Despite the best efforts of every news service in the country, I really can't get very excited about Artemis II. It just didn't seem to matter very much.

Donald Trump says ‘a whole civilisation will die’ if Iran ignores demands Attacks on Iran increase and Israel tells Iranians to avoid train travel as deadline to reopen strait of Hormuz looms

When a US president says, "A whole civilization will die tonight", he should, for the sake of the whole of humanity, be removed from office as soon as possible.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

What Trump is doing is providing Iran with a watertight argument for acquiring nuclear weapons.

Trump shares video of skyscraper presidential library in Miami with no books in sight Alongside a video of the plans, the president shared a link to a site collecting donations for the library

Actually, a library with no books would be a fitting monument to the most ignorant president in history!

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

"Days We Left Behind," the new Paul McCartney single is pretty good! Actually, for an eighty- three year old, it seems nothing short of miraculous - like his career as a whole! The man is amazing.

There is so much madness going on at the moment that it is understandable that it has not received much attention, but it is worth pausing a moment to reflect on how utterly bizarre it is that Trump thinks he should have a say in who is chosen to become the new leader of Iran. I mean, what?!!

So why hasn't Mandelson been arrested?

I'd like that, but I don't at present have a book to promote, I'm afraid.

Weather forecast for the rest of the day: between 70% and 95% chance of rain for every hour of the day. I am so sick of it raining! xxx

Trump revokes landmark EPA ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health The White House calls it the largest deregulation in US history, but environmentalists say it will prove costly for Americans.

In Trump vs the laws of physics, there will only be one winner - and all of us will be losers.

BBC News - Trump revokes landmark EPA ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

When is it going to stop raining?!

Global economy must move past GDP to avoid planetary disaster, warns UN chief Exclusive: António Guterres says world’s accounting systems should place true value on the environment

Let us hope, for the sake of future generations, that this vote prevails.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

How can I learn to harness the power of questions? YouTube video by The Questions Dr

My very brilliant niece, Lani, aka The Questions Doctor, has posted the first video in a series of videos to accompany her much anticipated book, Q: The Hidden Power of Questions in a World That Wants Answers, which will be published this summer. Check it out.

youtube.com/watch?v=xlhg...

The news reports that are coming out of Minneapolis (well done, Channel 4) are doing the Trump administration no favours at all. How long will it be before he tries to control them? Will that be the next step towards tyranny?

Just catching up on Channel 4 News, who led on Minneapolis and relegated the Labour Party stuff to second place. You see, BBC? It's good to know we have at least one proper news service.

Nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security This strategic assessment explores how global biodiversity loss and the collapse of critical ecosystems could affect the UK’s resilience, security and prosperity.

Meanwhile, the government published this report today. Among its conclusions is that "Ecosystem degradation is occurring across all regions. Every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse."
www.gov.uk/government/p...

What do Trump's words and deeds tell us about his attitude towards allies? It seems to me there are two possibilities: 1. He thinks the USA is so powerful, it doesn't need any allies, and 2. He thinks the only ally he needs is Putin's Russia. Which of these is it? Or is there a third possibility?

Trump administration to dismantle key climate research center in Colorado Governor Jared Polis warned that breaking up Boulder’s NCAR would put ‘public safety at risk’

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Another day, another stupidity.

My latest publication - in the new issue of Sarum Chronicle - is something of a departure!

Ray Monk: Preparing for the Second Coming: Ludwig Wittgenstein in Vienna 1925-1929 YouTube video by Wittgenstein Initiative

Here's the talk I gave in Vienna last month as part of the Wittgenstein Week, held in the very splendid Palais Schönborn.

youtu.be/Cgl5cgoInNs?...

Yes, I was on the judges panel when it won the Samuel Johnson Prize in 2014 and recommended it to everyone I met. It's a tremendous book.

I know, but it will be the first long flight I've done for six years and quite possibly the last I will ever do.

On Sunday, at the invitation of my publishers at Zhejiang University Press, I will go to China, where I will give talks on Wittgenstein at Fudan University, Zhejiang University and Beijing Normal University. I will also be give a lecture on biography in this amazing building: Shanghai Library East.

Shipping emissions levy shelved as countries bow to US pressure Long-planned charge on greenhouse gas emissions postponed as Trump officials accused of intimidation tactics

Good news for polluters, bad news for the planet. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

"We are the hottest country in the world." Trump really doesn't understand the dangers of climate change, does he?

The cover of the latest Private Eye. Painfully on target.

Human-made global warming ‘caused two in three heat deaths in Europe this summer’ Researchers from Imperial College London say 16,500 deaths caused by hot weather brought on by greenhouse gases

“The causal chain from fossil fuel burning to rising heat and increased mortality is undeniable.” 

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Tories would maximise North Sea oil and gas extraction, Badenoch to say Conservative leader says it is ‘absurd’ to shift away from fossil fuels and leave ‘vital resources untapped’

Kemi Badenoch lays out a compelling case for not voting Tory.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

"They call me the president of Europe." They don't, Donald, they really don't.

The Element Song by Tom Lehrer YouTube video by KoolScience

RIP Tom Lehrer, mathematician, satirist and writer of every geek's favorite song.

youtu.be/U2cfju6GTNs?...