Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film ‘Dr Strangelove’ dramatizes the still not-altogether-remote scenario of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). It begins with a deranged U.S. Airforce General, Jack D. Ripper, overriding Executive Command and ordering a surprise nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. The Russians, unbeknownst to the Americans, have developed a deterrent – the Doomsday Machine – … Read more
As Washington swirls with the drama and intricacies of the impeachment enquiry, spare a thought for climate. Yes, our climate. Much was written in Europe, and elsewhere, about the remarkable Greta Thurnberg. The effectiveness of her singular obsession with the issue – seemingly aided by an Asperger’s condition that leaves her unaffected by social cues … Read more
In August of 1969 I was driving across Ireland with the late Bearnard Ó Riain, the older brother of a good friend of mine, the late Dinno Ryan. Most of my old friends are now ‘late’. We were going to join others in a mountain-walking weekend. Bearnard had participated in the nineteen-fifties IRA campaign in … Read more
Black Vulture You loom at Madzharovo then at Bosilovo roost at Kalanjevo. Black pilgrim cowl of the air crossing these skies, come, we are prone and torn, numbed, expecting your news. https://soundcloud.com/cassandra-voices/2020-04-13-t02-23-01pm-benkeatinge Cormorants at Dojran Lake The fisher Christs are drying their wings a great white pelican gawps and gives a wide September yawn a … Read more
Before even taking my seat, three times I was warned of the ‘gory content’ in Dylan Tighe’s redubbed rendition of ‘Salò’, or ‘120 Days of Sodom.’ Then announcements made at the start, noting our nearest fire exits, and the two-hour-and-ten minute performance length (sans interval), warned us again that we could leave at any time. … Read more
A Digest For most of us, the stomach is positioned around our middle. In East-Asian cultures, this area is usually considered the seat of the subjective self – the centre, from which we extend outward towards the world. Closer to home, we usually think of ourselves as residing somewhere behind the eyes, perhaps at … Read more
‘I say the word ‘forever’ less and less, the more I understand it.’ It’s a good line. I might get it tattooed on my chest. Or carved on my tombstone. During the heatwaves and increased storm warnings of the summer, I felt my heartbeat for the first time in a while. The seasons change so … Read more
As a child I had recurring dreams of great waves crashing over me. Some would swallow me up, making me lose consciousness. In others I would reach the top of a hill, where I would observe the sea level slowly rising from afar, engulfing the fishing village in which I still live. My village is … Read more
Around four years ago I completed a drawing inspired by a childhood dream featuring a landscape of balloons, floating boats and orange trees. I then shared it on social media and a friend, Sam Clague, messaged me asking if he could use it for an EP he was releasing called ‘Balloons’. I hadn’t considered the … Read more
The cacophony of the city took on a new chorus when the construction of a new corporate imprint on the London skyline began. The whining of earth chewing machines carving out the footing for the new monolith metres into the historic soil, and soon argentine rods sprouted the intention of new growth. It was only … Read more