Will the Circle be Unbroken September 22, 2026 - In 1983 Kip Williams, a social psychologist at the University of Purdue, Indiana, was sitting in the park when he was hit in the back by a frisbee. He returned it to the two men standing behind him. He was about to sit down again when they threw it back to him. The three of… Read More
Between Here and Gone September 11, 2026 - For three months in 1982, I was a commuter on the Metro-North Railroad into New York City. I was interning with Herman Hall, an educational psychologist, and my school day began at 8.00 am. The 6.00 am train from Greens Farms was busy but it was quiet. People read books and newspapers. If they spoke… Read More
Leave Them Kids Alone August 31, 2026 - Hampshire College in Massachusetts was founded in 1965 and describes itself as “unconventional, quirky and one of the original disruptors of higher education”. Students create their own curricula and are encouraged to be “unbounded’ in their pursuit of urgent issues. In the face of falling enrolments, the college will close this autumn. The documentary film… Read More
Mine Yours Ours July 24, 2026 - In the 1990s, the lakeside village of Iseltwald in Switzerland was largely unknown. Access was along a narrow road or via the water. Visitors were Swiss day-trippers and some Europeans tourists. In 2018, a South Korean TV crew arrived in Iseltwald to film a scene for the Netflix series Crash Landing on You. Fans of… Read More
A Mini United Nations: July 1966 July 16, 2026 - One of the founding aims of The School of English Studies, Folkestone was to create "a mini United Nations that really is united". On July 30th, 1966 the students and staff at SES were invited to watch the final of the World Cup. It was shown on a relatively modest-sized television in the Students' Common… Read More
Football Fussball July 9, 2026 - In the early hours of Monday morning my English son-in-law joined the 11.6 million who rose from their beds to watch England beat Mexico in the Azteca Stadium. Two days later, the Swiss beat the Colombians in Vancouver. Not since 1954 has Switzerland made it to the quarterfinal of the World Cup. For the Anglo-Swiss… Read More
Two Ears One Mouth June 28, 2026 - “We have two ears and one mouth, an equation that is easy to forget.” Peter O’Connell The complete quote, by the Greek philosopher, Epictetus is “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” My father was a good listener, a skill he learned from his… Read More
The Listening Eye March 20, 2026 - American Photographs is an exhibition currently showing at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It borrows its title from Walker Evans’ book of photographs, published in 1938. “Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long.” Walker Evans In 1980 I was a student in Paris. It was a year of… Read More
If a Body Catch a Body Coming Through the Rye February 24, 2026 - Our granddaughter has recently learnt to say ‘Hi’ and ‘Bye’, sounds that are accompanied by an outstretched arm and a small wave. As any parent remembers and any grandparent knows, it is a captivating and charming development in the life of an infant. Lia is generous and inclusive with her salutations. She greets the lady… Read More