This World, This Life

"The Anthropocene (Noun):                a  proposed  term for the present geological  epoch  (from the time of the Industrial  Revolution   onwards ), during which  humanity  has begun to have a  significant   impact   on the environment."                                                                             Source: Collins English Dictionary (online edition) ------------------------------------------------------- Yes, the term was a new one on me as well - at least, until I read There is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years (Updated Edition) by British researcher and author Mike Berners-Lee recently.  I confess to buying it by mistake - I confused him with his brother Sir Tim, widely acclaimed as the Father of the Internet - but having read the thing I'm very glad I did. Berners-Lee describes himself in the book as "a generalist", which is to say someone whose career has followed many different, mainly scientific, paths with unexpected t

      So here we go, another epic Premier League season.  As Sky continues to trumpet, the 30th since they "created" it, launched the "Premier League Era" and changed the face of British - and arguably world - football forever.  Another season where billions of pounds are pumped into the Beautiful Game (or at least The Premier League: how much of it filters down through the pyramid to the smaller clubs, whose full house crowds of a few hundred probably number less than the bloated press and tv crew that covers even the smallest EPL fixture, is a point for serious debate!), and even the worst PL team, relegated after a season of huff-and-puff incompetence, goes away with a hundred million or more  in "prize money".   Is there a competition anywhere else in the world where the rewards for being absolute shit are higher?  Can't think of one myself. It will be another season of hyperbole, with commentators yelling their heads off at very little in an effor

       Retirement. It comes to us all, like death and taxes (to paraphrase Sam Clemens), but I'm betting I'm not the only one to neglect planning for it. But it happened, incredibly four years ago already, and without a backward glance I walked away from the workplace with a spring in my step (as far as dodgy knees and hips allow, in any case). A weight fell off my shoulders. I had plans, places to go and things to do. A backlog of books to read. Others to write and one to (finally) publish. Time to relax a bit away from the business treadmill - time for myself. Sure, money would be tight, but that was inevitable: I had been very well paid for several years so was bound to take a bit of a hit because, in retrospect foolishly, I hadn't saved as much as I should have. But that was ok, I decided, I'd manage. I soon discovered it wasn't quite what I had expected. I'd not done my sums right at all, maths never being my strong point, and my inco