Tinnitus War

The Day the War Really Began

Klaus Wiegrefe | Spiegel | 25th September 2023

Retrospective about the April 2008 Nato summit in Bucharest. Members discussed admitting Ukraine to the group as a show of strength against Russia. The US were in favour; a group of European powers, led by Angela Merkel, blocked the move. Zelenskyy and others have blamed this decision for recent atrocities in Ukraine, believing that Putin would never have invaded a Nato member state (8,450 words)

The Torture Of Tinnitus

Michel Faber | Guardian | 14th October 2023

Excellent writing about an unpleasant topic: tinnitus. It is a personal metallic squeal inside the writer's head: "Like the brakes of a train that’s forever cutting its speed and never coming to a stop". The worst thing about it is not the sound, but the fact that he never consented to its presence. It is a constant reminder of his organic nature, that we are made of meat and bones and gristle (1,420 words)