Observer article on the Senegal ferry disaster, focussing on our captain, Aliou Cisse.
The Sunday Times has an article on our superstar striker Clinton Morrison. Superstar in his own mind, that is, for everyone else the jury is very much still out. Reg required.

A.S Byatt, searches for a European identity. (NY Times link)

The Observer has a report on a youngster who was excluded from his inner city London school after a history of being a right little sod, by the look of it. It appears that he was largely left to his own devices thereafter, and was on a very slippery slope. That is until a television company decided to put him in a prestigious public school to see how he got on. Well, it looks like he did very well. Which begs the question, if a bunch of over priveliged chinless wonders can spot his potential, why can't the state system? Given his history, he will have come into contact with dozens of education and welfare professionals, yet no one spotted that he was a bright kid. No one encouraged him to achieve his potential.
I very much doubt that he is unique. The education system has failed and is failing millions of children, simply because they come from poor backgrounds and have the misfortune to attend schools where the prevailing culture is one of boredom and disinterest. It makes your chuffin heart sink. Thousand upon thousand of young lives blighted. Intelligent kids left to live their life on the streets with no hope by the time they are 15. Then we complain about anti social behaviour.
It all reminds me of the Rousseau quote about man being born innately good, but being corrupted by society.
Excerpt from Emile
Stephen Pinker has some interesting and provocative thoughts on human nature.
Why did the chicken cross the road?

I think this stickman fighting game is new, I haven't come across it before anyway. My poor old stickman keeps getting the bejasus belted out of him.

A new Joel Veitch kitten animation.