Friday 14 April 2017

Hot Cross Buns today, Armagedon tomorrow?


Last day looking after the chickens, last egg collected. Listening to the radio, heard the magical words "Hot cross buns!" and decided to make our own. Following Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recipe in his bread book and ended up making eight gigantic hot cross buns. Jane and I had to share a single one as one each would have been too much. The rest of the day spent writing Spotted Wing Drosophila paper.

No real Brexit news, just speculation: The Telegraph on UK scrapping EU Green targets when we exit; The Mirror picks up a story run in the Irish Times, where Ireland's top Brexit official John Callinan claims that the British government is slowly realising Brexit is “an act of great self-harm” and that upcoming EU-UK negotiations must seek to limit the damage; EU insiders tell Politico UK may be accepted into the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) until a permanent model is established, the UK would have sot accept core principles and pay for privilege; Der Spiegel reports on concerns in the EU that the UK is still at the table in trade agreements whilst at the same time beginning talks with potential future partners, thus gaining unfair advantages.

Its shortly after midnight here as I write, it's already 7:30 am in North Korea, about to celebrate its founder and now deity's birthday. The possibility  that there might be a nuclear test in the country is on the cards. If so, how will the US will respond. After all, President Trump has already bombed Syria for a gas attack on civilians, followed this yesterday by dropping the 'Mother Of All Bombs' in ISIS tunnels in Afghanistan, and directed a fleet to return to the waters close to North Korea.

I could say the world is holding it's breath, but in reality, the papers, TV News programs and social media are devoting a couple more minutes per hour on speculating what happens next:  What will North Korea do; how will the US respond; what are the likely consequences of escalation. A leaderless South Korea has a capital of 12 million people within easy reach of the North Korean Army. And then if China is drawn in to a conflict? Armageddon might relocate here.


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