Charles Ellingworth

21:25

Ushant

Ushant, as the English write and say it, or Ouessant as it is in French, is the last outpost of France, the island at the end of Brittany where the English Channel gives way to the Bay of Biscay. It is surrounded by swirling tides and reefs, buffeted by gales and guarded by six lighthouses. It resembles the Outer Hebrides with wind-bent trees and houses with small windows and toughened shutters. On a high cliff is a control tower, not for aeroplanes but for ships, as this is an historic graveyard for mariners where tides, fog and storms have killed thousands. We rounded it this summer on the ferry from Santander to Portsmouth in still weather but heavy fog. 


It has always had a fascination for me since my days in the shipping business when we fixed charters ‘rounding Ushant’. Since then we have visited it by air and it doesn’t disappoint - a wild outpost of a continent.


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11:52

Charm

Charm
Charm is the ability to elicit the answer yes before the question is asked. So said Jean Cocteau. But it’s an attribute that has connotation...
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11:00

JG Ballard

JG Ballard
I have always been fascinated by JG Ballard and his gimlet-eyed, unblinking view of humanity and modernity - but had never read this; the po...
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07:25

Doubtful Sound

Doubtful Sound
Doubtful Sound is an inlet going ten miles into the Fjiordland of South Island in New Zealand. It was discovered by Captain Cook on his firs...
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07:17

Is your phone listening to you?

Is your phone listening to you?
Is your phone listening to you? I don’t mean collecting your data from your search or viewing activity  - but actually listening to you.  ...
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19:33

Big Tech is playing fast and loose with our society - again

Big Tech is playing fast and loose with our society - again
This is from What I Learned This Week - about the way Big Tech is now conducting a grand experiment with AI on our society.  With social med...
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18:06

Finest Hour

Finest Hour
I have recently read a wonderful book by Liv Olson called Last Hope Island, about the experience of countries in continental Europe that we...
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