Things I learned from the Spanish Film Festival: #2
Be nice to older women on long haul buses, because you’ll always have a place to stay when you’re mistaken for a Basque terrorist. (From the Spanish movie Spanish Affair)
Read More15
Dec
Be nice to older women on long haul buses, because you’ll always have a place to stay when you’re mistaken for a Basque terrorist. (From the Spanish movie Spanish Affair)
Read More15
Dec
George W Bush was probably not the most popular person in South America in November 2005. The President’s visit to Argentina for the 4th Summit of the Americas did not meet with universal local approval. On the first day of the summit, a homeless guy helped saved me from a line of men, with bandages over their faces and big…
Read More13
Dec
After her death in April 2013, I never thought I’d get to meet Margaret Thatcher. But she made a surprise comeback the following year at the Edinburgh Fringe. A man with a blouse, skirt and handbag – though maybe not a wig, as I think the hair was real – was Margaret Thatcher: Queen of Soho. A hundred-odd metres…
Read More22
Nov
I was recently in New York City, eating shrimp and sweet corn next to the Hudson River, about to make the short walk to the Lincoln Center Theater to see The King and I. ‘You wouldn’t think they’d name a theatre after Abraham Lincoln,’ I said to my Cousin Jo and friend JJ. ‘He didn’t…
Read More22
Nov
“During the many years of incarceration on Robben Island, we often looked across Table Bay at the magnificent silhouette of Table Mountain. To us on Robben Island, Table Mountain was a beacon of hope. It represented the mainland to which we knew we would one day return.” – Nelson Mandela 1998 There’s a reason President…
Read More18
Nov
Germans discovered and named Booth Island. Argentine maps say it’s in Antartida Argentina. Chilean maps class it as Territorio Antártico Chileno. It’s also said to be part of the British Antarctic Territory. Belgians called it Wandel Island. All of these countries are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, which freezes all claims to Antarctica and nearby islands,…
Read More15
Nov
I was initially confused when I walked past this building in Harlem, New York City: But then I read the rest of the sign, wrapped around the side: It’s on Lenox Avenue, also known as Malcolm X Boulevard. I’m not sure that the Rev Dr King would have liked his building to be…
Read More3
Nov
When I was 31, I went back to the gym, walked more, ate better and lost a few inches around my waist. What outfit did I buy to show off my newly trim – well – trimmer figure? A Wonder Woman costume. Over the next four years, Wonder Woman turned up in unexpected places. When…
Read More15
Sep
