An Oxford theology student and a middle-aged fisher are drawn together despite their many differences in an ambitious first film from Max Morgan This evocative debut feature from Max Morgan is a film of many contrasts. One is the May-December attraction between Otto (Daniel McNamee), a theology student and aspiring violinist, and John (Shaun Paul McGrath), a middle-aged fisher with a shadowy past....
An Oxford theology student and a middle-aged fisher are drawn together despite their many differences in an ambitious first film from Max Morgan This evocative debut feature from Max Morgan is a film of many contrasts. One is the May-December attraction between Otto (Daniel McNamee), a theology student and aspiring violinist, and John (Shaun Paul McGrath), a middle-aged fisher with a shadowy past. The worlds that they inhabit seem poles apart. Compared with the storm-ravaged Suffolk coast that curves around John’s rugged village, the imposing halls of Otto’s college at Oxford are at once grand and isolating. Despite their differences in age, the two men are bound by shared trauma and turmoil: both struggle with their sexuality and the loss of a loved one. The highly textured cinematography renders these inner conflicts strikingly tactile. The camera at times stays uncomfortably close to the main characters, highlighting the gnawing anxiety of not belonging. From the demands of a frustrated girlfriend to the prying gaze of close-minded townsfolk, the film stacks these moments of unease to breaking point. Much emphasis is placed on minute gestures – a panicked gaze, a gentle touch of the hands – to communicate the gradual bonding of two unmoored souls. Continue reading...
Phase Space pilot programme with NHS mental health trust used to calm anxiety around exams, ADHD and home troubles Schools have begun deploying virtual reality to help pupils cope with stress caused by impending exams, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or difficult home lives. All 15 secondary schools in the London borough of Sutton are using VR headsets made by tech firm Phase Space in a p...
Phase Space pilot programme with NHS mental health trust used to calm anxiety around exams, ADHD and home troubles Schools have begun deploying virtual reality to help pupils cope with stress caused by impending exams, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or difficult home lives. All 15 secondary schools in the London borough of Sutton are using VR headsets made by tech firm Phase Space in a pilot in conjunction with the local NHS mental health trust. Continue reading...
Lost anti-fascist Yiddish language songs from World War II will be making their Asian debut this month. Yiddish Glory will be performing in Shanghai, a city where some 18,000 Jewish refugees found shelter from the Nazis, Hong Kong and in South Korea. The project is the brainchild of University of Toronto academic Anna Shternshis, who said Shanghai’s own history gave the choice of venue an extra si...
Lost anti-fascist Yiddish language songs from World War II will be making their Asian debut this month. Yiddish Glory will be performing in Shanghai, a city where some 18,000 Jewish refugees found shelter from the Nazis, Hong Kong and in South Korea. The project is the brainchild of University of Toronto academic Anna Shternshis, who said Shanghai’s own history gave the choice of venue an extra significance, and songwriter and musician Psoy Korolenko. Their performances, which combine live music...
Since Mayor Brandon Scott took office in 2020, he has fixated on a very visible problem in Baltimore: the tens of thousands of vacant homes that dot the city. It’s hard to build new houses when there are so many that sit empty and unused. And the process of tracking down owners, convincing them to sell their vacant properties, and then converting those homes into usable housing supply is a tall ta...
Since Mayor Brandon Scott took office in 2020, he has fixated on a very visible problem in Baltimore: the tens of thousands of vacant homes that dot the city. It’s hard to build new houses when there are so many that sit empty and unused. And the process of tracking down owners, convincing them to sell their vacant properties, and then converting those homes into usable housing supply is a tall task. But in the last few years, the number of vacant homes in Baltimore has dropped from 16,000 to ju
Euro-zone inflation will jump to 2.7% on average this year but return close to the European Central Bank ’s 2% target already next year, according to the institution’s quarterly survey of professional forecasters. Respondents revised up their expectations for 2026 significantly — from 1.8% in the previous round — while they see price gains of 2.1% and 2% in 2027 and 2028. At the same time, they fo...
Euro-zone inflation will jump to 2.7% on average this year but return close to the European Central Bank ’s 2% target already next year, according to the institution’s quarterly survey of professional forecasters. Respondents revised up their expectations for 2026 significantly — from 1.8% in the previous round — while they see price gains of 2.1% and 2% in 2027 and 2028. At the same time, they forecast slightly slower economic growth than before. A separate ECB poll – the corporate telephone survey – concluded that the broader pass-through from higher energy costs due to the Iran war “might be more gradual than in the past” but also warned that things could get worse if the fighting isn’t over soon. The data come after the ECB last Thursday kept interest rates unchanged while signaling that an interest-rate increase will be considered at the next meeting. Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said Friday that such a move will be needed if there’s no significant improvement in the outlook for inflation and growth. While some of his colleagues echoed such comments, others struck a more cautious tone, with Greece’s Yannis Stournaras saying that a risk of a recession is “real” and Finland’s Olli Rehn arguing that there are ” no obvious signs “ yet of war-induced higher inflation becoming entrenched in the economy through higher wages and prices. The ECB’s analysis is now focused on the risk of so-called indirect and second-round effects — such as a buildup of pressure on salaries and a rise in inflation expectations among consumers and companies. The corporate telephone survey said March’s advance in oil prices was being transmitted rapidly to selling prices for most oil-dependent goods and services, but it also highlighted that at least large firms tended to be better hedged against fluctuations in energy prices than in 2022, limiting the impact. If the Middle East war isn’t concluded soon, however, “it was likely to induce supply chain disruption, putting significant fu...