Retail “work experience” is nothing of the kind
Why the government was wrong to make me work in Poundland for free | Cait Reilly | Comment is free | The Guardian Cait Reilly is currently suing the government after the DWP forced...
Indigo Jo Blogs Blog
Just published: Kaliya Franklin interview transcript
I have just published a transcript of an interview Kaliya Franklin, one of the major authors of the “Spartacus” report I blogged about here, that she gave to Resonance FM which was broadcast yesterday...
What I really wanted from T-Mobile
The other day I finally got round to changing my T-Mobile tariff from a £25/mo tariff which covers the cost of a phone, to a £10/mo SIM-only tariff (which was reduced to half that...
The Mail, Gerada and the alternative to DLA
Recently a group of people with various disabilities and chronic illnesses (some of them in very precarious health, two of them having been admitted to hospital in the last few days and two others...
Nobody ever knows the heart of anyone else
The hearts of white people, part II « Abagond I saw this post after a friend on a social networking site posted a link to it. The author, who claims his blog is a...
Why we protect vulnerable prisoners
Yesterday the two men convicted of murdering the black teenager, Stephen Lawrence, when they were teenagers were jailed “at Her Majesty’s pleasure” (effectively a life sentence), one for a minimum of fourteen years and...
Getting used to my new Mac
As I think I’ve said before, my main present (from my parents) this past Christmas was a Mac. I laid out my reasons for wanting a Mac in a post a couple of weeks...
Jones will come back!
There is a scene in Orwell’s Animal Farm in which the pigs (who had become the ruling class of the post-revolutionary farm once Farmer Jones had been thrown out) and the other animals argue...
Young people need to know that actions have consequences
Response: Sentencing of young adults should take their maturity into account | Comment is free | The Guardian This article, by Vicki Helyar-Cardwell of the Criminal Justice Alliance, appeared in the “Response” section of...
Laurie Penny and breast implants
French exploding breast implants — hilarious, right? Wrong | Laurie Penny | Comment is free | The Guardian I've been following the story about the French breast implant recall with some interest, as it...
2011: the year Linux stopped being fun
In less than a week from now, I expect to be in possession of a Mac, most likely a Mac mini. It's taken a long time since I last had an up-to-date Mac —...
Ayn van Dyk: seized for no reason, spends 10th birthday in care
Single father fighting to get autistic daughter back This report tells part of the ongoing story of Ayn van Dyk, who was seized from her home, which she shared with her father and two...
Yes, but do they have ME?
Unidentified Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a major cause of school absence: surveillance outcomes from school-based clinics (at BMJ Open) This morning several news sources reported that a study had been published by...
Why do lads’ mags offend more than the words of rapists?
Are sex offenders and lads’ mags using the same language? – University of Surrey – Guildford A recent study carried out jointly by the universities of Middlesex and Surrey in the UK (press release...
Review: Voices from the Shadows, British Library, London
A German version of this review can be found here. Yesterday I finally got to see Voices from the Shadows, a documentary about severe ME produced and directed by the same people that produced...
Baron-Cohen on Anders Breivik
Anders Breivik: cold and calculating, yes – but insane? (from today's Guardian) This article by Simon Baron-Cohen appeared in today's Guardian and questions the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia given him by "independent" experts in...
Will they bring the popular press to heel this time?
Recently, there has been much coverage of an inquiry, known as the Leveson inquiry after the presiding judge, into improper practices at a number of British popular newspapers. This started when it was revealed...
The Bowes-Lyons at Earlswood: “a peg to hang it on”
TV review: The Queen's Hidden Cousins; Waking Up To Insomnia; Symphony | Television & radio | The Guardian Last night I saw a documentary on Channel 4 titled The Queen's Hidden Cousins (that is...
Baroness Warsi and Anjem Choudhary: takfir on demand
Lady Warsi: extremists forfeit their right to call themselves Muslim | Politics | The Guardian Baroness (Syeeda) Warsi recently said in an interview with the Guardian that Muslim extremists such as Anjem Choudhary, who...
Daily Mail advocates waste of taxpayers’ money
Disabled benefit? Just fill in a form: 200,000 got handouts last year without face-to-face interview | Mail Online Throughout today, I’ve been receiving tweets with the hashtag #MyDLA, from people telling what the benefit...