It is grin up North, Bush’s bungles, spies like us and scary religion

A round up taking in religion, politics, spooks and laughs:
Children in the north of England top the happiness league table.
According to a report published by Oftsed, northern children have more friends and enjoy far greater emotional security than their counterparts in other parts of the country.
Not so grim after all.
Talking of laughs, what about that [...]

The election aftermath

It is a new week and the new dawn is still exercising our minds.
Barack Obama’s election to the US presidency is, without doubt, a significant moment and provides plenty of reason for hope.
There is plenty to comment on, speculate about and analyse ahead of Mr Obama’s inauguration.
And yet I am beginning to wonder whether the [...]

Debt blog, Obama on Xbox, subterranean views, our weekly bread and the toast museum

It has been quite a week, all things considered.
In fact, it has been a very good week (more details at another date). So here’s a round-up to complete an interesting few days:
One of the many positives to come out of Wednesday’s Blog Action Day is the social media surgery set up by a group of [...]

Sour golf grapes, a Tory blog-fest, multicultural mistakes and bad dogs

A weekend round-up taking you into the heady worlds of sport, politics, religion and crime:
One of The Birmingham Post’s sports writers appears to have stirred things up on both sides of the Atlantic with a blog criticising the behaviour of US players and fans at the recent Ryder Cup.
He’s not very complimentary about the winning US team or [...]

Witch hunting, “old” Labour, eco-cons and the death of email

So after four days of sun, male bonding, San Miguel and seafood, I’ve had a couple of days of catching up.
Quite a lot happened regarding all things financial whilst I was away, or so it seemed, but here’s a few other bits that have caught my eye:
The US presidential race is still lurching from the playground [...]

US and them, pigs with lipstick, dancing pants and premature celebrations

A round-up from Iraq to Jamaica:
“A person can be loyal to his country without being loyal to the people who run his country.”
So says one of the US soldiers on Sean Smith’s excellent Endgame in Iraq video for The Guardian.
It is a telling moment and should silence those who are so quick to claim that anyone [...]

Laptop seizures, floody Brum, kissing and the skipper

A quick round up of a few stories before proper work gets in the way.
The US government has publicly revealed a policy that has been operating for some time that enables agents to seize electronic devices - including laptops, handhelds, mobile phones and MP3 players – from travellers arriving in the country.
US Customs and Border Protection can [...]

Digby’s gruff view of US business

The most belligerent Goat drafted into the Government by Gordon Brown has launched a scathing attack on US business.
Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham, trade and investment minister in the Government Of All Talents, has warned that the US is lagging years behind the rest of the business world.
He criticises the outdated belief that many within [...]

Bush legacy includes state-backed torture

With the focus so firmly on the race to become the Democratic and Republican nomination for the Presidential elections, the man still in charge has managed to slink into the shadows in recent months.
But in a wide-ranging interview with the BBC to mark the end of his time in the White House, George Bush has [...]