Given that today is the anniversary of 9/11 – arguably the biggest news day in living memory – it was probably fitting that yesterday was probably right up there with it in having the most “big” stories in a single 24 hour period, although none of them quite toppling the gravitas of that day in 2001.
Yet.
But wow. There was a lot that went on, and I think it’s worth documenting them, just in case “9/10” or more correctly “10/9” doesn’t become a thing, and future us forget that an awful lot happened that day.
And so, in no particular order:
Riots, a government toppled, ministers beaten and the parliament building burned down in Nepal.
Late annual riots in France, and the resignation of the Prime Minister there.
I’m not a fan of political violence, nor any violence at all, really, but I couldn’t help but think of the words of Clarence Darrow, who wrote in his 1932 book The Story of My Life, “I have never killed any one, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction”.
It’s perfectly possible to condemn everything that Kirk stood for (and I do) and also condemn his murder (which I also do). But “awful people certainly don’t deserve to be killed, but they certainly don’t deserve to be praised, either” seems to be a difficult leap for a lot of minds out there.
Almost forgotten about with potential starting points of various civil wars going on – the potential starting point of World War III. A reminder that Russia objects to Ukraine becoming a member of NATO because “it doesn’t want NATO on its doorstep”, but it already shares borders with Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Finland.
Almost forgotten about with potential starting points of various civil wars going on and the potential starting point of World War III. Another potential starting point of World War III.
Oh, and they still haven’t released the Epstein Files. Let’s not ever let them forget about that, no matter what else is sent to distract us.
But as I said, there was a lot of news yesterday. Just none of it was very good.
What a complete and utter mess the world is in. Let’s let this all subside a little (hopefully, at least) and then see which bits carry forward, and deal with them as we need.
It was back in March that I told you that I wanted a MAGA hat. And I immediately also told you that it wasn’t that sort of MAGA hat that I wanted. Because no-one in their right mind wants to be associated with the Orange Shitler and his cult members.
I’m not a hugely political person, but long story short, I went and got that MAGA hat made, complete with Greenland flag and MAGA-style font.
Yes, seriously. Here it is on the bar.
But it seemed like rubbish timing, because rather soon after that, all the furore around Greenland thankfully died down and then disappeared completely.
Yes. That wholly unwanted, wholly unwarranted US attention is back:
Denmark’s foreign minister has summoned the top US diplomat in Copenhagen, following a report that American citizens have been conducting covert operations in Greenland. Denmark’s public broadcaster DR quoted sources as saying the aim was to infiltrate Greenland’s society and promote its secession from Denmark to the US, although it was unable to clarify who the men were working for. Danish intelligence warned Greenland was being targeted by “various kinds of influence campaigns”.
That sounds like an approach that Donald might have learned from Vladimir.
Colour me shocked.
Danish Radio’s report on Wednesday gave details of a visit by one American to Greenland’s capital Nuuk, saying he was seeking to compile a list of Greenlanders who backed US attempts to take over the island. The aim would be to try to recruit them for a secession movement.
Given the strength of feeling during JD Vance’s curtailed visit back in March, it’s unlikely that the list would be very long. But that also means that it might not take much time to draw up.
No wonder the Danish Foreign Minister wants to nip this in the bud.
The only good things that can come out of this are a) further international disgust at the US and the Mango Mussolini’s accelerating imperialist policies, and b) the revived relevance of my MAGA hat.
Looks like I’m going to be sporting my red headgear once more, raising awareness of the issues faced by our neighbours in the top left corner of the Atlantic Ocean.
Look at this beautiful plot for sale in Suiderstrand, Cape Agulhas. Doesn’t it look idyllic?
And doesn’t sales agent Richard Pratt (stop it!) make it sound idyllic?
Situated within the Agulhas National Park, this vacant stand in Suiderstrand presents a rare opportunity to construct your coastal retreat. The land is level—ideal for straightforward construction. Lush fynbos to the rear boundary, offering a serene backdrop of indigenous flora and the soothing sound of the ocean. The clear sightlines to both the front and back of the plot make it possible to plan your home that captures sea views with clever orientation.
Approved house plans included.
Suiderstrand is a sanctuary for those drawn to serenity and natural fynbos.
Stunning, doll! Stunning!
What Richard has failed to mention here is that while this plot absolutely backs onto lush fynbos at the moment, that won’t be the case for very long, with 15 houses being built all over that very same lush fynbos in the new – and rather controversial – Moquini Bay housing estate, in the very near future. And then this plot will back onto first a building site, and then a security estate, and not lush fynbos.
But then, I wouldn’t want to accuse Richard of being slightly disingenuous with his description of this place. After all, how on earth would he know about that new development?
It’s not nice when someone dies. Generally, I mean. There are several (or more) people on the planet that I certainly wouldn’t shed a tear for, and Asher Watkins is one of them, but it’s obviously sad for his family that he’s no longer with us.
Asher was a millionaire who sold ranches in the USA, and Asher died in Limpopo this week after being attacked by a Cape Buffalo.
Now, we all know that – infamously – hippos are the most dangerous big game animal in Africa. But there are plenty of others, and they’re called big game for a reason: as a human, you’re not going to come out on top in any contest with a lion, leopard, hippo, crocodile, giraffe, elephant or a buffalo.
The thing here is not that Asher died, nor the sob story that all the papers and news site shared about him and his family. It was more that Asher was a famous (in hunting circles, apparently) hunter, who hunted to [checks notes] “preserve wildlife”.*
While in Argentina he boasted of killing thousands of doves in just three days with friends.
Right. That’ll help. Not with dove numbers, but… something… maybe.
No, it was a bit of this statement which pushed me over the edge.
On Sunday while on a hunting safari with us in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, Asher was fatally injured, in a sudden and unprovoked attack by an unwounded buffalo.
Specifically the word “unprovoked”.
Which guy got killed? The one wandering around the buffalo’s territory with the big gun that he was intending to kill the buffalo with? I’d list that behaviour quite neatly under “provocation”.
And then there’s this bit:
In a moment of fearlessness as he lived his life, he met the challenge head-on, leaving this world a man of courage, faith and adventure.
Bullshit (no pun intended). That’s absolutely not what happened in Limpopo. If he even had time to be aware of what was happening, I can absolutely assure you that in that split second, there was no fearlessness happening. Zero. Almost a metric ton of horned muscle heading straight towards you out of the bush at 50 kph? Well, ok. Maybe the head-on bit is right, but as mentioned above – only ever going to be one winner in that contest.
And there was.
FAFO, as I believe is all the rage for the young people to say these days.
I don’t know. I eat meat, and I’m pretty sure that animals have to be killed for that. I just don’t really see the need to go out into the wild and kill stuff just for the “sport”? Because I never really saw hunting as sport: arguing that in sport, both players need to know they are playing, and further agreeing with Sep Guardiola that:
Maybe, after Asher Watkins’ defeat (and demise), I need to reevaluate those criteria a bit.
It was clearly game on – and then game over – in Limpopo.
.
* Yes, I know there are potential reasons behind his statement, but you can’t pick and choose; giving with one hand while taking away with the other. There’s no conservation value in what he was trying here.
Maybe both, depending upon your list of preferences for your luxury holiday? Weirdo.
But I get it – people’s opinions differ.
They are an essential for the tourist economies of the ports that they visit, including here in Cape Town:
The cruise industry contributed R1.32 billion to the Western Cape economy during the 2023-24 season, up from R1.2 billion the previous season, despite a slight drop in ship calls.
Cruise passengers, vessels, and crew generated R1.5 billion in expenditure, supporting 1,965 jobs across sectors like retail, hospitality, and tourism services.
With the new cruise season underway, Cape Town and the Western Cape is set to enhance its role in the global cruise market, driving continued economic growth and job creation in the region.
In this economy, you simply can’t ignore the positive effect of that much money and that many jobs. But there is also no doubting that cruise ships aren’t particularly nice if you’re near them, not on them.
Visually, for a start. Ironically ruining the vistas of the places that they are visiting so that passengers can see the vistas:
The poet and filmmaker Odveig Klyve has lived for several decades in Stavanger, on the west coast of Norway. The city encircles its harbour, on hillsides that slope down to the seafront. It has been a site of international commerce for hundreds of years, Klyve said, first for herring fishing, then international shipping, then the oil industry. “It has always been a city linked to the sea and what the sea can give,” she told me recently. In the short film “View,” Klyve also shows what a maritime enterprise can take away.
It’s 4 minutes of simple shots and sounds. Well worth your time:
It really is like someone building a 15 storey block of apartments right on your heritage doorstep. No planning permission required. Horrific.
But it’s not just the views which are compromised. PLENTY of research shows us that cruise ships are one of the worst forms of transport for creating air pollution. And when they end up on your doorstep – as they do in Stavanger and Cape Town – they are particularly bad for the local air quality.
Air quality measurements taken last week when cruise ships – such as NCL’s Norwegian Star – visited Cobh, in Ireland’s Cork Harbour, show air pollution levels up to more than 250 times higher than safe levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Air pollution caused by cruise ships during the hotelling phase in ports represents a significant source of emissions. The hotelling phase refers to the period during which ships remain docked and keep their main and auxiliary engines running to supply power to onboard systems. Numerous studies have shown that this practice significantly contributes to emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), particulate matter (PM), and carbon dioxide (CO2), degrading air quality in port areas and surrounding urban zones.
The emissions from cruise ships were increasing the annual concentration of NO2 in the port area by up to 31% at ground level, and 86% 50 m above the ground in comparison to the urban background level. The short-term impact of cruise ships was more pronounced with local exceedances of the hourly European limit value for NO2. Increasing cruise ship activity in Copenhagen port leads to air quality deterioration on short time scales with implications for human health.
Toxic air pollutants from cruise ships around ports are higher than pre-pandemic levels, leaving Europe’s port cities choking in air pollution, a new Transport & Environment study shows. Despite the introduction of the UN shipping body’s sulphur cap in 2020, last year Europe’s 218 cruise ships emitted as much sulphur oxides (SOx) as 1 billion cars. However, at the port of Venice air pollutants from cruise ships fell 80% following the city’s ban on large cruise ships.
These chemicals aren’t invisible pollutants, but they aren’t quite as obvious as some ships’ toxic fumes, and so they will often be overlooked, except for by scientists and by those with health issues which are acutely exacerbated by nasty pollutants.
I’ve lived in a couple of big tourist cities in my life, and I’ve watched as the tourists’ levels of consideration for the places they visit have dropped over the years, as a general lack of respect has taken over, and society has rapidly devolved into the cesspool that we see every day online: full of narcissists.
More and more, the cities and sites that they come to are seen as places that are privileged to have them visit, rather than a privilege to visit. And while I’m not specifically blaming the actual tourists for this cruise ship pollution, if they don’t really care about the way that they behave while they’re here, they’re certainly not going to give a toss about the huge amounts of sulphur dioxide that is being chucked out by their transport.
After all, as long as it’s perfect for their visit, that’s all that matters. No matter how they got here: plane, ship or… actually, those are pretty much the only two options for Cape Town.
So yes, we need the cruise liners and their visitors and their money. Just at what cost?
