Monthly Archives: June 2025

Virgil as Reason: The Noble Pagan and the Soul’s Journey Through Darkness

Virgil, Dante’s guide through Hell and Purgatory, represents natural reason, classical virtue, and the limits of human understanding. This article explores Virgil as a symbol of philosophical clarity, moral insight, and noble limitation, showing how Dante honours reason, even as he insists on the necessity of grace.

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More “AI Damages the Creative Industries” Bollocks: Hysteria, Hype, and Half-Truths

The narrative that artificial intelligence is the Grim Reaper for the creative industries has become so common that you’d think every writer, artist, musician, and filmmaker is moments away from losing their livelihood. Headlines scream about AI-generated content, creative robots, and soulless machines taking over art, leaving human creators out in the cold. But does the hype match the reality? Spoiler: it doesn’t.

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Major Cyber Vendors and Service Providers in the UK

The UK’s cybersecurity sector is home to thousands of providers, ranging from nimble startups and regional MSSPs to global consulting firms and homegrown risk intelligence platforms. While the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) sets the tone for policy and technical guidance, it’s these vendors that translate strategy into services: monitoring networks, managing risk, conducting audits, and responding to breaches in real time.

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Beatrice as Beatitude: Divine Wisdom and the Soul’s Ascent in Dante’s Commedia

Beatrice is more than Dante’s muse; she is the embodiment of divine wisdom, guiding the soul beyond reason to beatific vision. This article examines Beatrice as a theological and philosophical symbol, drawing on Scripture, Thomism, and Marian typology to show how she enables Dante’s ascent toward God.

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Restructuring the West Midlands Growth Company: Reform or Rebrand?

The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) is being restructured into a new Economic Development Vehicle (EDV) by 2026 to focus on investment and strategic delivery. While WMGC claims credit for attracting big business, many local startups, mine included, received no meaningful support. The restructuring is a chance to fix that, but only if the new EDV backs early-stage innovators with funding access, partnerships, and scale-up support. Otherwise, it’s just a rebrand, not reform.

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More Damien Hirst Bollocks: The Hype, the Diamonds, and the Dead Things

Damien Hirst, the enfant terrible of the art world, the man who turned dead animals into million-dollar spectacles and placed a skull encrusted with diamonds at the pinnacle of contemporary art. Critics call him a genius; others see him as the ultimate conman. But one thing’s for sure: Hirst has built an empire of bollocks as big and brash as his installations.

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Cyber as a Cluster: A Critical Review of the Midlands Engine Cyber & Defence Report (April 2025)

Cyber in the West Midlands is no longer just a business activity, it’s a cluster. With the right action, it can become a strategic economic engine. This review critiques the Midlands Engine Cyber & Defence Report (April 2025) and sets out a ten-point plan to make that transformation real. The opportunity is clear. The data is in. Now we must deliver.

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Cyber Across Global Governments: International Cooperation and National Strategies

Cybersecurity has become a pillar of national security, digital economy growth, and global diplomacy. From ransomware attacks on hospitals to interference in democratic elections, governments worldwide now treat cyber threats as matters of statecraft, not just IT hygiene. While national strategies differ, a few shared patterns have emerged: defence of critical infrastructure, capacity building, and international coordination.

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"The Donation of Constantine" – Raphael's workshop

The Empire and the Cross: Dante’s Vision of Universal Rule in De Monarchia

This article explores Dante’s political treatise De Monarchia, in which he argues for a divinely ordained universal empire distinct from the Church. Combining Roman law, Aristotelian philosophy, and Thomistic theology, Dante envisions imperial rule as the necessary foundation for peace, justice, and the fulfilment of humanity’s earthly potential.

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