Monthly Archives: November 2024

A Tranquil Space

P__ and I went to Turn Up for Gaza at The Colour Factory. The venue is very cool. The line up was great, hosted by Jen Brister, and including JJ Bola, the repeat beat poet, Rozi Plain, Robyn Rocket and more. A highlight was Donna Thompson who made magic with her voice and a looper. And of course, my all time favourite Hollie McNish, who made me cry, as always. The event was in support of All Our Relations, supporting families displaced by conflict and violence, providing them with the financial, organizational, and emotional aid they need to rebuild their lives with dignity. I hope the event raised a lot of money. You can donate here or use the QR code.

There has been heavy rainfall in Khan Younis and other areas of Gaza. Osama tells me that conditions have deteriorated. There is no infrastructure. There is no shelter. Everything, everywhere is cold and wet. They worry that tents will be flooded and destroyed. I got paid, so I sent his family more money. Please help with whatever you can. I am matching all donations between now and Friday* so whatever you give will be worth double!

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Impatience

I was recently asked what my primary emotion is, and I answered, without hesitation: impatience. This is both a blessing and a curse. It drives me to work hard try to change the problems I see everywhere, every day, and makes me very productive. But it also makes me a bit of a nightmare to work and live with. I struggle to slow down and to accept the slow pace of change that is a common reality. I tell others to remember their sphere of influence and not to expend energy on things way outside it, as this way burnout lies. I often fail to take this advice myself. This week I have felt very impatient.

COP 29 is happening. At least 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to the summit in Baku. In an open letter, a group of international experts have stated that the UN Climate talks are no longer fit for purpose, and called for reform. Global emissions continue to increase, carbon sinks are being degraded and we are headed for more than 2.9°C of warming by 2100. I respect those who continue to participate in COP but I would not have the patience or diplomacy required.

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The other side of hope

NHS IT is universally acknowledged to be a nightmare. The promise of technology is always that it will save time and make us more efficient. But the reality is that staff feel like slaves, feeding the ever-ravenous monster of the electronic health record with more and more data, more and more time. Time stolen from patients. Worse still, the monster never regurgitates the promised useful data.

It therefore felt like a huge win this week when I managed to get multistep voice commands working in Dragon and EPIC. This has dramatically reduced the time it takes me to do frequent routine tasks, and reduced my risk of RSI. A year after implementation I finally feel like EPIC might make my job easier, as was promised. The beast is not dead, but it has been tamed somewhat.

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Haunted

Since October 4th, at least one child has been killed and 10 injured daily by Israel in Lebanon. Fifty children were killed in Northern Gaza yesterday. Gaza’s children are not merely ‘collateral’ which would be horrific enough, but are targets of genocide, of erasure, of extermination. The Palestinian people have been so completely dehumanised that the world continues to stand by, spectators to the horror show. I sent more money to Osama and his family in Khan Younis, but they need much more than I can give. Osama is one of 8 siblings. His youngest sister Haya is just 11 years old. She has been robbed of her childhood. His father Sobhi has diabetes, and a deep foot ulcer, as well as heart disease. They cannot afford the escalating price of medications and there is no functioning health service.

It is too awful.

There was some hope this week as Barclays divested from Elbit systems after a direct action campaign. Until recently, Barclays owned over 16,000 shares in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons company, worth over $3,400,000. For over a year, Palestine Action activists have targeted Barclays premises, smashing branch windows and spraying them in blood-red paint. This has put Barclays sites out of operation for weeks, raising the costs associated with dealing with Elbit. Palestine Action’s broader campaign against Elbit systems and its’ financial and industrial partners aims to make the cost of dealing in genocide, occupation, and apartheid exceed the potential to profit from it. 

The CEOs of these corporations have no conscience, but hit their bottom line and they act.

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