ZedVlog

ShortcutsDonald TrumpThe northern put down, which enjoyed popularity in the 90s, made an appearance in parliament this week with regards to the Republican hopeful. But what are the term’s origins, and what does it really mean? Donald Trump will be familiar with most abuse but the latest – “wazzock” – might leave him flummoxed. Northern slang for a stupid or annoying chump, wazzock had its moment in the corridors of power on Monday, when Conservative MP Victoria Atkins told the Westminster Hall debate over whether the Republican presidential candidate should be barred from Britain: “If he met one or two of my constituents in one of the many excellent pubs in my constituency, then they may well tell him he is a wazzock for dealing with this issue in this way. [Read More]

LondonFifty years on, architect Magda Borowiecka explains why she had limited scope in designing Southwyck House More than 50 years after it was designed, Southwyck House still looms over Brixton in south London, drawing fascination and dislike in equal measure. Originally council housing, the giant concrete structure with tiny windows has been likened to a prison and is known locally as the “Barrier Block”. There was speculation after it was completed in 1981 that the people offered housing there did not want to move in because of its harsh facade. [Read More]

Country diaryScotlandCape Wrath, Sutherland: I felt my heart race and the hair on my neck prickle at this disembodied song, so loud, unexpectedWrath is from the old Norse hvarf, meaning turning point, so that’s what we did, altering course from west to south on reaching Robert Stevenson’s lighthouse, tramping down a crumbling road in bright sunshine before striking out across the boggy moor to work our way back to the sea. [Read More]

Jimmy Carter This article is more than 8 years oldJimmy Carter's grandson Jeremy Carter dies at 28 – reportThis article is more than 8 years oldFormer president announced death hours later as he appeared at church to teach regular Sunday school class, Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Former president Jimmy Carter’s 28-year-old grandson, Jeremy, has died, Carter told a church gathering on Sunday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The newspaper said Carter, who two weeks ago said he was cancer-free, appeared at the Maranatha Baptist church to teach his regular Sunday school class and told church members that his grandson had died a few hours before. [Read More]

TheatreReviewHarold Pinter theatre, London Josie Rourke’s West End revival of Sam Steiner’s fringe hit really lifts when the show’s starry duo drop their romcom routine Does a revival of Sam Steiner’s 2015 fringe sensation about a state-imposed “hush law” which limits our spoken word count resonate differently today, and on a West End stage? For some in our age of 24/7 online over-sharing, more quietude might sound like a utopia rather than the dystopia it is here, although the play is as much about resistance as it is about language. [Read More]

Experimental musicReview(Kranky) Full of alarms, arrhythmic pulses and deep bass, Hecker’s eerie work feels as if it’s bracing for cataclysm – but is nevertheless rich, warm and inviting The rise of always-on streaming threatens to reduce ambient to a genre of convenience: palliative soundscapes to study and relax to. Tim Hecker has other ideas. Rather than distract or soothe, the veteran laptop composer’s latest reflects our jaundiced reality – full of aural pollution, oil splatter and other nasty stuff. [Read More]

OpinionOscars 2018 This article is more than 5 years oldWhere are all the films about poor Americans?This article is more than 5 years oldStephen PimpareThis year’s Oscars have highlighted the dearth of films that get to the heart of poverty and its causes Buried within the Trump administration’s recent budget was a proposal to sharply cut food stamp funding. In its place would be a box of government-provided foods, a scheme sure to be a boondoggle benefiting only the companies who get contracts to produce and deliver these packages. [Read More]

Jeffrey Epstein in a photo provided by the New York state sex offender registry, on 28 March 2017. Photograph: APJeffrey Epstein in a photo provided by the New York state sex offender registry, on 28 March 2017. Photograph: APJeffrey EpsteinJeffrey Epstein: documents linking associates to sex offender unsealedBill Clinton, Michael Jackson, David Copperfield and Prince Andrew among names contained in court documents Explainer: who was Epstein and what are court documents about? [Read More]