Latest news with #Mayflies
The Herald Scotland
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon book compared to Barack Obama memoir: really?
We are now T-minus 23 days away from the publication of Frankly, Nicola Sturgeon's memoirs, and things are already becoming too silly for words. The [[pub]]lishers have been sending out advance copies to 'friendly' reviewers in the hope of getting some nice words for the cover. I'm not sure Andrew O'Hagan has done himself, or the former First Minister, any favours with his contribution. 'A triumph,' says the author of Mayflies and Caledonian Road. 'Frankly is the most insightful and stylishly open memoir by a politician since Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father.' Sturgeon the new Obama? If only. And what does 'stylishly open' mean? That it's got more holes in it than Rab C Nesbitt's vest? JK Rowling has added to the excitement by offering to review the book for free, as long as newspaper editors don't edit out the swear words. The book's [[pub]]lication was always going to be a three-ring circus (insert tent jokes here). But you might have thought with the Sandie Peggie tribunal going on that some restraint, sensitivity even, was called for. Alas, no. What we got instead was a spectacularly clumsy intervention from former SNP MP and Sturgeon pal Hannah Bardell. Read more The occasion was the newspaper review on BBC Radio Scotland's The Sunday Show, presented by Graham Stewart. What follows is an account of what happened, edited for brevity and my sanity. You know, there were an awful lot of you knows, you know? In the papers was Brian Leishman MP, recently stripped of the Labour whip for serially rebelling, or what one party wag called 'persistent knobheadery'. Bardell said she had 'a lot of respect for Brian' and his principled stands. As an [[SNP]] MP she had been in the fortunate position of agreeing with most of what the party stood for. 'But if you're in the situation where you believe in certain values that your party should hold … and you see it veering off to the right, I think fair play, stay and fight. I know it's a thorn in Keir Starmer's side, but that's the kind of people we need in politics.' Asked if that had worked for Joanna Cherry, Bardell replied: 'Joanna caused a huge amount of upset and distress to a huge number of people, particularly in the trans community. Our party should have been stronger on that… because there are people, vulnerable communities, particularly the trans community, that are facing widespread ostracisation in the media, from very senior people, and Joanna has been one of those. I find that heartbreaking.' This 'stuff', continued Bardell, was having a 'profound impact' on society. 'I think it's the last post of bigotry as well. We would not now discriminate against people because of their race, or their religion, or their sexuality. We used to, but we don't any more. In 15 to 20 years, hopefully sooner, we will look back and say what a shameful thing to have done. Where did we lose our humanity?' Stewart, still taking shots at an open goal, said Nicola Sturgeon had upset a lot of people on the other side of the debate by linking them with 'right-wing bigots'. Was that necessarily helpful language? Bardell: 'I think unfortunately it's true. I don't think it's the case that everybody who is anti-trans is necessarily recognised as a bigot, nor should they be, because there's a lot of misinformation and disinformation out there. But we're in the situation that people are being radicalised. People have become obsessed with folks' genitalia, what's in their pants. Where have we got to? Scotland has been the world over a nation that believed in humanity. We're all Jack (sic) Jock Tamson's bairns according to Robert Burns. We need to get back to those fundamentals.' Dear Lord, where do you even start? Radicalised? Saying people are too stupid to know misinformation and disinformation when they encounter them? A nation obsessed with what's in people's pants? To think Bardell describes herself on LinkedIn as 'a problem solver with excellent negotiation, leadership and communication skills'. Yes, you and Mr Blobby, mate. Ordinarily, Joanna Cherry KC might have been all over Bardell's comments like the pattern on an Orla Kiely bag, but she chose to rise above them, saying on X: 'If I sued everyone who defamed me for standing up for the rights of women & lesbians I wouldn't have time to get on with my life which has improved immeasurably away from the poisonous atmosphere Sturgeon fostered within the SNP". Now there's an example we might all follow as this 'debate' rumbles on, possibly to the Holyrood elections and beyond given the speed at which John Swinney is not moving. That's a long haul and then some. Even then, as with the independence referendum, we will never be completely done with it. Resentments are festering, not healing. In the meantime, the rest of us will keep stumbling on, trying to do the right thing, sometimes getting it wrong like the flawed humans we are, and all the time fearful of being called out by one side or the other. Who wants to live like that? Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall be heading back to 2014, that more innocent time when the most terrifying words you might hear were 'Hello, I'm Jim Murphy.' If that doesn't work I'll be joining the lad from Essex in the 1940s. Rest assured: we'll meet again soon.
Otago Daily Times
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Book ‘in very good hands' for adaptation
Dunedin author and University of Otago Stuart Professor of Scottish studies Liam McIlvanney's latest book The Good Father may soon be turned into a television series. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN What could be worse than your child disappearing? It is a recurring question in Dunedin author Liam McIlvanney's latest book The Good Father, and one that has lured a Bafta award-winning television production company to secure the screen rights to the thriller. The University of Otago Stuart Professor of Scottish studies said he was delighted his book had been optioned by Glasgow-based production company Synchronicity Films. "I'm a big fan of their work. "Their recent production of Andrew O'Hagan's Mayflies was superb. "They have also adapted The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Kiwi novelist Heather Morris and did a brilliant job there. "My book is in very good hands. They are good people as well as top professionals, so I'm thrilled to be working with them." Prof McIlvanney said it was the second time one of his novels had been optioned by a production company. His third novel The Quaker was also optioned in 2018, but it had not yet been translated for screen. The Good Father was about a couple who live an idyllic life in the seaside village of Fairlie, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. The beachside village of Fairlie, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Billed as "gripping and emotionally charged", the story explores the devastating impact of trauma, family secrets and community suspicion when the couple's 7-year-old child goes missing from the beach outside the family's home. "The novel takes a deep emotional dive into the aftermath of the disappearance, and then a couple of dramatic twists lead the father down a path he could barely have imagined at the story's outset." It twists and flits around the question: what could be worse than your child disappearing? "The book has a pretty clear structure and some strong characters, and the setting is pretty photogenic, so I think it will translate well to screen," he said. Despite being the author of the book, he would have very little to do with the production itself. "I'm very happy to leave it to the professionals. "Jacquelin Perske is a phenomenal screenwriter and I'm really excited to see what she does with the novel and where she takes it with her own artistic vision." Synchronicity Films founder and creative director Claire Mundell said the company loved "a brilliant thriller" and Prof McIlvanney's novel "hooked" them from page one. "He's the Scottish Stephen King. "The Good Father is deeply suspenseful and propulsive, whilst asking complex moral and emotional questions: qualities that align perfectly with Synchronicity's passion for adapting bold, compelling and emotionally resonant stories." Prof McIlvanney was a little uncomfortable with the reference to him being "the Scottish Stephen King". "I take that with a pinch of salt. "I don't think I can really claim any comparison with the great Stephen King. "We both write books and we both have an 'i' in our surnames, but that's about it." As for when he thought the production might hit our television screens, he said he had no idea. "That's above my pay grade."
Spectator
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
An unlikely alliance: Drayton and Mackenzie, by Alexander Starritt, reviewed
Alexander Starritt has form with satire. His 2017 debut The Beast skewered the modern tabloid press, drawing comparisons with Evelyn Waugh's Scoop. For his third novel, Drayton and Mackenzie, he is back at it, mercilessly mocking everything from Oxbridge and management consultants to tech bros and new parents in a story that hinges on whether two unlikely friends can make a success of their tidal energy start-up. It's more fun that it sounds. The narrative opens in the early 2000s with James Drayton – someone who gets his kicks by finishing his maths A-level exam in 20 minutes and who finds undergraduate life disappointingly basic. 'He supposed he'd been naive to think of university as concerned with intellect… At this level, Oxford was just an elementary course in information-processing, a training school for Britain's future lawyers, politicians and administrators,' writes Starritt, using the omniscient voice. Lest this seem too obnoxious, James is self-aware enough to realise that finishing his exams so quickly meant 'he would have to leave the exam room alone while the rest of his class stayed inside together'. One of Starritt's many skills is how he ratchets up the poignancy, creating real characters rather than caricatures. The yang to Drayton's yin comes in the form of Roland Mackenzie, an Oxford slacker who scrapes a 2:2. They're at the same college but barely clock each other. Later, when James is the subject of articles and interviews, he will be asked if it's true that they were both in the same rowing boat. 'James didn't notice him at the time.' After Roland takes a gap year or two teaching in India, he somehow winds up at McKinsey, working alongside James. Roland finds it catastrophically boring. 'But even that he quite enjoyed, since the boringness was so authentic, like going to New York and it being just like the movies.' As the duo strike out on their own, seeking to disrupt electricity generation with a scheme to turn tidal power into light, at least initially, Starritt's granular detail over 500-odd pages skirted a similarly fine line between boring me and impressing me with its authenticity. There are even cameos from the central bankers Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi as the world economy tanks, although the step-by-step exposition in these chapters is overkill. What with the emotion of the escalating bromance and making James someone 'who hasn't read a novel since university', Starritt goes all out to hook the same sort of elusive male reader who lapped up Andrew O'Hagan's tear-jerking Mayflies. And good luck to him. He certainly hooked me.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Bugging Ohio! Right now it's midges —what's next!?
CLEVELAND (WJW) – What's bugging Ohio? Well, right now, it's midges! But, bug-fearing northeast Ohioans better buckle up! Summer is just getting underway. Still ahead — cicadas, mayflies, and more! PHOTOS: Ohio insects so close — your eyes will bug. YIKES! Recently, swarms of midges have been spotted on cars, homes, light poles, and just about anything near Lake Erie. Even 'clouds' of the generally harmless insects have been seen flying across the sky. The good news? Midge season typically peaks in late May or early June, which means it'll be over soon. Swarms of noisy cicadas are expected to emerge soon in southwest Ohio. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources reports that the periodical cicadas are a unique group and differ from annual cicadas. Swarms of the bugs can certainly be unsettling for some, but experts emphasize that cicadas are harmless to people and pets. They're expected to emerge when the soil temperature reaches 64 degrees, which typically happens in the second half of May. The insects will remain active for three to four weeks as they search for a mate. CLICK HERE to learn more about what their names implies, Mayflies typically arrive in Northeast Ohio in late June. Communities along Lake Erie are already bracing for the mass arrival of the light-loving insects. Last week, FirstEnergy announced that to help deter the bugs and keep roads safe, streetlights in select communities will be temporarily turned off. In years past, huge swarms of mayflies have been captured on FOX 8 radar arriving on the shores of Lake Erie. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Geek Tyrant
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Trailer For The Drama Thriller Series THE BOMBING OF PAN AM 103 Coming To Netflix and BBC — GeekTyrant
The BBC and Netflix are launching a new drama their series about the Lockerbie bombing, titled The Bombing of Pan Am 103 , and the trailer has been released for it. The series follows what happened after the worst terror attack to take place on British soil 37 years ago. It tells the story of 'the Scots-U.S. investigation into the attack and the devastating effect it had on the small town and the families who lost loved ones. 'From the initial exhaustive search for evidence on the ground in Scotland, via the U.S. and Malta to the trial at Camp Zeist in 2000, the series leads up to the forthcoming new trial in the U.S.' The series comes following Sky and Peacock's series, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth , which was criticized by some of the victims. This new series stars Connor Swindells and Patrick J. Adams along with Merritt Wever ( Unbelievable, Severance ), Peter Mullan ( Ozark, Payback ), Tony Curran ( Mary & George, Mayflies ), Eddie Marsan ( The Power, Ray Donovan ), Nicholas Gleaves ( After The Flood, The Rising ) and Kevin McKidd (Greys Anatomy, Six Four). The project was developed by filmmaker Adam Morane-Griffiths whose research includes extensive interviews with Scottish police officers and representatives from United States investigative agencies, many of whom have never previously shared their stories. The series is now avilable to watch.
