W(h)ither compassion?

Have I Got News For You last night showed a clip of a large and distressed lady being confronted with a pile of yellow lumps of what clearly represented the excess fat content of her body.

It made me wonder when, and how, our society stopped addressing the reasons for problems such as overeating — including depression, shyness, low self-esteem, overwork, worry and stress — in favour of public castigation and humiliation, surely more likely to exacerbate underlying causes.

I didn't sign up to live in a shame culture and I can't see that it has (m)any merits. Perhaps a decade ago we were a little too compassionate, too concerned with root causes, too fluffy-touchy-feely-it's-not-your-fault; but this is too much compensation. Has social compassion withered entirely?

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

The House of Commons' expenses row trundles on, with MPs now complaining that Sir Thomas Legg's claim limits aren't fair, apparently still unable to comprehend that it "wasn't fair" to grab quite so much money in the first place, and to spend it on luxuries and fripperies well beyond the dreams, never mind the grasp, of many taxpayers.

Harriet Harman is quoted as saying that "This is about the reputation, not of one political party, but of the whole of the House of Commons". This is indeed true (despite the inherent hypocrisy, given her own recent failure to obey the law), although, again, any reference to the unfairness on the taxpayer is notably lacking.

The MPs' continuing failure to display any dignity whatsoever, or even to understand that dignity is a requirement of the job, is depressing. It's going to be a long time before they earn back any public respect - and it won't start until they stop behaving like spoilt children.

Arena-sized university classes?

Trinity College, Cambridge, has purchased O2, the arena formerly known as the Millennium Dome. University class sizes are reportedly increasing, but this seems extreme.

Academia: a place of short-term, part-time contracts

Alice Eardley's piece in the Boar, student newpaper of the University of Warwick, details clearly, concisely and with nicely-judged passion the appalling conditions under which many university teachers work.

Long on hours and responsibilities, short on pay, rights, training and opportunities for career evaluation and guidance, office space, formal support and security. In short, no respect — except, thank goodness, from students, the vast majority of whom show their appreciation enthusiastically and are the reason that such teachers battle on.

Vegas

Please, Vegas Casino, understand that if I don't want to join you, sending me 100 simultanous emails is not going to make me change my mind - quite the opposite, in fact.