Can we escape globalisation?

If there is a place that embodies our most romantic notions of living in harmony with nature, it is surely a small farming community in the rugged north of Portugal, Covas do Barroso. This village still maintains a tradition of …

Passing Observations 177

    There is a mistaken assumption that because something runs on electricity it is green and sustainable and probably non-fattening too. This is as stupid is saying that someone who is a politician must be honest. Most electricity is obtained by

Do Not Resuscitate!

Patients in hospital are today routinely asked if they will accept to having a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ note printed on their medical records or stuck on the chart at the end of their bed.

The idea of not resuscitating seriously …

Should we let the kids be cats?

“Creative” activities for little children tend to fall into two categories: unconstrained mess-making, and strict conformity to a pre-prepared template. The former encompasses the kind of smear and splatter “art” adoring parents pin to the fridge, while the latter looks …