Latest news with #Horatio
Geek Tyrant
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
David Fincher-Directed Xbox Ad Sees a Rat Rekindle His Humanity Through The Joy of Gaming — GeekTyrant
Xbox released a new commerical titled 'Wake Up' and it was directed by David Fincher and Romain Chassaing. It comes with the tagline, 'Wake up the human side.' The ad is described as 'a wonderfully off-beat fairy tale' and it centers on a rat titled Horatio, who rekindles his humanity through the joy of gaming. 'We follow Horatio through a day in the rat race: a packed commute, the drudgery of the office, a rushed lunch at his desk. The mundanity is interrupted by glimpses of mysterious gamers—the only humans we see amongst the rats. 'After a long day, Horatio powers on his Xbox on his Samsung OLED TV and connects with his friends. A much-needed dose of fun transforms him into the human he always was.' This is a great little Xbox add that I think you'll enjoy.
Daily Mirror
26-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Miles-long deserted beach you often have to yourself is one of UK's best
The great British weather can really test the meaning of 'static caravan'. Our weekend on the Norfolk coast started calmly enough, but a howling hooley came off the North Sea as we bedded down for the night. We rocked and rolled as the storm roared, making our mobile home a little more mobile than we'd expected. But all held firm and, in truth, it was exciting and dramatic to take little peeks at the tempest outside. Do your worst, thunderbolts and lightning, we're safe and sound in our cosy temporary home. It blew itself out by the morning and we woke to find ourselves – mum, dad, two eight-year-olds and the dog – in one of the finest spots in all of England. A five-minute walk that way, over the dunes, takes you to Horsey beach: a huge, almost deserted stretch of sand that goes on and on for miles in either direction. It makes you understand why the citizens of this island nation are magnetically pulled towards the seaside. Our coast is awe-inspiring in its variety and quirkiness and here is one of the better examples. Unknown EU region tempts tourists with beauty and very unusual dishes Bobbing up and down in the surf are grey seals, staring with curiosity back at you, and looking like moustachio'd gents in blubbery wetsuits. We could watch them – and the birds and the waves and the girls digging in the sand and dodging the tide – for hours. We were at Waxham Sands holiday park, a few clicks north of Great Yarmouth, and at the eastern extreme of the fabulous Norfolk Broads, rubbing up along the briny. Lovat Parks has recently taken over a very well-established and well-regarded business here and taken things up a notch, it seems. Our holiday home was a new, luxurious caravan that wanted for nothing, with three bedrooms, a decent kitchen, two shower rooms and very efficient heating. And a telly and wifi. No wonder some people live on site all year round. They pride themselves on making dogs welcome. There are treats and water bowls here and there and even a doggy shower. Your four-legged pal – sometimes made to feel an inconvenience in lesser establishments – is fussed over and loved. Humans get fewer rubs under the chin, but are looked after nonetheless. There's a sort of village green, with a firepit, play area, chairs and tables outside and a covered area in case the weather turns foul (never!). Food vans arrive nearly every night for takeaway grub if you want to escape the caravan facilities. Escape north, south or west and you'll stumble across classy pubs and caffs very soon. We had a great meal five minutes away at the characterful Nelson Head pub, surrounded by Horatio memorabilia (the Royal Navy admiral was from these parts). I reckon the fish had been swimming in the North Sea earlier that morning. We can also recommend Poppylands on Waxham Road with its Second World War theme. In the other direction is the Dunes cafe at Waxham Barn, a magnificent building with an incredible thatched roof. Their food is just as impressive. A little further afield into the Broads, there are classic country pubs and fine dining. And the earthy delights of Great Yarmouth down the road. After the scoff it's time to feed the soul again: paddle in the sea, give the dog a run (seal-restrictions allowing) and do some stopping and staring. And very soon you forget this life full of care... Book the holiday Lovat Holiday Parks offers a three-night self-catering break in a two-bedroom holiday home (sleeps six) at Waxham Sands Holiday Park in North Norfolk from £330 for dates in September.
Telegraph
01-04-2025
- General
- Telegraph
I have no idea what fatherhood is – because I don't know what dads actually do
The days when I was brought breakfast in bed for Mother's Day – half-cooked eggs and what was called a 'salad', a weird combo of cereal and cucumber – are long gone. My children have their own little ones now. And besides: celebrating motherhood would be a good thing if it actually meant something, but it doesn't. You only need to look at social media for proof. What about Father's Day, someone inevitably whinged on X, yesterday. What about it? To be frank, I have no idea about Father's Day because I have no real idea about fathers. What are they for? What do they do? My parents divorced when I was little, so I don't know my father. I have brought up my own children mostly as a single parent and mostly through choice. Before you get all armchair psychotherapist about this, let me tell you that I am not unusual and have had more therapy than you can shake a stick at. The Shakespeare quote 'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy' comes to mind. Fittingly, this is what Hamlet tells Horatio when he goes in search of the ghost of his father. Since the drama Adolescence came out, everyone has become concerned about the 'manosphere', role models and knife crime. Those who study knife crime often talk about 'the blight of fatherlessness' – yet the boy in that series did not come from a fatherless family. So what was the point of his father, then? Where there really is no father, gangs step in as proxy families for some kids, and their mothers often feel absolutely powerless to stop it. I have known single mums relocate to keep their boys away from such malign influence. For all the flak they receive, most single mothers are heroic even though their partners have walked away. Yet there is no great stigma ascribed to men when they leave their children. It happens all the time. We have in this country a deficit of fatherhood. In 2023 there were 3.2 million lone parent families and that figure has risen. One in four families are headed by lone parents and 85 per cent of those lone parents are mothers. Growing up without a father around is thought to cause all sorts of social ills. The child is more likely to have behavioural problems, poor academic results, low self esteem, get involved in drugs or violence and generally have fewer life opportunities. So what is it that fathers do then? If they produce better-adjusted children, why do so many of them not want to do it? Of course, I see good dads all around me but in most couples, it is still the mother who does the vast majority of the childcare. From my own experience, I would say it is much easier to parent as a single mother than to do so in a bad relationship. Yet while there is an ever-punitive attitude to single mothers, men who father children but do not stay with them seem somehow to get off scot-free. Somehow single mothers are still blamed for the lack of suitable male role models for boys.
