But modern suburban life is intrinsically inimicable to high levels of political participation, just as Aristotle’s Athens was inimicable to the emancipation of slaves, women and the working poor. If there’s a problem, it’s social more than political.Bowling Alone struck a chord because it had one clever insight. More people go bowling in the US [...]

Tinged with nutmeg, the slightly nutty flavour of the rice married wonderfully with the sweetened milk. It was a fine, grown-up pudding, ambrosial but very far from the glutinous Ambrosia.The reason for my reacquaintance with the unfairly traduced dessert was that I happened to be spending three weeks in Bromley hospital. Contrary to the impression [...]

I, however, was put in the handicapped part of the race, the chelonian section, where all the hard-backed creatures were classed, and among those I came first, to the tremendous cheers of the crowd. Therefore I am a winner and you are not.””Yes, but the fact remains that I came home ahead of you!” said [...]

“Given the opportunity we could play in the cricket World Cup and win,” he said.. Shoaib Akhtar, the “Rawalpindi Express”, has bowled his first ball of the tour, though judging from the excess bulging from beneath his shirt and trousers he is now stopping at all stations. Shoaib Akhtar, the “Rawalpindi Express”, has bowled his [...]

I don’t know what Sky would have done for their final-day coverage because we know the relegated clubs and the top two.” Sky, however, have wisely declined to screen the games live.This was the final match of the season at Anfield and ranked as one of the most dramatic with Michael Owen and Jimmy Floyd [...]

If it stands, the quickest he could return to the international side would be the second game of the 2002 World Cup finals, assuming the Scots qualify. His worst scenario is a wait of up to two years if the Scots finish third or lower in their qualifying group as he would then have to [...]

If there was ever a business founded on, and fed by, good PR, the Pru is it. To sell its products the Pru needs to be seen as whiter than white. As an investment company that has done as much as anyone to push the case for adequate standards of corporate governance, it also has [...]

According to a new survey, a mere 9 per cent of B ritain’s 30,000 architects are women. Research published in the latest edition of the monthly magazine Perspectives on Architecture reveals that at the top of the profession,the dominance of men is even more marked. ARCHITECTURE is one of the last bastions of male elitism. [...]

Felicia was offered a belief in a God, and all that goes with it, in Ireland, and it hasn’t worked, somehow.”She discovers her own view of God, a view that’s completely individual. And the celebrated fact-checkers, who have been known to discover that the cinema in a remote Irish town is called the Stellar not [...]

Being met off the plane by Jean Tigana, fellow-product of the Caillols junior team in Marseille.Low points The club lose faith in him for missing training. Cantona puts his absence down to the sudden death of his pet dog Balrine.The world on Eric “You must be on your guard against his acts of truancy” – [...]