What does it mean to make someone your proxy?

What is the meaning of proxy?

A proxy is something that acts like a server but it doesn't really have the servers' own resources, or even knowledge of what the server's resources are. For example: You can use a proxy server to access the Internet, but it doesn't know what's in any of the files it's providing to you. This is what Wikipedia says about it: In computing, a proxy server, also known as proxy appliance, intercepts and filters network requests and responses between clients and servers. Proxy servers may be used for any number of reasons, from protecting an individual's privacy by filtering certain Internet content, or ensuring that a certain web site can be reached only by specified individuals, to providing anonymity by letting multiple users connect to the same computer from distinct locations.

A proxy is also useful if one has a computer that's not connected to the Internet at all, such as on a dial-up connection. A connection through a proxy allows access to the world wide web.

One advantage of a web proxy is that a web proxy hides the identity of its users, although many people still object to this feature. A well-known example is that many companies block their employees from accessing websites that they feel contain inappropriate content, or are otherwise offensive to them.

What does it mean to make someone your proxy?

"I have always been attracted to the most extreme positions in terms of political and social issues," says Peter Bergen. "I'd be attracted to a radical feminist or to a reactionary like Piers Morgan." And, he explains, "I don't believe I'm better than those people."

The comedian, who is known for his deadpan delivery, has become a kind of British-Iraqi proxy warbler. He's a stand-up comic with a reputation for going straight for the jugular on subjects that may cause offence or even distress. But it was his appearance in front of the Iraq Inquiry and its chairman, Sir John Chilcott, that brought him public attention at its peak. After he said he wanted to "kill" Tony Blair, and told the inquiry: "I want to kill Tony Blair with a blunt axe," Blair's office called him to ask for an apology.

He says he didn't mean it and, as far as he knows, he hasn't got an axe to grind with the prime minister. "I think Tony's a great guy. There are no axes to grind, though I don't hold it against him for any of the wars, the war against terror or anything." But he has taken part in a TV discussion about the war in which someone commented: "Well, you're not anti-war campaigner" - and was immediately met by a voice from the audience saying: "But he is, actually!"

When you hear his remarks in the context of his previous career, it is clear that the comedian has become his own kind of "proxy". He's not just a stand-up - he's a comedy writer, journalist, actor and producer. He's a documentary maker, who often appears in front of cameras. The former BBC reporter and now presenter of Channel 4's Dispatches, which looks at global news stories, admits he became disillusioned with the mainstream media. "I realised it was a closed shop," he says. "I thought: 'There's no more room at the top.'"

He began working for the BBC instead, but found himself more comfortable in front of the camera than behind it. He says he has been asked why he doesn't just walk away from the media. "I'm still at school. My dad said to me: 'You need to think about being a doctor.