Another Futile War or God Bless America by Trevor Plumbly
Living Through World War II I was born in the early years of World War II. Living about 30 miles from London, I can vaguely remember being able to hear the sounds of bombs falling and the whistle of doodlebugs en route to the capital. It was a time of enormous personal suffering for those living in the targeted areas; it was also a time of individual sacrifice, heroics and possibly the last totally unified expression of national pride to grip the British public. As a result, my inherited knowledge of the… Read More
Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp by Angela Caldin
Have you ever wondered, as I have, why the infamous US detention camp is on the island of Cuba in the first place, given that the two nations are enemies? How did the place where the beautiful guantanamera of song originates come to be chosen as the site of the prison for the hundreds of so-called enemy combatants who were picked up by the US in the wake of 9/11? And have you ever wondered why so many of them are still there even though they have been cleared for release? Why… Read More
They’re playing our song. By Trevor Plumbly
As dirge-like and uninspiring as it was, I still remember being obliged to stand for the national anthem which at that time played in British cinemas and theatres at the conclusion of every performance. Generally, those renditions were more dutiful than enthusiastic and kids found it far more uplifting to sneak out the back door than to join in. It seems to me that the problem with national anthems is that some just don’t hit the mark. If we start with England (where else?), ‘God save the Queen’ hardly qualifies as the… Read More
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