We’ve been reading a new book: Christopher Meyer’s D.C. Confidential, which is surprisingly good. Meyer was Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Washington during the 9/11 period, so offers some fascinating insights into transatlantic relations during that vital time. There are chapters that resonate with clichés (Catherine’s Story, especially), and there is some serious name dropping, but it gives a brilliant human perspective on life inside the political game. We’re only a few chapters in (reading is reserved for evenings to wind down from, well, reading and writing during the day, but on much less interesting topics). So far the picture is mainly of British politics, and it really strips the great political machine down to the bare human relationships. Very interesting. I’m looking forward to getting into the American political world and seeing what he thinks of the Bush administration and the differences between British and American government.
On another note entirely, did you know that:
- Chinese journalists can face a $12,500 fine for publicizing “sudden events” like riots, strikes, and natural disasters without permission, under a proposed law.
- The average European adult consumes 11 litres of alcohol per year, the most worldwide and 2.5 times the global average
- 27% of deaths among males aged 15 to 29 in the European Union are alcohol related.
- 30,000 cigarette lighters are confiscated each day by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration at airport checkpoints.
Those are my daily statistics from Time magazine. The book Freakonomics has made me look at statistics in a completely different way.
I want to know more about international relations.
I wonder what it would be like to work at the UN.
I wonder what the G8 leaders are doing right now.
Random thoughts.
