Scottish hearts bled last week, and for anyone who felt inclined to sample the viscous body fluid, the taste was unsurprisingly sweet. But on this occasion it had nothing to do with Irn-Bru and Mars Bars, for at stake were some of Scotland’s other prides and joys. Scotland’s berries were under attack from those down south. Tesco, Britain’s biggest supermarket,…
As Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart nears a loan move to Serie A side Torino, the game in his home country sighs and prepares to wish him a muted farewell. Muted not only because Hart’s goalkeeping exploits at the European Championships helped England to an early exit, when the limp wrists he showed against Wales remained limp and…
Storm has set the heavens scowling, Whirling gusty blizzards wild, Now they are like beasts a-growling, Now a-wailing like a child; Now along the brittle thatches They will scud with rustling sound, Now against the window latches Like belated wanderers pound. Our frail hut is glum and sullen, Dim with twilight and with care. Why, dear granny, have you fallen…
Sweden might have a well-deserved reputation in both men’s and women’s football for a resolutely defensive style of play. On the men’s side the strictly organised, reactive system which became a hallmark of Lars Lagerbäck’s tenure barely shifted under his successor Erik Hamrén, and was certainly in full force as they struggled to qualify for Euro 2016 before departing in…
Let’s face it, amid all the brouhaha surrounding Jeremy Corbyn vs. Virgin Trains, you don’t need to think that the Labour leader lied outright or took advantage of the situation to feel your gorge rising in sheer contempt for the man. You already probably didn’t like him, and whether he passed over available seating or scurried at the sight of reserved…
They scored a string of hits on the Billboard Hot 100 as the psychedelic 60s turned into the strung-out 70s, and in their birthplace of Canada they have received the prestigious Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and been inducted into the Music Hall of Fame. But dare to mention today some of The Guess Who’s grand achievements and at best people will reminisce on Lenny…
As the government continues to wage both covert and overt war on the NHS – leading figures in the Cameron and May ministries like Michael Gove, Oliver Letwin, Greg Clark, and Liam Fox have previously called for dismantling the service, much of the year has been spent in a row with junior doctors which forced a series of strikes, and now draft sustainability…
When a fledgling husband’s beloved bride died in a horrific accident just a couple of weeks after their wedding day, he was understandably more than a little distressed. Mangled by a combine harvester when she strayed too far from a summertime picnic, the poor man could barely recognise the body of his dear deceased. She was young and pretty and truly…
Long rain of May, The whole world is A single sheet of paper Under the clouds. Circa 1675. Hokku from the haikai no renga (comic linked verse) of Nishiyama Sōin, Ihara Saikaku, and followers of the Danrin school. Translation by Nobuyuki Yuasa.
At a meeting on Wednesday, the German cabinet approved a new strategy for civil defence. While the details are yet to be made public, a report on Sunday in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung revealed that as part of the strategy, citizens will be encouraged to prepare for a catastrophe or crisis by stockpiling food, water, and other supplies. The new…
