It wasn’t just luck that steered the Guardian columnist to Oxford and into a media career ... She reflects on the subtle mechanics of class (and an early encounter with a naked future PM)Children know. They breathe it in early, for there’s no unknowing the difference between nannies, cleaners, below-stairs people and the family upstairs. Children are the go-betweens, one foot in each world, and yet they know very well from the earliest age where they belong, where their destiny lies or, to put it crudely, who pays whom. Tiny hands are steeped young in the essence of class and caste. In nursery school, in reception they see the Harry Potter sorting hat at work. They know. And all through school those fine gradations grow clearer, more precise, more consciously knowing, more shaming, more frightening. Good liberal parents teach their children to check their privilege – useful modern phrase – but it swells up like a bubo on the nose. There’s no hiding it.I can summon up the childhood shame at class embarrassments. Aged seven like me, Maureen, with her hair pinned sideways in a pink slide, lived in a pebble-dashed council house by the water tower. They were at the other end of Lindsey, more hamlet than village, half a mile down the road from my father’s pink thatched cottage set in the flat prairie lands of Suffolk, where I spent half my time, the other half in London, shuttling between divorced parents. I envied Maureen for what looked to me like a cheerful large family... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-20 12:00:56 UTC ]
Just like death and taxes, you can usually rely on a Call of Duty game to top the sales charts each year. The various entries in Activision’s warfare simulation franchise have mostly done just that, going all the way back to 2009. This year’s a bit different. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III has... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-01-18 19:16:41 UTC ]
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Investors seemed unimpressed but analysts say even talk of a merger reflects moves to consolidate in a tough market Barbie and Tom Cruise’s Top Gun are planning on getting hitched. Warner Bros Discovery, the Hollywood studio that brought us the Batman, Harry Potter and Barbie films, and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-12-21 17:19:19 UTC ]
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Amazon Web Services (AWS) just kicked off its Las Vegas-based re:Invent conference with a stream of announcements, most of which involve the year’s most popular technology, AI. These news items, taken as a whole, give us a sneak peek at the company’s long-term goals for... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-11-28 20:00:28 UTC ]
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After a series of delays, Hogwarts Legacy is now available for the Nintendo Switch console. The wizardly game was released in February for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, with the PS4 and Xbox One versions following in May. The Switch version was also expected during the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-11-14 19:21:59 UTC ]
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The Sonos Beam has been our top pick for compact soundbars for a while now. It offers a lot in a small package and the second-gen version also supports more immersive Dolby Atmos audio. The Beam doesn’t have any upfiring drivers though, so the impact of that spatial... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-11-09 18:30:45 UTC ]
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Publisher to double dividend after demand grows for books by Sarah J Maas and Samantha ShannonBusiness live – latest updatesThe book publisher Bloomsbury has hit record profits in the first half of the year thanks in part to a boom in fantasy fiction driven by the American author Sarah J Maas,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-26 07:50:43 UTC ]
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Documentary tells story of David Holmes who sustained a spinal injury during filming of The Deathly Hallows: Part 1Daniel Radcliffe has teamed up with his Harry Potter stunt double, who became paralysed after an on-set accident, for an HBO documentary.David Holmes worked closely with Radcliffe... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-25 14:32:27 UTC ]
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In her essay for PW, author Dhonielle Clayton reflects on the perils of publishing a diverse magic school series in the shadow of Harry Potter and its creator. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Veteran actor Michael Gambon, who was known to many for his portrayal of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter films, has died, his publicist said Thursday. He was 82. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-09-28 12:32:43 UTC ]
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The Olivier award-winning actor, whose major film roles included Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series, has died• ‘An actor who let his heart and soul crack open’: David Jays on Michael Gambon• A life in pictures – gallerySir Michael Gambon, whose extraordinary acting career took him from... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-09-28 11:39:05 UTC ]
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If anyone has ever told you Dune is a “tough read,” it would be interesting to see if that same person was able to read an eight‑hundred‑page Stephen King or Harry Potter novel. Although there are dozens and dozens of characters, and various layers of politics, religion, philosophy, and science... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-27 09:40:37 UTC ]
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Studios behind Harry Potter films to undergo 400,000 sq ft expansion by 2027, in boost to struggling industryThe Warner Bros studios behind the Harry Potter film series are to undergo a major expansion, creating 4,000 jobs and providing a boost to Britain’s beleaguered film and TV production... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-09-21 21:30:09 UTC ]
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Actor warns about dangers of artificial intelligence after discovering version of his voice based on Harry Potter audiobooksStephen Fry has issued a warning about the potential dangers of AI, after claiming that a history documentary faked his voice without his knowledge. Speaking at the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-09-20 16:05:11 UTC ]
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Actor, 82, said her new role as an alien in the sci-fi series has made ‘an old woman very happy’Miriam Margolyes will feature in one of the 60th-anniversary episodes of Doctor Who that will air this November, the BBC has announced.Margolyes, 82, who has appeared in Blackadder, Babe and the Harry... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-09-14 18:30:43 UTC ]
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Rare copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone featuring ‘JA Rowling’ typo sold to local museum in OxfordshireThe auction of a rare Harry Potter book found at an Oxfordshire primary school which originally failed to sell has seen a “fairytale ending” as the volume was eventually bought... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-09-08 14:44:47 UTC ]
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is marking its seventh anniversary at London’s Palace Theatre Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2023-07-30 06:50:32 UTC ]
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First edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone bought by UK book collector goes up for auction next weekIt is a book that has certainly lived up to its name: a rare edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone bought for 30p could fetch up to £5,000 at auction.The first novel... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-06-30 09:29:28 UTC ]
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You can get your kid a new e-reader or tablet at a discount from Amazon right now if you're looking to stoke their love of reading or just simply want to get them a new toy. The 8GB Kindle Paperwhite Kids is currently on sale for $90 for Prime members, which is 44 percent off its list price of... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-06-21 10:55:36 UTC ]
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In 1926, with the General Strike looming and the right warning of a Bolshevik revolution, the BBC found itself in a dreadful dilemma. Writer Jack Thorne on why he turned this into ‘a love letter to people in authority’Jack Thorne is a furiously busy scriptwriter and, although he’s celebrated for... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-06-05 07:00:22 UTC ]
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The Harry Potter publisher ascribes its record profits to a hunger for affordable diversion. That’s the magic of booksIn the gloom of a UK economy teetering on the edge of recession, a glittering puff of smoke wafted up last week from the publisher that will for ever be associated with Harry... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-06-04 17:25:05 UTC ]
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