Every school pupil in England is to be taught that domestic violence against women and girls is unacceptable, as part of a new government strategy.
Which is all very well – and I’m glad they got that comma right – but what about domestic violence against men and boys? And what about violence in general?
Continue reading ““back to common sense””
In today’s El Mundo there’s a report entitled Los borrosos rostros de la nueva Unión – “the vague faces of the new Union”. (It’s in the print edition, but it seems you need a subscription to read the article online.) In it, they talk about the new president of the European Union and the “superministra”, Catherine Ashton.
There are two possible reasons for that slip, I think: one, going back to the Eighties when I first learned about databases with dBase II, an Ashton-Tate product; and two, the fact that the article is accompanied by a photo of a dalek.
Continue reading “alien affairs”
Well, in the UK, at least, it’s a national day and there’s plenty about it in all the national newspapers. The Guardian, for example, reports a selection of news and associated snippets.
This year’s theme is “heroes and heroines”. I can’t think of any poems in my files that fit that theme, and I certainly can’t produce one to order. So here’s one which refers to the ex-prime minister – definitely not a hero of mine. The poem was published in the South Bank Poetry Magazine a while back.
Continue reading “national poetry day”
No doubt some people think I should take the whole subject of CRB checks for those working with school children more seriously.
Sadly, the logical corollary to the new UK regulations will be to have the kids themselves checked, as is apparent from this piece from the BBC.
We all know that it’s just about impossible to make a living from being a poet. So poets try and do other poetry-associated activities, such as workshops, readings and talks, to eke out a living.
Sometimes they get to visit schools and talk to the children about poetry and about being a writer.
Continue reading “quis custodiet…?”
don't confuse the narrator 