International – Page 8 – For the fainthearted . . .

The delightful ordinariness of cricket

A search for diversion from the grimness of the news meant a click on the sports tab on the BBC website. What a moment of delight!

There was coverage of a test match between the West Indies and England, from the Sir Vivian Richards ground in Antigua. England were 48-4. but what matter? Cricket is something much more significant than mere results.

Growing up in Somerset, I remember watching Viv Richards at the County Ground in Taunton. He was a player in a different class.

Somerset were in their golden …

New opportunities for Joe Walker

Fuel prices are rising rapidly and food prices are likely to follow suit, but, as with every crisis, it will be a time of opportunity for some. Life has always been different if you have money in your pocket.

It is said that after the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916, as the rebels from the Royal College of Surgeons were being marched down the street, Constance Gore-Booth, the Countess Markievicz, was offered a lift in his motor car by the commander of the British soldiers. The Countess declined; preferring …

Novel ideas

It was the autumn of 1977 and the purpose of the exercise was unclear to a student in the first term of his A-level studies. A timeline of the history of the novel, it was to show where Jane Austen fitted in our study of English Literature. (It would have been preferable if she had not fitted at all, Emma is the single most boring novel in the history of the English Language, if not in the history of civilisation).

Oddly, some of the titles from the timeline remain in …

Critical eyes

“Why do we need to cross-check?”

“To make sure it’s not wrong.”

“How does cross-checking make sure it’s not wrong?”

“It makes sure the bits fit together, sir.”

“It does indeed,” I thought.

The First Year history class are learning to read history with a critical eye, they are learning to evaluate sources, they are learning to ask why historical accounts may be the way they are.

The skills will probably never be applied to historical research, but they may serve them well in other spheres.

Spheres like the research …

Gender neutral toilets deny the rights of girls

The academy in which I trained had strict rules about students going to the toilets, it was not permitted during lesson times. Staff who wished to release students in contravention of the rules had to find a key for a staff toilet and tell the student to go quickly.

One head of department seemed regularly to break the academy rules. One day, he explained.

“I never refuse a girl’s request to go. I’ll tell you why. I had a Year 8 class one time and it came to break time

…

En suite bathrooms

The six months’ lease on the room finishes at the end of February and the flat lessee wants to return to it. Scrolling through websites, I realised the €950 I have been paying for the room here is probably around €200 above the market rate for the area.

Clicking through various properties, I thought having another room with an ensuite bathroom would be desirable. Getting up at six o’clock each morning, I would not be disturbing anyone. However, “en suite” seemed a term used for bathrooms of varying standards, including …