Here’s a quotation from Charles Dickens that perfectly describes yesterday’s weather:
“It was the kind of March day when the sun shines hot, and the wind blows cold, when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.”
Today the wind has dropped and as a result the day feels considerably milder, indeed quite warm! There was, however, frost on the shed roof this morning, and a skim of ice on the water barrel in the garden, the consequence of a very clear, cloudless night. And today continues cloudless! I had a pleasant cycle ride to the market in the sunshine. The market continues to be very depleted, only the fishman and the fruit’n’veg man there. The rest of the space was being used as a carpark, as happens for the rest of the week. Goodness knows where the other traders have got to.
Here’s something from Zarah Sultana MP:
“Israel has repeatedly defied the UN, its resolutions & international law. Member states must act.
Yet at PMQs, the Prime Minister said his government is “doing all we can” — except imposing sanctions, ending all arms sales, military support, trade & diplomatic ties with Israel.”
Quite so!
Here’s a link to the Guardian view on the current state of things in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the USA continues to move towards a dystopia. A Texas midwife and her employee have been arrested for providing abortion care, the first people known to have been arrested for this since Roe v, Wade was overturned back in 2022. Christian Nationalists are openly celebrating. Texas state's far-right Attorney General Ken Paxton said: "In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted."
It’s a step back in time!
Odd things are happening with the coldly named ICE, he Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Here’s a link to the story of Jasmine Mooney, a Canadian whose work visa was queried and who ended up in a detention centre for illegal immigrants.
The people working there were rather surprised to have a Canadian in their custody - not their usual S. American clientele -but she didn’t get any special treatment. It’s quite a long read but very revealing about the conditions in which people were held - people with no criminal record, many of them having accidentally overstayed their work visa and who suddenly found themselves shackled and chained and caught up in relentless bureaucracy.
Jasmine Mooney spent a relatively short time in custody but was shocked at how quickly she became cut off from friends, family and, importantly, legal aid. Here’s an interesting section of the article:
“The reality became clear: Ice detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit.
Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group receive government funding based on the number of people they detain, which is why they lobby for stricter immigration policies. It’s a lucrative business: CoreCivic made over$560m from Ice contracts in a single year. In 2024, GEO Group made more than $763m from Ice contracts.
The more detainees, the more money they make. It stands to reason that these companies have no incentive to release people quickly. What I had experienced was finally starting to make sense.
This is not just my story. It is the story of thousands and thousands of people still trapped in a system that profits from their suffering. I am writing in the hope that someone out there – someone with the power to change any of this – can help do something.”
Jasmine Mooney’s case has been covered by international press. Maybe it will help improve conditions for others held in detention centres.
Here we are in 2025 in a world where people want to travel more widely, and usually manage to do so, but also a world which seems to be imposing restrictions all over the places!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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