Happy weekend to you all. We’ve been pondering some weighty questions in the newsroom this week. Shallots or spring onions? Why is it called a “dead rubber”? Who doesn’t know what a road train is?
We have answers to one of those questions below, and how a couple of 100-unit-a-week drinkers got their booze habits in order. Cheers to that.
1. How a CEO found his dream job driving a road train
“If you’re doing a 300km round trip, the ability to think is wonderful.” – Greg Ross, truck driver
Forget your sea changes and your tree changes. If you really want to get in touch with what matters, says this 72-year-old who called time on corporate life 12 years ago, do it with 480 tonnes of metal, rubber and cargo at your command.
How long will it take to read: Two minutes.
Further reading: The A new start after 60 series has myriad inspiring tales of this ilk.
2. Why is a small pod of orcas ramming boats?
“They’re tremendously powerful, incredibly intelligent, incredibly well organised,” says the British writer Philip Hoare of orcas. Recent evidence backs him up: a pod of them have been ramming vessels in the strait of Gibraltar for three years, with similar behaviour recorded as far afield as Sri Lanka.
Are they inspired by revenge, grief or memory? Emma Beddington investigates.
Reassuring words? “If killer whales wanted to start attacking people, disabling small vessels is a very strange way of going about that,” says the biologist Tom Mustill. “They could just start eating swimmers all over the place.”
How long will it take to read: Four minutes.
3. John McTiernan’s prison takeaways
John McTiernan has some rap sheet. Predator. Die Hard (and its finest sequel). And a 10-month stint in a South Dakota prison after being convicted for lying to the FBI.
The director has kind words for the brightest stars he directed, but is more passionate about the interviews with about 250 inmates he smuggled out of jail: “Their stories were sickening and shocking.”
Notable quote: “There is no Republican party, it is the Confederacy, simply the Confederacy.”
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
4. How to reduce your exposure to microplastics
Here’s a sobering thought: our bodies are now partially plastic. And the reasons for this are everywhere we turn, from bottled spring water to the filters we use on tap water so we don’t have to buy bottled spring water.
Even the experts studying microplastic exposure in homes admit it’s impossible to avoid. But from keeping a clean house to avoiding fruit with unnecessary stickers, “every little action matters”.
Step one: The shedding of plastic is increased when containers are exposed to heat. So if you’ve packed leftovers to eat at work, pour it into a bowl before reheating.
How long will it take to read: Four minutes.
Further reading: Australia generates more single-use plastic waste per capita than any country except Singapore.
5. Two drinkers discuss the merits of moderation
Guardian columnist Adrian Chiles has an off-switch with drinking that he doesn’t have with food. When British comedian John Robins has one drink, “I then drink to exactly the same point every time”.
The pair face off to debate whether alcoholism really exists, the keys to successful moderation – and when it is time to get off the drink for good.
How long will it take to read: Four minutes.
Further reading: Enter the wonderful world of Adrian Chiles for bountiful headline gold, including My biggest surprise of the week? I have a naked lookalike – and he is making a fortune on OnlyFans.
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