The recent emergence of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) in South Africa is not only the result of poor treatment adherence by TB patients. It stems from years of neglect endured by TB programmes throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The current scale of the region’s drug resistance challenge is poorly understood, and African TB programmes are […]
Another Boring Budget Cycle
Everyone likes to complain about taxes. It is one of the great underrated spectator sports. But few people do anything about taxes. Very, very few people take the time to study a budget. Budgets are dull, confusing and require a couple of hours to understand. Those who read a budget figure out pretty quickly that there is not much discretionary […]
Schooling isn’t education
Until the moment I withdrew my sons from state education in the UK, I confused education with schooling. It’s a common mistake, and one which is easier to make if you have been through the state education machine yourself. The state spends considerable amounts of money – our money! – persuading us that the two […]
A TIME TRIP TO THE ERIE CANAL
ERIE CANAL VILLAGE…. FIFTEEN MILES ON THE ERIE CANAL Just a few miles south of Rome, NY a short steel-railed bridge crosses an anonymous stream. It runs East-West, straight as an arrow, as if nature had played a trick on itself. It did not. Men in fact built […]
Steve Jobs 2, Record Industry 0
Steve Jobs is a clever fellow. I know you, you probably know it, and he’s said that he knows it. Once in a while, he drops a bomb on all of us, and we are made to bask in his glow for as long as our cynicism allows (you know, before we start taking innovations […]
Obama Site to Use Social Networking, Blogs
Barack Obama said on video today that as he moves forward with the 2008 political race, he will need the help of his supporters–online. While he did not officially confirm a presidential run, Obama said in the video, "I’m excited about the possibilities of this campaign." The statement suggests that tomorrow, on February 10th at […]