Category Archives: Politics

La Amazonia No Se Vende.

Posted on 14/02/2018 by awtytravels

I blame it on the Piccadilly Line. You see, living in London makes you think that every other city’s public transportation system will move at the same speed as the unwieldy web of train lines that huffs and puffs beneath … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Politics, Public Transportation, Spain | Tagged Achuar, Amazon, Amazon strike, Amazonas, Barajas, Chicha Libre, Colectivo, Cuzco, Development, Ecology, Embajadores, En la selva amazónica no hay primavera, Forest, Huelga Amazonica, La Amazonia No Se Vende, Latin America, Lavapies, Loreto, Madrid metro, Metro, Metropolitan line, Peru, Petrobras, Piccadilly, Pollution, Primavera, Selva Amazonica, Sol, Spain, Spring, Street art, TfL, Tirso de Molina | 9 Comments

Brexit: if you’re a masochist, it’s the real deal (Part 2).

Posted on 20/03/2016 by awtytravels

In my previous instalment, I tried to address a few common misconceptions around the EU; in this one I’ll try and have a look at the three main scenarios that the UK could follow should it decide to secede from … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Reflections | Tagged Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britain, Brussells, Bruxelles, David Cameron, EEA, EFTA, EU, EurLex, European Union, Eurostat, Federica Mogherini, Immigration, InFact, Nigel Farage, Norway, Office for National statistics, Politics, Referendum, Switzerland, United Kingdom | 2 Comments

Brexit? If you’re a masochist, it’s the real deal (Part 1).

Posted on 13/03/2016 by awtytravels

This time last year we were all panicking about a possible Scottish secession, something that surely appealed to Braveheart fans, but didn’t make sense under any other point of view. This year it’s Brexit and, since work has sort of killed … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Odd ones out, Politics, Reflections | Tagged Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britain, Brusells, Bruxelles, David Cameron, EU, EurLex, European Union, Eurostat, Federica Mogherini, Immigration, InFact, Nigel Farage, Office for National statistics, Politics, Referendum, United Kingdom | 2 Comments

The UK general elections: they’re doing it all wrong.

Posted on 25/04/2015 by awtytravels

So, on May 7th citizens of the UK will be going to cast their ballot to elect who’s going to have the privilege of living at No. 11 for the next five years. As a foreigner living in London, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Politics, UK | Tagged Cameron, Churchill, Economics, General elections, Immigration, Income inequality, Labour, Manuka honey, Miliband, Nigel Farage, Thatcher, Tories, UK, UKIP, Westminster | 4 Comments

Where the vita isn’t dolce.

Posted on 23/04/2015 by awtytravels

There are, in every country, in every language, words that have a deeper, more profound meaning than the mere concept they define. Take, for instance, Balaclava: in British English, might be a garment used by bank robbers or motorbikers, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Emilia Romagna, Europe, Italy, Politics | Tagged 2 Agosto 1980, Anni di Piombo, Bologna, Bologna Station, Bomb, Bomba, Brigate Rosse, Ciavardini, Fioravanti, Italia, Italy, Italy's Civil War, Marco Biagi, NAR, Politics, Stazione di Bologna, Terrorism, Terrorismo, Years of Lead | 8 Comments

Irrelevant differences: visiting Mellah, the Jewish quarter of Marrakech

Posted on 14/01/2015 by awtytravels

“Est-ce que ceci a été le quartier juif, donc?” Is this the old Jewish quarter, I ask, rather timorously, to my self-appointed guide. It’s Sunday, the day that will pass to history for the biggest gathering of people in a single … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Faith, Morocco, Overlooked locations, Politics | Tagged Africa, Islam, Jews, Juifs, Marrakech, Marranos, Mellah, Morocco, Muslims, Peace, Slat El Azama, Spain expulsion, Synagogue | 4 Comments

Maids in the Middle East

Posted on 02/10/2014 by awtytravels

There’s a brilliant cartoon on the BBC Magazine this week. It’s called Almaz’s Story and it’s been made by Benjamin Dix and Lindsay Pollock of Positive Negatives. It’s a story that most of us must’ve heard frequently, the one of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Dubai, Middle East, Politics, Reflections | 4 Comments

Occupy Central vs Beijing: it’s turning nasty.

Posted on 29/09/2014 by awtytravels

I don’t want to turn this into a politics blog but I cannot avoid writing about Occupy Central and their protests. Ever since I saw them picketing a skyscraper downtown, belonging to a wealthy billionaire with connections with Beijing’s elite, … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Hong Kong, Politics, Reflections, Uncategorized | Tagged China, Democracy, Dictatorship, Elections, Freedom, Hong Kong, Journalism, Occupy Hong Kong, PRC, Protests, Universal Suffrage, Xi Jinping | Leave a comment

Reducing one’s personal environmental footprint: my way of dealing with the problem.

Posted on 23/09/2014 by awtytravels

I’m a climate change sceptic. It’s not that I don’t believe it’s happening, but I seriously think that most of what’s happening in the world has very little to do with us and there’s plenty of evidence to support that. Look … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Public Transportation, Random memories, Reflections, Uncategorized | Tagged Climate change, Co2 emissions, Earth, Ecology, greenhouse gas | 1 Comment

“Unreasonable Behaviour”, by Don McCullin, Vintage

Posted on 29/07/2014 by awtytravels

I was ravaged and confused by this war as never before, and could not see not the smallest justification for it. Or for my presence here – unless it was to remind people, through my pictures, of the futility of … Continue reading →