SwayBlog

Alan BennettInterviewAlan Bennett: ‘I didn’t see the point of coming out'Charlotte HigginsSocialist, royalist, show-off, shy ... in life and in his fiction, Alan Bennett is a bundle of contradictions. He talks about the ‘totalitarian’ Tories, why he doesn’t go to the theatre, and a lifetime of being contrary Alan Bennett, now 81, is as dapper as you like in knitted tie and red-soled grey suede shoes. He still has that schoolboy mop of blond hair, and were it not for a little stiffness as he rises from his chair, and deep veins on his hands, you would take him for a much younger man.

‘Art that reveals a fiercely, joyously living culture’ … a Nuxalk mask on display at Empowering Art. Photograph: © Pitt Rivers Museum‘Art that reveals a fiercely, joyously living culture’ … a Nuxalk mask on display at Empowering Art. Photograph: © Pitt Rivers MuseumArtReviewSainsbury Centre, Norwich Orca whale totem poles and otter masks feature in this eye-opening exhibition of a culture in which ‘every man was his own Leonardo’ When the artist Simeon Stilthda saw a picture of Egypt’s Great Sphinx in a missionary bible in the 1870s, he carved his own version of it.

Global development This article is more than 10 months oldExtreme poverty could be eradicated globally by 2050 – reportThis article is more than 10 months oldHigher growth should mean stable employment and wages, with low- and middle-income countries seeing biggest improvements The end of extreme poverty may finally be achieved by 2050, spurred by economic growth in low-income countries, according to a new economic forecast. Though the Covid pandemic began to reverse progress in eradicating extreme poverty, and additional challenges will emerge, the damage may have a very limited impact on the overall trajectory of economic growth, according to a Center for Global Development (CGD) report.

NOOKS AND CRANNIESHow many pints in a yard of ale? Andy Laing, Weymouth England Three. But I have also heard of a half-yard, which contained two... Ben Craig, Oxford UK The yard is an old Scottish unit of volume equivalent to about 2.4 pints. The concept has become a bit distorted through the years with two schools of thought: 1. The length of the glass is important (has to be a yard) 2.

Australian actor and playwright Liv Hewson has been building a shortlist in preparation for this moment.Australian actor and playwright Liv Hewson has been building a shortlist in preparation for this moment.The funniest things on the internetCultureWe asked funny people to tell us what gets them giggling when they’re clicking. Liv Hewson gives us a tour through the early 2000s I was in year four in 2005 when YouTube launched. My friends and I were just tentatively buying our first CDs with our own pocket money.

MoviesReviewCallie Khouri’s feminist crime classic is a masterclass in narrative and character development and director Ridley Scott delivers pure action brio Screenwriter Callie Khouri’s desperada road-movie thriller Thelma & Louise is the classic whose Bechdel test credentials go all the way up to the title. Just over 30 years later, it looks punchier, bolder, hotter and sweatier than ever. This is a masterclass in narrative construction and character development and director Ridley Scott puts his pedal to the metal with pure action brio; I always particularly love the shot where the camera lovingly counter-swooshes back along the flank of the Thunderbird while it barrels down the highway, for the pure hell of it.

Hiromi Masuoka (right) and daughter Mocca at Ofuroya in Collingwood, Melbourne. The Japanese bathhouse will shut its doors on 30 December. Photograph: Christopher Hopkins/The GuardianHiromi Masuoka (right) and daughter Mocca at Ofuroya in Collingwood, Melbourne. The Japanese bathhouse will shut its doors on 30 December. Photograph: Christopher Hopkins/The GuardianHealthHiromi Masuoka was told Australians would not cope with ‘the nudity aspect’ of communal bathing. She was determined to stay true to tradition

MoviesReviewResentment and admiration are found in equal measure in this intimate documentary about a brilliantly talented but dysfunctional familyThis intimate documentary centres on Martha Argerich, considered to be one of the greatest classical pianists of her generation, but it’s also a portrait of an unusually talented, bohemian family, with all the expected dysfunctions. Directed by Martha’s youngest daughter, Stephanie, who’s been filming her mother, pianist father Stephen Kovacevich and her two half-sisters since she was a child, this refreshingly honest account looks at the challenges of raising children while pursuing a career as a performing artist, a job that requires hours of practice, months of travel and a degree of self-absorption that extract a heavy price.

Thailand This article is more than 14 years oldBody of murdered yachtsman Malcolm Robertson is found in ThailandThis article is more than 14 years oldThe body of a British yachtsman allegedly murdered by three pirates was found today, the Foreign Office said tonight. Three Burmese migrants have been accused of slitting the throat of Malcolm Robertson and throwing his body overboard when they raided his yacht as he sailed with wife Linda off the Andaman sea coast off Thailand last week.