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Gareth Williams, GCHQ, and the crisis of confidence
So Gareth Williams killed himself in some unexplainable sex game gone wrong. He slipped into a bag, padlocked himself inside from the outside (huh?), and within three minutes suffocated. There was no DNA left on the locks, or in the bath in which he was found. In a Security Services safe house. Well that’s that. […]
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Has America forgotten to remember Remembrance Day?
Saturday night I had my friend Melinda over, along with her friend Jenny, in town from Sydney. Jenny noticed the portrait of Her Majesty, a commemorative token of the Diamond Jubilee, hanging in my apartment, complete with the flags of the Commonwealth countries. We got to talking about the ties that bind not just the […]
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Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November!
Did you know that, in 1775, George Washington banned the practice of celebrating “Pope Day” in 1775, out of fears the anti-Catholic tradition would insult the Quebecois, whom he was hoping to court as allies in the insurrection? Since then, Bonfire Night hasn’t really been celebrated in the United States. I have to confess, I […]
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Ofqual overhauls GCSEs, but to what effect?
Ofqual has overhauled the GCSEs with a new scoring system. I am obviously not a product of the British educational system, so I don’t have any anecdotes as to its effectiveness. And while I think it’s important to occasionally revisit curriculum and testing, I think that we in the West often gloss over-or ignore entirely-the […]
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The UK has a st…
The UK has a strong history of democracy, and while targeted surveillance may play an important role in protecting national security, in doing so it should not erode the very values it seeks to protect. An excerpt from a letter, signed by 70 leading human rights organisations, to David Cameron over what they perceive as eroding press […]
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Tamera Foster sings “Wishing On A Star”
Obviously I don’t get to watch X Factor live like y’all, so I have to wait for the performances to be uploaded to YouTube. (That also means I don’t hear the judges’ comments, which gives me, at least I think, a unique perspective.) I don’t really have a favourite this year. I like hearing Abi […]
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“It Could Be You” – a short video gives voice to those on benefits
Regardless of your stance on the issue of benefits reforms and reductions, the people this directly effects-those living on the dole-are so often overlooked. The Child Poverty Action Group, in conjunction with politics.co.uk, does an excellent job in this short clip of giving voice to the nameless and faceless masses who depend on benefits for […]