Among the many wonderful museums and galleries around the world we all have our favourites – just as we have our favourites among the exhibits in them.
In Berlin there are two which the blog has always found compelling.
The first is the bust of Nefertiti in the Neues Museum and the other is the sunken library in the Bebel Platz.
News readers and political pundits tend to be portentous. Yet CNN commentators have just provided an astonishing – and very animated – report on the state of US politics and Trump.
See it here – and enjoy.
James Mahoney one of Australia’s most distinguished public relations academics and practitioners reminded the blog today that pundits on elections ought not ignore the betting odds.
He cited Siladitya Ray, a Forbes Staffer, writing on September 23 2026, who reported that The Election Betting Odds tracker which consolidates numbers from popular prediction markets, shows that Kalshi bettors believe Democrats have a 63.8% chance of taking control of the Senate .
In the very unlikely event that Donald Trump took up limbo dancing (although that would be a sight to see) he would exemplify the limbo cry – how low can you go?
In the latest G. Elliott Morris analysis Trump’s approval rating has a hit a new low of 33% while Democrats lead the House vote by 10%.
Morris’ new polling says 63% of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing. He finds that Trump has lost significant support among non-college educated white voters, independents and non-voters.
What word would you use to describe Donald Trump? We know he would reach for genius high IQ and assorted other immodest claims.
Most of us might opt for demented, dangerous or proto-Fascist.
Sadly, for him the US public has a different view than he has of himself.
The Economist YouGuv (11-14 September 2026) poll asked 1461 registered voters what word they would use to describe Trump.
For moments after the early days of the Trump Presidency and Trump was showing his colours a few people (including the author) had the thought that if Trump died or became totally demented JD Vance would then take over and bring some sanity to the administration.
History since then has demonstrated just how wrong that view was.
What drives climate change denial can simply be explained as the product of a massively organised campaign to convince people that it is ‘crap’ – in former Prime Minister Tony Abbot’s words – or ‘a hoax’ in Donald Trump’s view.
Recently Environmental Research: Energy published an article – Fossil Fuel Industry Communication Strategies and Public Responses: A Scoping Review – which lays out the realities that Trump and Abbott deny.
Afghanistan had the Taliban. The US has Donald Trump.
In 2001 the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan – two monumental 6th century monumental Buddhist reliefs in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan.
Both structures were destroyed by the Taliban following an order given on February 26, 2001, by Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, to destroy all the statues in Afghanistan “so no one can worship or respect them in the future”.
Latest Trump opinion polls are now the lowest in history of any President – beating the record set by Richard Nixon.
The most recent Reuters/Ipson has Trump’s approval rate at 33% and disapproval rate at 64%.
Donald Trump has achieved something remarkable. According to a May Pew Research report most of the 36 countries surveyed found that more people have a favourable view of China than the US.
The survey results were based on 42,151 respondents and the favourable views were especially large in several Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern countries.