COVID Celidh
There's a Twitter hashtag, #COVIDCelidh, which is an absolute delight. Loads of amazing musicians sharing Celtic tunes from their kitchens, gardens, living rooms etc etc. Was captivated last night, and it's somehow a much better portrayal of that culture than the normal concerts/TV shows that people away from the Highlands might usually see. Alastair Tibbitt
'When Breath Becomes Air' by Paul Kalanithi
I think I am going to finally make time to read this book. It may be too dark in addition to the times but may be the companion one needs to process, and make some peace, with so much passing of life. I want to read it because I am fascinated by the end of life and how our minds navigate such a finality. The book is an autobiography of Kalanathi, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in the final year of his neurosurgery residency. He wrote a good amount of it during the time he was as a doctor turned terminal patient. I think his wife completed it after his death. Random House published it in 2016. It was shortlisted for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize and a few others. Lydia Namubiru
'The Man Who Hated Work – and Loved Labor', a biography of Tony Mazzochi
Mazzochi was a US labour activist who pioneered a coalition between environmentalists, scientists and union organisers in the 1960s and 1970s to campaign against workplace hazards in the nuclear, oil and chemical industries, where workers were regularly – and without their knowledge – exposed to hazardous conditions and substances. Mazzochi also pushed US unions against the Vietnam war, and the nuclear arms race, during a time when the AFL-CIO unions were playing "cold warriors" across the world. In his campaigning for UBI for people who work in hazardous industries, he was a rare example of someone who attempted to bridge the tense gap between environmentalists – who often seek to shut down refineries and extraction – and unions, which want to protect jobs. He later helped found the US Labor Party, believing in a third force outside of the Democratic establishment for working people in the country. Tom Rowley
