you can’t avoid getting wet – the only way to travel
I’m grateful to my brother for pointing this out and he got it from another blog out there. I couldn’t resist joining in. If you wanted to get from Washington DC (or anywhere else in the USA for that matter) to Marble Arch in the centre of London without using any form of public transport, […]
McGrath vs Dawkins – LIVE!
Check out the free downloadable debate between Profs Dawkins and McGrath at this year’s Oxford Literary Festival. Click here for details.
the courage of Churchill’s convictions: the man who couldn’t win but who DIDN’T LOSE
It all happened behind closed doors; it depended on the discussions between a handful of senior English politicians; no one else outside their circle had the slightest idea of the importance of these discussions. But if the arguments held between Friday 24th and Tuesday 28th May 1940 had turned out differently, the history of the […]
abolition of slave trade bill – 25th march 1807
Sunday 25th March was a remarkable day at All Souls. In the morning, CHRIS WRIGHT (my Langham Partnership boss) preached a gripping and profound sermon on the crucifixion narrative in Luke 23:26-43 in which he was able to bring out a number of different layers from the passage: 4 Last Scenes: full of Scripture […]
the global village – the unexpected costs of being ONE
One of the most intriguing books that I’ve read in recent years is Pico Iyer’s THE GLOBAL SOUL – Jet Lag, Shopping Malls and the Search for Home. I picked it up the other day and started leafing through it again, and found myself immersed once more. Iyer is a fascinating character – a travel […]
the blogging menace
I can’t, for the life of me, remember where I got this from (I think it might be from the New York Times – if so apologies). But it was too good to be true. I will definitely regret this, but please let me know if I’ve gone on too long and it’s time […]
the changing status quo – political shifts in the abortion debate
There was a fascinating short article in the latest BBC History Magazine (as well as a really helpful pull out section on the anniversary of slavery’s abolition) about some recent research into the history of the abortion debate. It is worth quoting in full: “Going to War Over Abortion” The current debate over abortion in […]
the pressure to change
i’ve succumbed to the perennial search for novelty and innovation. couldn’t sleep, had early hours to kill with a brain that wasn’t functioning enough to do something useful or sensible – so have come up with this. not completely convinced yet so any suggestions would be helpful. but the blog is a bit fresher i […]
Been Turklebaumed recently? Urban email myths exposed
I’ve been sent this today. Perhaps you’ve come across this story – well i hadn’t and so felt the need to check it out (and because, to be perfectly honest, i was procrastinating about a tricky phone call i had to make). Sadly (although not perhaps for Mr Turklebaum – what a GREAT name that […]
Turkmenistan follow up – good news??
If you read the posting here about Turkmenbashi, the late (dictator, persecutor and rampant, lunatic egotist) President of Turkmenistan, back in December, then you may be interested by today’s BBC article from Ashgabat. It seems that his successor, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, could be an improvement (not hard, but certainly not inevitable). Despite pledging to build on […]
Tattoed Mountain Women of Daghestan
Every year The Bookseller.com produces a shortlist for the Bookseller/Diagram Price for Oddest Title of the Year. 2007 entries contain some real classics and perhaps now is the time to broaden your horizons a little – both by voting and by investing in one or two of these great tomes. My personal favourites have to […]
the Rake’s defiance – not so much ‘i told you so’ but ‘if only…’
A friend was given a couple of tickets to see the Hogarth retrospective at Tate Britain. So fortunately for me, he took me with him last night. It was stunning and if you get the chance, go… For those who don’t know much about him, see Wikipedia’s potted biography. He lived from 1697 to 1764 […]
