A Blog for all seasons

10 March
2010

Some Reflections on Puerto Rico, Language, and National Identity

Questions about the complex political status of Puerto Rico as a commonwealth within the United States are, once again, on the table in Washington, D.C., and in San Juan. The road to becoming the 51st State seems to be wide open for the island. It has, no doubt, been cleared and paved by a Democratic […]

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24 February
2010

A Greek Lesson for the EU

Finally, after many years of constructing Potemkin villages, the facade seems to have fallen in. Not only have irresponsible banks and individuals had to face up to the consequences of their behaviour over the past decade, but also irresponsible sovereign countries are now being forced to do the same. Greece has long had structural problems […]

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24 February

TMI Seminar – James MacMillan – The Musical Search for the Sacred in Modernity

James MacMillan, a composer and conductor, recently gave a paper at the TMI in our speaker series ‘Conscience, Values and Belief in Public Life’: Modernity in music is a multi-faceted and complex phenomenon. The much-used word ‘modernism’ is also a catch-all definition which leaves questions still hanging in the air. It is a word, like […]

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10 February
2010

Persecuting Home-Schoolers: A Message to the German Government

A most interesting immigration case in which a judge in Tennessee granted political asylum to a German piano teacher and his family may have dented German-American bilateral relations. The family in question home-schooled its children, which is not generally permitted in Germany. The parents’ determination had had repercussions there: massive fines imposed, police intrusion into […]

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3 February
2010

David Cameron, Burglars, and Human Rights

The stream of policy proposals from the Conservatives shows no sign of abating in the run-up to the election predicted for May. Most recently, their leader, David Cameron, stepped into the spotlight once again. Amid several cases of trials against victims who have sought to defend themselves against burglars and attackers, Mr. Cameron spoke out […]

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27 January
2010

Legislating for Good Behaviour

Both Labour and the Conservatives seem to be falling over themselves in trying to stop excessive drinking. No one who has strolled down the local high street in any British city on a Saturday night will have failed to notice the often high levels of intoxication of local inhabitants. This culture of ‘binge drinking’ might […]

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20 January
2010

Terrorism and the ‘Battle of Ideas’

Posted in World Affairs

Christmas Day brought unwelcome news of an attempt at a terrorist attack by a 23-year old engineering student on an aeroplane bound for the United States. The would-be perpetrator was later arrested and complex Al-Qaeda links around the Muslim world disclosed. The aftermath has centred on failure within the intelligence corps and airport security, with […]

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16 December
2009

Whose Child Is It?

Posted in Marriage & Family

We are nearing Christmas, which might be even more relevant and special for families with younger children who eagerly await Christmas Day. One cannot, however, help to think of children who are not as fortunate to have a loving family. The fact that the family is structurally undermined in many Western societies is not new. […]

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