Absolutely mindless

I think Lord Acton was wrong: power doesn’t corrupt. It lobotomises. Consider Michel Platini, for example. Gifted footballer, intelligent analyst of the game, articulate opponent of Lennart Johansson…

Fortress Europe

From United Against Racism comes this list of 8,855 refugees who have died throughout Fortress Europe since 1993. The amount of drowning,…

Novel Award

I will enter this contest by October. Also the Jo Cowell Short Story Contest (8 June), the Keats-Shelley prize (30 June), Wellington…

Financing Terrorism

This is a bit old, but I wanted to make note of it so I can find it again later. From Narco…

Great news!

I write letters for Amnesty International. I have done (on and off) for many years, usually without any expectation of achieving anything.…

Classless Confusion

The Nation has an analysis of globalisation in its upcoming issue that is almost very good. I say “almost” because although he makes some excellent points, the author…

Suing the poor

As if botching a water project in one of the world’s poorest countries weren’t bad enough, UK company Biwater is now taking…

Venezuela is (debt) free

Venezuela has now paid off the last cent of its debt to the IMF and World Bank, according to this article in…