Blog Post | It's Only February?!

In Germany, it was announced that billions of euros would be spent on developing a new hadron-collider-type device that will be able to produce unlimited energy for the country, possibly the continent. Kind of like the sun. Experts agreed that this was, in fact, in no way close to happening any time soon. 

Regular people agreed that it was a real shame we don't have access to a huge ball of gas, one that's floating in space, releasing gamma rays created by nuclear fusion, radiating energy into space as sunlight. Producing clean, abundant energy, just there, waiting to be harnessed. It's a real shame there's literally nothing like that in our solar system. Why invest in solar when you can build a hugely expensive machine that isn't even guaranteed to work instead?

Trump and his number one BFF, Bibi Netanyahu, have said that they feel really bad about the way women and protesters are being treated by the Ayatollah's and the Revolutionary Guard. They feel it is their moral duty to march in there and save the people.

It's strikingly similar to when Trump broke International Law into tiny smithereens earlier this year with his kidnapping of Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro. Donny claims that only US intervention can save the Iranian people and bring them the security and freedom they deserve. History has shown that US intervention almost always (never) brings prosperity to the country they invade. Just look at how well Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Chile are all doing. Thriving they are (not). But hey, who needs history when you've got oil and a short memory?

Both Bibi and Trump's thoughtfulness for the Iranian's well-being is in stark contrast to the caring they appear to feel for their own citizens. Trump's SS Stormtroopers - oh sorry, I made a typo, I meant ICE -and Bibi's Gestapo - oh dear, another typo, I meant the IDF - have spent much of this year shooting people in the face. Kind of like the Revolutionary Guard. Stay tuned to find out if they really come through on their promise to free the Iranian people or if they just want the oil.

The strong do what they can,

and the weak suffer what they must

The History Of The Peloponnesian War, 431-404 BCE | Thucydides

The quotation brought another Vladimir to mind. Mr Putin, who, it could be argued, would do well to remember this quote. The fourth  anniversary of the Ukrainian War has just passed. Four years ago, Mr "I ride a horse with no shirt" Putin, invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine, launching the biggest conflict on European soil since the Second World War. Putin believed his "Special Military Operation" would be over within weeks, Trump said he would end it in 24 hours. Surprisingly, neither of these things have come to pass.

Both Trump and his other authoritarian BFF, Vlad "I love Novichok" Putin, have tried their best to bully Zelenskyy into giving up the Donbas and other regions, but Zelenskyy is a smart cookie and the Ukrainian army is tough as nails. They know Putin's imperialistic ambitions won't stop there, so they keep fighting, for their own freedom, but also for ours in the rest of Europe.

Many other things happened in February. For example, one awesome thing is the Malaria vaccine rollout in Africa which has seen cases drop by up to 30-40%. Or the coral reef that's been discovered, thriving, despite climate change. Or in the UK, solar energy generation was the highest it's ever been. Wait a second! Is the UK closer to the sun than Germany?!?! 

So mostly grim, but a few highlights, which, considering February is the shortest month in the year, is quite overwhelming. To end with another quote that has been falsely attributed to Lenin; one that perfectly sums up this year so far:

There are decades where nothing happens;

and there are weeks where decades happen.

As we march into March, I wonder how many decades we can cram into the next few weeks.