My weekly collection of the provocative, intriguing, or curious, in a world where the house is falling down. The contextual, the cultural, and other things that catch my eye.

Image: Oliver-Bonjoch, Wikipedia, CC.

Edinburgh is suddenly the front line in the ‘over-tourism’ movement. A reflective piece from Bella Caledonia on the hollowing out of the city centre–and of the city culture.

The UK house price boom is down to low interest rates. Hardly any of it is caused by a shortage of supply. This is a bit technical, but a significant piece of research.

‘The politics of the armed lifeboat’. Or: the politics of climate change collide with the interests of the 21st century elites.

The three eras of design. The third era is design for ecological civilisation.

Dry January is good for you. Not just physically, but psychologically. Abstinence can be a form of self-discovery.

The most-read reviews on the LSE’s books blog. In 2019: from the finance curse to k-punk to the populist revolt against liberal democracy.

Poetry is sometimes a better guide to the news than the news. For example, ‘[Persian Letters]’, by the Iranian-American poet Solmaz Sharif. With maybe a nod to Cavafy.

“The whole world’s at sixes and sevens, and why the house hasn’t fallen down about our ears long ago is a miracle to me.” (Thornton Wilder)