Author Archives: globalwindow

In the last few days all the leaves have fully come out transforming the view from my apartment. The copper beech tree glistening in the morning sun is a special delight. The arrival of Spring always brings hope. Quite a contrast to what I could see from my window towards the end of March whenContinue reading “The magic of Spring”

The 100th birthday of Captain Tom Moore from Bedfordshire was celebrated around the world yesterday. He’s become a global phenomenon after raising more than 32 million pounds for Britain’s health service by doing a sponsored walk involving a hundred laps around his garden. Captain Tom has received more than 125,000 birthday cards from across theContinue reading “The giving spirit”

We were all outraged when Dr Li Wanliang was reprimanded by the Chinese authorities for telling the truth about the onset of an unknown disease in Wuhan last December. Dr Li was doing his duty and wanted to warn the public about an imminent threat to public health. Instead he was investigated by the policeContinue reading “Inconvenient truth-tellers”

Have you got clear in your own mind what the origin of Covid-19 was? One strong initial belief around the world was that the virus originated in a wet market in Wuhan. The consensus was that it came originally from bats, possibly through pangolins as intermediaries. However, there are other theories of course. According toContinue reading “Origin of Covid-19”

It’s very uplifting to see how so many individuals and groups around the world are doing their bit to help fight the pandemic. I want to mention just one example today. Others will follow. My friend Arabella in Addis Ababa runs a social enterprise called Arakele. Its aim is to train primarily marginalised women fromContinue reading “Made in Ethiopia”

I hope you’ll forgive another blog post focusing on the death rates caused by the pandemic. I am all too aware of how these statistics represent so much individual sorrow and suffering. It’s therefore always vital to keep that in mind when analysing data. However, my recent post about South Korea’s low death toll gotContinue reading “Differences on the world stage”

I’ve been meaning to write this post for some time. Given my two sons are currently living in South Korea, I do know the country a little. I was last there in November 2019 when I stayed with my elder son Phil, who lives near Seoul. Despite its traditional roots, South Korea is a veryContinue reading “Lessons from South Korea”

The World Health Organisation or the WHO is back in the spotlight. There are still global reverberations from President Trump’s decision to suspend American financial contributions to the organisation. It all made me think about how little I know about what the WHO actually does and who works for it. So it’s time for aContinue reading “Who’s WHO”

In our world of political spin and evasion, it’s rare to hear any government leader speak the truth and openly admit to mistakes. So it was very refreshing to hear some honest comments spoken by President Macron in a televised address to the French people a couple of days ago. During his speech he admittedContinue reading “Speaking the truth”

One of the most famous survivors of the catastrophic Spanish flu epidemic a hundred years ago was the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. He is, of course, famous for his iconic painting, The Scream, which was completed many years before he was struck down with Spanish flu. Munch certainly looked the worse for wear here inContinue reading “In praise of recovery”