This morning dawned as one of those 'glowering' types of days in which the sky appears quite leaden as the country is under a blanket of cloud as rain is due to sweep in from the South West. I was pleased to have got the lawns cut yesterday, even though I was quite tired having pushed Meg up and down the hill to meet with our friends as we typically do each Saturday morning. When I was cutting the lawn to the front of the house, our Asian neighbour came out to have a few words. They are excellent neighbours, but I hardly ever see them as they often away cruising around the world. They had just got back from a trip to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan stopping over at the Punjab (their ancestral home) where they stayed for a month. I updated them about Meg's state of health, and they were incredibly sad about it. Yesterday, the day after I had spoken with a neighbour he came over with a big box of chocolates and a bag full of samosas which his wife has just cooked for us. They assured me that I could always rely upon their support in the difficult days to come which sentiments were very much appreciated. In the meantime, I would love to make the most appropriate dip to eat with the samosas - I have plenty of Greek yogurt but not the other spices that are often recommended to accompany a samosa. I may experiment a little with the herbs in our spice rack. When the young female Asian carer next calls around, I will ask her advice and take a recipe from her and she may have some spare spices for me to try. The one mentioned most is 'cilantro' but I am not quite sure if I have ever seen this on sale.
On our way down the hill, we passed our Irish friends who were deep in conversation with another neighbour, but they reminded me that they had not forgotten my birthday on the 11th of next month and they had in mind to organise an event such that Meg could attend as well as myself. Perusing our calendar for next week, I see that I have nothing more exciting than a visit from our hairdresser and our chiropodists to which to look forward later on in the week but I am very pleased that Meg and I are plugged into these particular networks so that we have session on a regular, monthly basis. I forgot to mention that the day before, the Eucharistic minister had called around from our local church and had brought with her a large box of chocolates for Meg which we can start to consume in about a week's time after Easter Sunday has dawned. This morning, after the carers had seen to Meg, I popped out to get our Sunday newspaper and had hoped to get a call from our University of Birmingham friend who we often see each Sunday morning. But the call never came so I turned on 'YouTube' to see what was on offer and a selection of Easter music was available. I chose Bach's 'Matthew Passion' which I always find to be unbelievably poignant. I first heard this, and the closing aria (In English, 'In tears of grief, we leave thee, Lord') has stayed with me to this day. The way that Bach wrote the musical phrase upon which the word 'l-e-a-v-e' is sung is the nearest thing to a musical sob it is possible to imagine. When I first heard this piece as a boarding student at Thornleigh College in Bolton, Lancashire, it was a beautiful bright day probably on Maundy Thursday and I had some time to spare before I went off to catch my train to go back to Harrogate in Yorkshire. I was alone or practically alone in the Music Room (to which as boarders we had access in case we wanted to practice on our various instruments, mine being the violin) and the music made a tremendous impression on me at the age of 14 which has remained with me to this day.
I switched on 'The World at One' on Radio 4 (accessed through out TV) and heard the most spine-chilling news. Donald Trump having swung his wrecking ball around the country's economic system is now starting a similar venture in the cultural sphere. Billions of funding to America's elite universities are now being withdrawn and foreign students, on a student visa, being rounded up for deportation. This is because the universities are seen as being one of the principal sources of opposition to Trump and his policies and Trump, true democrat as he is (irony here) is intent on wiping out any sources of opposition to his regime. It is no wonder that Trump feels at home with the most autocratic of the world's rulers and Putin, for a start, is not above murdering and poisoning some of his opponents as a way of maintaining his grip on power.
These elite research universities are crucial to the economic vitality of their surrounding regions, contributing to scientific breakthroughs and technological advancements. Cutting their funding could harm the nation's global competitiveness, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence and biotechnology. Regions like Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Austin benefit significantly from the economic activity generated by these universities, which produce skilled graduates and drive innovation. These elite research universities are crucial to the economic vitality of their surrounding regions, contributing to scientific breakthroughs and technological advancements. Cutting their funding could harm the nation's global competitiveness, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence and biotechnology. Regions like Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Austin benefit significantly from the economic activity generated by these universities, which produce skilled graduates and drive innovation. I wonder whether Trump may realise that his days could be numbered and having done what he can to reshape the country's economic institutions, he is now entering the culture wars with a vengeance. Trump's activities are being interpreted as sheer vindictiveness in the face of centres of opposition to the Trump regime. Trump and the modern Republican party are particularly opposed to DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion) which had hitherto been embraced by most of the USA's university sector.
© Mike Hart [2025]