Time and Tide: September 2024

Monday, September 23, 2024

UK Tour 11 - BBC

(Links to all parts of the series are at the end of this post.)

June 12, Wednesday

Around 50 years ago. Those were the days of valve radio sets. We had one at home. An HMV radio.

Though my father was a chemistry teacher, he had a deep interest in history and current affairs, and he would regularly listen to news bulletins and other programmes.

I was in school at the time, and I was fascinated by this large device sitting on a shelf that allowed us to hear voices and music from far and wide.

My curiosity wasn’t so much about the radio itself but about the world it brought into our home, from local happenings to global events. A few years later, the smaller transistor radios arrived.

Among all the stations I listened to, the BBC World Service stood out. It made a lasting impression on me, and even now, I still listen to it. Unlike in the past, though, when I miss a live broadcast, I can catch it later as a podcast.

My conscious decision to choose journalism as a career was in no small way shaped by the BBC, and it was a childhood dream to visit the radio station.

Today was that day.

After a morning walking tour of London, we took the tube from Green Park to Oxford Circus. Just 500 metres ahead was the iconic Broadcasting House.

I had finally made it to the BBC. While I would have loved to see Bush House, the former home of the BBC World Service until 2012, time was short. We only had an hour to spare.

This was also an occasion for me to meet a journalist who works there whom I have known for a few years. Despite having a recording scheduled for later in the afternoon, he had done his prep work ahead of time and took a break to show me around. I was so grateful for his kindness.

Even though I’ve spent 37 years in the newsroom, stepping into the BBC felt different.

It was about reconnecting with those early days when I would listen to the World Service, an association that sparked my passion for current affairs and, ultimately, journalism.

I didn’t want to leave. But time was running out.

(To be continued)

Links to all the posts in the series

01 - Departure (June 05, Wednesday)

02 - Dockwray Square, Tynemouth (June 06, Thursday)

03 - Cresswell Pele Tower (June 07, Friday)

04 - Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum (June 07, Friday)

05 - Boulmer Beach, Zamorins (June 07, Friday)

06 - Beamish Museum (June 08, Saturday)

07 - The Holy Island of Lindisfarne (June 09, Sunday)

08 - Linhope Spout Waterfall (June 10, Monday)

09 - London, Wanstead (June 11, Tuesday)

10 - London City (June 12, Tuesday)

11 - BBC (June 12, Tuesday)

12 - Lord's Cricket Stadium and Museum (June 12, Tuesday)

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Harris-Trump presidential debate: Who won?

The second U.S. presidential debate yesterday (today morning in India) was significantly better than the first one between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. It felt more like a debate between equals, in stark contrast to the chaotic first encounter.

ECONOMY

Harris started off by responding to the moderator’s question: “When it comes to the economy, do you believe Americans are better off than they were four years ago?”

However, she didn’t directly answer the question. Instead, she outlined her plans to improve the lives of Americans, which sounded more like an opposition leader challenging an incumbent rather than a leader defending their administration’s record.

This was not the strongest start for her. I wonder why she didn’t simply say, “Yes, we are better off now than four years ago,” and then provide supporting reasons.

To her credit, she quickly recovered and began a subtle offensive.

ABORTION

She was particularly passionate when discussing abortion, which was unsurprising given her track record on this contentious issue. I’m confident her ratings received a boost after that segment. In contrast, Trump’s stance on abortion did not come across as compelling as Harris’s.

RACE

On the issue of race, moderator David Muir asked:

Mr. President, you recently said of Vice President Harris, "I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black." I want to ask a bigger-picture question here tonight. Why do you believe it's appropriate to weigh in on the racial identity of your opponent?

To this, Trump cleverly replied:

I don't. And I don't care. I don't care what she is. I don't care. You make a big deal out of something. I couldn't care less. Whatever she wants to be is okay with me. ... I don't know. I don't know. All I can say is I read where she was not Black, that she put out. And, I'll say that. And then I read that she was black. And that's okay. Either one was okay with me. That's up to her. That's up to her.

Harris’s response on race was rather generic, except for mentioning a couple of instances where she accused Trump of acting in a racist manner in the past. However, she didn’t address the issue of her own racial background.

I thought Trump handled this better.

GLOBAL ISSUES

On global issues, neither candidate managed to outdo the other. There was, as usual, NATO, Afghanistan, North Korea, Russia, and China. Their responses were all quite predictable.

All said and done, I don't think either of them will be able to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of being elected.

CLAIMS AND COUNTER-CLAIMS

On almost all topics, both Harris and Trump exchanged claims and counterclaims, each accusing the other of lying. Obviously, there’s plenty of fact-checking to be done.

Both Harris and Trump employed “scare tactics,” using “facts” to paint a dire picture of what would happen if the other candidate won.

Until the facts are verified, we won’t know the extent of truth in their claims and counterclaims. Also, whether Americans need to be fearful of the future if either of them is elected.

BODY LANGUAGE

On the whole, from the body language point of view, Harris came across as a more professional debater, frequently addressing Trump directly.

I don’t recall Trump ever looking directly at Harris except for a few sideways glances. This gave the impression that Harris was in command while Trump was on the defensive.

Harris often used the word “you,” directly addressing the American people, especially when looking into the camera. Trump, on the other hand, seemed to focus more on the word “destroy,” as in “they will destroy America”.

While we don’t know the accuracy of the facts, claims, and counterclaims made by Harris and Trump, this was indeed a fiery debate, and Kamala Harris seemed to emerge as the more articulate, forceful, and stronger participant.

Here is the replay of the full debate:

Monday, September 9, 2024

UK Tour 10 - London city

(Links to all parts of the series are at the end of this post.)

June 12, Wednesday

In the morning we went on a walking tour of London city. It was good, though a bit rushed. We saw quite a few important landmarks, which we have read and heard about a lot.

We started from The Ritz London and walked by the side of Green Park, a very vast expanse of greenery. It's one of the eight royal parks in London. It was originally part of the hunting grounds for Henry VIII and was later opened to the public in the 19th century. This was where a man named Edward Oxford tried to assassinate Queen Victoria in 1840.

We then saw (everything from outside, of course) the Spencer House, St. James's Palace, and Lancaster House. These are historic buildings in London, each with its own unique history and significance. Each of them reflects different aspects of London's architectural and royal heritage and showcases the city's rich history.

We reached The Mall, which is a one-kilometre-long ceremonial road with Buckingham Palace on the west end and Trafalgar Square at the east end. The surface is coloured red giving it the look of a red carpet.

It's an important driveway for royalty, ceremonial events, and visiting heads of state or government. It's also the starting or finishing point of running or cycling events. The opening ceremony of the 2019 World Cup cricket tournament was held here.

We were in time to watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

It is a traditional colourful event where soldiers from the Foot Guards exchange duties at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

This colourful event, accompanied by a military band, symbolises the close relationship between the British monarchy and the armed forces. The ceremony has been a tradition since the 17th century. While the Household Division typically performs this duty, other units from the Commonwealth and the Royal Navy have also participated in the past.

We walked beside The Mall towards the Buckingham Palace. This introductory para on the official website sums up it all:

Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of the UK’s sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch. Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The King, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to visitors every summer. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. In measurements, the building is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres high.

In front of the palace is the Victoria Memorial, a grand monument dedicated to Queen Victoria. The entire memorial weighs a staggering 2,300 tonnes and spans a diameter of 32 meters (104 feet). The place is surrounded by a lovely garden. We spent some time walking around the place, clicking photos.

It's such a high-security place. We were told that there are hundreds of cameras placed all over the place and being monitored throughout. That's nothing surprising!

We then walked around St. James's Park and reached Trafalgar Square.

The public square is named after the Battle of Trafalgar, in which the British navy defeated France and Space in the battle that took place off the Cape of Trafalgar in Spain.

We walked through Whitehall. That's the street, 0.4 miles (0.64 km) long, where a number of British government buildings are located.

This is one of the two mounted cavalry troopers of The King's Life Guard in front of the Horse Guard, which is the official ceremonial entrance to the St James's and Buckingham Palace and headquarters to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, which provides troops for The King's Life Guard.

Nearby, there is a street called "Great Scotland Yard". It was so named because that was the street where Scottish kings or their representatives stayed when they visited London. Subsequently, the headquarters of the metropolitan police was situated on the street, giving it the name Scotland Yard.

A little ahead is Downing Street, which houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is called so because it was built by Sir George Downing, a soldier turned politician turned diplomat, in the 1680s.

A little ahead is the famous clock, Big Ben, also called the Elizabeth Tower. Built in 1859, it has 11 floors and is 96 metres tall. To reach the clock, you have to climb 334 steps. The clock altogether weighs around 13 tons.

Nearby are the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the River Thames and the London Eye.

We headed to the BBC and later in the afternoon to Lord's Cricket Stadium.