Just a few months ago, I wrote a rather long piece on the state of the war in Ukraine — its origins, objectives, ramifications, and some possible overarching policy responses. …

It seems that every month or so, some activist decides to vandalize a masterpiece in one of the world’s premier galleries — just the other weekend, climate activists at the National Gallery, London threw tomato soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and glued themselves to the wall, while in August, protesters…

This playlist is a unique first — it’s the first playlist made about a particular city while in that city, inspired directly by my impressions of it. London is a place of grey skies and incessant drizzle, of whitewashed concrete and well-worn brick, of faded glories and encrusted grime. A…

On February 24th, 2022, President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin of Russia ordered his armed forces to invade Ukraine. The signs were clear. The ominous massing of troops. The aggressive rhetoric, the historical revanchism harkening back to the Soviet past. The accusation of a Ukrainian “genocide” against Russians. The recognition of the…

Apologies for the deluge of playlisting stuff recently, but we’ve got a backlog of material to release, all of which is pretty damn good! (Not to toot my own horn…) Case in point: this new playlist, Sounds of Pacific Palisades, ’69, which, in my opinion, is the best thing I’ve…

Ladies and gentlemen, we’re in the midst of a playlisting binge. In the last few months, we’ve seen Sounds of Rome, ’59 and Sounds of Bruxelles, ‘76 — and now, I’m proud to announce my latest release, Sounds of Milano, ‘78! As always, what I’ve tried here is to…

And… we’re back! Apologies for the absence, but it’s been a busy Christmas Vac and Hilary Term- lots of stuff up and about. …

[Something new: a film review! And a spoiler-free review to boot! And “remember, dear readers, you heard it here first- off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush…”] A friend of mine once remarked that film noir is nothing more than “guys walking around with guns”. A pure exercise…

[Caveat lector- I’m not a petroleum scholar; my entire claim to knowledge is to have read a book or two on oil and having done a few months’ work at an agency dealing with commodities. ¡Cuidado!] Oil is fascinating. A black, gooey, and inedible substance cursed with a terrible smell…