Read the first part of Zulfikar Abbany's Middle East Diary here. Honestly, I hate the idea of quoting myself. But, as I say, by the time we got to the synchrotron in Jordan, the story was already told. We had been traveling through Israel and the Palestinian West Bank — Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nablus — on our way to a synchrotron in Jordan. It's known as SESAME, or Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East. Read more: Models of science and society Our trip was organized by CERN and largely subsidized by the European Union's Open SESAME Project. An inauguration stone at the SESAME synchrotron in Jordan Any other day and any other region, I would have been the first to have branded this trip a "junket" — a shamefully expensive trip for professionals, paid for with public money. But this was something else. It was close to a public service. You need to visit the Middle East and speak to people to have any hope of understanding … [Read more...] about SESAME Field Trip: Open-door policy at a synchrotron
New generation quotes
The enduring legacy of Elizabeth David, Britain’s first lady of food
Simon Hopkinson first met Elizabeth David in 1984, or thereabouts, at Hilaire, the Chelsea restaurant of which he was chef. She came for supper with Valerie Eliot, and the widow of the poet was wearing – he remembers it vividly – a polka-dot dress. "I was very excited," he says. "Because I was a fan." By this time, David was in her early 70s and a little frail (in the early 1960s, she had suffered a cerebral haemorrhage, and in the 1970s, she was in a serious car accident). As a result, she had a miniature appetite. "She ate like a bird. But I remember that I'd made a consomme, very clear and gorgeous, from some prawn shells. She asked for a second helping, and I was so pleased." Made brave by this, at the end of her lunch, the young Hopkinson left his kitchen, clutching a copy of An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, David's collected journalism and the book of hers that he loves the most. She duly signed it for him, and so began a friendship that would last until she died in … [Read more...] about The enduring legacy of Elizabeth David, Britain’s first lady of food
Colin Kaepernick becomes the face of Nike’s Just Do It campaign
Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who sparked controversy by kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, will be the face of a Nike advertising campaign for the 30th anniversary of its “Just Do It” motto. Kaepernick was a quarterback in the NFL for six years. He stirred national debate by taking a knee while the anthem was played before games during the 2016 season, to draw attention to police killings of African Americans and other issues. Kaepernick tweeted a black-and-white photo of himself on Monday featuring the Nike logo and “just do it” slogan as well as a quote: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” Nike has endorsed Kaepernick since 2011 but has not featured him in campaigns since his departure from the NFL. “We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward,” … [Read more...] about Colin Kaepernick becomes the face of Nike’s Just Do It campaign
Spain’s communist model village
In 2004, I was leafing through a travel guide to Andalusia while on holiday in Seville, and read a fleeting reference to a small, remote village called Marinaleda – "a communist utopia" of revolutionary farm labourers, it said. I was immediately fascinated, but I could find almost no details to feed my fascination. There was so little information about the village available beyond that short summary, either in the guidebook, on the internet, or on the lips of strangers I met in Seville. "Ah yes, the strange little communist village, the utopia," a few of them said. But none of them had visited, or knew anyone who had – and no one could tell me whether it really was a utopia. The best anyone could do was to add the information that it had a charismatic, eccentric mayor, with a prophet's beard and an almost demagogic presence, called Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo. Eventually I found out more. The first part of Marinaleda's miracle is that when its struggle to create … [Read more...] about Spain’s communist model village
Britain is quitting smoking. Can our success inspire the rest of the world?
Dev sees it as a war on the little guy. “It won’t stop people smoking,” he says. “It’s just more red tape.” He may not like it but from Monday, like all small retailers, Dev’s newsagent’s, off the Holloway Road in north London, will no longer be allowed to display cigarette packs behind its counter. If he breaches the ban, the shop owner faces a maximum fine of £5,000 in the magistrates’ court and up to six months in prison, two years if he ends up in the crown court. The demise of the “power wall”, as it is dubbed by wily cigarette manufacturers who for years crammed it with row upon row of their brands, deprives the tobacco industry of one of its last means of advertising. Like smoking in pubs and public buildings, it is now consigned to history, destined to become a retail curiosity. Health campaigners believe the ban is a significant step forward. “Two-thirds of smokers start before the age of 18, so it is … [Read more...] about Britain is quitting smoking. Can our success inspire the rest of the world?
