Courting controversy
FLAT Earthism is on the rise, as basketball superstar Shaquille O鈥橬eal has announced that he too cannot accept the world is round. O鈥橬eal was speaking in defence of Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving and several other NBA players, who revealed their geodesic doubts last month.
would only have to stand on tip toe to see Earth鈥檚 curvature, but he insisted on his podcast: 鈥淚 drive from Florida to California all the time, and it鈥檚 flat to me. I do not go up and down at a 360-degree angle.鈥� Is this Dadaist humour from the courts, or is basketball in the grip of geometric conspiracy theory? We can only surmise that an intervention from the Harlem Globetrotters 鈥� who must surely accept reality 鈥� is needed.
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鈥淒ark chocolate aficionado Mark Ribbands was delighted to find that his bar of Fortnum and Mason鈥檚 Beyond the Abyss contains 鈥渁 minimum of 100% cocoa solids鈥�.鈥�
Call it crafterbirth
A STRANGE pattern is emerging among talent show presenters in the UK, who are adopting a rather visceral approach to motherhood. Last week Feedback heard news of the latest celebrity diet involving small portions of weird, unappetising foods: singer Bo Bruce, host of The Voice UK, revealed she was popping pills containing the dried mincemeat of her own placenta.
Now we discover that the creative use of human remains in interior design goes beyond the decor of the Sawyer clan in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Step forward singer Rochelle Humes, one-time host of The Xtra Factor, who posted a photo on Instagram showing her newborn鈥檚 framed umbilical cord, looped and twisted to make the word 鈥渓ove鈥�. We can only imagine Humes has two more children planned, to complete the trifecta with 鈥渓ive鈥� and 鈥渓augh鈥� frames.
While commending these women鈥檚 dedication to a zero waste lifestyle, Feedback can鈥檛 help feeling that spelling out words in human entrails ought to feature on the r茅sum茅s of TV serial killers rather than TV talent show hosts. Consequently we are moved to warn future entrants to such programmes that when the judges say they want their pound of flesh, they might just mean it.
Surgical spirit
FOR some time, Feedback has been dimly aware of Anthony William, the self-described 鈥渕edical medium鈥� who performs diagnoses and offers alternative treatments with the help of a spirit guide, in lieu of any actual medical qualifications.
This week we find ourselves inexplicably drawn to his website, which offers testimonials from the great and the Goop (as Gwyneth Paltrow鈥檚 mystic lifestyle brand is 鈥� inevitably 鈥� linked to William).
Craig Kallman, CEO of Atlantic Records, declares that 鈥淎nthony is a magician for all my label鈥檚 recording artists, and if he were an album, he would far surpass 罢丑谤颈濒濒别谤鈥�. Feedback imagines that artists signed to Atlantic might be less than thrilled if their healthcare coverage turns out to be administered by a magician; we鈥檙e sure Feedback readers can suggest more apposite album titles.
You must be kidding
A PROMOTIONAL email from Whitsand Bay Hotel has a surprising bonus for those exploring the rugged coastline of Cornwall, informing recipients that 鈥�2 children under the age of 12 are included in this Special offer鈥�. Ian Henderson writes: 鈥淚t turns out you have to take your own.鈥�
Word flow
ON ELEMENTAL spelling, Keith Perring noted that element Tennessine (Ts)would only help 鈥渇orming the plurals of certain slang terms鈥� (11 March).
鈥淚 have to politely disagree鈥� says Danny Shrestha, 鈥渁nd surge forth with Tennessine, Uranium, Nitrogen, Americium and Iodine.鈥�
Dark matter
MEANWHILE, Pete Scamper thinks the versatility provided by elements with symbols that contain more than one letter shouldn鈥檛 be neglected. 鈥淲hen I taught chemistry, I used to challenge my students to identify the foodstuff made from a particular list of elements,鈥� he writes. 鈥淭he list begins promisingly: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, then less probably: cobalt, lanthanum and tellurium鈥�.
Tall ships
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC has turned its lens on that curious migratory species, the cruise ship vacationer, in a profile of the world鈥檚 largest ocean-going resort. But Martin Edwards is left perplexed over the description that The Harmony of the Seas is 鈥渢aller than Mount Rushmore鈥�.
鈥� are only 18 metres tall, which means that the 18 decks need be only one metre each,鈥� he writes. 鈥淏ut if the claim is that the ship is taller than Mount Rushmore itself, then each deck will be close to 100 metres high, and the vessel would be a hazard to aircraft.鈥�
On the plus side, if it鈥檚 raining on the lower decks, Martin says it may be sunny on the upper deck, if a bit cold for swimming.
High times
STARTING at the back of New 杏吧原创 鈥� as we鈥檙e certain all connoisseurs of the magazine do 鈥� Matthew Campbell then moves leftward to the lighter material.
鈥淚 was disturbed to discover there that 鈥楩eedback is one of six behavioural addiction factors鈥�,鈥� he writes (4 March). 鈥淒o you think I should go cold turkey on New 杏吧原创?鈥� Sounds unappetising, Mat 鈥� and Feedback is worried this means our column falls foul of the Psychoactive Substances Act.