tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33143242007-10-24T17:04:49.212ZcogitataBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314324.post-30776873550816281412007-08-20T08:39:00.001Z2007-10-24T17:04:49.439Z

It appears it is no longer possible to attempt to detonate an explosive device in the United Kingdom. Our politicians, our media and our selves have promised so sincerely that our way of life hangs in a balance already weighted in its disfavour that any act of any individual who could possibly meet the loosest definition of enemy is immediately, confidently and totally rendered an attack, an

cogitatatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314324.post-55343027815220829342007-05-14T10:37:00.000Z2007-05-14T10:40:29.756Z

Although the impulse to create a cinematic rendering of a literary masterpiece may be born of a commendable desire to introduce it to a wider audience, a director must be confident that the essence of that great work is indeed transferable across media. Unfortunately, Crime and Punishment is not such a novel. This film

cogitatatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314324.post-12162303553872005202007-04-23T10:56:00.000Z2007-04-23T17:52:43.244Z

'Red Road', directed by Andrea Arnold, is the first of three films under the 'Advance Party' banner of Lars von Trier which will see the same actors playing the same characters in each. Von Trier has said that "a film should be like a rock in the shoe", an uncomfortable and challenging experience, a description that 'Red Road' lives up to. The film centres around Jackie, a CCTV operator in

cogitatatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314324.post-7655906450373864692007-04-09T14:27:00.001Z2007-04-09T18:53:45.805Z

In the second half of the 4th century BCE, Aristotle set out what was to be named by his editor 'Metaphysics'. The aim of his musings was to determine the nature of wisdom and the means by which one can come to possess it. In this work Aristotle states what has come to be known as the 'law of excluded middle' - that it is "not possible for opposites to be-in the same subject at the same time" (

cogitatatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314324.post-50026069366144669542007-04-01T00:13:00.000Z2007-04-01T09:22:18.256Z

After watching this video of Karl Rove, US President George Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff, calling himself 'MC Rove' and throwing some shapes at the Radio Television Correspondents Association Dinner, I was browsing through some of the comments and took note of one in particular: "Is this racist?". Racism is the attributing of a quality, action, character etc to an entire ethnic group. So what in

cogitatatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314324.post-29610912208821015262007-03-14T20:30:00.000Z2007-03-19T17:07:02.545Z

A report on the Channel 4 News this evening stated that government whips were arguing that the scale of the Labour MP 'rebellion' was due to the fact that the latter were aware the bill could not fail due to overwhelming Conservative support, and therefore felt free to vote with their conscience without fear of the government losing. A meek sort of rebellion. Is this not a clear admission that

cogitatatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314324.post-1164660604201221852006-11-27T20:10:00.000Z2006-12-03T22:08:50.583Z

Thousands of people oppose a change in the Pakistan rape law so that victims will not have to produce four witnesses, because it is against Islam. Does Islam really say that a victim of rape has to produce four witnessess? Really? That's one I'll definitely have to look up. But, I repeat - this religious belief is not ok. We cannot allow gods into our society that make such inherently spiteful

cogitatatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314324.post-1163950529282948192006-11-19T14:29:00.000Z2006-12-03T22:59:55.396Z

The Home Office's Guide to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 lists the following crimes: rapeassault by penetrationsexual assaultcausing a person to engage in a sexual activity without consentadministering a substance with intentother offences including exposure (or ‘flashing’), voyeurism (includes setting up, viewing or recording people through electronic equipment such as webcams or cameras), sex in

cogitatatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314324.post-1160415100864820132006-10-09T17:23:00.000Z2006-12-03T22:01:14.660Z

Like so many before him, Erlan Idrissov has grossly misinterpreted the comedy of Sacha Baron Cohen (Offensive and unfair, Borat's antics leave a nasty aftertaste, 4 October). Just as the target of the character Ali G is not young black men, but those who are ignorant enough to believe that his charicature is a fair representation of young black men, the intention of Borat is not to criticise

cogitatatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314324.post-1160310536819637102006-10-08T12:00:00.000Z2007-03-19T17:17:28.409Z

When Jack Straw said "wearing the full veil [is] bound to make better, positive relations between the two communities more difficult", all he was doing was stating a fact. John Prescott has since said that if someone came to his surgery wearing a school cap, turban or dark glasses, he wouldn't ask them to remove the item. But would he treat those people the same? Indeed would he be able to treat

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