The nearest beach to Leicestershire and BirminghamWarning issued as beach closest to Leicestershire shuts amid health fears So ran a headline in the Leicester Mercury. I wondered where the nearest beach to Leicestershire is. Hunstanton? Skegness? But it is, of course, on Rutland Water. The story is about the brief closure (it was reopened this morning) of the beach at Sykes Lane there because of dangerous levels of blue-green algae. I took these photos some years ago at Whitwell Harbour, which is just along the coast but lacks sand. Secret Birmingham has worked out that Rutland Water has the nearest Blue Flag beach to them too. ... (more) |
Bonus podcast content: politics, football and the moviesThe latest edition of the email newsletter for my podcast, Political Fictions, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: Welcome to the latest email for our podcast, Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the page. Please do spread the word about the podcast to your friends, colleagues and even dastardly rivals who you want to distract from doing something else. Now, on to the proper business of this email which this time is ... (more) |
Council gives update on investigation into former Sheriff of NottinghamFollowing dozens of nominations from oppressed serfs in Sherwood Forest, West Bridgford Wire wins our Headline of the Day Award. (more) |
Tom Arms' World ReviewNATO The NATO summit was a wild diplomatic roller coaster ride. But then, how could it be otherwise with President Donald J. Trump in attendance. Ankara was another example of his negotiating style: Start with the maximalist position delivered in the loudest and most belligerent style and then gradually back away from that and claim a happy agreement which is probably nowhere near the truth. Trump arrived demanding Denmark give him Greenland. If the Danes refused, he would withdraw all US troops from Europe. He also said that the US was ending all trade with Spain because of Prime Minister ... (more) |
Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood: Some Velvet MorningThe most 1967 track of all? More 1967 than David Hemmings Happens? These random paragraphs from a Believer article by Madeleine Watts may explain what is going on: Nancy Sinatra had, until the mid-sixties, been the favorite daughter of her famous father and a mediocre pop singer without a hit. Hazlewood changed that. He wrote "These Boots Are Made For Walking" for Nancy. He wrote "Sugar Town" for Nancy. And he wrote "Some Velvet Morning," a song that Rolling Stone, The Daily Telegraph and other publications have called one of the greatest duets ever recorded. Phaedra is a woman who ... (more) |
Convicted fraudster was introduced as Farage's chief of staffThe Guardian reports that convicted fraudster George Cottrell was routinely introduced as Nigel Farage's chief of staff before the 2024 election despite denials that he had any official role, according to a Reform UK candidate who stood aside for the party leader. The paper says that others who have been closely involved in the party have also claimed Cottrell arranged the Land Rovers that ferried Reform's newly elected MPs to parliament, and that he covered the cost of a fundraising lunch with potential donors before the national vote: Questions about the role of Cottrell - who is a convicted fraudster ... (more) |