Hurricane Irene and Impressionism

By Cressida Smart

“Discoveries are often made by not following instructions, by going off the main road, by trying the untried.” (Frank Tyger)

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel – book review

By Emma Brooks

About the author:

Yann Martel is a Canadian author, best known for “The Life of Pi” which won the Man Booker Prize in 2002. He grew up in various different countries across the world, including Mexico, France, Costa Rica and Canda, as well as visiting India on his travels. He finally decided to settle in Canada, where he still lives today. From 2007 – 2011 he undertook a curious project called “What is Stephen Harper reading”, where he decided to send the Prime Minister of Canada a book every two weeks, accompanied by a letter from Yann Martel himself.

Howe Resignation Speech: ‘playing with broken bats’

By Chris McCarthy

We have paid heavily in the past for late starts and squandered opportunities in Europe. We dare not let that happen again…the effects will be incalculable and very hard ever to correct.

Sir Geoffrey Howe, 13 November 1990

Constructing a 9/11 Memorial in New York

By Cressida Smart

Sunday 11 September 2011 will see the opening of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York. The Memorial is located at the World Trade Centre site, on the former location of the Twin Towers destroyed during the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Tender Comrade film review

By Laura MacPhee

Tender Comrade, a 1943 film starring Ginger Rogers, is notable less for its cinematic merits than for the political controversy it provoked years later. The film’s director, Edward Dmytryk, was blacklisted, and imprisoned for several months during the Second Red Scare of the late 1940s. Senator Joseph McCarthy took advantage of the atmosphere of fear and suspicion by launching his infamous attacks on Communism.

A summer of turmoil in the Eurozone

By Angus Bromhead

Summer holidays are being cut short on the continent this month as politicians scurry back to their capitals in an attempt at averting crisis. News that financial turmoil in the Eurozone has spread from its periphery to its core has shocked many in Europe. On Tuesday, pedestrian second quarter GDP growth figures of only 0.2% were announced for the region as a whole, even the German economy is stuttering. Whilst stocks from last week’s market panic ‘’ might ’’ well be slowly recovering all the warning signs point to a drastic need for Europe to address its financial woes to avoid a return to recession.

Sentencing after the riots

By Alexander Bryan

As dust settled over the riot-stricken streets of English cities, chaos reigned in the courts. The result of the riots was clear; over 2,770 people have been arrested in connection with the riots. By Tuesday afternoon, 1,277 had appeared in court. The pace of action by the judicial system has been commendable.