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2D: The Pope’s resignation

158 words posted by Simon on 13 March 2013

I’ve read two very interesting articles on the Pope’s resignation recently. The first, by Stephen Crittenden of The Global Mail, casts the resignation as an act that almost heralds the end of Catholicism. He gives a strong argument to suggest that the Vatican is in total crisis. It’s certainly a dramatic take on the situation, and is well worth a read.

From a totally different perspective, Xuyang Jingjing writes in the (similarly named but very different) Global Times about the particular challenges the Pope’s resignation poses for Chinese Catholics. The fact that I was previously unaware of the difficult relationship between China and the Vatican probably reveals more about my own ignorance than anything else, but it made the article far more intriguing for me.

2D posts appear on alternate Wednesdays. For 2D, I pick two interesting articles that look at an issue from two different – though not necessarily opposing – perspectives. I hope you enjoy them!

This post was filed under: 2D.

2D: Chernobyl

220 words posted by Simon on 27 February 2013

In this new series of 2D posts, I’ll be picking two interesting articles which look at an issues from two different perspectives. Sometimes, they will be “for” and “against” a particular issue or concept, but more often they will just look at something in two totally different ways. I enjoy reading things in this way as I think it gives a more rounded perspective: I hope you will agree.

My first selection in this series is a pair of articles about Chernobyl, the site of the worst nuclear reactor disaster to date. The first article I’ve chosen is by Andrew Hankinson, who wrote in Wired about efforts to contain the nuclear reactor. The old sarcophagus around the reactor is falling to bits, and this article talks about the challenges of building the New Safe Confinement around the old sarcophagus.

For a second perspective on Chernobyl, I’ve picked a rather older article from the Guardian, by Imogen Wall. This truly fascinating story documents the “disaster tourism” that has built up around Chernobyl, and follows the writing on a day trip to see the reactor and the ghost town.

2D posts appear on alternate Wednesdays. For 2D, I pick two interesting articles that look at an issue from two different – though not necessarily opposing – perspectives. I hope you enjoy them!

This post was filed under: 2D, .



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