Bystanders

Many years ago, when I was in my 20's, I felt unwell when I was in a pub with my husband & his friend. I went outside to get some air & ended up sitting on the pavement. No one stopped to ask if I was OK or helped me. I was wearing a new suede coat & looked smart. Obviously eventually my husband realised I'd been gone a while & came to find me. I thought it was strange that people just walked on past me.

Since then I have had other more positive experiences showing that people vary in their behaviour when it seems that someone is in trouble. 

There is a Bystander Effect - a theory describing when people are less likely to help someone in need when others are present. People may believe that a situation cannot be an emergency if no one else is helping. Being part of a large crowd can make it so no single person has to take responsibility. People may be concerned about getting involved or fear judgement, legal action or personal harm. It can occur during emergencies, assaults, or other crimes.  

In a macro way I think that we are suffering from the Bystander Effect now. We can all see what is happening in the world - the climate emergency, war in Ukraine & Palestine, Political instability & the rise of dictators acting with seeming impunity, famine & unfair wealth & resources distribution...The list seems endless & very serious. We live in an interlinked world of instantanious communication. We know.

I would argue that each & every one of us cannot afford to be a bystander. We are transitioning to a very different world. The future of that world depends hugely on what we each individually do now. We do have choice. We can stand aside & say that we have no power to influence or change. Or we can ensure that our voice is heard. 

If we have "Influencers" making money out of selling themselves, their ideas & products, then we can all be "Influencers". We have the power of communication today that has never existed before. We just need to use it for the right purposes.

It is vital that the liars, misinformers, power & wealth hungry "bad actors" who are in the ascendent today are stripped of "the Emperors New Clothes" that they wear. They believe they are invincible. They are, but only if we let them. If we do that we deserve what will follow.

Too many Books - Not Enough Time

 

I've always been a reader. When I was 11 my family moved to a house on the Wolverhampton Rd in Birmingham. A 5 minute walk away there was a public library on Bleakhouse Rd, so I had access to a lot of books. My parents did not have disposable income for luxuries like books. I thought a book for Christmas was a wonderful present. Books informed & transported me. According to Google maps the library is still there thank goodness. As is my family home, number 187, although it has been modernised & improved. 

I can't resist books. I never go to sleep without reading first. I like fiction & non fiction & often have both on the go at the same time. I've been a member of 2 book clubs which have broadened my interests & choices. I have shelves of books & also cupboards full in several rooms. I regularly go to charity shops to see what they have for sale. I would be bereft if I didn't have a book to move onto after I finished my current book.

My main problem is I probably won't be able to read all of the books I own, because I keep finding more to interest or entertain me.

Public libraries are in crisis.The BBC did an analysis in 2024 & found that more than 180 council-run libraries have either closed or been handed over to volunteer groups in the UK since 2016. That is one in 20 libraries since 2016, which has had more impact on deprived communities, who were four times more likely to have lost a publicly-funded library, not to mention the jobs associated with them. A third of those remaining, have had their hours reduced and at least three councils have at least halved their provision since 2016.

Council-run libraries offer more than just book-lending facilities - stay-and-play sessions for children, literacy clubs, access to computers & crucially, warm spaces for people who can't afford heating costs. Upper-tier local councils such as county councils and unitary authorities have a statutory duty to provide a “comprehensive library service". But funding is under attack.

We still need books in this tech age. In 2024, the number of independent bookstores in the UK fell from 1,063 to 1,052. However, this is still higher than the 2016 low of 867. Good book shops are thriving despite Amazon. There is nothing like having a book in your hand. Now my short term memory is declining I can write pencil notes or underline when a new character enters the story. 

Unlike mobile phones, the TV, or film, books don't rely on pictures to stimulate our intellect or imagination. Like radio, books enable us to actually use the brain we were given. 

One of the most joyous things you can do is read a story to a child, thus leading them towards being readers.

 

Confrontation & Bullying - Trump, Putin & Zelensky

Trump built up to yesterdays debacle by making totally unfounded & provocative comments about Ukraine, Zelensky & the war.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9814k2jlxko 

It seems entirely possible that the unedifying, bullying, shouting match was pre planned by Trump & Vance who were like attack dogs. 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/28/trump-zelenskyy-meeting-transcript

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2019j0w9glo

I was listening in horror to PM on radio 4 as it unfolded & then watched on BBC TV news. T & V accused Zelensky of not being grateful or thankful enough for American aid. Yet Zelensky is on record as repeatedly acknowledging how grateful Ukraine is for everything both America & Europe has done for 3 years since Russias unprovoked  invasion of a sovereign state. I would argue that America & Europe should be grateful & thankful for the way Ukraine has endured the Russian onslaught & has fought back bravely at huge cost in death & destruction. Ukraine has been & is defending Europe from a dictator who according to the BBC has caused "Russian military deaths (that) could range from 146,194 to 211,169. If one adds estimated losses from DPR and LPR forces, the total number of Russian-aligned fatalities may range from 167,194 to 234,669". A man who can tolerate those numbers of deaths & the concomitant number of injuries of his own people is not to be trusted an inch.

 

T & V accused Zelensky of being disrespectful. The world has now seen that deliberately playing out this shocking scrum in the Oval Office is disrespectful to the remnants of American democracy. Zelensky has been President of Ukraine in extremely difficult circumstances. He has been exemplary & I'm not in the least surprised that T & V managed to goad him into a response that I'm sure he didn't want. Personally I would have wanted to punch T & V's lights out for their total lack of respect for what Ukraine & Zelensky have endured. Respect goes both ways. T & V owed respect to Zelensky as the democratically elected president of a sovereign country. Instead they wouldn't even let him speak & harangued him stereophonically.

Trump & Vance have never been to Ukraine. They don't appear to have had balanced intel & advice about the war. Basically neither man seems to want to listen to alternative views to their own populist, right wing, perspective. They were both bullish & arrogant.

This is serious. It is the end of diplomacy as we know it. Maybe it does need to change, but not like this. It is a sad day when extremist, power hungry, bullies who want to dominate & manipulate are in charge of one of the most powerful countries in the world.