Irrelevant Associations At Roland Garros

Coco Gauff is already a superstar- and isn't in need of supporters- so I didn't feel too bad switching my alleigance to her opponent- the qualifier Martina Trevisan, who is clearly a character. The sweet, toothy smile Trevisan directs at her opponents while serving has me thinking- for some reason I can't quite identify- of the great comic actor and monologist Joyce Grenfell.

Trevisan isn't the only tennis player who has me thinking of someone else. Dominic Thiem- who I hadn't seen in action before- is a dead ringer for Ray Davies of the Kinks.

Let The Sun Shine In

"Power remains strong when it remains in the dark. Exposed to the sunlight it begins to evaporate."

These words of Samuel Huntingdon's are quoted by Noam Chomsky in the deposition he submitted to Julian Assange's extradition hearing. Chomsky's argument is basically this, that Assange exposed the doings of the US government to the sunlight and that is why the US government- with the help of the British establishment- is doing all in its power to smash him.

The Assange hearing is being conducted in a hole in the corner- and the mainstream media are barely covering it. That the media is averting its gaze while a journalist (who has done what all journalists should be doing) is put through the wringer tells you all you need to know about said media- that it is owned by power and is on the side of power- and therefore in the business of keeping the sunlight out.

Incidentally, one of the reasons why the Trump presidency hasn't been wholly disastrous is that Trump's inability to keep himself buttoned up has allowed more light in on the business of government than we've been used to. Mainstream media- being on the side of power- is doing its best to persuade us that Trump is uniquely crooked and ghastly- and the other guys are trustworthy- and that's absolutely not the case.