Short Stories

Another tsunami. Fucking earthquakes! Fucking climate change!  You know, I don’t think there has been a proven correlation between climate change and increased earthquake activity. Don’t the melting ice caps, accelerated by climate change, have a cyclical relationship with rising sea levels that have a knock-on effect on the movement of tectonic plates that cause earthquakes? I’m sure I’ve read something about it. Really? Show me. Seems like the perfect way to start the holiday season. Unlike many large tsunamis, the recent one in Indonesia was not caused by an earthquake. According to the National Disaster Management Authority, the tsunami was caused by an underwater landslide resulting from nearby volcanic activity, exacerbated by an abnormally high tide due to the full moon.  Fucking volcanoes, then. In a recent study, 138 volcanoes have been identified throughout the deep basins of  West Antarctica . If the ice acts as a protective layer, what happens when the ice mel...

The recently published Australian Femicide Map is the saddest map you will ever see.  It was meant to trigger an emotional reaction.  I searched for my hometown. And then it came flooding back.  Memories. Half-truths. Disorientation. They were young. His attitude was getting worse. He was always stressed about something: his job, his car, his studies, his gay father, his Christianity, his future.  She gave him a free pass. He gave her a black eye.  She stayed out late. He threw her down a flight of stairs.  She joined a club. He threatened her friends.  He punched a hole in the door but told her that he loved her.  He wasn’t always mean and she wasn’t always afraid of him.  But she became cold and distant. She didn’t recognise herself. She would lie.  She would hide.  She would cry.  Some say the more optimistic someone is, the happier they’ll be and the longer they’ll live. But maybe some of us have no other choice. Without op...

Last week the 'What ISH Post-Capitalism?' festival offered discussions on the future of economics and society, expressed through music, dance and debate. Some issues included doughnut economics, sustainable living, grass-roots activism and climate change. “Until it’s knocking on my door, I will continue to live my life.” Fair enough. Scientists agree that the rise in global temperature over the last several decades can be explained by the rise in greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities. However, some people still feel that the existential threat of climate change isn’t real enough for them yet. One presenter that caught my attention was Marjolein Jonker, a pioneer of the Tiny House movement in the Netherlands. Since 2016, Marjolein in het klein has been living in a self-sufficient Tiny House (20m2) in Alkmaar with her cat Hella. She is passionate about living sustainably and leaving behind a smaller ecological footprint. Marjolein is part of a wooncoöperatie, a hous...