This is Northumberland Calling 2 Sept 2022
The Last of the Summer Silly Season edition
Having had the UK August Bank Holiday weekend last weekend, the UK slowly stumbles towards the end of the silly season and resumption of normal news. But first…
It’s fore poorer as golfers cause damage to listed wedding venue. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/golfers-mis-hitting-balls-into-grade-i-listed-wedding-venue-cost-council-20k-tx5r8vdqz
Speaking of golf, the University of St Andrews in an effort to decolonise its curriculum has decided to apologise for golf being imposed on the rest of the world. Whether one objects to this imposition may depend on where your latest drive just landed or how much your other enjoys the game. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/28/stop-paying-universities-teach-rubbish/
Speaking of poor academic ideas -- A major meta analysis of trigger warning data finds that they don’t work and only increase anxiety. https://osf.io/qav9m/
A landmark study shows 25% of UK children being brought up in lone parent households. Families of Asian descent most likely to be headed by a married couple. Black African and Black Caribbean families are 44 % and 57% lone parent households. In white families it is 22%. “The research shows for the first time that family provides a shield from life’s challenges . . . That is why the government needs to prioritise how they can put families at the heart of all of policy decisions.”https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/decline-of-traditional-uk-family-revealed-in-de-souza-report-mfphw7vhl
Snooker engulfed in transgender issues after transwoman who did nothing as a male player wins a tournament. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/snooker/2022/08/31/snooker-engulfed-transgender-row-former-world-no-1-calls-jamie/?li_source=LI&li_medium=li-recommendation-widget
After only mentioning ‘birthing people’ and not women the NSFT Mental Health team gave a rather novel apology. Word choice was apparently down to the number of characters twitter allows and to save space. Woman has five and birthing person 14. Perhaps the person composing the tweet in question was not very good at math.
In the fight for the soul of the Society of Authors, John Boyne, the best selling author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas weighs in about Joanne Harris, the Society’s controversial chairperson, suffering from internet trolling and many other things. His latest, the long waited sequel to The Boy, All the Broken Places, comes out in the UK on 20September. “ “People often say what the trolls want is to destroy people’s careers, but I don’t think it is. I think they actually want you to die. I think they’ve grown up with video games, and their mentality is: ‘If I can get a kill, I can move on up to the next level.’ They’re people without any moral compass whatsoever, and I’m glad to be rid of them.”
Boyne deleted his Twitter account in May this year, on the day that the paperback of The Echo Chamber, his satirical novel about social media (soon to be a television series) was published. Having endured endless death threats and people posting pictures of his Dublin home online, he says that he would not advise any writer in a similar position to look for help from the Society of Authors, the writers’ union, under its controversial current chair, Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat.
“The way she speaks about and treats other writers online – it suggests to me somebody who does not like writers very much. I feel some sympathy for her because I think she’s addicted to Twitter and addicted to publicity – I think she makes David Beckham look like Greta Garbo.” https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/john-boyne-interview-say-trolls-want-destroy-career-think-want/
JK Rowling’s latest Robert Galbraith The Ink Black Heart hit the bookstores this week with a now-predictable denunciation in certain quarters of the internet. Rowling decided to take decisive action against false and slanderous rumours. The tweet thread by LA Times journalist Kathryn Brightbill has now been deleted as per the request. Brightbill has protected her twitter account. https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/bogus-tweet-posted-by-kebrightbill/
https://unherd.com/2022/09/j-k-rowling-sees-through-her-enemies/ is about Rowling’s book whose main victim also had trouble with internet trolls.
Who did tell Meghan Markle about the Mandela comparison with her wedding? Several South African creatives involved in the Lion King Project have different recollections to the Duchess. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/09/01/meghan-markle-lion-king-composer-lebo-m-nelson-mandela/
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may be in London next week, but the Queen is determined to remain in Balmoral. Again recollections as to the precise reason for remaining in Scotland may differ. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/08/31/queen-host-prime-minister-boris-johnson-balmoral/
Liz Truss remains the overwhelming favourite to win the Conservative Leadership election. This Matt cartoon from earlier this week sums up the country’s mood: The good news is the Second World War is over, the bad news is the Conservative Leadership election isn’t.
Latest rumour about Kemi Badenoch is that she will get Education. Although some want her to have DCMS (culture).
Yesterday was the final day of the current football transfer window (next opening in January), various deals were done. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the biggest deal and moved to Chelsea from Barcelona. Man U got Antony from Ajax. Whether they will make much of a difference remains to be seen. Manchester United are playing better (hard to play worse than at the beginning of the season though). https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/09/01/transfer-deadline-day-2022-live-latest-rumours-loans-signings/
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend – with hopefully barbeques, parties and lots of late summer sun.
It’s funny about Megan Markle, too. It seems as if recollections may vary for everyone who comes into contact with her.
TYTY. Got distracted and just now saw this, Ma'am. Per Your usual, it was just *great!*
And You're so *funny too.*
"Whether one objects to this imposition may depend on where your latest drive just landed or how much your other enjoys the game."
I didn't check as many of the links as usual, on account-a I'm going out for my daily constitutional in just a few minutes. But I gotta say! Nice catch on that article no the Unherd. I dunno I'm up to reading a 1000-page mystery. But if I was, this would be the one. I'm only afraid that JKR's giving a nuanced look into the Woke hateful on the 'Net will put me off. I just prefer to look at them as deranged idiots. (Like Oberlin College, if You saw that story yesterday.)
Was sorry to "hear" about UK's problem with single parents. Dunno how bad it is here, but probably worse than there.
Also, can't recall... You're a Man U fan, right? No biggie. Back in a few... And TYTY once again!