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Friday, August 28, 2020

Who Was Alexandre Dumas? Google Doodle Celebrates Author of The Three Musketeers


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French author Alexandre Dumas, who wrote the iconic novels The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, is being celebrated in a Google Doodle.

To mark the anniversary of the publication of the first instalment of The Count of Monte Cristo (or: Le Comte de Monte Cristo), Google will include an visual representation of the novel’s story within the artwork.

The Count of Monte Cristo was published serially over two years, beginning on 28 August 1884, in the Parisian newspaper Les Journal des Débats (The Journal of Debates).

Dumas was born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie in Villers-Cotterêts, France, in 1802. He would later assume the surname of his paternal grandmother Marie-Césette Dumas, a woman of African descent and a slave in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti).

Before becoming a novelist, Dumas found success as a playwright when he moved to Paris in 1822. In the 1840s, he would win particular renown for his swashbuckling adventure stories, of which The Three Musketeers is the most enduringly beloved.

In writing his adventure novels, Dumas drew on the experiences of his father, General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, who enjoyed a prestigious career in the French military.

Dumas remains one of the most-read French authors of all time, and his books have been translated into more than 100 different languages.

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Thursday, August 27, 2020

Citriodiol-Based Spray Can Help Protect Against Covid-19, Says MoD Lab


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A naturally derived mosquito repellent that was given to British soldiers in April is effective at providing protection against Covid-19, defence scientists have said.

But it is unclear whether the spray would make any practical difference beyond frequent hand-washing and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers and personal protective equipment in insulating against the virus.

The Ministry of Defence released an eight-page paper from the Porton Down-based Defence Science and Technology Lab (DSTL), which tested the efficacy of Mosi-guard, a Citriodiol-based spray, on plastic and artificial skin.

Jeremy Quin, a junior defence minister, said the research found that sprays containing Citriodiol “can kill the virus”.

DSTL was more cautious. In the key test, the lab said there was “some loss of recoverable virus” on synthetic latex skin an hour after it had been treated with Mosi-guard. However, some virus was still recoverable over a four-hour period.

Citriodiol sprays were made available to the army in the early phases of the Covid-19 crisis because they were known to kill other strains of coronavirus such as Sars.

The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said they were issued on the basis that they would do no harm and could form an additional layer of protection. It is not known how many soldiers have used the spray.

Citriodiol is derived from the oil of Eucalyptus citriodora, or lemon eucalyptus, and is marketed as an alternative to Deet. Mosi-guard is supplied by a small Leeds-based company, Citrefine.

Quin invited others to take forward the DSTL’s research, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Google Toasts Sculptor Barbara Hepworth With New Doodle

 


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To mark the anniversary of English artist Barbara Hepworth’s 1939 move to the coastal town of St. Ives in Cornwall, where she would set up a studio and live for nearly 40 years, Google has released an animated doodle of the sculptor at work on one of her celebrated abstract sculptures. Hepworth, who died in 1975, is widely considered one of the most important and prolific modernist sculptors, having gained international fame for dynamic works that often examine duality and balance.

Today, Hepworth’s legacy remains significant in St. Ives, where Tate maintains the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. The institution is located on the site of Trewyn studio, where Hepworth lived and worked.

The artist once wrote, “Finding Trewyn studio was a sort of magic. Here was a studio, a yard and garden where I could work in open air and space.”

Born in 1903 in Wakefield, England, Hepworth attended the Royal College of Art in London from 1921 to 1924. One of her contemporaries was the sculptor Henry Moore, with whom Hepworth maintained a friendship throughout her life. Though she remains best known for her sculptures, Hepworth also created drawings and paintings—one of her most storied series in those mediums focused on hospital scenes in postwar Britain.

During her career, Hepworth exhibited at institutions across the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States. She represented Britain at the 1950 Venice Biennale and won the Grand Prix at the 1959 Bienal de São Paulo. In 2015, her work was the subject of a retrospective that opened at Tate Britain in London and traveled to the Kröller-Müller Museum and Arp Museum in Germany.

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Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Manchester Shooting: Families in Plea to Find Lockdown Party Killer

 


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The families of two men shot dead at a Manchester lockdown party have pleaded for help to find their killer.

Abayomi Ajose, 36 and Cheriff Tall, 21, were murdered at the Moss Side party in the early hours of 21 June.

Their families have now written open letters to the community appealing for help. Mr Tall's mother Suwaidu said losing her son had left her "broken".

Mr Abayomi's wife Lola says "every day is a painful reminder" of how much she and their three children "miss him".

The victims, who did not know each other, were killed at the party, off Caythorne Street, shortly before 01:00 BST and died in hospital.

In her letter, Mr Tall's mother said: "Since my boy's murder, I have stopped living and am only existing.

"The pain I feel and our family feels knowing we won't hear his voice as he comes through the door or see him again is sometimes too much to bear."

She added: "To the people protecting and hiding these cowards, what would you do if it was your son, your brother, your husband? Please do the right thing."

Mr Abayomi's wife Lola said of his killer: "You have destroyed families and taken the life of an extremely hard working, well-loved man."

A 32-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of murder after the shootings has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

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Monday, August 24, 2020

Greater Manchester Police Officer Bitten on Arm in 'Appalling' Attack

 


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A police officer needed hospital treatment after being bitten on the arm as she tried to stop a row.

The officer and a colleague had attempted to calm an "aggressive" confrontation between two women in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, on Saturday.

One offender "refused to let go" after the biting the policewoman, who had to "forcibly pull her arm" from her mouth.

The other woman "kicked out" when officers intervened, police said.

Both women, aged 40, were arrested on suspicion of assault of an emergency services worker and remain in custody.

'Particularly appalling'
Greater Manchester Police, which issued a graphic image of bite marks on the policewoman's arm, said three of its officers were attacked over the weekend.

The other two officers were attacked when they stopped a break-in attempt in Stockport.

A 27-year-old suspect tried to avoid arrest by biting one officer and attempting to strangle the other, the force said.

He was Tasered and taken to hospital as a precaution before being arrested on suspicion of two counts of assault on an emergency worker.

Neither of the two police officers required hospital treatment.

Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey said the bite attack had been "particularly appalling", and the officer had been badly bitten "simply for trying to defuse an altercation"

"It is saddening to have to reflect upon another weekend where our hard-working officers have been assaulted during the course of their duties," he said.

"Thankfully, none of the officers involved suffered any lasting, serious injuries and I wish them well as they return to duty."

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Friday, August 21, 2020

Cuties: Netflix Drops Promotional Poster After Controversy

 

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Netflix has removed a promotional image which showed girls posing in skimpy outfits in a new film called Cuties.

The poster for the French drama, along with a trailer, had sparked online disapproval and a petition calling for Netflix to drop it.

The award-winning drama follows an 11-year-old who joins a dance group. Its maker says it is meant to tackle the issue of sexualisation of young girls.

Netflix said it was "deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork".

The streaming giant also said the original poster was not an accurate representation of the film.

The image, together with the movie's name and suggestive dance sequences, initially triggered an online outrage.

A petition claiming it "sexualizes an 11-year-old for the viewing pleasure of paedophiles" attracted 25,000 signatures in less than 24 hours

But director Maimouna Doucouré has explained that the story aims to highlight how social media pushes girls to mimic sexualised imagery without fully understanding what lies behind it or the dangers involved.

'Urgent debate'
She has said she decided to explore the topic after being shocked at seeing a group of girls aged around 11 dancing in a sensual way in revealing clothes.

"I saw that some very young girls were followed by 400,000 people on social media and I tried to understand why," she told CineEuropa.

"There were no particular reasons, besides the fact that they had posted sexy or at least revealing pictures: that is what had brought them this 'fame.'

"Today, the sexier and the more objectified a woman is, the more value she has in the eyes of social media. And when you're 11, you don't really understand all these mechanisms, but you tend to mimic, to do the same thing as others in order to get a similar result.

"I think it is urgent that we talk about it, that a debate be had on the subject."

Cuties follows 11-year-old Amy, from Senegal, who is torn between her family's traditional, conservative lifestyle, and the escape offered by free-spirited neighbour Angelica and her dance gang.

It earned Franco-Senegalese film-maker Doucouré the world cinema dramatic directing award at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

It has just been released in French cinemas under its original name Mignonnes.

It is not a Netflix original and will arrive on the platform next month. Many people on social media criticised the depictions.

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Thursday, August 20, 2020

Manchester Attack: Hashem Abedi Refuses to Face Victims' Relatives

 


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The brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi refused to leave his cell as a court heard emotional testimony from bereaved relatives.

Hashem Abedi is due to be sentenced for the murder of 22 people in the 2017 terror attack.

At a two-day court hearing, family members of some of those killed have told of the impact of their loss.

One bereaved mother told the Old Bailey Abedi's "horrendous act of cowardice changed our lives forever".

The 23-year-old worked with his brother to source materials used in the "sudden and lethal" blast which injured hundreds at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017.

During the hearing, parents broke down in tears as they recalled the moment they discovered their loved ones had died.

Some held up photos of their children as they paid tribute to them and described the "devastating" effect of their grief.

Others slammed the Abedi brothers, branding them as an "evil" pair who launched a cowardly attack on innocent people.

Lisa Rutherford, whose daughter Chloe was killed at the arena, said the "horrendous act of cowardice changed our lives forever", adding that her loss was a "pain that never leaves us".

It is normal for defendants to be present in court but Abedi - who dismissed his legal team - refused to attend.

Judge Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said he had "no power to direct that force be used to compel him to come into court".

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