Roald Dahl’s books are being rewritten. Publisher Puffin has employed sensitivity readers to rewrite Dahl’s books. Words like fat, ugly and female have been removed. For example, “Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now described as ‘enormous’.” Is that much better than fat? To bastardise
What is the oldest uniquely English word? Unsurprisingly, this is a tough nut to crack. After all, English is in many ways a hybrid language, hugely influenced by English history. From invaders (the Danes, Normans and even the Celts) to the invaded (a great many Hindi and Urdu words, from
Jon Miltimore fee.org Jonathan Miltimore is the Managing Editor of FEE.org. (Follow him on Substack.) His writing/reporting has been the subject of articles in TIME magazine, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, and the Star Tribune. Bylines: Newsweek, the Washington Times, MSN.com, the Washington
Last Thursday my inlaws and the rest of the ‘far now’ – turned up at our house. They heard the warnings of Cyclone Gabrielle bearing down on them, decided “stuff this” and fled the Hokianga for more pleasant surroundings: Taieri Plains, the “Capitalist Command Centre” (ie: my house) and normal people.
Clare Davidson Research Associate, Gender and Women’s History Research Centre Australian Catholic University For Valentine’s Day, some couples only roll their eyes at each other in mutual cynicism. The capitalisation of love in the modern world can certainly seem banal. But Valentine’s Day gifts are hardly a
Sarah Cowgill libertynation.com National Columnist at LibertyNation.com. Sarah has been a writer in the political and corporate worlds for over 30 years. As a sought-after speech writer, her clients included CEOs, US senators, congressmen, governors and even a vice president. She’s worked as contributing editor at
We are running yet another fantastic book giveaway for our members. The prizes are three copies of Dr John Robinson’s new book Regaining A Nation; Equality and Democracy. On the 23rd of February, we will give away three copies to three lucky BFD members. We will use an online
Sir Apirana Ngata Sir Apirana Ngata wrote his explanation of the Maori version of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1922, when he was an MP. That was in the days before activists started re-inventing the treaty. The booklet was published and distributed to all Maori families. You can read
Gabriel Andrade mercatornet.com Gabriel Andrade is a university professor originally from Venezuela. He writes about politics, philosophy, history, religion and psychology. Unsurprisingly, Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has aroused some controversy. The series portrays Jeffrey Dahmer, a white American serial killer whose victims were mostly black. It
William Spruance brownstone.org William Spruance is a practicing attorney and a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center. The ideas expressed in the article are entirely his own and not necessarily those of his employer. War benefits Leviathan. Abstract opposition allows leaders to seize power amid the fear of the
Despite the incessant shrieking of the usual suspects, there’s little evidence that the Earth is in the grip of a “Sixth Mass Extinction”. There is, after all, no surer sign that an idea is completely and utterly discredited than Paul Ehrlich promoting it. But there may well be a
John Maunder Groundhog Day, February 2, is a popular tradition in the United States. It is also a legend that traverses many centuries, its origins clouded in the mists of time with ethnic cultures and animals awakening on specific dates. (parts of the following story are from my book “Fifteen
Anyone who uses the imported American phrase “First Nations” in an Australian context is not a person to be taken seriously. Yet, “First Nations” has, in the blink of an eye, become the de rigeur left-media descriptor for Australian Aborigines. Mostly because the Australian left-media are squawking parrots:
For some time now activists, probably incited by this Labour Government’s skewed ideology that social justice and equality for Maori can only be achieved by overriding the principles of democracy, have been, with increasing regularity and intensity, demanding that “Pakeha accept decolonisation”! To investigate decolonisation, we must first understand
We are running yet another fantastic book giveaway for our members. The prizes are three copies of Dr John Robinson’s new book Regaining A Nation; Equality and Democracy. On the 23rd of February, we will give away three copies to three lucky BFD members. We will use an online
