Santa 2
The Spectator
Thursday
Smell 2
‘Eurgh — you smell like a chimney.’
100 years of Pyrex, processed cheese and nudes in movies
Marking a century Some things which celebrate their 100th birthday in 2015: 3-D films The first was shown at the Astor Theater in New York on 10 June, featuring the Niagara Falls. Nude scenes in films Audrey Munson played an artist’s model in Inspiration, a film by George Foster Platt released by the Mutual Film
Spectator letters: RT replies, Bristol bristles, and Ross Clark doesn’t (yet) eat his hat
Moscow writing Sir: After months of lamentations from western politicians and officials about losing the ‘information war’ to Russia, a former executive editor of Radio Free Europe tries to paint everything Russia Today does in terms of a ‘propaganda’ campaign (‘Moscow calling’, 6 December). If RT is not inherently bad, it is a wolf in
Portrait of the year | 11 December 2014
January Floods covered 28,000 acres of the Somerset Levels. Ukip suspended an Oxfordshire councillor for saying floods were God’s punishment for legalising same-sex marriage. An Afghan was granted asylum because he had become an atheist. Fallujah fell to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (Isis). Half a million fled fighting in South Sudan. Cannabis
Why do the Liberal Democrats see the over-65s as a “time bomb”?
We are living longer, healthier and more prosperous lives than ever — it’s one of the greatest advances of our time, and yet our politicians prefer to see it as a disaster. ‘We are facing a time bomb,’ says the Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb, a health minister. He presents the numbers as if we are supposed
Books and arts – 11 December 2014
The Spectator at war: Fighting for peace
From President Wilson’s Message, The Spectator, 12 December 1915: We quite agree that it is the greatness and glory of America to be the true friend of all nations, to “threaten none, covet the possession of none, and desire the overthrow of none.” No ideal could be higher or better worth preserving. We also are
Tanya Gold went on to marry the person she had her worst date with, Jack Whitehall didn’t
Tanya Gold Food columnist My worst date was with the man who is now my husband. It was in February 1994, and we were both freshers at Oxford. He took me to see Schindler’s List. Schindler’s List is not really a date movie, even if its score does feature on The Most Relaxing Classical Album
The transvestite, the fat cyclist and the woman from Chest Monthly: writers’ tales of weird dates
Toby Young Status anxiety columnist About 15 years ago, when I was single and living in New York, I acquired what I can only describe as a stalker. A woman took exception to a newspaper article I’d written and started bombarding me with emails. For about a year, she sent me three or four emails
From the archives | 11 December 2014
From ‘The Vantage Point of Peace’, a leading article in the Spectator of 26 December 1914: We are not going to write a Christmas article on palm boughs and olive branches and the Angel of Peace. Not only is there no peace in sight for the world at the moment, but any talk of peace before our enemies
The answers | 11 December 2014
So they say 1. President François Hollande of France 2. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, of Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister 3. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, during the winter floods 4. President Barack Obama of the United States 5. Sir Elton John, on gay marriage for clergy 6. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as
Wednesday
Toby Young and Taki reveal their strangest date
Toby Young Status anxiety columnist About 15 years ago, when I was single and living in New York, I acquired what I can only describe as a stalker. A woman took exception to a newspaper article I’d written and started bombarding me with emails. For about a year, she sent me three or four emails
The Spectator at war: Blood and water
From News of the Week, The Spectator, 12 December 1914: An incident connected with the naval action off the Falkland Islands which has touched us deeply, and which we are sure will touch the whole of our countrymen, has been the chorus of delight—no other phrase will do—with which the victory has been received in America.
Monday
The Spectator at war: Revenge on the seas
From News of the Week, The Spectator, 12 December 1914: The week has been a week of good news. Last in order but first in importance comes the naval victory off the Falkland Islands. No summary of this news can better the Admiralty’s own report, which is splendid in its terseness and reticence:— “At 7.30
Sunday
The Spectator at war: The honourable spy
From The Honourable Spy, The Spectator, 5 December 1914: Decency is violated by the military spy when he becomes, for instance, a naturalized subject of a foreign Power only to betray his adopted country. No such charge of dishonour can be brought against the German spy Lody who was shot at the Tower. He spied,
Saturday
The Spectator at war: Censorship and mystification
From The Policy of Mystification, The Spectator, 5 December 1914: Let us say that we have not ourselves suffered from the Censorship at all. We have never submitted, and have never been asked to submit, any article to the Press Bureau. Such censorship as has been exercised in our columns has been the purely voluntary
Friday
The Spectator at war: Military timetables
From News of the Week, The Spectator, 5 December 1914: Friday’s Times contains extracts from an interview with Lord Kitchener, published in the Saturday Evening Post— a weekly newspaper with a large circulation in all parts of the United States. Nothing could be better than the passage in which Lord Kitchener dealt with the action of the
Thursday
Camouflage 2
‘Nice camouflage pants.’
Monster
‘And finally, gentlemen, as a nod towards the environmentalists among you, he’s been entirely locally sourced.’