likely to play out, I’d be better off spending my time living life as fully as my disability allows and not worry about blogging and posting any more. It was only the fact that we now have the At the Grassroots papers back from the printer and which are now being distributed that has stopped me from quitting.

Again, I make no apologies for the personal nature of this post. There’s been a lot building up to this and I felt that now was the time to get it off my chest, ascertain who my real friends and allies are, then move forwards as best I can. There are times when being open and honest about a situation is the best approach. This is one of those times. As previously mentioned, if posting this loses me subscribers and followers, so be it. There’s more to life than chasing approval. Summer beckons and I want to get out there and live it like it may be my last one with no regrets.

Inspired and beautiful — if only we all felt so determined.

I will have poetry in my life. And adventure. and love. Above all, Love. Not artful postures of love. not playful, poetical games of love for the amusement of an evening. But love that… overthrows life unbridled, ungovernable—like a riot in the heart and nothing to be done come ruin or rapture.

v. Delesop – Shakespear in love

All that passion gave us nothing. There was still the chain. The obligation. The i-dont-know-what-the-fuck-to-call-it.

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Every parent and teacher knows, intuitively, that children learn languages more easily than adults. But the scientific evidence behind this observation is both fascinating and urgent — especially for rural Chinese children who often begin English instruction years after their urban peers.

In 2018, researchers from MIT, Boston College, and Harvard published a landmark study in the journal Cognition. Drawing on data from nearly 670,000 English speakers worldwide, they found that the ability to learn grammar in a second language remains strong until approximately age 17 — and then declines steadily. Children who begin learning English before the age of 10 can achieve proficiency levels virtually indistinguishable from native speakers. Those who start later can still learn, but the trajectory is different and, in most cases, the ceiling is lower.

The study, led by Joshua Hartshorne, Joshua Tenenbaum, and Steven Pinker, represented the most comprehensive investigation of the critical period for language acquisition ever conducted. Its implications for education policy are profound, particularly in contexts where English instruction begins late.

In rural China, late access to English instruction is not a choice — it is a structural reality. Many rural schools lack qualified English teachers. Children may not encounter English until middle school, by which time they have already lost years of optimal language-learning capacity. The result is a widening gap between rural and urban students that compounds over time.

The I Love Learning Education and Training Centre in Changtu County was designed with this science in mind. Since 2012, it has prioritised early English instruction, starting children as young as possible and giving them the systematic, phonics-based foundation they need before the critical period begins to close. The Centre's teaching staff, which includes international educators from Ireland, delivers instruction that is both rigorous and age-appropriate.

The neuroscience is clear. The window for optimal language learning is real. The question is whether we use it.

A donation of £19 provides a one-month scholarship for a young learner. £229 covers a full year. The earlier the investment, the greater the return.

Start a child's English education when it matters most

When educators talk about English language instruction, they often focus on the mechanics: vocabulary acquisition, grammatical accuracy, pronunciation. These are important, but they are not the whole story.

Consider what happens inside the mind of a child who is learning to read in a second language. They must decode unfamiliar symbols, map those symbols to sounds they have never produced before, connect sounds to meanings, and hold all of this in working memory long enough to construct understanding. This is cognitively demanding work. It develops neural pathways that support not just language learning, but problem-solving, pattern recognition, and sustained attention.

The I Love Learning Education and Training Centre in Changtu County has built its curriculum around this understanding. Since 2012, the Centre has used a phonics-based approach to English instruction, which research consistently shows is the most effective method for developing reading skills in young learners, particularly those who are learning English as a second language.

Phonics teaches children the systematic relationship between letters and sounds. Unlike whole-word recognition, which requires memorising thousands of individual words, phonics gives children a decoding toolkit they can apply to any unfamiliar word they encounter. For a child who has never heard English spoken at home, this toolkit is essential.

The benefits of this approach extend beyond English class. The cognitive skills developed through systematic phonics instruction — attention to detail, sequential processing, pattern recognition — transfer to other academic subjects. Children who learn to read well in English tend to perform better across the curriculum.

The Centre's teaching staff, which includes international educators from Ireland as well as local Chinese teachers, is trained in phonics-based methods. Classes are structured to provide regular practice in reading, writing, listening, and speaking — the four pillars of language competency.

At the heart of this work is a simple conviction: that every child, regardless of their background, can learn to read, and that learning to read is the foundation of all future learning.

A donation of £19 provides a one-month phonics-based English scholarship. £229 covers a full year. Help a child build the skills that will serve them for a lifetime.

Support phonics-based English education

Changtu County, Liaoning Province, sits in the northeastern corner of China. It is a region of cold winters, agricultural landscapes, and communities that have remained largely unchanged for generations. To an outsider, it might seem an unlikely place for a bridge to the wider world.

But bridges are built where they are needed most. And for the children of Changtu, English is that bridge.

The I Love Learning Education and Training Centre has been constructing this bridge since 2012. Founded by Pat and Chang McCarthy, the Centre provides English education to children who would otherwise have no access to quality language instruction. Through a combination of local and international teachers, a phonics-based curriculum, and a scholarship programme that ensures no child is excluded for financial reasons, the Centre has reached over 20,000 students.

What does it mean to build a bridge between rural China and the world? It means giving a child the ability to read a book written in English, to understand a lecture delivered by a professor in another country, to apply for a job that requires bilingual skills. It means expanding a young person's sense of what is possible.

The bridge works in both directions. The international teachers who come to Changtu — many from Ireland — return home with a deeper understanding of China, its people, and its culture. They become ambassadors for cross-cultural understanding in their own communities. The Ireland Sino Institute, which coordinates this exchange, sees this mutual learning as central to its mission.

For the children who cross this bridge, the destination is not predetermined. It might be a university in Beijing. It might be a career in international trade. It might be a role as a teacher, helping the next generation cross the same bridge. What matters is that the bridge exists, and that it is strong enough to carry everyone who wants to cross.

Building and maintaining this bridge requires resources. A donation of £19 provides a one-month scholarship. £229 covers a full year. Every contribution adds strength to a structure that connects a small town in northeast China to the world.

Help build the bridge

I’m trying to get The Package done and need a break from posting. Will get back next Monday. Thanks for your patience and support!

#writing #break #rest

When you donate £19 to fund a one-month English scholarship at the I Love Learning Education and Training Centre, you are not just paying for thirty days of classroom instruction. You are funding the first ripple in a pond that extends far beyond a single child.

Consider the trajectory. A child receives a scholarship. They attend English classes taught by qualified local and international teachers. They learn to read using phonics, to speak with confidence, to write sentences that express their thoughts. Over time, their grades improve. They sit for the Gaokao and achieve a score that qualifies them for university admission. They graduate. They get a job. They begin to earn.

Now consider what that income means. It means younger siblings can stay in school rather than leaving to work. It means parents can afford better nutrition for the family. It means grandparents can access healthcare that was previously out of reach. It means the next generation starts from a higher baseline — with a role model who has proven that education changes lives.

This is not a hypothetical chain of events. It is the story that has played out repeatedly in the communities served by the I Love Learning Education and Training Centre in Changtu County, Liaoning Province. Since 2012, the Centre has educated over 20,000 children. Many have gone on to university. Some have returned to teach. Others have entered professions that were unimaginable to their parents.

The Centre's scholarship programme is designed to maximise this ripple effect. By maintaining an equal ratio of male to female recipients, it ensures that the benefits of education flow to entire communities, not just to individuals. By welcoming students with disabilities, it extends opportunity to those who are most often excluded.

The £19 that starts the ripple is a modest sum. But the momentum it generates can carry a family out of poverty and into a future that previous generations could not have imagined.

Start a ripple today

I typically love to reset on the weekends. It helps set me up for the work week ahead. My Saturdays are typically filled with laundry, grocery shopping, working out, catching up with friends, and doing some of my hobbies.

This one feels just a little bit different, because even though I still need to set myself up for success for the coming week, I only have three more days of work before every weekday becomes another Saturday.

Alas, I keep up with the routine and reset for the coming week.

The Last Light of the Sun est un roman de fantasy historique par Guy Gavriel Kay, publié en 2004 et inspiré de l'Angleterre du XIe siècle, à l'époque des invasions vikings.

From the multiple award-winning author of Ysabel, Tigana and A Song for Arbonne, this powerful, moving saga evokes the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse cultures of a thousand years ago.

There is nothing soft or silken about the north. The lives of men and women are as challenging as the climate and lands in which they dwell. For generations, the Erlings of Vinmark have taken their dragon-prowed ships across the seas, raiding the lands of the Cyngael and Anglcyn peoples, leaving fire and death behind. But times change, even in the north, and in a tale woven with consummate artistry, people of all three cultures find the threads of their lives unexpectedly brought together…

Bern Thorkellson, punished for his father's sins, commits an act of vengeance and desperation that brings him face-to-face, across the sea, with a past he's been trying to leave behind.

In the Anglcyn lands of King Aeldred, the shrewd king, battling inner demons all the while, shores up his defenses with alliances and diplomacy-and with swords and arrows-while his exceptional, unpredictable sons and daughters pursue their own desires when battle comes and darkness falls in the woods.

And in the valleys and shrouded hills of the Cyngael, whose voices carry music even as they feud and raid amongst each other, violence and love become deeply interwoven when the dragon ships come and Alun ab Owyn, chasing an enemy in the night, glimpses strange lights gleaming above forest pools.

Le roman se déroule dans le même monde que les romans précédents de Guy Gavriel Kay, mais dans une autre région et à une autre époque. Il y a plusieurs allusions à des lieux et des personnages que le lecteur attentif reconnaîtra et apprécia sans doute : un médecin bassanide installé à Al-Rassan, une mosaïque représentant l’empereur Valerius III et son épouse, des débats théologiques sur les représentations divines, etc.

Ces clins d’oeil peuvent sembler anecdotiques, mais ils permettent de prendre conscience que les romans de Guy Gavriel Kay se déroulent dans le même monde. Chaque roman nous permet d’en percevoir une facette différente. Cela donne l’impression de découvrir une fresque historique au long cours.

Pour en revenir à ce roman, il met en scène trois peuples : les Anglcyn, les Erlings, et les Cyngael, incarnations respectives des Saxons installés en Angleterre, des Normands venus de Scandinavie, et des Celtes basés au Pays de Galles. Comme toujours, Guy Gavriel Kay multiplie les points de vue et il n’y a pas de gentil et de méchant, hormis un cas particulier sur lequel je reviendrai plus loin. IL y a seulement des hommes et des femmes que leurs histoires et leurs cultures ont mis face à face. Les trois peuples sont représentés par plusieurs personnages dont on suit le point de vue. Chaque lecteur, moi le premier, aura sans doute ses personnages préférés, mais cela n’empêche pas d’apprécier et de comprendre les autres.

Dans ce roman, Guy Gavriel Kay fait tout un travail sur les sagas nordiques et plus généralement sur la notion de récit. Il relate l’histoire en train de se faire, y compris les petits événements qui peuvent changer le destin d’une vie, d’une bataille ou d’un peuple. Il met en scène des personnages secondaires dont les actions d’apparence anodines ont une influence sur la « grande Histoire ». Le narrateur intervient parfois pour apporter ses commentaires sur les événements et sur la façon dont ils seront remémorés et racontés ultérieurement. Ainsi, l’auteur nous fait réfléchir à la façon dont les récits historiques sont construits, avec leurs biais et leurs angles morts.

Avant de conclure avec mon impression d’ensemble, je ne peux pas ne pas évoquer un point qui m’a gêné et qui est important à mes yeux. Parmi les nombreux personnages du roman, il y a un antagoniste qui est né albinos et malformé, et dont un autre personnage, un prêtre présenté positivement et qui représente la sagesse, dit qu’il est aussi “mauvais” physiquement que moralement et que les deux sont souvent liés. Autant dire que c’est un trope qui ne me plaît trop, que l’on a beaucoup vu à une époque mais qui me semble clairement dépassé pour un roman publié au début des années 2000. C’est la première grosse faute note, à mes yeux, dans un roman de Guy Gavriel Kay.

Malgré ce bémol, c’est un roman très agréable à lire : le récit est rythmé, les personnages sont bien écrits, et le monde mis en scène par l’auteur est crédible et inspirant. Ce n’est probablement pas le meilleur roman de Guy Gavriel Kay, à mes yeux en tout cas, mais c’est un roman de fantasy historique tout à fait honnête, notamment pour les lecteurs qui s’intéresse à l’Angleterre médiévale et aux incursions normandes.

When a people forgets how to blush, warning becomes mercy’s final language.

Jeremiah 4–6 is a fierce warning that Judah and Jerusalem have reached a breaking point: Jehovah calls them to return sincerely, not with ritual or empty words, but with cleansed hearts and real justice. The people refuse correction, trust false promises of peace, exploit the vulnerable, and reject the “good way,” so disaster from the north is pictured as an unstoppable invasion. Yet even in judgment, Jehovah says he will not make a complete extermination, leaving a narrow thread of mercy inside an otherwise terrifying message.

Jeremiah 4

“If you will return, O Israel,” declares Jehovah, “If you will return to me And if you will remove your disgusting idols from before me, Then you will not be a fugitive. And if you swear, ‘As surely as Jehovah is alive!’ in truth, justice, and righteousness, Then the nations will obtain a blessing for themselves by him, And in him they will boast.”

For this is what Jehovah says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Plow for yourselves arable land, And do not keep sowing among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, And remove the foreskins of your hearts, You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, So that my wrath may not blaze up like a fire And burn with no one to extinguish it, Because of your evil deeds.”

Declare it in Judah, and proclaim it in Jerusalem. Shout and blow a horn throughout the land. Call out loudly and say: “Gather together, And let us flee into the fortified cities. Raise a signal toward Zion. Seek shelter, and do not stand still,” For I am bringing in calamity from the north, a great crash. He has emerged like a lion from his thicket; The destroyer of nations has set out. He has gone out from his place to make your land an object of horror. Your cities will be reduced to ruins, without an inhabitant. Therefore, put on sackcloth, Mourn and wail, Because the burning anger of Jehovah has not turned away from us.

“In that day,” declares Jehovah, “the heart of the king will fail him, Also the heart of the princes; The priests will be horrified, and the prophets will be amazed.”

Then I said: “Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Truly you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our throats.”

At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: “A scorching wind from the barren hills of the desert Will sweep down on the daughter of my people; It is not coming to winnow or to cleanse. The full wind comes from these places at my bidding. Now I will pronounce judgments against them. Look! He will come like rain clouds, And his chariots are like a storm wind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined! Wash your heart clean of wickedness, O Jerusalem, in order to be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts? For a voice tells the news from Dan, And it proclaims disaster from the mountains of Eʹphra·im. Report it, yes, to the nations; Proclaim it against Jerusalem.”

“Sentinels are coming from a distant land, And they will raise their voices against the cities of Judah. They come against her on all sides like guards of the open field, Because she has rebelled against me,” declares Jehovah.

“Your own ways and your actions will be brought upon you. How bitter is your disaster, For it reaches clear to your heart!”

O my anguish, my anguish! I feel great pain in my very heart. My heart pounds within me. I cannot keep silent, For I have heard the sound of the horn, The alarm signal of war. Disaster after disaster has been reported, For the whole land has been destroyed. Suddenly my own tents are destroyed, In a moment my tent cloths. How long will I keep seeing the signal, Keep hearing the sound of the horn?

“For my people are foolish; They take no note of me. They are stupid sons, with no understanding. They are clever enough when it comes to doing bad, But they do not know how to do good.”

I saw the land, and look! it was empty and desolate. I looked at the heavens, and their light was no more. I saw the mountains, and look! they were quaking, And the hills were shaking. I saw, and look! there was no man, And the birds of the heavens had all fled. I saw, and look! the orchard had become a wilderness, And its cities had all been torn down. It was because of Jehovah, Because of his burning anger.

For this is what Jehovah says: “The whole land will become desolate, But I will not carry out a complete extermination. For this reason the land will mourn, And the heavens above will become dark. It is because I have spoken, I have decided, And I will not change my mind, nor will I turn back from it. At the sound of the horsemen and the archers, The entire city flees. They enter into the thickets, And they climb the rocks. Every city is abandoned, And no man dwells in them.”

Now that you are devastated, what will you do? You used to clothe yourself with scarlet, To deck yourself with gold ornaments, And to enlarge your eyes with black paint. But it is in vain that you beautified yourself, For those lusting after you have rejected you; They are now seeking to take your life. For I have heard the sound like that of a sick woman, The distress like that of a woman giving birth to her first child, The voice of the daughter of Zion who keeps gasping for breath. She says as she spreads out her palms: “Woe to me, for I am exhausted because of the killers!”

Jeremiah 5

Roam the streets of Jerusalem. Look around and take note. Search her public squares to see Whether you can find a man who acts with justice, One who seeks to be faithful, And I will forgive her. Even if they say: “As surely as Jehovah is alive!” They would still swear to what is false. O Jehovah, do your eyes not look for faithfulness? You struck them, but it made no impact on them. You exterminated them, but they refused to accept discipline. They made their faces harder than a rock, And they refused to turn around.

But I said to myself: “Surely these must be the lowly. They act foolishly, for they do not know the way of Jehovah, The judgment of their God. I will go to the prominent men and speak with them, For they must have taken note of the way of Jehovah, The judgment of their God. But they had all broken the yoke And torn apart the restraints.”

That is why a lion of the forest attacks them, A wolf of the desert plains keeps ravaging them, A leopard lies awake at their cities. Everyone going out from them is torn to pieces. For their transgressions are many; Their acts of unfaithfulness are numerous.

How can I forgive you for this? Your sons have abandoned me, And they swear by what is no God. I satisfied their needs, But they kept committing adultery, And they flocked to the house of a prostitute. They are like eager, lustful horses, Each neighing after another man’s wife.

“Should I not call them to account for these things?” declares Jehovah. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation?”

“Come up against her vineyard terraces and bring ruin, But do not make a complete extermination. Take away her spreading shoots, For they do not belong to Jehovah. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah Have been utterly treacherous with me,” declares Jehovah.

“They have denied Jehovah, and they keep saying, ‘He will do nothing. No calamity will come upon us; We will not see sword or famine.’ The prophets are full of wind, And the word is not in them. Let this happen to them!”

Therefore this is what Jehovah, the God of armies, says: “Because these men are saying this, Here I am making my words a fire in your mouth, And this people is the wood, And it will consume them.”

“Here I am bringing in on you a nation from far away, O house of Israel,” declares Jehovah. “It is an enduring nation. It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, And whose speech you cannot understand. Their quiver is like an open grave; All of them are warriors. They will devour your harvest and your bread. They will devour your sons and your daughters. They will devour your flocks and your herds. They will devour your vines and your fig trees. They will destroy with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.”

“But even in those days,” declares Jehovah, “I will not carry out a complete extermination of you. And when they ask, ‘Why has Jehovah our God done all these things to us?’ you should answer them, ‘Just as you abandoned me to serve a foreign god in your land, so you will serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’”

Declare this in the house of Jacob, And proclaim it in Judah, saying: “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people: They have eyes but cannot see; They have ears but cannot hear. ‘Do you not fear me?’ declares Jehovah, ‘Should you not tremble before me? It is I who placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, A permanent regulation that it cannot pass over. Although its waves toss, they cannot prevail; Although they roar, they still cannot pass beyond it. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and gone their own way. And they do not say in their heart: “Let us now fear Jehovah our God, The One who gives the rain in its season, Both the autumn rain and the spring rain, The One who guards for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” Your own errors have prevented these things from coming; Your own sins have deprived you of what is good. For among my people there are wicked men. They keep peering, as when birdcatchers crouch down. They set a deadly trap. It is men whom they catch. Like a cage full of birds, So their houses are full of deception. That is why they have become powerful and rich. They have grown fat and smooth; They overflow with evil. They do not plead the legal case of the fatherless, That they may gain success; And they deny justice to the poor.’”

“Should I not call them to account for these things?” declares Jehovah. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation? Something appalling and horrible has occurred in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, And the priests dominate by their own authority. And my own people love it that way. But what will you do when the end comes?”

Jeremiah 6

Take shelter, O sons of Benjamin, away from Jerusalem. Blow the horn in Te·koʹa; Light a fire signal over ! For a calamity looms from the north, a great disaster. The daughter of Zion resembles a beautiful and delicate woman. The shepherds and their droves will come. They will pitch their tents all around her, Each grazing the flock in his care.

“Prepare for war against her! Rise up, and let us attack her at midday!” “Woe to us, for the day is declining, For the shadows of evening are getting longer!” “Rise up, and let us attack during the night And destroy her fortified towers.”

For this is what Jehovah of armies says: “Cut down wood and raise up a siege rampart against Jerusalem. She is the city that must be held to account; There is nothing but oppression within her. As a cistern keeps its water cool, So she keeps her wickedness cool. Violence and destruction are heard in her; Sickness and plague are constantly before me. Be warned, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you in disgust; I will make you desolate, a land without inhabitants.”

This is what Jehovah of armies says: “They will thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as the last grapes on a vine. Pass your hand again like one gathering grapes from the vines.”

“To whom should I speak and give warning? Who will listen? Look! Their ears are closed, so that they are unable to pay attention. Look! The word of Jehovah has become something they scorn; They find no pleasure in it. So I am filled with the wrath of Jehovah, And I am tired of holding it in.”

“Pour it out on the child in the street, On the groups of young men gathered together. They will all be captured, a man along with his wife, The old men along with the very old. Their houses will be turned over to others, Together with their fields and their wives. For I will stretch my hand out against the inhabitants of the land,” declares Jehovah.

“For from the least to the greatest, each one is making dishonest gain; From the prophet to the priest, each one is practicing fraud. And they try to heal the breakdown of my people lightly, saying, ‘There is peace! There is peace!’ When there is no peace. Do they feel ashamed of the detestable things they have done? They feel no shame at all! They do not even know how to feel humiliated! So they will fall among the fallen. When I bring punishment on them they will stumble,” says Jehovah.

This is what Jehovah says: “Stand at the crossroads and see. Ask about the ancient roadways, Ask where the good way is, and walk in it, And find rest for yourselves.” But they say: “We will not walk in it.”

“And I appointed watchmen who said, ‘Pay attention to the sound of the horn!’” But they said: “We will not pay attention.”

“Therefore hear, O nations! And know, O assembly, What will happen to them. Listen, O earth! I am bringing calamity on this people As the fruitage of their own schemes, For they paid no attention to my words And they rejected my law.”

“What do I care that you bring frankincense from Sheʹba And sweet cane from a distant land? Your whole burnt offerings are not acceptable, And your sacrifices do not please me.”

Therefore this is what Jehovah says: “Here I am setting for this people stumbling blocks, And they will stumble over them, Fathers and sons together, A neighbor and his companion, And they will all perish.”

This is what Jehovah says: “Look! A people is coming from the land of the north, And a great nation will be awakened from the remotest parts of the earth. They will grab hold of the bow and the javelin. They are cruel and will have no mercy. Their voice will roar like the sea, And they ride on horses. They draw up in battle order like a man of war against you, O daughter of Zion.”

We have heard the report about it. Our hands fall limp; Distress has seized us, Anguish like that of a woman giving birth. Do not go out into the field, And do not walk on the road, For the enemy has a sword; There is terror all around. O daughter of my people, Put on sackcloth and roll in the ashes. Mourn as for an only son, with bitter wailing, For suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.

“I have made you a metal tester among my people, One making a thorough search; You must take note and examine their way. All of them are the most stubborn men, Walking about as slanderers. They are like copper and iron; All of them are corrupt. The bellows have been scorched. Out from their fire there is lead. One keeps refining intensely simply for nothing, And those who are bad have not been separated. Rejected silver is what people will certainly call them, For Jehovah has rejected them.”

The digital revolution has not bypassed rural China, but it has arrived unevenly. In cities, children use apps, watch English-language videos, and access online tutoring with ease. In the countryside, internet connectivity may be slow, devices may be shared among multiple family members, and the digital resources that urban families take for granted may be entirely unavailable.

The I Love Learning Education and Training Centre in Changtu County bridges this gap. Since its founding in 2012, the Centre has integrated technology into its English programme in ways that are appropriate for the context — not flashy for its own sake, but genuinely useful for learning.

Audio equipment allows children to hear authentic English pronunciation from native speakers. Phonics apps reinforce letter-sound relationships through interactive exercises. Simple tablets, loaded with educational software, give children individualised practice at their own pace. These tools are not replacements for teachers — they are supplements that extend the reach and effectiveness of classroom instruction.

The Centre's approach to technology is guided by practicality. Equipment must be durable enough to survive daily use by energetic children. Software must work offline, because internet connectivity cannot be assumed. Content must be culturally appropriate and aligned with the Centre's phonics-based curriculum.

International teachers from Ireland have contributed significantly to the Centre's technology strategy, bringing experience with digital learning tools that have been proven effective in diverse educational settings. Their collaboration with local Chinese teachers ensures that technology is integrated thoughtfully, not imposed thoughtlessly.

For children who have never used a computer before entering the Centre, the experience of learning English through digital tools is doubly valuable. They gain not only language skills but also the digital literacy that is increasingly essential for participation in the modern economy.

A donation of £19 provides a one-month scholarship. Larger contributions help the Centre maintain and upgrade its technology resources.

Help bring digital learning to rural classrooms

After popular demand, the complete THE SOLAR GRID graphic novel is now available for download. For a limited time only, there are presently two ways to get it:

• – $10 bucks through Garage.Ganzeer
• – Pay-what-you-want on Gumroad

The book is also being serialized in print from Radix Co-op.

A pathway for a collected print edition is still being explored.

This complete e-book edition comes with a never-before-seen introduction by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Castlevania, Normal), extensive foreword by Sim Kern (The Free People's Village, Genocide Bad), and fantastic afterword by Ho Che Anderson (King, I Want To Be Your Dog, Godhead).

Hundreds of years after a global flood, night has been consigned to legend. In its place, the Solar Grid—a vast network of artificial suns—keeps Earth bathed in relentless daylight, powering factories that never cease. But this eternal dawn comes at a cost: The Earth has become a scrapheap, a wasteland stripped of resources to fuel colonial settlements on Mars.

Amidst the ruins, two young scavengers, Mehret and Kameen, stumble upon a discovery that could shatter the Solar Grid's fragile, oppressive system. The story spans centuries—from a submerged Cairo to the corporate strongholds of New York, and into the augmented reality of a distant Mars. Environmental collapse, capitalism, imperialism, and migration collide in an epic tale that examines the hopes and consequences of unhinged techno-utopianism.

“Ganzeer treats The Solar Grid as a culmination of his personal, professional and political experiences over recent years.” – THE GUARDIAN

“Ganzeer’s project epitomizes his hyper-democratic ethos.” – FOREIGN POLICY

“It’s a story about the inevitable destruction of our planet by corporate greed and a couple of unassuming antiheroes who somehow bring it all down. This is a story of revolution, the powerless taking power back from the powerful.” – SLATE

#work #comix #tsg

I hosted a game night again tonight, and I had 11 other people over. Honestly I didn’t feel like I had a great time, I think it’s fair to say I had a good time, but I feel like I’ve spent so much of my time and effort hosting and organizing this event And afterwards I kind of just wonder about why I even do it in the first place. I feel kind of socially isolated when I have to host the games because of the nature of it, and I know that G offered to run one of the games which is really nice but also a lot of information I’m not sure I can just give it to someone and have them understand instantly. I guess I also did focus a little bit too much on the game itself rather than conversations outside of it, but I also do feel like the people that came were almost a majority of people that are kind of difficult to talk with, they don’t make jokes, they aren’t really good conversationally, and mostly are just useful as side characters for a lack of better word. It also kind of feels shitty because people wanted to drink and so they drink the alcohol that I had, a wine bottle and the rest of my beers. And no one even tried to make a gesture bringing anything, or even offering to pay payback for the stuff that they drank. J did say that he would buy me another case of beer in five weeks or something like that I didn’t really hear. At the end of the night everyone left, and a couple kind of awkward/obligatory thank yous for inviting them, and only J texted me to say thank you for hosting. I then had to go and clean up everything myself when I was still hungry, tired, and my feet are killing me from walking around most of the event. I had to go through and do all the dishes and put away all of the things that people went through. J asked me if she could have some sour patch kids because she knew that I had a bag, and that was completely OK. S went and took just the blue ones from the bag and was really disrespectful about it and completely acted entitled. And I remembered the fact that that bag of sour patch kids was from the first present E gave me during our relationship. And it hits me now because I think about how my last birthday I didn’t really have many of the friends that I do now so it’s not fair, but I did have friends then. And did any of them get me anything for my birthday? No. Hell I think most of them didn’t even tell me happy birthday. And I just feel like I have been doing so many of the right things, I have been this social hub, I’ve fought to make myself the person that I am, and it feels like I do so much and I try so much and at the end of the day it isn’t enough. Like fuck. I really try my best to be loved. Or at least I try really hard to be. And I think about how in obsession there is the scene where she holds him while he dies from overdose suicide. And she desperately doesn’t want that to be the case, and I just couldn’t help but think about how no one would do that for me. And I know that’s not true to some extent, but my brain is still just reminding me about how I don’t really feel like I get the love I deserve. And I feel like it’s a shitty thing to even expect to deserve some amount of love, but I can’t help but sometimes see people online that have everything that I dreamed of when I was a kid. They have these friends around them that are super sweet and thoughtful, and they can have these birthday parties where the other people want to be there, to the point where they would even want to organize it for them. And I can’t help but feel like my entire life I had to fight to convince people to care about me in a way that just seems so inherently effortless for others. And I can’t feel like I don’t know what they did to deserve it that I didn’t. And the worst thing is I know that a lot of this just comes down to childhood, people grew up learning that they inherently just deserve to be loved, because that’s what their parents showed them. And then it’s an even bigger slap to my face because what the fuck did I do to not deserve it. And it just ends with a thought I was just a kid. And it makes me want to cry when I think about the fact that it feels like all of these other people just get to take this for granted, having friends, having these friend groups, not having to fucking fight for it, not having to like consciously work incredibly hard towards it. And I’m tired. I’m tired that I’ve had to do this shit as long as I can remember, and I’m glad that I do it and I’m glad that I’m not fully alone and completely just powerless, but I also wish that the world was a little bit more fair. And I know that a lot of these troubles and friction has been given to me in return for having these strengths now. And I know that these are some of the things that make me the person that I am in a way that a lot of people are envious of or admire me for. But it hurts. And I feel myself tearing up as I say these words with voice to text. But I don’t like the fact that I always feel different. I don’t like all of this constant second Justin trying to figure out this social contract that so many people got to have taught to them as a kid. And yes I’m glad that I’m a high achiever and I’m glad that I have the financial support from my dad, and I’m glad that I’m smart, but I’m also really hurt by the fact that what it feels like the most important thing in life, human connection, is the thing that I’m fucked over for. It feels like everyone else gets to coast at a natural level, while I have to constantly run to keep up. And it’s gotten easier I think, it feels like it does even take effort for others. And it feels like I’m putting in so much work for such a little reward when I see the people that are born fortunate. And I know that it’s hypocritical to say that because plenty of people would say the exact same thing towards me. I’ve had so many people tell me about how it’s unfair how I’m naturally good at so many different things. I’ve had so many people tell me about different traits that they wish they could have that I get to have. I know that I’m so incredibly exceptionally fortunate and people would kill to swap lives with me. But I feel like the chemical defect that has been passed out to me, it makes it such a shitty hand, because even though I’m winning the game, I’m somewhat doomed. I think about how there are so many people that have much worse circumstances, and yet there are people that really do not want to die. And here I am in my castle, and my entire life I’ve been dealing with thoughts of suicide. And in a way I kind of take comfort in it because it’s always like a justification that I have something to complain about because if I’m willing to kill myself over it, that is more than what most people are willing to do to get away from it. Can I think about how my grandma commit suicide recently even though she’s similarly has so many things people would kill for. And that condition has been passed down to me. And on top of it a lot of the generational trauma has also been passed down to me. And I know that I’ve been given a lot of the tools to help fight it that my predecessors have not had, but a lot of my peers don’t have to fight it either.

I wish someone could truly acknowledge everything that I’ve done. How hard I’ve fought. How much I’ve done and given to become the person that I am now. And I know that it is virtually impossible for anyone to be able to understand all of it. And I know that it’s unreasonable to hope that someone can recognize any of it. But it feels like I’ve tried so fucking hard and when I want to die it feels like I have nothing to show for it. And it scares me because I’m not suicidal right now, but at the same time I had a thought popping into my head where if I owned a gun I would not be opposed to just killing myself. And I guess here I should employ one of the things my therapist recently told me which is when I have one of these thoughts that feels irrational, just ignore it until tomorrow, because I know that there’s a lot of different factors going on right now that caused my depression to get worse, and if it is a real thought it will still be here tomorrow. Because my brain started thinking about suicide again let me do a skill.

S: I hosted this event and I had to deal with people taking it for granted, a lot of shitty responses that made it difficult for me to host, and no help afterwards or really recognition.

T: I do so much and it’s fully taken for granted and I’m exhausted of this. And it’s not fair that I have to do all this additional stuff by myself.

F: I feel helpless, desperate, alone, and exhausted.

B: I host events less, I undo a lot of the social connections that I have been building up by doing this work, and I isolate myself more.

T: yes it is a lot of additional work that I do, and in the future I can ask for more help. I also have control over the people that I want to invite. There are people that I really do enjoy interacting with and I can spend more time with people like that. Additionally it’s not completely that I have to do these things, it’s the fact that I get to do these things. I get to have a house that I clean, I get to have a table that I have to re-organize, I get to have drinks that I can give to people. I am not forced to do any of these things against I will, and I have control over them.

F: still tired, but I feel less powerless.

B: maybe I take a break from hosting big events with low ROI people. I still however feel in control and I get to socialize at will.

I feel better after just venting like this, and also doing the CBT chart. I should start brushing now and go to bed. Thank you for doing the CBT chart though and the skill.

Freundinnen & Freunde der Weisheit! Langes Sitzen gilt heute als eigenständiger Risikofaktor für ernsthafte Gesundheitsprobleme – auch bei Menschen, die täglich Sport treiben.

Wer über acht Stunden sitzt, schadet langfristig Herz, Kreislauf und Stoffwechsel. Die gute Nachricht: Bereits kurze, regelmässige Bewegungspausen können diesen negativen Effekten entgegenwirken. Studien zeigen, dass sogenannte „Active Breaks“ oder „Exercise Snacks“ eine einfache und wirkungsvolle Strategie darstellen, um den Körper auch während langer Sitzphasen aktiv zu halten.

Doch was genau wirkt am besten? Forschende verglichen verschiedene Formen von Bewegung und fanden heraus: Wer alle 45 Minuten drei Minuten spazieren geht oder zehn Kniebeugen macht, verbessert seine Blutzuckerwerte deutlich – und wirksamer als mit einer einzigen halbstündigen Gehpause pro Tag. Entscheidend ist also nicht die Dauer, sondern die Regelmässigkeit der Unterbrechungen. Bewegung in kleinen Dosen, aber in hoher Frequenz, entfaltet eine überraschend grosse Wirkung.

Für den Alltag bedeutet das: Wer im Büro arbeitet oder zu Hause viel sitzt, sollte sich alle 45 bis 60 Minuten bewusst kurz bewegen. Möglich sind Kniebeugen, Treppensteigen, zügiges Gehen auf der Stelle, Ausfallschritte oder ein schneller Gang durch den Flur. Diese Mini-Workouts dauern nur ein bis drei Minuten, lassen sich fast überall umsetzen und benötigen keine Hilfsmittel. Wer solche Pausen konsequent einplant, verbessert nicht nur seine körperliche Verfassung, sondern auch Konzentration und Wohlbefinden – mit minimalem Aufwand, aber maximalem Nutzen.

Denkanstoss zum Wochenbeginn

„Die Kunst des Umgangs mit Menschen besteht darin, sich geltend zu machen, ohne andere unerlaubt zurückzudrängen.“ – Adolph Freiherr von Knigge (1752–1796)

ProductivityPorn-Tipp der Woche: Flow-Zustand nutzen

Maximiere Deine Produktivität, indem Du in einen Flow-Zustand kommst. Reduziere Ablenkungen, stelle sicher, dass die Aufgabe herausfordernd, aber machbar ist, und vertiefe Dich vollständig in die Arbeit.

Aus dem Archiv: Wie Du erfolgreich Deep Reading als Habit etablieren kannst

Vor einigen Wochen habe ich in einem Beitrag die kognitiven Vorteile des Lesens beschrieben und davon erzählt, wie ich es geschafft habe, mir einen täglichen Lese-Habit aufzubauen: mindestens 30 Minuten pro Tag, seit Anfang 2023. Seither habe ich über 60 Bücher gelesen. Mich erreichen seither immer wieder Fragen: Wie gelingt es, diese Art des intensiven Lesens im Alltag zu verankern? Wie kann man fokussierter, tiefer lesen, statt Texte nur zu überfliegen? In diesem Beitrag möchte ich Dir eine Antwort geben. Ich nenne diesen Ansatz „Deep Reading“ – ein Zustand des vertieften, konzentrierten Lesens, der weit über das schnelle Erfassen von Informationen hinausgeht.

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Vielen Dank, dass Du Dir die Zeit genommen hast, diesen Newsletter zu lesen. Ich hoffe, die Inhalte konnten Dich inspirieren und Dir wertvolle Impulse für Dein (digitales) Leben geben. Bleib neugierig und hinterfrage, was Dir begegnet!

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EpicMind – Weisheiten für das digitale Leben „EpicMind“ (kurz für „Epicurean Mindset“) ist mein Blog und Newsletter, der sich den Themen Lernen, Produktivität, Selbstmanagement und Technologie widmet – alles gewürzt mit einer Prise Philosophie.

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Disclaimer Teile dieses Texts wurden mit Deepl Write (Korrektorat und Lektorat) überarbeitet. Für die Recherche in den erwähnten Werken/Quellen und in meinen Notizen wurde NotebookLM von Google verwendet. Das Artikel-Bild wurde mit ChatGPT erstellt und anschliessend nachbearbeitet.

Topic #Newsletter