CasualTalk

31/08/2025

10/08/2025

It's been 67 years since she was sent into space. Not many talk about it now, but I think we should. Not because I'm a scientist or anything like that, but because it still matters.

Laika wasn't just a dog in a rocket. She was a gentle presence full of trust. Her real name was Kudrjavka, which means "curly" in Russian. But the world came to know her as Laika - the little barker.

She was a stray found on the streets of Moscow. She was chosen because she was calm and had survived tough conditions. As if hardship somehow made her more suitable to be sent away with no way home.

On November 3rd, 1957, they launched her aboard Sputnik
2. The capsule had food, water, and padded walls. But no return plan. From the start, it was never about bringing her back.

Some say she lived seven hours. Others say a few days.

Either way, she spent her last moments alone, floating in silence, not knowing why she was there. Just drifting, while Earth moved slowly out of reach.

She circled the planet 2,570 times before the capsule burned up on re-entry the following April.

And the truth is, Laika didn't choose any of this. She didn't sign up to represent science, progress, or the space race.

She was just a dog. A little creature that wanted warmth and affection - and instead became a symbol.

That's why I remember her. Because not all progress is kind. And not all breakthroughs are made the right way.

Laika's story reminds us to ask better questions. To think about who pays the price for our achievements.

02/08/2025

02/08/2025

29/07/2025

A walk through Walthamstow Market in the 1980s was a rich, sensory tapestry woven from East London's working-class heart. Known as Europe’s longest outdoor street market, it buzzed with an energy that was as much about community as commerce. The cries of traders calling out deals—“Three for a pound!”—echoed through the air like a familiar refrain. Sizzling snacks from Caribbean and South Asian stalls mingled with the scent of cockles, fish and chips, and sugary doughnuts. Every step along the market's cobbled stretch brought a new sound, a new smell, a new face, each adding to the vibrant East End mosaic.

Stalls brimmed with both essentials and hidden gems. You could buy your week's fruit and veg, pick up a new frock or knock-off perfume, and still have change for a bag of pick ’n mix. There were bins of vinyl records, crates of mismatched tools, and piles of clothing stacked high like soft towers waiting to be picked through. Traders knew their regulars by name, and banter was as much part of the deal as the goods themselves. In an age before smartphones and supermarkets swallowed the soul of local shopping, the market offered a more human pace—one driven by touch, eye contact, and conversation.

As twilight fell over E17, the market took on a nostalgic kind of magic. The harsh glow of strip lights warmed into amber dusk, and the music of buskers and passing radios filled the gaps between conversations. Families ambled home with full bags and fuller hearts, while teenagers lingered on benches sharing chips and secrets. In the 1980s, Walthamstow Market wasn’t just a place to buy things—it was where life happened, a social stage where East London’s diversity and resilience played out in joyful, everyday scenes.

19/07/2025

În vremuri străvechi, arabii obișnuiau să ofere carne învelită în lipii la nunți. Dacă numărul oaspeților îl întrecea pe cel al porțiilor de carne, ofereau celor apropiați și prietenilor – celor pe care îi considerau familie – lipii goale, frumos învelite. Iar aceștia le mâncau fără să dea de înțeles că sunt fără carne.

Într-o zi, unul dintre ei, văzând că lipia sa era goală, a început să strige în fața tuturor: „O, cutare, lipia mea nu are carne!” Iar gazda i-a răspuns: „Te-am nedreptățit – te-am socotit de-al meu.”

Câți nu sunt astăzi cei în care ne-am încrezut, de care ne-am lăsat fermecați, pe care i-am crezut „ai noștri”, cu care am simțit că suntem una… și totuși ne-am înșelat.

Alegeți cu grijă cui dăruiți lipii goale.

29/06/2025

"Many have passed away, and those who are still here are called
"the elderly.""
We were born in the 40s-50s-60s.
We grew up in the 50's-60's-70's
We studied in the 60s-70s-80s.
We were together in the 70s-80s-90s.
We got married or not and discovered the world in the 70s-80s-90s.
Adventuring into the 80s - 90s
We're settling in to the 2000s.
We became wiser in 2010s.
And we’re going strong into 2020 and beyond.
Turns out we went through EIGHT different decades...
TWO different centuries...
TWO different millennials...
We've gone from phone with operator for long distance calls, pay booths, video calls worldwide.
We’ve gone from slides to YouTube, vinyls to online music, handwritten letters to emails and Whats App.
Live games on the radio, black and white TV, color TV, then HD 3D TV.
We went to the video store and now watching Netflix.
We've known the first computers, punch cards, disks and now we have gigabytes and megabytes on our smartphones.
We wore shorts all through our childhood, then trousers, ep pants or mini-skirts, Oxfords, Clarks, Palestinian scarves, jumpsuits, and blue jeans.
We avoided childhood paralysis, meningitis, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, swine flu and now COVID-19.
We've done roller skating, roller skating, tricycle, bicycle, moped, gasoline or diesel and now we drive hybrids or electric.
We played with the little ones
horses and checkers, ostrich and marbles, 1000 threshold and monopoly, now there's candy crush on our smartphones
And we read... much
And our schoolmates religion was not a subject...
We used to drink tap water and lemonade in glass bottles, and the vegetables on our plate were always fresh, today we get meals delivered
Yes, we have been through a lot but what a beautiful life we have had!
They might describe us as “ex-annuals”; people who were born in this 50s world, who had an analog childhood and digital adulthood.
We should add the Biological Revolution that we have witnessed. In 1960, biology was very descriptive. We have witnessed the event of Molecular Biology: the molecules of Life have been discovered: DNA, RNA etc. When you see everything that has come from it: gene therapy, gene fingerprints, and others the progress is considerable.
We kind of have "seen it all"!
Our generation has literally lived and witnessed more than any other in every dimension of life.
This is our generation that has literally adapted to "CHANGE".
A big congratulations to all the members of a very special generation, which will be UNIQUE.. "
Follow David Attenborough Fans to read more.