The Power of The Passion
Who would have predicted that a film about Jesus could take more money at the box office than The Lord of the Rings?
Features: Sacred Swastika
"Think of the most sacred thing in your life, think of the most precious thing and put the swastika into that place. Put the swastika into your heart. Put the swastika on your altar. Put the swastika on the image you use to represent God, love, peace, or the cosmos." These are the opening lines from the Friends of the Swastika webring. ...
Features: The World's Policeman
Across the table sits one of the most accomplished policemen in the world. But this is not a man who has gained fulfilment by dishing out speeding tickets or catching the man who stole Mrs Brown's cat; far from it. The LĂ©gion d'Honneur and America's Star Award are just two of the many international accolades Raymond Kendall has received in a glittering career that began at Exeter College in 1953. An untraceable secret service phone burbles on the desk next to him, into which he rapidly barks perfect French, a legacy of his Modern Languages degree. ...
Features: Amsterdam: Land of Smoke and Glory
Amsterdam is synonymous with sex, drugs and booze, but this surprising city leads a double existence between night and day. Aside from the persistent smell of weed in the air, Amsterdam by day gives no hint of its wilder side - it is picturesque and old-worldy, with narrow streets, glittering canals and unusual architecture. By night, however, it transforms into a bustling city, lit up by pink strip lighting and boasting hordes of atmospheric bars and restaurants open till late. It is worth a visit for the people of Amsterdam alone, as they have to be just about the friendliest Europeans around: everywhere you go, people go out of their way to chat, or give tips on where to visit....
Features: No está lloviendo, Madrid está llorando: 'It's not raining, Madrid is crying'
At 6.45am GMT (7.45am Spanish time) on March 11 my mother rang me, crying hysterically. You don't know my mother, but she really is not the kind to cry hysterically. She fought underground for democracy in Spain, she's tough as nails. She lives in Valencia; every morning she wakes up at 7am, has breakfast listening to Radio SER, and then gets a red and white train, part of a national network of short distance overground trains to go to work. That day my mother, who is tough as nails, could not bring herself to go to work on those trains - the same trains blown to shreds in Madrid. All she could do was sob, and all I could do was run to find the El Pais website to make sense of what she was telling me....
Features: No está lloviendo, Madrid está llorando: 'It's not raining, Madrid is crying'
At 6.45am GMT (7.45am Spanish time) on March 11 my mother rang me, crying hysterically. You don't know my mother, but she really is not the kind to cry hysterically. She fought underground for democracy in Spain, she's tough as nails. She lives in Valencia; every morning she wakes up at 7am, has breakfast listening to Radio SER, and then gets a red and white train, part of a national network of short distance overground trains to go to work. That day my mother, who is tough as nails, could not bring herself to go to work on those trains - the same trains blown to shreds in Madrid. All she could do was sob, and all I could do was run to find the El Pais website to make sense of what she was telling me....
Features: A Woman's Place
Just to prove that Oxford's intellectual life doesn't shut down when all the students go home and the tutors take holidays, the Oxford Literary Festival places itself squarely in the Easter vac, this year running from 23rd to 28th March. For those who stayed up, hope you caught a talk or two. If not, well, it's a date in your diary for next year....
Features: A Peculiar Form Of Democracy
Since the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the Russian Federation has had a peculiar form of democracy. Boris Yeltsin asserted his presidency with the use of force in October 1993 when, after dissolving Parliament in September, troops loyal to him stormed the Duma and neutralised armed opposition leaders, leaving around 100 dead. When Yeltsin resigned on December 31st 1999, six months before his term officially ended, he named Vladimir Putin acting President. ...
