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Second Chance
On Wednesday 10th September 2003, World Suicide Prevention Day was observed for the first time. Having become an annual event, it has been observed on 10th September ever since. It was, and still remains, a collaboration between the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the World Federation for Mental…
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Hear, Tremble, And Serve
On 21st august, Hereford-born former nurse, Lucy Letby, the UK’s most prolific child killer of modern times, received a “whole life” prison sentence for her crimes. She had been found guilty of murdering seven babies, and of attempting to murder a further six. The “whole life” sentence means that she is ineligible for parole, and…
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It’s Only Make Believe
If Netflix is your thing, you might be interested in their new film, Maestro. It chronicles the life of Leonard Bernstein, the man who composed the music to Westside Story, and conducted the worst recording ever made of Mozart’s Requiem. He seems not to have been told that the requiem mass is to be said…
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Remember Johnny Mercer
Those people who, like me, are political nerds, will doubtless recall the American presidential election of 1988. It was a very negative campaign. Even its most interesting moment was negative. Democratic vice presidential candidate, Lloyd Benson, pointed out the obvious when he informed his Republican counterpart, Dan Quayle, that he was, “no Jack Kennedy”. Voters…
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Hearing Voices
Unsurprisingly, there are many questions sighted people put to blind people concerning blindness. They range from the general – “do blind people really hear better than sighted people?” – to the personal – “how do you know that your clothes go together?” – to the outlandish – “do blind people have a greater spiritual awareness…
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Bad Language
One of the most testing aspects of modern communications, is the use of jargon. Of course it has its use – it saves a considerable number of words when people who are knowledgable in certain matters are having a conversation. But it has an irritating side too. Many people who use it seem to wish…
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VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
Yesterday evening, I received the annual email from Herefordshire Council instructing me to make sure that all information pertaining to registered voters in my household is up to date. Having complied with their demand, my mind wondered to next year, and the general elections which will b held, both here, and in the United States.…
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Virtue Signalling Is A Terrible Vice
Two weeks or so ago, like many other news junkies, I noticed the story about Coutts bank having closed the accounts they held for the former UKIP and Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage. My initial thought was to note yet another example of Farage’s hypocrisy. A man who routinely sneers at “the elite” banking with…
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Unknown Callers
In the early 2000s, blind people began installing an exciting new piece of software on their mobile phones. It was a screenreader, similar to that which they had been using for a number of years on their computers. It enabled them to make use of more of the features on their phones. They could join…
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If Things Don’t Change, The Spanish Right Should Get Sweet Rock All!
Later this month, the people of Spain will be called upon to exercise their collective democratic right, and decide which political party, or parties, will b entrusted with the task of transacting the nation’s business. According to opinion polls, Vox, a right-wing, anti-immigrant party is likely to form at least part of the new government.…
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Caeci Visum 