Growing debate in Britain over salaries of MPs Nov 20, 2009
"I think the attitude of the British public is very straightforward. They are enraged by what they see as abuses on an enormous scale. And so what they really, really want to see is MPs suffer, not get more money," said Mr Stevenson ... Quite the opposite, about 70 per cent of the British public will oppose that very strongly. (Channelnewsasia.com)
Arthur John Evans, Archeologist Nov 20, 2009
He was the son of Sir John Evans, who was an amateur archaeologist and an eminent authority on British prehistory and coinage ... Volume 2 of Scripta Minoa was completed in 1952, nine years after Evan s death and was completed by a young British Architect, Michael Ventris. (Suite101.com)
Henry Ford's Jungle Book Nov 19, 2009
In 1876, Henry Wickham, a ne er-do-well British wanderer, smuggled 70,000 Hevea seeds from the Amazon to Kew Gardens, a service for which he received a knighthood from Queen Victoria ... But this did not last because latex grown in the jungle could only be sourced tapped is the phrase inefficiently, whereas the wicked British with their stolen seeds were able to grow Hevea on great plantations in their Far Eastern colonies ... By 1923, the rubber production of the British Empire had outstripped... (The American Conservative)
Worlds apart Nov 19, 2009
Few authors still use typewriters, and I have to admit to wallowing in nostalgia when I came across this particular item of literary memorabilia on display as part of In a Bloomsbury Square, the British Library's celebration of Faber's 80th anniversary ... Newcastle 'greenest' British city. (BBC News -- Technology)
Chinese diners eat live fish on YOUTUBE... Nov 19, 2009
" In what freaking way is this in any way, shape, or form compassionate? (And please don't be obtuse by saying a fish is not a beast.) Just because PETA is often nutty doesn't mean there's no such a thing as cruelty to animals. This is incredibly cruel, and if you can't see that, there's something wrong with the way you're looking at things. This sort of thing desensitizes the conscience. Chris on November 18, 2009 at 06:31 PM I am by no means a PETA member, nor do I refrain from eating meat... (The Drudge Report)
Twilight of Our Youth: It isnt just a tween phenomenon. Women in their 30s and beyond are addicted to Stephenie Meyers vampire saga, too, Sarah Hepola, Salon Nov 19, 2009
When Chahine began his filmmaking career in 1950, Egypt was still a British colony; he had the distinction of making movies that appeared to criticize virtually every current in his nation's recent history: Western imperialism, pan-Arab nationalism, Islamic fundamentalism and religious intolerance (Chahine himself was a Christian), and the autocratic post-Sadat regime of Hosni Mubarak. He also made movies in almost every genre you can imagine; I've seen only a few myself, and most remain hard to... (Harper's Magazine)
Exhibit brings to life Horace Walpole’s castle of ideas Nov 19, 2009
But Horace Walpole was also, despite the many pejoratives pinged his way, one of the most important and transforming figures in British culture ... All these achievements, but particularly Walpole s role as tastemaker, are celebrated in a richly intriguing show at the Yale Center for British Art, Horace Walpole s Strawberry Hill ... A collaboration between Yale University s Lewis Walpole Library, the Yale Center for British Art, and London s Victoria and Albert Museum, this landmark exhibition... (Boston Globe)
The (Not So) New World Order Nov 19, 2009
Queen Elizabeth II herself proclaimed the artist The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire ... The , was a play on the Victorian morality, norms, manners and social structures that have come to define the British Empire ... And most critically, there was the white British tutor who innocently asked Shonibare, if he was African, then why wasnt he making authentic African art. (Slate)
* Poverty, graft driving Afghan war: poll Nov 19, 2009
Poverty and corruption are driving the war in Afghanistan, said a survey released yesterday by British charity Oxfam and local organizations on the eve of Afghan President Hamid Karzais inauguration. The report paints a bleak picture of the war-torn nation and urges the government to establish the rule of law, reform the police and judiciary, and crack down on corruption and end the culture of impunity and patronage. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
* Taiwan News Quick Take Nov 19, 2009
It will visit schools in London and Edinburgh, as well as attend an international education conference for British primary and secondary schools. Liu said the representatives would hold workshops and demonstrate their UK findings upon their return. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Business.view: Start-up nations Nov 18, 2009
According to the British Enterprise Week s , Britain has nearly 3,000 events designed to inspire and educate young and aspiring entrepreneurs, from a workshop on Growing Your Business in Ipswich to a Could You Be A Million Maker. contest in Blackpool, in which school and college students create their own mini-enterprises. (The Economist)
Women banned from wearing trousers in Paris... Nov 18, 2009
British and American women have been the victims of a socio-economic experiment aimed essentially at broadening the tax base by getting women out to work and destroying the family ... The Prime Ministers' spokesman, Lord Porritt, announced in April that it is necessary to cut the British population to 30 million from 60 million. (The Drudge Report)
Disney sets out to make 'The Passion for kids' Nov 18, 2009
Corporal Loren Marlton-Thomas, a British Army bomb disposal expert, was killed by an improvised explosive device on Sunday ... The website is looking for awkward photos of British families ... British Airways offers you the chance to win business travel for a year. (Yahoo News -- 'The Passion of the Christ')
* Standard Chartered CEO criticizes plans on bank regulation Nov 18, 2009
The head of British bank Standard Chartered yesterday attacked plans for tougher global regulation following the financial crisis, warning costs would be passed on to customers ... The comments come as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is set to announce today new powers for regulators to tear up bankers contracts if they include excessive pay and bonus deals that threaten the financial system ... Standard Chartered, an emerging markets bank, had lost out to Asian rivals in battles to... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Smells Like Rationing Nov 18, 2009
That should raise a red flag: Women in the United States are more likely than their British counterparts to be diagnosed with breast cancer, but they are ... Hey, Congress just TALKS about reforming health insurance, and next thing we know we're like those poor British women who die in droves because their socialist medical system doesn't properly diagnose them. (Slate)
Brown to unveil UK banking sector crackdown Nov 18, 2009
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government will unveil on Wednesday a crackdown on the banking industry as part of a series of policies aimed at boosting its chances at the general election. The government will also announce assistance for the elderly and a pledge on changes to state-run schools in its last legislative program before the general election due by June next year. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Brinkman raps on Chaucer, Darwin at L-S Nov 18, 2009
The composition, commissioned by English microbiologist Dr. Mark Pallen and underwritten by the British Council, was premiered earlier this year at a British biology conference commemorating the 200th year of Charles Darwin s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin s Origin of Species. Dr. Pallen has vetted the entire script for scientific and historical accuracy, making it a powerful teaching tool as well as a laugh-out-loud entertainment experience. (Lincoln Journal, MA)
A major retrospective of acclaimed UK Graphic Designer to comes to Manchester in 2010 Nov 18, 2009
uk Alan Fletcher Born to British parents in Kenya in 1931, Fletcher came to Britain as a five-year-old to be brought up in West London. Rejecting the rigid grooves of post-war middle class life, he enrolled in art school where his contemporaries included Derek Birdsall, Peter Blake, and future business partner Colin Forbes. (AbsoluteArts.com)
FoxSexpert: Why We're Obsessed With Vampire Sex Nov 17, 2009
"New Moon," the second installment of the "Twilight Saga," hits theaters this weekend, and it literally has teens and adults all over the world lusting after the movie s lead vampire, Edward Cullen (played by British heartthrob Robert Pattinson). So why have these folkloric creatures made such an amazing comeback. (Fox News)
Canada's History Awards Creates New Annual Celebration of Country's Past Nov 17, 2009
Participating agencies include the British Columbia based Begbie Contest Society, the Historica-Dominion Institute in Toronto and the Canadian Historical Association in Ottawa. Over the next two years, the goal is to establish two more awards for achievement in community-based public history to complete the group of history awards. (Canada Newswire)
News slips through China's net Nov 17, 2009
Chinese people can't be British ... Chinese people can't be British ... As a British citizen who lives and works in China as a teacher, I feel that people on the outside fail to understand the complexities of Chinese society. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
'Twilight' Hunks Join Heartthrob History Nov 17, 2009
Off-screen, the British actor is shy and soft-spoken, humbled by all the "Twilight" attention. He's 23, lanky and pale, with thick, tousled hair he constantly runs his fingers through. (KFOXTV.com, TX)
Ignorance is no excuse Nov 17, 2009
10 Dec 2007: The prime minister pays tribute to British troops in a surprise visit to Iraq. . (Yahoo News -- Hutton Report)
Australia Apologizes to Child Migrants Nov 17, 2009
Britain and Australia are saying sorry to thousands of British children who were promised a better life overseas, only to suffer abuse and neglect thousands of miles from home ... Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, left, comforts a man attending a ceremony in the Australian capital of Canberra, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, where Rudd issued an apology to thousands of impoverished British children shipped to Australia with the promise of a better life, only to suffer abuse and neglect thousands of... (CBS News -- World)
Does Your Child Have One of Canada's Top Teachers? Nov 17, 2009
Cyberspace, Board Games and Cattle Ranching in the Classroom Earn These Educators an A-plus from the Governor General. " Morrison adds, "Today we recognize these remarkable teachers for sharing their knowledge and innovative curricula and hope that, through this program, their achievements also inspire other educators. (Canada Newswire)
Rescue mission: Nov 17, 2009
Two crates of British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's extinct rare old brand of whisky are on the radar for a team of New Zealanders, who plan to drill in Antarctica next year. The crates of McKinlay and Co whisky, abandoned on the unsuccessful 1909 expedition, were discovered in 2006, but couldn't be removed. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Godfather of rap Nov 17, 2009
The musician is taking on a limited number of concert engagements, and checking the proofs of a book about Martin Luther King, to be published by go-ahead British imprint Canongate. As to what is on his own bedside table these days, Scott-Heron admits to a weakness for thrillers, the turf-and-treachery novels of Dick Francis especially. (BBC News -- Americas)
Revenge of the employee Nov 16, 2009
A joint Australian and British survey released a few months ago by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development revealed that more than one-third of employees want to change their careers once the global economic crisis is over. This was backed up, albeit more alarmingly, by the principal of an American think tank, the Human Capital Institute, who told a Melbourne HR conference last week that 80 per cent of employees are ready to resign once the employment market picks up. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
'Reckless' bankers face bonus cut Nov 16, 2009
The British Bankers' Association warned that these changes could threaten the UK's future as a major global centre for finance ... " Last month the Centre for Economics and Business Research said City bank bonuses would hit 6bn this year, up from 4bn in 2008, because of rising profits and less competition. This caused outcry among some businesses, who urged an improvement in the level of lending available to them. 'Wider context'Angela Knight, chief executive of the British Bankers'... (BBC News -- Business)
* Brown takes aim at bankers bonuses Nov 16, 2009
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised yesterday to introduce legislation to transform the policing of the UKs financial sector when his government sets out its political program this week ... British Finance Minister Alistair Darling said the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the financial sector watchdog, would be given new powers to stop bankers collecting excessive bonuses or to cancel pay packages that rewarded undue risk-taking ... The rules would affect all new contracts and... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Twice bittenThe making of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” has been defined by... Nov 16, 2009
Sheen, the British star of Frost/Nixon and The Queen, plays Aro, the council s lethal and disarmingly friendly leader. There was a moment when I suddenly thought, Oh, I sound a little bit like the Blue Meanies, Sheen said of his high-pitched Aro voice. (New York Post -- News)
Dr. Gilbert Kombe; led efforts against HIV/AIDS worldwide Nov 16, 2009
Because Zambia follows the British system of admitting only the very top students to its medical schools, the aspiring physician was directed into the study of electrical engineering. It wasn t until he was three years into college that his father, an educator, discovered a new exchange program with China that offered full scholarships for promising young Zambians. (Boston Globe)
Reform push must continue Nov 16, 2009
Then at the recent G20 finance ministers meeting in Scotland, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown unexpectedly joined the advocates and proposed that the G20 consider the tax. Cold water was immediately thrown on this by the US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and Brown apparently retreated the following day, but a news report a few days ago suggested that he would still pursue the matter. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Hope floats on eco-celebrity's recycled plastic boat, Plastiki Nov 16, 2009
Nickelodeon's British website has carved out a permanent niche for Plastiki, while Adventure has dedicated a full-time blogger. As with any endeavor, risk rides shotgun. (USA Today -- Tech)
It takes a Village Nov 16, 2009
In the midst of the Cold War, the late 60s British television show The Prisoner gripped audiences with its allegorical tale of a secret agent played by series creator Patrick McGoohan being held against his will in an eerily idyllic seaside town generically called The Village ... In the midst of the Cold War, the late 60s British television show The Prisoner gripped audiences with its allegorical tale of a secret agent played by series creator Patrick McGoohan being held against his will in an... (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Census report: for more seniors, rising well-being Nov 15, 2009
The British PM says NATO can send more troops to Afghanistan. . (Yahoo News -- Aging)
Kenya: Foreigners in Their Homeland Nov 15, 2009
"My great-grandfather worked in the service of the British in Somalia around the First World War and later resettled in Meru, in central Kenya. His father before him worked for the Turko-Egyptian army in the Sudan. I, like my parents, was born in western Kenya, however, our citizenship - like that of all Kenyan Nubians - has always been subject to vetting," he recounts. At 18, every Kenyan is expected to apply for a national identity card which they are expected to carry on them at all times; ID... (allAfrica.com)
Theater review: Lloyd Newson's 'Straight' Nov 15, 2009
"Eighty-five countries have laws that punish homosexuality; 25 of them are former British colonies." ... And in a wry moment, the Nigerian prompts a promenade of performers in animal masks who manipulate flash cards, as a British minister expresses disgust over homosexuality. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Bankers' deals could be 'torn up' Nov 15, 2009
Page last updated at 02:40 GMT, Sunday, 15 November 2009. Bankers' deals could be 'torn up. (BBC News -- UK)
Courtroom drama Nov 15, 2009
The definition of obscenity employed by the defence is from British law in the 1960s ... Shameful treatment of British child immigrants. (BBC News -- Africa)
Obama joins APEC leaders for dress-up dinner Nov 15, 2009
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet chatted animatedly on her mobile as she was pedalled past the crowd by rickshaw -- which in British colonial times was an important form of transport in Singapore. The dinner setting offers some of the most spectacular views in this trading port, a multicultural city-state that has grown into one of the richest nations in Asia. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Kufuors Legacy of Development, Second to None Nov 15, 2009
To this, Gordon Brown, British prime minister adds; leadership is tested not by what happens in the best of time but by what happens when things are difficult. To say that President Kufuor has earned his place in the annals of African politics would be a very gross understatement. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
The curious economic effects of religion Nov 15, 2009
The Quakers of 18th-century Britain, renowned for their scrupulous honesty, came to dominate British finance ... Ara Norenzayan, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia, and his graduate student Azim Shariff set up an experiment that would make it easy for people to cheat on a difficult math test. (Boston Globe)
British PM vows law to crackdown on banker bonuses Nov 15, 2009
AFP - Sunday, November 15. Finance workers protest against bank bosses in central London earlier this year. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Art.view: Dollars, cents and sensibility Nov 15, 2009
Reflection (What Does Your Soul Look Like) (pictured), an exquisitely rendered, psychologically complex painting from 1996 by Peter Doig, a British artist, was consigned by C;sar Reyes, a Puerto Rican psychiatrist who owns a number of the artist s works ... After that, the lot bore witness to a duel between Jay Jopling, a British dealer (who is thought to have been bidding for Victor Pinchuk, a Ukrainian collector), and Marc Porter, Christie's president, who had an insistent client on the phone.... (The Economist)
The 'Straight' story Nov 15, 2009
"Eighty-five countries have laws that punish homosexuality; 25 of them are former British colonies." ... And in a wry moment, the Nigerian prompts a promenade of performers in animal masks who manipulate flash cards, as a British minister expresses disgust over homosexuality ... Theater review: Lloyd Newson's 'Straight' Articles "Eighty-five countries have laws that punish homosexuality; 25 of them are former British colonies." This startling fact proclaimed during an illustrated lecture on... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Football blooms in desert nation as green and gold loses its lustre Nov 14, 2009
But plenty of others can, including a swathe of British and Australian expatriates who are making the short trip from Dubai. The 27,000-capacity stadium will be full for both the Socceroos game and the Brazil friendly. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
UK museums can return looted art Nov 14, 2009
Since then there have been nine cases of artefacts held by British museums adjudged to have been stolen from their rightful owners. However national institutions, like the British Museum or the Tate, had been forbidden from returning items by legislation preventing them from disposing of artwork in their collections ... In 2006, the British Museum paid 175,000 to the heirs of an art collector whose Old Master drawings were stolen by the Nazis. (BBC News -- Europe)
Who are the furries? Nov 14, 2009
"I think the problem is that sex sells," says Ian Wolf (his furry pseudonym), who is editor of the British furry news website, FurteanTimes. com. (BBC News -- UK)
Review: 'Pirate Radio' Tunes Up Good Times Nov 14, 2009
Like a sing-along of some of the best rock 'n' roll songs ever made (there are sixty cuts, to be exact), the British film takes place in the mid-'60s when the British Broadcasting Corporation would not play pop music. In this fictional telling, based on an iota of truth, Kenneth Branagh plays government minister Sir Alistair Dormandy who is determined to shut down Radio Rock. (KFOXTV.com, TX)
'It's Orwellian': Everyone in UK could be given a personal 'carbon allowance'... Nov 14, 2009
Best solution would be an unlimited Carbon 'Allowance" I will personally accept any amount of money and will issue "Carbon Indulgences" in return. Lord Smith is not in touch with reality, nor is our current Prime Minister. Brian Johnson on November 14, 2009 at 08:07 AM There's a thread over at the Guardian right now because George Monbiot has written an article, which asks the following question: Should climate deniers be allowed to speak on the (BBC Radio 4) Today programme?... (The Drudge Report)
Fiji: Coconut dictator Nov 14, 2009
Sugar, its mainstay for over 100 years, has been devastated by big cuts in European Union preferential prices; the industry is failing to meet agreed shipments to the British company Tate & Lyle. Other export industries, including garments, bottled mineral water and gold, also face difficulties. (The Economist)
Book of the Week: "Memoir: A History" Nov 14, 2009
The juicy high-end, government-official-implicating madam's tell-all, for instance, finds precedent in the memoirs of 19th century British courtesans, who omitted mention of their patrons only for a fee. What impresses most in Yagodas book is not just the volume and variety of memoirs written recently but how long the genre has been part of our literary culture and how we have come to need and expect it. (Slate)
'Pirate Radio' Nov 14, 2009
Filmmaker Richard Curtis, the hopeless romantic behind "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Notting Hill" and "Love Actually," has written and directed yet another love letter, this one signed, sealed, delivered to the early rock era just as a tidal wave of groundbreaking British bands began hitting ... The story is set in the mid-'60s when British politicians, with Kenneth Branagh's Sir Alistair Dormandy as chief twit, decide to take down the nascent music trend because, really your lordship, two... (FOX59, IN)
Biography tracks rise, fame of David Bowie Nov 14, 2009
The career full of characters obscures the less fantastic, but very interesting, back story of David Jones, a British teen in the '60s who desperately wanted to make it big. He joins some Rs, dabbles in acting and mime, changes his last name to Bowie and records a painful-to- listen-to-now single titled "The Laughing Gnome" that seems to channel Alvin and the Chipmunks. (Montana Standard, MT)
* Taiwan News Quick Take Nov 14, 2009
The British Trade and Cultural Office in Taipei has co--organized the events with the society. From August 1942 to September 1945, more than 4,300 Allied POWs were held in 16 camps around Taiwan. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
* How the bookshop chain killed bookselling Nov 13, 2009
Waterstones has really already done to British bookselling just the kind of things that were seeing in the US, Spice says ... Tim Coates, former managing director of Waterstones, says that in that decade the chain was responsible for creating new demand for books in provincial British towns and cities ... In 1991, Waterstones became one of the first British booksellers to start discounting book prices. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Tug-of-war overPearl River Delta Nov 13, 2009
In 2007, the foundation published a report recommending a merger between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, once the former British colony is fully part of China, in 2047. The Shenzhen municipality said in a working paper in 2006 that the city "will position itself as part of an international metropolis with Hong Kong". (Asia Times Online)
Albion's Folly Nov 13, 2009
The British empire came to grief in Mesopotamia ... One of the more bizarre notions currently finding favor in jingoistic quarters is a conviction that the United States in the 21st century ought to model itself after the British Empire in its 19th- and early 20th-century heyday ... British ambitions in the Middle East nearly a century ago, as grandiose in their way as the Bush administration s in our own day, produced disastrous results and cost Britain its empire. (The American Conservative)
When pirates took over radio Nov 13, 2009
British government eventually outlawed pirates, started own BBC station ... (CNN) -- In early 1964, the British Invasion dominated American airwaves ... But the British Invasion on British radio. (CNN)
Chi Omega supports Make-A-Wish Nov 13, 2009
This year, the proceeds from Chi Omega's philanthropy week will go toward McKeehanon's wish of attending the British Open in Scotland in 2010, Covington said. McKeehanon is a senior in high school at McCallie, and will be attending UTC in the fall on a golf scholarship, Covington said. (The University Echo, TN)
Miss Ireland upstages lady in red Nov 13, 2009
The Afghan National Police needs another three years of training and investment to be turned into a credible force, said a senior British officer. Lieutenant Colonel Jasper de Quincey Adams, chief mentor to the ANP, said a professional force would not be created overnight, but methods such as "embedded partnering", where British and Afghan forces live and work by each other, were making progress. (Yahoo News -- Beauty Pageants)
Hingham teacher shares her Egyptian experience Nov 13, 2009
Moore and fellow 10th-grade English teachers are broadening the curriculum from British to World Literature. Bringing Egypt into the mix will help break down some of the damaging stereotypes that have been floating around for many years and that have been exacerbated since the events of 9/11, Moore said. (Hingham Journal, MA)
Can video games spur interest in real history? Nov 13, 2009
Like Grover-Williams, Devlin joins up with the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and is airdropped into France. Unlike the real war hero, who was executed by the Nazis, Devlin and the player survives and helps liberate France. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Afghan options Nov 13, 2009
If the numbers of other coalition forces remains, constant the total number of intervention forces in Afghanistan will approach the level, in terms of troops-to-territory ratio, of one of the few previous decisively successful counter-insurgency operations: the British in Malaya against the Chinese insurgency of the 1950s ... For the UK, the question would be what proportion of these forces would be committed to Helmand to relieve British overstretch. (BBC News -- South Asia)
