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Michael Jackson – the sanitised story
The Michael Jackson biopic has attracted acerbic reviews for its portrayal of him as a 20th-century Jesus who, as a child performer is told by his saintly mother, Katherine that he has been gifted with a “special light” from Jehovah. Soon he will become the embodiment of the Bible verse from Matthew, “Suffer little children, … Read more
Israel – what went wrong?
What went wrong in Israel? Professor Omer Bartov was born on a kibbutz, grew up in Tel Aviv and served in the Israel Defence Forces during the Yom Kippur War. He went on to become an expert on the German army and the Holocaust, before turning his attention to his native country. In Israel: What … Read more
Queen Elizabeth – a fixed point in changing world
Tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth 11 on what would have been her 100th birthday evoked rose-coloured memories of steadier times when she seemed the bedrock of the country. Having vowed her life in service at her coronation she ploughed the same furrow for nearly 70 years. Born 21 April 1926 2.40 am London. … Read more
Amanda Knox – fated not to be believed
Amanda Knox for ever associated with the murder of Meredith Kercher though twice found innocent has landed in the UK on a promotional tour for her latest documentary Mouth of the Wolf settling scores with the Italian prosecutor who got it wrong. What is uncomfortable about her story is not only her tone-deafness to … Read more
Desmond Morris – honouring our ancestors
Desmond Morris, zoologist behind bestselling studies of human behaviour from The Naked Ape and popular tv shows like Zootime, has died. He approached humans as just another species, sharing primate lineage, behaviour, rituals and family groupings with other apes and monkeys, calling man a ‘risen ape’ rather than a ‘fallen angel’, and declaring religion ‘a … Read more
Ruby Rose – creative and complicated
Ruby Rose, an Australian actress, television presenter, and model, prominent in Orange Is the New Black and Batwoman has claimed she was sexually assaulted by Katy Perry twenty years ago. Representatives for Perry slammed the allegations as ‘dangerous reckless lies’, adding that Rose ‘has a well-documented history of making serious public allegations on social media … Read more
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Lebanon – collateral damage
Trump blithely announced a ceasefire in Lebanon despite neither Netanyahu or Hezbollah indicating they were in a mood to lay down arms. It was a precondition for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and presumably a platform for Trump to proclaim victory. Israel wants Hezbollah permanently disarmed and Hezbollah wants a withdrawal of all … Read more
Tim Curry – a prolific talent reaches 80
Tim Curry renowned for his breakout role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and subsequent Broadway musical stage productions, followed by a prolific, wide-ranging and award winning career on stage, screen and music, is 80 tomorrow. He was born 19 April 1946 12 noon (from memory) Grappenhall, England, the son of a Methodist Royal Navy … Read more
Paolo Zampolli – model’s boss to global envoy
Paolo Zampolli, a New York socialite and former modelling agent who claimed he introduced Melania to Trump has become a globetrotting White House envoy, cutting deals with J.D.Vance in Hungary to sell nuclear energy and earlier pushing Boeing planes in Uzbekistan. In 1996, Zampolli sponsored Melania’s immigration to the United States via a H-1B … Read more