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De blanke Nederlandse oikofoob Erik van der Maas, bekend van (nog opzoeken, red.), heeft de OCW taalgids van kaft tot kaft gelezen, kent die van binnen en van buiten en vindt, anders dan zijn eigen VVD-staatssecretaris, wel aardig om bepaalde woorden te wissen en anderen het ook te verwijten als ze die woorden gebruiken. In een debat met Martin Bosma probeert Van der Maas een deugdunk te scoren door hardop te janken over de woorden die de oud-Kamervoorzitter gebruikt. Hij bezigde namelijk 'Forum-termen' als 'blanke Nederlander' en 'oikofobie'. Zeer Normale Nederlandse Woorden. Maar die gaan deze VVD'er veel te ver. Van deze VVD'er mogen we straks alleen nog maar het woord 'BITTERBAL' in de mond nemen. En oké, dan noemen we de ontzettend kleinzielige bitterbal Erik van der Maas toch gewoon een ontzettend kleinzielige bitterbal, met z'n kleine bitterballetjes.
The party stalwart’s blistering attack is not just a problem for the prime minister – it makes the task of a successor far harder
John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary on Thursday morning was genuinely shocking. Mr Healey is not just a veteran minister, but a Labour loyalist who previously served both Tony Blair and Jeremy Corbyn. In an interview in March, he observed that he didn’t toil to rebuild confidence in Labour “just to see that wasted with internal chatter and commentary”.
Now he has maximised external chatter with a withering denunciation of the prime minister and chancellor. In his resignation letter, Mr Healey said that Sir Keir Starmer was “unable” and the Treasury “unwilling” to provide the budget needed to protect the UK – forcing him to make decisions that increased the risk to personnel and could make the country less safe. Having spent years rebuilding Labour’s credibility on national security, he appears to be demolishing it, weeks before Sir Keir faces a Nato summit. Doubtless he feels the damage was done by the repeated failure to publish the defence investment plan (DIP) – originally due last autumn – or match the armed forces’ expectations.
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Continue reading...Long-abandoned formats such as cassettes and VHS tapes are finding new life as consumers seek a digital detox
Ten years after the last video recorder manufacturer ceased production, the first straight-to-video movie for two decades – This Is How the World Ends – was released this month. The resurgence of vinyl began long ago; sales are at their highest level for over 30 years. But record buyers enthuse about the warmth of their sound and the generous visual expanse of album covers. In contrast, the new movie is shot in HD; the director acknowledges that those watching it on video will see a cropped, fuzzier image. The point of the exercise – beyond creating a buzz – lies not in the inherent qualities of VHS, but the effect of its rarity on the viewer.
When everything is available in high definition with one swipe of your screen, cumbersome physical formats that must be hunted down appear both nostalgically inviting and strikingly fresh. Last year, Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl was released in multiple physical formats, including cassette and CD – technically digital, but also enjoying a revival thanks to its retro feel. The title track of her previous album, The Tortured Poets Department, mocked a lover’s attachment to his typewriter, notoriously favoured by hipsters.
Continue reading...Manager says team must ‘live up to the trust’ on rest days
German suggests Bellingham may play as a ‘free role’ No 9
Thomas Tuchel is confident that his England players will not abuse his trust, as he granted them time off with few strings attached at the end of their pre-World Cup training camp in Florida.
The manager said he was happy for them to do whatever they wanted – as long as it did not involve air travel – before they fly on Saturday to Kansas City, their base for the tournament. Tuchel oversaw a training game against the amateur club Miami United in Palm Beach Gardens on Thursday before giving the players the rest of the day and Friday off.
Continue reading...First ever global mapping of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi shows scale of hyphal systems that sustain plant life
Our planet’s soils contain enough of the subterranean fungi that sustain plant life and help regulate the climate to stretch from the Earth to the sun almost three-quarters of a billion times, a groundbreaking new study has found.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are networks of tubular cells called hyphae that sustain life on Earth by forming critical partnerships with more than 70% of plants. The networks, which have been forming for about 475 million years, provide nutrients and water in exchange for the carbon produced by the plants, and help to regulate the climate by drawing carbon into soils.
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Kimi Antonelli admits that "this year so far [I'm] not doubting myself", as the Mercedes driver heads to the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on the crest of a wave after five wins on the bounce.