In this brilliant new essay, Britain's leading philosopher argues that Tony Blair owes more to the free-wheeling imperialists of the American right wing than Labour tradition. John Gray explains how George Bush helped shape Blair's decade in office, how religious conviction emboldened him to send troops into battle - and why the truth became a casualty of war
Tony Blair believes that he has been in greater danger of assassination on the streets of Britain than in Iraq.
In a surprise insight during a series of lengthy interviews with The Times Mr Blair, when asked why he had not worn body armour during a recent visit to Baghdad, said: “It’s far more likely I’ll shake hands with a group of kids today and somebody does something crazy than on a day in Iraq.
Tony Blair's famous pledge that his priority would be "education, education, education" has been exposed as hollow by a withering report. It shows that England's children have plummeted in the international league tables of school achievement during his ten years in power. They are now behind South Korea, Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic in key subjects and the gap between the private sector and state schools is more pronounced than in any other country.
It's unfunny. There isn't a single clever moment - much less a laugh - in the whole 10 minutes. I feel the same about this as I did after watching The Half Hour News Hour for the first time: I could eat alphabet soup and shit a funnier script.
Julie Burchill gives up journalismA brief encounter with a Jewish prostitute may have led to Hitler's genocidal Holocaust, claim psychiatrists. They believe he may have caught the sexually transmitted disease syphilis which, if untreated, can eventually cause madness. According to a report, mental and behavioural disturbances triggered by the advanced stages of the disease could have resulted in Hitler targeting Jews and the mentally retarded. There is "ample circumstantial evidence" for the theory, according to a team headed by psychiatrist Dr Bassem Habeeb.According to Dr Habeeb, Hitler came up with his mad ideas because he had the pox. What Dr Habeeb's excuse is, we don't yet know.
As a style, Photorealism has a few detractors, who often dismiss it as pointless, or non-art. They fail to realize that many photorealistic paintings are not mere copies of photographs, but interpretations of reality based on the artist's vision. The act of merely copying a photograph has no artistic merit except to hone one's artistic skills. Most of my aviation paintings would be impossible to photograph, such as Timing is Everything for example. This painting of Tica is not just a copy of a photograph, but is a product of many artistic decisions...Often, the artist's deviation from the reference material is unconscious. Despite my best efforts, my own unconscious stylization creeps into all of my work, and it is a struggle to keep it subdued.Via Clipmarks
Below is the partially completed work which is achieved largely by using airbrushing techniques. It is NOT a photograph.
