English writer Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870), from the original wet plate by Herbert … [+]
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An important and iconic book for this time of year is ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. It is important because it was written at a time (1843) during the revival of the celebration of Christmas, and where there were German (Christmas tree), pagan Celtic (feast) and Christian (Mass) elements of the celebration. connecting with each other.
Dickens’ s book also reinforces the morality story around Christmas, and partly because of the many film versions of it, I suspect that many people associate it with year – end reflections on our society. Like Dickens they promise to ‘honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it year-round’.
Greetings by 2020
A different view and it can be said from another perspective, it is more enjoyable about Dickens ‘work’ Drinking with Dickens ‘, a book written in 1980 by Charles Dickens’ grandson, Cedric Dickens. It is largely a book of cocktail recipes for drinks with foreign names such as ‘Smoking Bishop’, ‘Barclays Best’ but in reality there is much more to it as it draws on the warmth and authenticity of many scenes. in Dickens’ s works, and through the recipes he gives a real sense of the middle 19th during England.
Having come across ‘Drinking with Dickens’ a few years ago I can confirm that our drinks trailer contains a number of angostura gins and bacteria. So confined to home and fortified with more than a few cups of punch gin I sat down to think about some of the potential surprises of 2021.
– Norway will join the UN Security Council for the next two years and elevate the Arctic to a key geopolitical issue. A Russian titanium flag was stuck 14,000 feet on the ocean floor under the Arctic pole in 2007, missing, abruptly stolen by a ‘sub-drone’. Fishing and mining rights around the Arctic will be a topic of debate.
– With the momentum of the electric car giving way to a new ‘market crack’, capital is starting to flow to genetics and genomics, with a flood of special construction vehicles being launched to buy into advanced start-up stages in areas such as genetic editing.
– As part of its policy of ‘national strategic independence’ France chooses to make two vaccines from France for its citizens, but is adversely affected by a health and political crisis. Emmanuel Macron’s stance is falling in the polls, and the French establishment is looking for the right center candidate for 2022.
– A wave of consumer spending, the side effects of climate change agriculture and profitability in timber prices are all determining the rise in inflation. U.S. bond market crashes continue, pensions crisis, and Economist magazine cites China as ‘the new safe haven’.
– There are high expectations that Biden’s administration will focus its foreign policy on China, but it will draw heavily on Latin America, launching a digital dollar as a way to connect South America to the American financial ecosystem , and to reduce corruption and the drug. exchange.
– In Asia, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea introduced daily jet combat missions to counter air strikes by Chinese fighters. In April a squad of Chinese Chengdu J-20 fighters is towed in mid-air (of course the pilots ’head display units are towed) and the squadron has to land in Japan. A major diplomatic event will follow.
– With diplomatic ties and trade now established with Israel, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, seeks to deepen economic ties with India and in doing so, the emergence of an independent geopolitical ‘pole’ spanning India and the Middle East.
– ‘People’ s rule ‘takes policy. A culture of staying at home has spawned a new kind of policy-making where laws, departmental budgets and local referendums are driven by ‘population voting’ and ‘population ranking’.
– Brexit, which was finally achieved in late 2020, leaves Westminster flat. Without crisis and crisis crisis British politics will become fragile. Boris Johnson is retiring as prime minister and moving to America to be the main guest of a talk show on Donald Trump’s new television station ‘Patriot TV’.
– By February, the end of coronavirus crisis is visible. While the authorities are still accused, people start partying and enjoying themselves. ‘Drinking with Dickens’ rises to the best seller status and angostura price and select gins rockets.