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Joan Hannington is the latest in a line of delightful on-screen criminals.
I’ve just watched the whole ITV series Joan where Sophie Turner does a wonderful turn in 80s overalls playing the jewel thief and con artist.
Male criminals tend to appear sleazy; Not even Jack Lowden could make bank robber Kenneth Noye attractive in The Gold.
But female characters elevate their bad behavior to glamorous and manipulative skill, usually fooling dumb men who can’t see past the sexy character in front of them.
Pictured: Sophie Turner as Joan Hannington in ITV’s new jewel thief drama.
“Joan Hannington is the latest in a line of delightful on-screen criminals,” says Alexandra Shulman
Hannington is a fiery and uncompromising woman in her 20s during the 1980s when the series takes place.
Was a liberal stance on teenage vices a good idea?
Research by the Social Mobility Commission suggests that children from more affluent homes are likely to have drunk alcohol, taken drugs and smoked at a younger age than their less privileged peers.
This is perhaps confirmed by the fact that a well-known treatment center advertises in the magazine of the Old Etonian Association.
But even so, such a survey is unlikely to be too rigorous because children of any background are not known for their accuracy in reporting questionable behavior.
It is a difficult time for any parent when their offspring begins to experiment with various substances. Almost overnight, Haribos and lemonade are replaced by cans of Special Brew, cans of disgusting cocktails and roll-ups.
Like many liberal parents, my son’s father and I adopted a relatively relaxed attitude, hoping that a watchful eye from a distance would keep everything under control.
When our son was 15, we served him a glass of wine at dinner, and while we didn’t encourage him to smoke, we were aware that he and almost all of his friends smoked when they were out of sight. We thought it would be best not to be too strict and end up encouraging you to consider us enemies of fun.
But adolescence is a roller coaster for many parents, as their children discover the excitement of various vices.
Most of my friends followed a similarly lax attitude, but I sometimes wondered if that was the best approach. Should I be stricter and go around more? Should we all have held back more when we knew that kids were buying six-packs of beer at the corner store before going to teenage parties where, in theory, you couldn’t drink?
And what about the girls who drank vodka before they arrived? How much would my and his father’s behavior influence him in the area of smoking and drinking?
All these years later, I can’t say that I think I struck the right balance, but I simply have no idea what it would have been. What I do know is that most of my son’s generation, now in their 20s and 30s, are light smokers and are taking a much more modest approach to alcohol than we did at their age. Or, in fact, I still do.
So maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to give them free rein from the start and get the overindulgence out of their system.
Why Bridget is really behind
Continuing with the theme of better-off children, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s observation that the use of embossed stationery in private schools is a definition of their inherent evil was one of the most extraordinary comments made in the State versus Private debate.
Today, almost all communications are digital. Gone are the days when heavy embossed stationery arrived at the door along with the fee bill.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said: “Our public schools need teachers more than private schools need embossed stationery.”
Complain about the wine that won the day
It’s the little things that count. Last week I was at a hotel to attend a conference event. The tables were immaculately set and we only needed to test the microphones.
As a final request, the event organizer told the hotel representative that she thought it would be best to leave bottles of wine on the table during dinner so that guests could help themselves.
This laissez-faire approach scandalized him. It would seem like a disaster. Wine must be served by staff.
Of course, she said, the decision was up to her, but “we’re a Rosewood,” she proudly stated, “not a Marriott.” The wine, as he desired, was served by the waiters.
When we are reduced to mere numbers
On the way to that talk, I was struck by the similarity between airports and hospitals. Both take control of our destiny, depersonalizing us as soon as we walk through the door. We are mere numbers in their computer systems.
At an airport, you are essentially in the hands of the airline. They can delay your flight, lose your luggage, and leave you wandering around for hours without explanation.
There’s not much you can do in that heartbreaking moment when your suitcase doesn’t show up at the baggage carousel. Even the most powerful characters are reduced to helpless sheep.
And the same goes for hospitals, where patients can easily become helpless and unable to obtain information.
Benedict Cumberbatch seen at the Frieze Art Fair in London on Friday
When I was in the hospital a few months ago, I received exemplary treatment, but I was struck by the difference between the doctors and nurses who took the time to treat me as an individual and those who rushed by, talking over me and refusing to answer any questions. of my questions.
The feeling was reminiscent of waiting in those lines at the boarding gate without knowing what is causing the delay and without any power to influence the outcome.
Benedict, master of the dark arts…
Benedict Cumberbatch and Bianca Jagger are certainly art connoisseurs, but why were they photographed attending London’s Frieze Art Fair wearing dark glasses?
Although sunglasses are a stylish accessory, surely any serious art lover would abandon them when looking at paintings.