“You see, that money should be going to look after our pensioners” My eyes were drawn to the little fleck of foam gathering at the corner of his mouth, dappled white highlighted against the yellow of his teeth and the rosy red of his cheeks. I agreed. Then I thought of all the other placesContinue reading “The Diaspora”
Author Archives: Alex Martin
Order & Law: Where Are All the Westerns?
Read Time: 7 mins The desert whipped at his face and clawed at his eyes, but he dared not blink. His hand hovered near his holster. His eyes were wide, raptor-like, waiting for the tell. A shift of weight, perhaps, or a twitch in the trigger finger. Somewhere nearby, a rusty hinge squeaks and aContinue reading “Order & Law: Where Are All the Westerns?”
The Argentina Set
El Fajo It was beyond clear it was time to pay up. The surrounding murmur grew quiet as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a bundle of cash, ten thousand, twenty thousand at least. He held a cigarette in his teeth, the blue smoke curling up and around the brim of his StetsonContinue reading “The Argentina Set”
The Bolivia Set
El Enejo Bolivians have more of a reason to be angry than most. Despite the recent economic upturn which has led to an impressive reduction in poverty and an increase in living standards (especially for the indigenous populations), Bolivia’s history is one of rampant pillage and plunder. It remains one of the poorest countries inContinue reading “The Bolivia Set”
The Ecuador Set
El Servico Of all the gastronomic experiences in South America, the Ecuadorians will tell you that Ecuador is the best. The cuisine is a fusion between Peruvian and Colombian food with their own twist. Rich meat, Chinese-inspired chifa, tropical fruit, and vegetables – everything has a home on the Ecuadorian dinner table. It’s possible toContinue reading “The Ecuador Set”
The Peru Set
La Arena My dreams had become sand. In them, I tumbled down great dunes, grains being thrown up in plumes behind me, as dry and desiccated as the endless barren vista around me. Sometimes I would be overwhelmed by disorientation, the wind whipping the ancient powder into my eyes and stinging my cheeks. Each particleContinue reading “The Peru Set”
The Colombia Set
El Tráfico The intensity of the traffic in Colombia is startling. There’s aggression in every movement, a seemingly random desire to change lanes, or to stop suddenly and just get out of the car to check your engine or tyres. If you’re waiting to cross the road, the dark cars and yellow taxis speed past,Continue reading “The Colombia Set”
Highly Rated: How to Use Online Reviews
Amazon is one of the most successful businesses in the world and while they have their hands in many pies, they remain the titular e-commerce platform. Amazon is widely credited as a key component in the death of the high street. A compelling reasons for this is that Amazon seemingly opened up opportunity for normalContinue reading “Highly Rated: How to Use Online Reviews”
Cutting Corners: OceanGate and the Titanic
Read time: 3 mins The ocean gate disaster has been widely reported as a failure of design. The submersible used a brittle carbon fibre cylinder instead of the normal titanium or equivalent steel that other deep sea submersibles used. Carbon Fibre is lightweight and cheap in comparison. But it also behaves in bizarre and unpredictableContinue reading “Cutting Corners: OceanGate and the Titanic”
Dreams and Pleasure
Imagine you were a person who could dream anything they wanted to dream. Literally anything. You could close your eyes and you were immediately enveloped by your uttermost pleasures. Crimson sunsets and a musical breeze, casting warm ecstasy over your orgy-filled chocolate spaceship… insert your own fantasy here. In this thought experiment (courtesy of theContinue reading “Dreams and Pleasure”
Smarticles 