In a previous editions of Cassandra Voices we discussed the Russian surveillance system, called SORM, and the far-reaching data privacy impact it may have vis-à-vis private individuals and communication service providers. Russia is not the only state struggling to strike a balance between national security concerns that often mandate extensive surveillance measures, and the right … Read more
I am writing this account for the sake of those who follow. As victims of serious negligence by the state bureaucracy, my family and I feel vulnerable, and thus wish to remain anonymous. In any case, revealing my identity will add nothing to what I am about to disclose. If anyone wishes to contact me … Read more
Leonard Cohen’s ‘Tower of Song’ is a short history, and valedictory, to the tradition of songwriting, fusing aphorisms and personal reflections on failure with nostalgia and regret. In this ‘Tower’, like that of Babel, the songsters of history communicate unsatisfactorily: I said to Hank Williams “How lonely does it get?”Hank Williams hasn’t answered yetBut I … Read more
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was an unqualified success. While the number of goals scored per game was the same as four years previously in Brazil, the entertainment value was way ahead, as were the number of close games. One of the pre-tournament favorites, France, won, and deservedly so. Still, luck played a significant role: … Read more
Studies show that if you get married and then divorce, your happiness will dip below what it was before you married. One might conclude that pursuing the perfect relationship to fulfil your happiness is, at best, a risky business. Ninety-five percent of ‘the Feel Good Hormone’ serotonin is produced in your gut, a scientific fact … Read more
A proud man has disdain for other people, he undervalues them. The Narcissus overvalues them, because in every person’s eyes he sees his own image, and wants to embellish it. So he takes care of all his mirrors. Milan Kundera The Festival of Insignificance In the beginning, I thought about him endlessly, night and day, … Read more
The Harp needs more than tuning. The single most important and useful change we should make to our Constitution is to remove the first paragraph of Article 45 which reads: Directive Principles of Social Policy The principles of social policy set forth in this article are intended for the general guidance of the Oireachtas. The application … Read more
How to fathom the phenomenon of ‘fandom’? Certainly it is one of the most familiar, most recognisable, and common, of personality traits – yet oddly, one of the least analysed personality traits. We all have a tendency towards being a ‘fan’ of something or other. It is a near-universal inclination evident in everyone from tech … Read more
The great Italo Calvino’s novel Invisible Cities imagines a conversation between the Mongolian emperor Kubla Khan and the legendary traveller Marco Polo. Kubla Khan asks Marco Polo to describe for him the great cities he has visited. After a number of vivid and enthralling accounts it becomes clear that Marco Polo is confining himself to … Read more
Interstitial space: a space between structures or objects, i.e the contiguous fluid-filled space existing between the skin and body organs. ******* It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there from ‘Asphodel, That Greeny Flower’, by William Carlos Williams. I … Read more