The world according to Kirkey
Sometime in my youth I recall my parents commenting about their exact whereabouts when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on 22nd November 1963. This narrative was meaningless to me until I witnessed the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States of America. This chapter of World history unfolded on the TV as … Read more
I am a great advocate of the word Fuck. Its versatility is pretty much limitless. Both a verb and a noun. An expression of elation and disappointment. A call to action and a decision to sit it out. Having been endowed with the rather fanciful title of post-graduate professional researcher at a leading UK University … Read more
Selfishness is a human trait which quite rightly draws justified criticism, especially if it becomes a dominant trait. Where our egocentric pendulum swings and eventually comes to rest is often fluid and is undeniably influenced by our environment and those around us. When I reflect upon the Oscar Wilde quote, “Selfishness is not living as … Read more
In making the assumption that you have felt love I am guessing that you have experienced the physical and emotional pulls and pushes too? The highs, lows, and the levels in between. Personally, I know I have been in love, am in love, yearn it, have missed it and have been completely stumped by it, … Read more
I loathe running. At secondary school, the cross-country run was a fucker and I usually brought up the rear crossing the line well after the athletic kids were showered and probably on their way home. In the early 1970’s designer gear comprised of plimsoles and a standard white top and blue shorts. Think of the … Read more
I have had many Forrest Gump moments in my life. The mantra, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get’, continues to feature prominently in my life. On the other hand, my 27-year old son Adam, has pretty much mapped his life out with his retirement planned in his … Read more
Dear Anti-Vaxxers, Hope you are well (due to a vaccine). You are right that ordinarily a vaccine takes around ten years to develop. In ordinary times only a handful of research institutions are targeting a specific virus, often simultaneously investigating other life-threatening scenarios. The law of duplication means that if, say, three people are doing … Read more
Has storytelling become a lost art? Have we become so insular, buried in our mobile technology often connecting with people we have probably never met in a virtual world of imagery and diminished literary content that storytelling has become a thing of the past? If so, I think that is sad as I was fortunate … Read more
I was fortunate to grow up exposed to some of the best cop programmes ever. The immortal lines of those TV detectives were pure gold: “Book ’em, Danno!” (Steve McGarrett, Hawaii Five-0), “Elementary my dear Watson” (The adventures of Sherlock Holmes), and, my all-time favourite, “Just one more thing” delivered so brilliantly by Lieutenant Columbo. … Read more
Realising that I had fought in an actual war, without picking up arms or donning a uniform, didn’t come to me immediately. Although defeated it hadn’t actually dawned on me until a little over 4 years after the BREXIT referendum. This notion had nothing to do with the way I cast my vote and the … Read more