Crime, Place and Justice
Any Twitter follower of Ian Rankin (@beathhigh) will know he is now at work on his new novel following the success of The Impossible Dead, itself the second in his post-John Rebus series following Inspector Malcolm Fox of the “Complaints” division at the Lothian and Borders police, the unpopular cops who check the cops. Rankin … Continue reading
Higher Education: Global Change and Local Pressure
There is scarcely a day goes by now without some new announcement of major changes in the structure and function of higher education around the world, all with local nuances and impacts but with global resonance. Here are a few examples: President Obama’s announcement of a new approach in the face of escalating costs (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/01/30/obama-higher-education-plan-signals-policy-shift … Continue reading
A Woolf @ the ICC Door
There is a saying in government and consultancy along the lines of: “never ask a question to which you do not know the answer”, or “never order a review where you cannot predict the findings”. It is highly likely that there are at this moment several highly placed members of the International Cricket Council wishing … Continue reading
Australian Politics Risibilis
In the political dimension there is a plus and a minus of being out of Australia for a while, seeing things perhaps a little like an outsider might. The plus is not having to endure the daily politics of the banal as press and TV pundits desperately seek something new to say – “Well, that’s … Continue reading
Watching Syria Sadly
For anyone who has been to Damascus and Syria in the past few years and inevitably fallen for both, there is a current air of unreality in imagining that the locals no longer risk travelling on the road north, and that the road to the airport has seen what amounts to military action. There are … Continue reading
Brian Stoddart 