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| From Suicide Squad to Corbyn and Labour – catch up on our live look at the week | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 4.31pm BST | |
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| Thanks everyone | |
| Sarah Marsh | |
| Some really great debate below the line today – thanks to everyone who has taken part, and please to share suggestions for how this format can be made better. A form awaits your views here. | |
| Finally, please enjoy this photo of a dog sleeping in the sun, shared as part of our Witness asking for your pictures in the sun. Hope everyone will shortly be out and about in it. Great weekends everyone. | |
| 4.11pm BST | 4.11pm BST |
| 16:11 | 16:11 |
| The story behind the village that couldn’t sleep by Lauren Wolfe | The story behind the village that couldn’t sleep by Lauren Wolfe |
| Clare Longrigg | Clare Longrigg |
| Clare Longrigg, deputy editor of the Guardian’s Long Read section, talks about one of her commissions. | Clare Longrigg, deputy editor of the Guardian’s Long Read section, talks about one of her commissions. |
| Lauren Wolfe is an American writer who does a lot of work on women’s rights. She came to us in November 2015, with a pitch for a story about children from a very poor village in eastern Congo who were being systematically abducted and raped – and the authorities seemed incapable of stopping it. Clearly it was a story that needed to be told, plus she had funding to go to the DRC, which obviously helped. | Lauren Wolfe is an American writer who does a lot of work on women’s rights. She came to us in November 2015, with a pitch for a story about children from a very poor village in eastern Congo who were being systematically abducted and raped – and the authorities seemed incapable of stopping it. Clearly it was a story that needed to be told, plus she had funding to go to the DRC, which obviously helped. |
| We spoke and emailed frequently over the following months as she visited the DRC to do the main part of her reporting, talking to the little girls and their families, to doctors, and to investigators about the corruption they were up against. | We spoke and emailed frequently over the following months as she visited the DRC to do the main part of her reporting, talking to the little girls and their families, to doctors, and to investigators about the corruption they were up against. |
| Related: The village where dozens of girls have been raped is still waiting for justice | Lauren Wolfe | Related: The village where dozens of girls have been raped is still waiting for justice | Lauren Wolfe |
| Traumatic as the story was to report, it became even more stressful for Lauren once she was back in the US, as she tried to establish what she could make public without endangering her sources. There was also a long delay before the suspects were arrested, which was a real problem for us, since if there were no arrests, we couldn’t publish. Worse, if there were no arrests, it would mean that the suspects were under protection – so the attacks would continue. | Traumatic as the story was to report, it became even more stressful for Lauren once she was back in the US, as she tried to establish what she could make public without endangering her sources. There was also a long delay before the suspects were arrested, which was a real problem for us, since if there were no arrests, we couldn’t publish. Worse, if there were no arrests, it would mean that the suspects were under protection – so the attacks would continue. |
| In May Lauren decided to move things on by writing an opinion piece for the Guardian, pointing out the scandalous lack of action. The following morning, at 3am New York time, she received an email, saying the suspects were under arrest. | In May Lauren decided to move things on by writing an opinion piece for the Guardian, pointing out the scandalous lack of action. The following morning, at 3am New York time, she received an email, saying the suspects were under arrest. |
| The challenge in editing a piece like this is to pull together a mass of reporting and try to hammer a confusing set of events into a coherent, chronological narrative that reads like a detective story but brings out the humanity of the victims, and gives the reader a powerful sense of what it is like to be on the ground, trying to stop these horrendous crimes against a wall of indifference. | The challenge in editing a piece like this is to pull together a mass of reporting and try to hammer a confusing set of events into a coherent, chronological narrative that reads like a detective story but brings out the humanity of the victims, and gives the reader a powerful sense of what it is like to be on the ground, trying to stop these horrendous crimes against a wall of indifference. |
| The piece we finally produced was a harrowing read, but the heartfelt response on Twitter immediately reinforced our view that it was a story that had to be told. | The piece we finally produced was a harrowing read, but the heartfelt response on Twitter immediately reinforced our view that it was a story that had to be told. |
| 3.45pm BST | 3.45pm BST |
| 15:45 | 15:45 |
| Weird internet throwback of the week | Weird internet throwback of the week |
| Martin Belam | Martin Belam |
| You’ll see lots of people complaining on social media about restrictions around covering the Olympics this year. Unless you’ve paid a squillion dollars for the rights to broadcast it, the IOC are extremely unhappy with people using clips on social media - including the humble gif and the use of Vine. This can be pretty frustrating, especially when one of the most enjoyable bits of watching sport on the second screen can be trying to spot the funny little things that go on in the background. | You’ll see lots of people complaining on social media about restrictions around covering the Olympics this year. Unless you’ve paid a squillion dollars for the rights to broadcast it, the IOC are extremely unhappy with people using clips on social media - including the humble gif and the use of Vine. This can be pretty frustrating, especially when one of the most enjoyable bits of watching sport on the second screen can be trying to spot the funny little things that go on in the background. |
| Still, it is a lot easier than it used to be. The fuss reminded me of when I was working on coverage of the 2004 Athens Olympics. Back in those days, if you wanted to link to the official Olympics site, they requested that you write to “The Internet Department” in Greece in advance to let them know... | Still, it is a lot easier than it used to be. The fuss reminded me of when I was working on coverage of the 2004 Athens Olympics. Back in those days, if you wanted to link to the official Olympics site, they requested that you write to “The Internet Department” in Greece in advance to let them know... |
| 3.43pm BST | 3.43pm BST |
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| NEC wins bid against allowing new members a leadership vote: readers' response | NEC wins bid against allowing new members a leadership vote: readers' response |
| Sarah Marsh | Sarah Marsh |
| Some interesting views being expressed so far. Full story is here. | Some interesting views being expressed so far. Full story is here. |
| From the BBC: | From the BBC: |
| The judgement said: "A member's entitlement to vote in a leadership election is not a product of him or her simply being a member, but is the result of him or her being a member who satisfies the precise eligibility criteria defined by the NEC and any freeze date provisions set by the NEC in the timetable for the election." | The judgement said: "A member's entitlement to vote in a leadership election is not a product of him or her simply being a member, but is the result of him or her being a member who satisfies the precise eligibility criteria defined by the NEC and any freeze date provisions set by the NEC in the timetable for the election." |
| I guess this was always simply about whether a Court could override a decision of Labour's ruling body by upholding breach of contract, i.e. an implied contract to the effect that when the £3.00 was paid it guaranteed a right to vote. It seems that they have decided that the was no breach of contract, and therefore I guess that that's the end unless it can be appealed at a higher Court on the basis now of a breach of human rights. That seems tenuous to me. | I guess this was always simply about whether a Court could override a decision of Labour's ruling body by upholding breach of contract, i.e. an implied contract to the effect that when the £3.00 was paid it guaranteed a right to vote. It seems that they have decided that the was no breach of contract, and therefore I guess that that's the end unless it can be appealed at a higher Court on the basis now of a breach of human rights. That seems tenuous to me. |
| Unbelievable. Labour PLP succeed in banning 130,000 of their members from voting in the leadership election. TAlk about anti-democratic. Utterly utterly disgusted with the Labour party using my membership fees on legal action to ban some of my fellow members from having a vote. | Unbelievable. Labour PLP succeed in banning 130,000 of their members from voting in the leadership election. TAlk about anti-democratic. Utterly utterly disgusted with the Labour party using my membership fees on legal action to ban some of my fellow members from having a vote. |
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| My two favourite social videos this week – by Fred McConnell | My two favourite social videos this week – by Fred McConnell |
| Fred McConnell | Fred McConnell |
| Social video is really a very broad term so we try to keep three words in mind when looking for stories and then designing videos around them: smart, personal, shareable. | Social video is really a very broad term so we try to keep three words in mind when looking for stories and then designing videos around them: smart, personal, shareable. |
| Smart means you learn or understand something without feeling lectured or overwhelmed. Personal means you’re engaged because there’s a familiar emotion or situation, even in a subject that’s completely new or that you’d usually ignore. Shareable means the first two things were true and you want that to be a collective experience. | Smart means you learn or understand something without feeling lectured or overwhelmed. Personal means you’re engaged because there’s a familiar emotion or situation, even in a subject that’s completely new or that you’d usually ignore. Shareable means the first two things were true and you want that to be a collective experience. |
| The design and pace of visuals and audio are also key to keeping your attention – not giving you a second to think about clicking away. | The design and pace of visuals and audio are also key to keeping your attention – not giving you a second to think about clicking away. |
| This week, these two videos worked for me: | This week, these two videos worked for me: |
| 3.13pm BST | 3.13pm BST |
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| What are the most underrated and overrated films? | What are the most underrated and overrated films? |
| Sarah Marsh | Sarah Marsh |
| Great debate going on below the line around this topic. | Great debate going on below the line around this topic. |
| We did this for TV (underrated and overrated shows) - can people suggest some for film? | We did this for TV (underrated and overrated shows) - can people suggest some for film? |
| I would say for underrated:1 Layer Cake2 Stranger than Fiction3 The Darjeeling Limited | I would say for underrated:1 Layer Cake2 Stranger than Fiction3 The Darjeeling Limited |
| Overrated: 1 Shawshank Redemption2 Titanic3 All James Bond | Overrated: 1 Shawshank Redemption2 Titanic3 All James Bond |
| Lord of the rings, never ever understood the fuss. Shawshank, great film, but best of ask time, nah. | Lord of the rings, never ever understood the fuss. Shawshank, great film, but best of ask time, nah. |
| As for underrated. | As for underrated. |
| PrisonersScott pilgrimTriangleHugoOrphanageRed lightsOrphanInsidious | PrisonersScott pilgrimTriangleHugoOrphanageRed lightsOrphanInsidious |
| I'm with John on Titanic. Dreadful. | I'm with John on Titanic. Dreadful. |
| The Normal Heart is a very underrated film, sad without being mawkish and with a good cast including Jim Parsons and Alfred Molina. It was the first time that I had seen Parsons doing something non-comedic, and it showed what a fantastic range the man has. | The Normal Heart is a very underrated film, sad without being mawkish and with a good cast including Jim Parsons and Alfred Molina. It was the first time that I had seen Parsons doing something non-comedic, and it showed what a fantastic range the man has. |
| 2.39pm BST | 2.39pm BST |
| 14:39 | 14:39 |
| The end of Twitter: two views | The end of Twitter: two views |
| Sarah Marsh | Sarah Marsh |
| Readers below the line have been engaging with Martin Belam’s post below on Twitter, and the fact people this week have been using #SaveTwitter – after rumours suggested we may soon see the end of the social media platform. Here are two very different views on this: | Readers below the line have been engaging with Martin Belam’s post below on Twitter, and the fact people this week have been using #SaveTwitter – after rumours suggested we may soon see the end of the social media platform. Here are two very different views on this: |
| I used to think that but more recently I've found it a great place to get other opinions and sometimes to engage. Better than BTL here sometimes! It's interesting for example to follow a bunch of different political scientists or economists and see how they often try and get one over on each other. Academics and other experts can be (often unintentionally) hilarious when they're challenged. | I used to think that but more recently I've found it a great place to get other opinions and sometimes to engage. Better than BTL here sometimes! It's interesting for example to follow a bunch of different political scientists or economists and see how they often try and get one over on each other. Academics and other experts can be (often unintentionally) hilarious when they're challenged. |
| I just getting fed up with Twtterstorm, and Twitter is up in arms headlines.This is journalistic bottom feeding, and I bet half the posters who are up in arms are other journalists.A self perpetuating cycle of indignation and outrage, I go and watch QPR if I want that. | I just getting fed up with Twtterstorm, and Twitter is up in arms headlines.This is journalistic bottom feeding, and I bet half the posters who are up in arms are other journalists.A self perpetuating cycle of indignation and outrage, I go and watch QPR if I want that. |
| 2.26pm BST | 2.26pm BST |
| 14:26 | 14:26 |
| From the writer who said Suicide Squad makes Con Air look inspired | From the writer who said Suicide Squad makes Con Air look inspired |
| Dave Schilling | Dave Schilling |
| Dave Schilling is a Guardian US writer-at-large. He wrote this week about Suicide Squad (drawing comparisons to the film Con Air). Here, he talks about the reaction he got from readers. | Dave Schilling is a Guardian US writer-at-large. He wrote this week about Suicide Squad (drawing comparisons to the film Con Air). Here, he talks about the reaction he got from readers. |
| It would be disingenuous of me to say that I was expecting a vociferous defence of the 1997 action film Con Air, directed by Simon West and starring that guy from the “not the bees” meme. A commenter named “FearAndChaos” said: “Enough of the Con Airophobia please.” “FridayWaits” really went in on me and listed off a few other classics: “Stopped reading when you tried to argue Con Air isn’t a top top film. What are you going to have a pop at next? Bad Boys!? The Rock?” | It would be disingenuous of me to say that I was expecting a vociferous defence of the 1997 action film Con Air, directed by Simon West and starring that guy from the “not the bees” meme. A commenter named “FearAndChaos” said: “Enough of the Con Airophobia please.” “FridayWaits” really went in on me and listed off a few other classics: “Stopped reading when you tried to argue Con Air isn’t a top top film. What are you going to have a pop at next? Bad Boys!? The Rock?” |
| Related: Suicide Squad makes Con Air look inspired. It's time for a blockbuster face-lift | Related: Suicide Squad makes Con Air look inspired. It's time for a blockbuster face-lift |
| I feel a certain misunderstanding here. Con Air is a perfectly fun film, but it’s not high art. What separates it from a film like Suicide Squad is that it is an unabashed B-movie. Outside of the work of Vin Diesel, Hollywood doesn’t make low-brow, silly action fare any more. Nicolas Cage is partly to blame for this, as his turn in The Rock started the trend of celebrated actors taking on schlock parts to class up a genre film. Now, Michael Fassbender can star in a video game adaptation. The blurring of the line between high and low art has rendered everything an amorphous mass of bland mush. Fast 8 can’t get here soon enough. | I feel a certain misunderstanding here. Con Air is a perfectly fun film, but it’s not high art. What separates it from a film like Suicide Squad is that it is an unabashed B-movie. Outside of the work of Vin Diesel, Hollywood doesn’t make low-brow, silly action fare any more. Nicolas Cage is partly to blame for this, as his turn in The Rock started the trend of celebrated actors taking on schlock parts to class up a genre film. Now, Michael Fassbender can star in a video game adaptation. The blurring of the line between high and low art has rendered everything an amorphous mass of bland mush. Fast 8 can’t get here soon enough. |
| 2.17pm BST | 2.17pm BST |
| 14:17 | 14:17 |
| It's sunny so share a picture | It's sunny so share a picture |
| Sarah Marsh | Sarah Marsh |
| It’s almost never sunny, it seems, and this summer has seen its far share of rain so far. So because the sun is out today – and we want to savour it – send us a photo of you enjoying the great outdoors. We will publish our favourites above the line | It’s almost never sunny, it seems, and this summer has seen its far share of rain so far. So because the sun is out today – and we want to savour it – send us a photo of you enjoying the great outdoors. We will publish our favourites above the line |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.18pm BST | at 2.18pm BST |
| 2.00pm BST | 2.00pm BST |
| 14:00 | 14:00 |
| Corbyn – the kind of political leader we need? | Corbyn – the kind of political leader we need? |
| Sarah Marsh | Sarah Marsh |
| Lots of interesting discussion below the line about this that I would like to highlight. There’s clearly two very distinct views. Encourage more discussion below the line. | Lots of interesting discussion below the line about this that I would like to highlight. There’s clearly two very distinct views. Encourage more discussion below the line. |
| One thing I have never understood about Jeremy Corbyn's supporters is that they actually seem to believe that he's a 'nicer, kinder' politician. Just to be clear, I am not saying this simply because I happen not to think he could ever become PM, but because it's quite simply not possible given that no politician who is active at the higher levels of party political hierarchies can afford to be like that. | One thing I have never understood about Jeremy Corbyn's supporters is that they actually seem to believe that he's a 'nicer, kinder' politician. Just to be clear, I am not saying this simply because I happen not to think he could ever become PM, but because it's quite simply not possible given that no politician who is active at the higher levels of party political hierarchies can afford to be like that. |
| Apart from the well-documented stories about the way he snubs and ignores a good many of his present and former shadcab members, he is also involved in a life-or-death struggle to remain as leader. And thus it is that just as his enemies are busy cheming and plotting to bring him down by fair means or foul as I type, Corbyn himself, Milne, McDonnell and his other allies are resorting to the same kind of dirty politics to stymie them. | Apart from the well-documented stories about the way he snubs and ignores a good many of his present and former shadcab members, he is also involved in a life-or-death struggle to remain as leader. And thus it is that just as his enemies are busy cheming and plotting to bring him down by fair means or foul as I type, Corbyn himself, Milne, McDonnell and his other allies are resorting to the same kind of dirty politics to stymie them. |
| Politics at that level is a cruel and dangerous shark-infested environment (seeing as we're on the subject), and one would have to be naive to think that Corbyn is somehow managing to keep his nose clean and play fair. | Politics at that level is a cruel and dangerous shark-infested environment (seeing as we're on the subject), and one would have to be naive to think that Corbyn is somehow managing to keep his nose clean and play fair. |
| Say what you want, I haven't seen him raise an insult against anyone since he became leader. That's kinder and gentler than most other MPs. Whether that means he shouldn't be bitter towards certain people, I don't know; kindness and grudges are not necessarily a disagreement, and I think we all know kind people who have their reasons for not wishing to be around certain other people. | Say what you want, I haven't seen him raise an insult against anyone since he became leader. That's kinder and gentler than most other MPs. Whether that means he shouldn't be bitter towards certain people, I don't know; kindness and grudges are not necessarily a disagreement, and I think we all know kind people who have their reasons for not wishing to be around certain other people. |
| Honestly, ask yourself, would you give time to certain members of your Cabinet if you were him. Knowing that they had briefed against you, deliberately undermined you and were half-openly planning to replace you. It's not even that it's a personal betrayal, if you're elected on a mandate the size of Corbyn's and you see your colleagues acting like that, you probably can't help feeling angry at how they're treating the views of their own party. | Honestly, ask yourself, would you give time to certain members of your Cabinet if you were him. Knowing that they had briefed against you, deliberately undermined you and were half-openly planning to replace you. It's not even that it's a personal betrayal, if you're elected on a mandate the size of Corbyn's and you see your colleagues acting like that, you probably can't help feeling angry at how they're treating the views of their own party. |
| And the argument of "he should work with people who are willing to work with him" falls down here too. He has tried to work with a great many people, and a great many people have briefed against him, implying that they have their own interests at heart when they reach out to him. | And the argument of "he should work with people who are willing to work with him" falls down here too. He has tried to work with a great many people, and a great many people have briefed against him, implying that they have their own interests at heart when they reach out to him. |
| Can you point to me where he hasn't kept his nose clean? Where he hasn't played fair? | Can you point to me where he hasn't kept his nose clean? Where he hasn't played fair? |
| 1.53pm BST | 1.53pm BST |
| 13:53 | 13:53 |
| From 400-year-old sharks to meteors: the week in science | From 400-year-old sharks to meteors: the week in science |
| Tash Reith-Banks | Tash Reith-Banks |
| Tash Reith-Banks is production editor for science. She also writes about theatre, books and music and can be found on Twitter @TashReithBanks | Tash Reith-Banks is production editor for science. She also writes about theatre, books and music and can be found on Twitter @TashReithBanks |
| Not since Jaws has summer featured this much excitement about a shark. We knew that Greenland sharks are quite long-lived, but there’s never been a way to properly determine their age. Not only do scientists think they’ve finally cracked it, they also discovered that one of the sharks measured was around 400 years old, making it the oldest vertebrate animal. Keen shark-spotters don’t need to go all the way to Greenland, however – August is peak basking shark season off Scotland’s West Coast. | Not since Jaws has summer featured this much excitement about a shark. We knew that Greenland sharks are quite long-lived, but there’s never been a way to properly determine their age. Not only do scientists think they’ve finally cracked it, they also discovered that one of the sharks measured was around 400 years old, making it the oldest vertebrate animal. Keen shark-spotters don’t need to go all the way to Greenland, however – August is peak basking shark season off Scotland’s West Coast. |
| Related: 400-year-old Greenland shark is oldest vertebrate animal | Related: 400-year-old Greenland shark is oldest vertebrate animal |
| If sharks don’t float your boat, we’ve had great news this week from the Walk Again Project. A team of scientists hoping to give paraplegic patients more independence found that their experimental rehabilitation regime unexpectedly gave trial participants partial recovery of movement and sensation. | If sharks don’t float your boat, we’ve had great news this week from the Walk Again Project. A team of scientists hoping to give paraplegic patients more independence found that their experimental rehabilitation regime unexpectedly gave trial participants partial recovery of movement and sensation. |
| Related: 'Brain training' technique restores feeling and movement to paraplegic patients | Related: 'Brain training' technique restores feeling and movement to paraplegic patients |
| Northern hemisphere stargazers should keep an eye on the skies as although the Perseid shower reached its peak last night, hopefully there will still be meteors to be seen over the weekend. | Northern hemisphere stargazers should keep an eye on the skies as although the Perseid shower reached its peak last night, hopefully there will still be meteors to be seen over the weekend. |
| We send out a round-up, Lab Notes, every Friday with all of the week’s biggest science stories, plus the best pieces from our expert bloggers, so if you fancy keeping up to date, you can sign up to the email here. | We send out a round-up, Lab Notes, every Friday with all of the week’s biggest science stories, plus the best pieces from our expert bloggers, so if you fancy keeping up to date, you can sign up to the email here. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.53pm BST | at 1.53pm BST |
| 1.42pm BST | 1.42pm BST |
| 13:42 | 13:42 |
| Social media panic of the week | Social media panic of the week |
| Martin Belam | Martin Belam |
| The #SaveTwitter hashtag was trending this week, as users got themselves worked up about a hoax that the service would be shut down next year. It won’t, but the social media frenzy generated some tweets where people seemed worried about the prospect, some tweets from people that definitely weren’t, and a whole mess of confusion. | The #SaveTwitter hashtag was trending this week, as users got themselves worked up about a hoax that the service would be shut down next year. It won’t, but the social media frenzy generated some tweets where people seemed worried about the prospect, some tweets from people that definitely weren’t, and a whole mess of confusion. |
| When you're trying to find out what #SaveTwitter means but every tweet is "OMG WHAT'S HAPPENING #SaveTwitter" pic.twitter.com/dnHq4qDYYC | When you're trying to find out what #SaveTwitter means but every tweet is "OMG WHAT'S HAPPENING #SaveTwitter" pic.twitter.com/dnHq4qDYYC |
| Years hanging out below the line here on the Guardian have taught me that quite a few of you would be very happy to see Twitter – and the “stories” it generates – disappear. And those people will be pleased to see their enthusiasm reflected in a petition to save the service generating all of 19 people in agreement. | Years hanging out below the line here on the Guardian have taught me that quite a few of you would be very happy to see Twitter – and the “stories” it generates – disappear. And those people will be pleased to see their enthusiasm reflected in a petition to save the service generating all of 19 people in agreement. |
| I’m endlessly fascinated by how social media hoaxes grow online though, and if you are too, you’ll probably enjoy this piece from my colleague Elena Cresci, about the Marina Joyce kidnap conspiracy theory. | I’m endlessly fascinated by how social media hoaxes grow online though, and if you are too, you’ll probably enjoy this piece from my colleague Elena Cresci, about the Marina Joyce kidnap conspiracy theory. |
| And, no, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t heard of her before; it’s an enjoyable glimpse into a world where some random people on the internet deciding that something bad must be happening to you can be enough to have the police knocking on your door. | And, no, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t heard of her before; it’s an enjoyable glimpse into a world where some random people on the internet deciding that something bad must be happening to you can be enough to have the police knocking on your door. |
| Related: How it feels to be at the centre of an internet kidnapping conspiracy | Related: How it feels to be at the centre of an internet kidnapping conspiracy |
| 1.10pm BST | 1.10pm BST |
| 13:10 | 13:10 |
| Why does everywhere 'hip' end up looking the same? | Why does everywhere 'hip' end up looking the same? |
| Will Coldwell | Will Coldwell |
| Ever notice that “cool” places all look the same? Last week writer Kyle Chayka explored this phenomenon in an essay in the Verge, describing the way tech-led travel is homogenising what we consider to be the desirable hallmarks of any given destination. “Everywhere you go, seemingly hip, unique spaces have a way of looking the same, whether it’s bars or restaurants, fashion boutiques or shared office spaces,” he wrote in a follow-up piece for the Guardian, describing its key features as “reclaimed wood, Edison bulbs, and refurbished industrial lighting”. | Ever notice that “cool” places all look the same? Last week writer Kyle Chayka explored this phenomenon in an essay in the Verge, describing the way tech-led travel is homogenising what we consider to be the desirable hallmarks of any given destination. “Everywhere you go, seemingly hip, unique spaces have a way of looking the same, whether it’s bars or restaurants, fashion boutiques or shared office spaces,” he wrote in a follow-up piece for the Guardian, describing its key features as “reclaimed wood, Edison bulbs, and refurbished industrial lighting”. |
| Chayka dubs this style “Airspace”. Its function? Making a particularly elite demographic of global travellers feel comfortable and at home as they skip from city to city booking apartments on Airbnb, checking into the local co-working hub and meeting up with fellow “digital nomads” for an ideas jam (or whatever) at the nearest coffee joint. | Chayka dubs this style “Airspace”. Its function? Making a particularly elite demographic of global travellers feel comfortable and at home as they skip from city to city booking apartments on Airbnb, checking into the local co-working hub and meeting up with fellow “digital nomads” for an ideas jam (or whatever) at the nearest coffee joint. |
| It’s a subject I’ve thought about a lot in the past, travelling to different cities for Guardian Travel. While Chayka focuses on the aesthetic of Airspace and the way it has been driven by a group of people who “move through spaces linked by technology”, I’ve always thought more about how the people themselves could be defined. “Hipsters” doesn’t seem to cut it, nor are these simply the “upper classes”. I think it goes beyond the Silicon Valley kids too. A particular class is emerging in the world who aren’t bound by location, and places – particularly cities – are evolving rapidly to accommodate them and their collective tastes. Airspace is a good first step in opening up a critical discussion about who these people are. | It’s a subject I’ve thought about a lot in the past, travelling to different cities for Guardian Travel. While Chayka focuses on the aesthetic of Airspace and the way it has been driven by a group of people who “move through spaces linked by technology”, I’ve always thought more about how the people themselves could be defined. “Hipsters” doesn’t seem to cut it, nor are these simply the “upper classes”. I think it goes beyond the Silicon Valley kids too. A particular class is emerging in the world who aren’t bound by location, and places – particularly cities – are evolving rapidly to accommodate them and their collective tastes. Airspace is a good first step in opening up a critical discussion about who these people are. |
| 12.40pm BST | 12.40pm BST |
| 12:40 | 12:40 |
| Are Corbyn supporters delusional? The best comment and debate below the line | Are Corbyn supporters delusional? The best comment and debate below the line |
| Guardian readers | Guardian readers |
| This week we enjoyed the discussion beneath Ellie Mae O’Hagan’s article on Corbyn supporters. She argued that the Labour leader’s followers are aware of his failings, but he represents a set of values that have been marginalised in politics – and which are worth fighting for. In response you said this: | This week we enjoyed the discussion beneath Ellie Mae O’Hagan’s article on Corbyn supporters. She argued that the Labour leader’s followers are aware of his failings, but he represents a set of values that have been marginalised in politics – and which are worth fighting for. In response you said this: |
| Related: Corbyn supporters are not delusional Leninists but ordinary, fed-up voters | Ellie Mae O’Hagan | Related: Corbyn supporters are not delusional Leninists but ordinary, fed-up voters | Ellie Mae O’Hagan |
| Kipwar | Kipwar |
| Good article, in particular this comment … | Good article, in particular this comment … |
| “But I have zero sympathy with those in the party who have been utterly unwilling to engage with Corbyn supporters” | “But I have zero sympathy with those in the party who have been utterly unwilling to engage with Corbyn supporters” |
| I feel one of the many reasons so many people are up in arms on this forum is the fact that Eagle/Smith supporters are just assuming everyone who supports Corbyn is a stone cold hard lefter. They really need to sit down and reflect on why they are losing voters, and not just since Corbyn. Scotland and the north are abandoning Labour in droves, not because of Corbyn but because of how Labour has acted prior to this. Pretty much the entirety of Labour in Scotland being wiped out was because of his predecessors, not him. | I feel one of the many reasons so many people are up in arms on this forum is the fact that Eagle/Smith supporters are just assuming everyone who supports Corbyn is a stone cold hard lefter. They really need to sit down and reflect on why they are losing voters, and not just since Corbyn. Scotland and the north are abandoning Labour in droves, not because of Corbyn but because of how Labour has acted prior to this. Pretty much the entirety of Labour in Scotland being wiped out was because of his predecessors, not him. |
| This coup has done nothing positive. | This coup has done nothing positive. |
| Robin Wilde | Robin Wilde |
| I know a couple of decent Corbynites. But when they don’t show up to canvassing, and only turn up at meetings when it’s to shout down and roll their eyes at anyone more moderate, and then spend their days leaping on everyone on Twitter, calling me a red Tory, Blairite Scum, on the “far right” for god’s sake, what are we supposed to think of them? | I know a couple of decent Corbynites. But when they don’t show up to canvassing, and only turn up at meetings when it’s to shout down and roll their eyes at anyone more moderate, and then spend their days leaping on everyone on Twitter, calling me a red Tory, Blairite Scum, on the “far right” for god’s sake, what are we supposed to think of them? |
| If we’re dismissive, or angry, or hurt in response to them, it’s not because we hate them personally, it’s out of frustration and deep, lasting despair. I have lost sleep over the past few weeks because of the fact that I’ve lost good Labour friends over the fact that I don’t think the current leader’s very good. | If we’re dismissive, or angry, or hurt in response to them, it’s not because we hate them personally, it’s out of frustration and deep, lasting despair. I have lost sleep over the past few weeks because of the fact that I’ve lost good Labour friends over the fact that I don’t think the current leader’s very good. |
| The party’s hurtling off a cliff, and it doesn’t make it any better that it’s all smiles on the way down. | The party’s hurtling off a cliff, and it doesn’t make it any better that it’s all smiles on the way down. |
| Queequeg7 | Queequeg7 |
| Most of us who support Corbyn do so without any illusions. We simply want a party which reflects our opinions and beliefs, which puts equality and fairness before austerity, which builds homes and an NHS for everyone, which gets rid of tuition fees and tax havens, which put peace and principle before arms sales, which puts the environment before exploitation, which puts rights before wrongs … Labour and Tory have been interchangeable since Blair and look where it’s got us. Corbyn breaks with the consensus. And that’s what’s needed. That’s why we support him. | Most of us who support Corbyn do so without any illusions. We simply want a party which reflects our opinions and beliefs, which puts equality and fairness before austerity, which builds homes and an NHS for everyone, which gets rid of tuition fees and tax havens, which put peace and principle before arms sales, which puts the environment before exploitation, which puts rights before wrongs … Labour and Tory have been interchangeable since Blair and look where it’s got us. Corbyn breaks with the consensus. And that’s what’s needed. That’s why we support him. |
| Obviously it helps that he’s a truthful, kind, decent person … but it’s the politics, stupid. | Obviously it helps that he’s a truthful, kind, decent person … but it’s the politics, stupid. |
| 12.22pm BST | 12.22pm BST |
| 12:22 | 12:22 |
| In search of the perfect grilled cheese | In search of the perfect grilled cheese |
| Dale Berning Sawa | Dale Berning Sawa |
| Food52 – the one website guaranteed to make you hungry, no matter the hour – has just published another of its genius recipes under the headline “Ruth Reichl’s Grilled Cheese is Genius, and Completely Out of Control”. I clicked, because, I mean, of course I clicked: it’s grilled cheese. One clicks. But also, I was intrigued to see if Reichl could better what is ostensibly (according to every single person I’ve met who’s eaten one) the world’s greatest grilled cheese: Bill Oglethorpe’s Borough Market three-cheese toastie. Now I don’t know if the two cooks know each other, but assuming they don’t, the comparison is instructive. Reichl and Oglethorpe both plump for sourdough, cheddar and alliums, all in large quantities (thick slices of bread, mountains of grated cheese, and a medley of different coloured onions, garlic and leek, very finely chopped). And the recipes don’t so much differ as compete. Oglethorpe combines his cheddar with a washed rind and some comté, while Reichl adds both green onion and shallots to her veg. She also really pushes the boat out, adding butter on the inside of the bread, and mayo and extra cheese on the outside, because, as Food52 puts it, “at this point, why not?” Stella McCartney did an interview in October 2009, sitting in a west London cafe eating scrambled eggs on rye. And the only reason I remember this is because of a throwaway line in brackets at the end of the sixth paragraph: “What I really want, what I always really want,” she said, musing on her eggs, “is baked potato and grilled cheese … But then I’d be really fat.” Maybe you would be, I’ve always thought, but oh so very happy every time: grilled cheese – on a baked tattie or spiked with alliums and sandwiched in sourdough – is a true thing of beauty. | Food52 – the one website guaranteed to make you hungry, no matter the hour – has just published another of its genius recipes under the headline “Ruth Reichl’s Grilled Cheese is Genius, and Completely Out of Control”. I clicked, because, I mean, of course I clicked: it’s grilled cheese. One clicks. But also, I was intrigued to see if Reichl could better what is ostensibly (according to every single person I’ve met who’s eaten one) the world’s greatest grilled cheese: Bill Oglethorpe’s Borough Market three-cheese toastie. Now I don’t know if the two cooks know each other, but assuming they don’t, the comparison is instructive. Reichl and Oglethorpe both plump for sourdough, cheddar and alliums, all in large quantities (thick slices of bread, mountains of grated cheese, and a medley of different coloured onions, garlic and leek, very finely chopped). And the recipes don’t so much differ as compete. Oglethorpe combines his cheddar with a washed rind and some comté, while Reichl adds both green onion and shallots to her veg. She also really pushes the boat out, adding butter on the inside of the bread, and mayo and extra cheese on the outside, because, as Food52 puts it, “at this point, why not?” Stella McCartney did an interview in October 2009, sitting in a west London cafe eating scrambled eggs on rye. And the only reason I remember this is because of a throwaway line in brackets at the end of the sixth paragraph: “What I really want, what I always really want,” she said, musing on her eggs, “is baked potato and grilled cheese … But then I’d be really fat.” Maybe you would be, I’ve always thought, but oh so very happy every time: grilled cheese – on a baked tattie or spiked with alliums and sandwiched in sourdough – is a true thing of beauty. |
| 12.05pm BST | 12.05pm BST |
| 12:05 | 12:05 |
| Our most-read this week | Our most-read this week |
| Sarah Marsh | Sarah Marsh |
| Olympics mania has finally hit, evident by our most-read articles this week. Our readers seemed to particularly enjoy our live blog of day five in Rio, detailing Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers winning gold in the 100m freestyle. Olympic swimming also garnered attention for less celebratory reasons – with serious discrepancies in the entry times putting the sport’s credibility in doubt. | Olympics mania has finally hit, evident by our most-read articles this week. Our readers seemed to particularly enjoy our live blog of day five in Rio, detailing Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers winning gold in the 100m freestyle. Olympic swimming also garnered attention for less celebratory reasons – with serious discrepancies in the entry times putting the sport’s credibility in doubt. |
| Related: Rio day five: Australia's Chalmers wins gold as Phelps edges Lochte – as it happened | Related: Rio day five: Australia's Chalmers wins gold as Phelps edges Lochte – as it happened |
| People also wanted to know – why is the Olympic diving pool green? Answers on a postcard please. | People also wanted to know – why is the Olympic diving pool green? Answers on a postcard please. |
| Related: Olympic swimming’s credibility in doubt after questions over entry times | Related: Olympic swimming’s credibility in doubt after questions over entry times |
| Related: Why is the Olympic diving pool green? The good news is it's not urine | Related: Why is the Olympic diving pool green? The good news is it's not urine |
| Now let’s talk politics. Also among our most-read was the news that Jeremy Corbyn and his deputy Tom Watson are locked in a public spat about whether the party risks being taken over by hard left activists who were driven out in the 1980s. | Now let’s talk politics. Also among our most-read was the news that Jeremy Corbyn and his deputy Tom Watson are locked in a public spat about whether the party risks being taken over by hard left activists who were driven out in the 1980s. |
| And no news week would be complete without Donald Trump rearing his (not-so attractive) head. He caused a stir this week after he was accused of making an “assassination threat” against rival Hillary Clinton. | And no news week would be complete without Donald Trump rearing his (not-so attractive) head. He caused a stir this week after he was accused of making an “assassination threat” against rival Hillary Clinton. |
| The Guardian’s Lucia Graves wrote about this (in an article that also featured in our most-read) saying: “This is a new low even for Trump, who’s been accused of inciting general violence and has verbally attacked individuals from Khizr Khan to Rosie O’Donnell. But he’s never seemed to incite it against individuals – until now.” | The Guardian’s Lucia Graves wrote about this (in an article that also featured in our most-read) saying: “This is a new low even for Trump, who’s been accused of inciting general violence and has verbally attacked individuals from Khizr Khan to Rosie O’Donnell. But he’s never seemed to incite it against individuals – until now.” |
| Related: Donald Trump hints at assassination of Hillary Clinton by gun rights supporters | Related: Donald Trump hints at assassination of Hillary Clinton by gun rights supporters |
| Related: This is Donald Trump at his lowest yet: a man hinting at murder | Lucia Graves | Related: This is Donald Trump at his lowest yet: a man hinting at murder | Lucia Graves |
| Share your favourite stories this week in the comments. | Share your favourite stories this week in the comments. |
| 11.58am BST | 11.58am BST |
| 11:58 | 11:58 |
| Welcome to our weekly social | Welcome to our weekly social |
| Sarah Marsh | Sarah Marsh |
| Welcome to our weekly online gathering for our readers to come together to discuss the week’s news and comment, as well as sharing projects and ideas. | Welcome to our weekly online gathering for our readers to come together to discuss the week’s news and comment, as well as sharing projects and ideas. |
| We want to create a community space for our readers to talk to us as well as each other, and your involvement in how this evolves is key, so share ideas here. | We want to create a community space for our readers to talk to us as well as each other, and your involvement in how this evolves is key, so share ideas here. |
| We will update the blog above the line with views from inside the building, including insight from our journalists on articles they’ve worked on. Today we have some lovely stuff lined up, including food writer Dale Berning Sawa on her favourite recipe (hint: it involves cheese) and assistant media editor Jasper Jackson on interviewing Zoella’s manager. | We will update the blog above the line with views from inside the building, including insight from our journalists on articles they’ve worked on. Today we have some lovely stuff lined up, including food writer Dale Berning Sawa on her favourite recipe (hint: it involves cheese) and assistant media editor Jasper Jackson on interviewing Zoella’s manager. |
| Looking forward to hearing what’s on your minds this week. | Looking forward to hearing what’s on your minds this week. |