Oxford University has pushed back against allegations that it is restricting freedom of speech. The University issued a statement saying that both the university and its associated colleges hold “hundreds of events each term” and that freedom of speech is “alive and well at Oxford,” with a policy of allowing “difficult views” to be heard. The statement added that although student union had concerns about the activities of the Oxford Union debating society, it would continue to encourage open discussion and dialogue. The remarks followed a letter from former Oxford Union President Nick Gallagher, who said that the union had been barred from last year’s freshers fair because of action by the student union.
An Australian boy has set up his own free library at his home in Melbourne's north-west. Seth Chirau has loaned out part of his collection of 570 books to his neighbours and friends since February, under the venture "A library in Aintree". Orders can be placed online and members can access the service within walking distance from their homes. Membership and borrowing are free, but new members pay a one-time AUD20 ($14) bond that is returned when they leave the group. Wendy Rapee, chair of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, praised Seth's initiative as a "gold-star model".
In his rousing keynote address at The Heritage Foundation’s 50th anniversary gala last month, then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson offered an unexpected piece of advice: “Don’t throw away your hard-copy books.” With their resurrection of poetry recitation requirements, educators in Georgia and Arkansas are protecting that repository in more ways than one, steeping students in a reality they can affirm, trust, and love. Poetry recitation primes children for this firm grasp of reality. The recitation of great works of poetry will reacquaint students with the existence of truth, goodness, and beauty, teaching them what no ideology can, namely how to be at leisure.
Andy Rourke, the bassist of The Smiths, has died at the age of 59 from pancreatic cancer, his former bandmate Johnny Marr announced on Twitter. Marr described Rourke as a kind and beautiful soul and “one of those rare people that absolutely no one doesn’t like”. Rourke joined The Smiths when guitarist Marr invited him to play bass and became known for his playing on the band’s most famous tracks. Following his departure from the band for two weeks after an arrest for suspicion of possession of heroin, he became a bass player for a range of artists, including Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown. Rourke also formed the band Freebass alongside the Stone Roses’ Mani and New Order’s Peter Hook.
Spandau Ballet founding member Martin Kemp has signed a two-book deal with Harper Collins and will publish his debut novel The Game on November 9. The book tells the story of Johnny Klein, a fallen 1980s pop star who has lost everything but is thrown a lifeline by an old contact in the music business. Kemp is a musician and actor who has appeared in films such as The Krays and on television shows including EastEnders, The Road to Saigon and The Masked Singer. He has previously co-written biographies but The Game is his first foray into fiction and the start of a new career as a novelist.
Tomas Rudavskyas, a data scientist, has built a system that aims to predict the future performance of a racehorse by comparing the individual animal’s specific genetics and race history with a database of other horses. Rudavskyas’ Equotion scans and analyses horses that have run in previous races similar to the Zara Tindall-owned To Fly Free, who he believes stands a good chance of winning his maiden at Sandown. In addition to performance data, the Equotion system also processes motion data, assessing the horse’s movement through the race as seen on video footage.
A fictional book called Happy Place by Emily Henry has topped the Hardcover Fiction bestseller list as of May 20, 2023, pushing Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes to second place. The list also includes The Wedding Planner by Danielle Steel, a new book titled The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks, and Simply Lies by David Baldacci. On the Hardcover Non-Fiction list, Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, remained at number one, followed by The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama and Outlive by Peter Attia and Bill Gifford. In the Paperback Fiction list, Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune ranked first, while the Juvenile list sees Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas under the Sea: a Graphic Novel by Dav Pilkey in the top spot. On the Canadian Fiction list, Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune took first place, whereas Outlive by Peter Attia and Bill Gifford remained at the top of the Canadian Non-Fiction list. The Self-Improvement list was topped by The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers. Finally, the Historical Fiction list sees The War Pianist by Mandy Robotham in the first place.
The online warning for the opening show of the summer season at Regent’s Park, Once on this Island, may be off-putting to families, according to a review of the Caribbean-themed production of "The Little Mermaid". Advisories about distressing themes in productions, such as Once on this Island which includes “scenes which some may find upsetting involving racism and racial trauma and sexual abuse”, may discourage spectators according to the review. Lincolnshire's Red Lion Quarter apologised to customers in March after taking the decision to cancel Peter Rabbit's Easter Adventure, which was aimed at families with young children, due to “content and sensitivity issues”.
Lewis Capaldi's second album, entitled “Monster,” features 12 tracks which are big, weepie ballads about relationship struggles as if trying to craft one perfect ballad from the depths of his soul. The album features long, drawn-out minutes of despair, with Capaldi's downbeat lyrics and sorrowful tone making up the majority of the mood of the album. Despite this, Capaldi’s still in his early twenties and is already becoming a major figure within the music industry. Regardless of its content, the album is worth a listen, and Capaldi's talent is undisputed, with electronic touches furthering his balladry.
Love in a Time of Hate by German author Florian Illies examines Europe's bohemian culture of sexual liberation in the 1930s, before the arrival of the Third Reich. As war trauma pushed a generation toward hedonism and polyamory, characters from Sartre to Anaïs Nin explored their sexual freedom, leading to tangled relationships. The book culminates with the emergence of Nazis, as emigration, penury and arrest became the norm. Drawing on a large selection of source material, Illies combines disparate historical strands into a three-volume magnum opus that reads like a pocket miscellany.
Public fallouts between celebrity friends are becoming more common. Recent friend splits include Olivia Wilde and Emily Ratajkowski due to the former seeing the latter kiss her ex-boyfriend Harry Styles in the street in Tokyo. While rumours suggest the Gwyneth Paltrow-Winona Ryder fallout occurred because Paltrow stole the role of Shakespeare in Love from under Ryder’s nose. Another factor causing friend splits can be because one person sees the other as a rival. The Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker rift is thought to be partially down to this.
John Edmunds, a former BBC newsreader, has died at 94. Edmunds was also a university academic and an expert on Shakespeare and French classical drama. He became a television newsreader at the BBC in the 1960s, having previously taught French at Battersea Grammar School. Edmunds was also one of the question masters on the BBC’s quiz show Top of the Form in the 1960s. He was head of drama at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth from 1979 and a professor of drama at the University of the Americas and the University of California from 1985. Following his return to the UK, he acted in stage productions and wrote and read poetry.
Channel 4 has cut ties with the stars of the TV series 'Escape to the Chateau', Dick and Angel Strawbridge, following concerns raised about the couple by production company Two Rivers Media. The couple have made their first social media posts since the news of their departure, instead focusing on product promotions. The Strawbridges denied bullying crew members on set in 2021 after a report showed Ms Strawbridge swearing at a producer.
The online warning for the opening show of the summer season at Regent’s Park, Once on this Island, may be off-putting to families, according to a review of the Caribbean-themed production of "The Little Mermaid". Advisories about distressing themes in productions, such as Once on this Island which includes “scenes which some may find upsetting involving racism and racial trauma and sexual abuse”, may discourage spectators according to the review. Lincolnshire's Red Lion Quarter apologised to customers in March after taking the decision to cancel Peter Rabbit's Easter Adventure, which was aimed at families with young children, due to “content and sensitivity issues”.
British singer Jessie J has announced on Instagram that she has given birth to her first child, a baby boy, and has described the arrival of her son as a “magic” feeling. The “Price Tag” singer had previously been open about the heartache she experienced during a miscarriage just before the start of last year and fans were delighted when she announced her pregnancy online earlier this year. Jessie J, who is dating professional basketball player Chanan Safir Colman but has not revealed the identity of her child’s father, thanked her Instagram followers for their “love and support”.
Actress and singer Auli'i Cravalho, who voiced the lead role in Disney's Moana, has confirmed she will not participate in a forthcoming live-action remake. The 22-year-old actress said casting for the big screen retelling of the animated movie, telling the story of a young woman who sets out to save her people by battling sea monsters and other obstacles, should "accurately represent" the roles. Cravalho is of Native Hawaiian, Irish, Portuguese, Chinese and Puerto Rican descent, whereas Moana was far darker-skinned and described as being of solely Polynesian heritage.
Widowhood can come with a heavy burden, as the loss of a partner affects every aspect of life. Widows and widowers used to be marked out in Western societies, and while the tradition of wearing black and other signifiers has largely faded out, the term still has negative connotations, according to widow Lucy Chambers. In many parts of the world, widows are shunned and left destitute, abused and invisible, while in the West, those who are bereaved can feel invisible in a different way. As grief counsellor Aurora Hammond points out, widows and widowers can feel lost amid a mix of divorced people and those who have never been in a serious relationship. It is a stage in life that is a rite of passage, but no easier for its inevitability, no matter how old you are. Finding another partner can play a big role in the healing process, with some people seeking intimacy and a shared life after their loss.
Adidas has sparked a backlash over its Pride 2023 campaign, which shows male-presenting models wearing women’s swimsuits. Critics argued the sportswear brand was “erasing women” and accused it of “attempting to replace us with male models”. The swimsuits were being marketed under the women’s section of the brand’s website. However, the campaign still won praise, with one commentator stating that while there was a “fine line between free speech and freedom of expression”, the range should be allowed to exist and customers would naturally select according to their values.
Football club Arsenal, which is currently struggling in the Premier League, has adopted a dog called Win to help "connect with people, to be more caring with people, to show love," according to manager Mikel Arteta. The one-year-old chocolate Labrador will live at the club's London Colney training ground and offer morale-boosting support to players and staff. The club is in the midst of a season in which it appears set to miss out on silverware again, but Arteta said the adoption was symbolic and that "her love gives you a different feeling." Win is "one of us," he added.
The Sound Kitchen is a weekly podcast that features music, news, interviews, and quizzes. This week's music included songs by Gustav Czik and Joan Cartwright, Sunnie Paxson, Afrikkanitha, Radha Botofasina, Mimi Johnson, and Freddie Hubbard Kool Jazz All-Stars. The CDs featured on the program can be ordered from the Women in Jazz South Florida website. The podcast will be back next week on May 27.
