Will Maule

Thursday

Will Maule

10 phrases to banish for good after coronavirus

From our UK edition

1. Flattening the curve No, it’s not some sort of fat-burning home workout (though these have become extremely popular since the quarantine hit). Rather, this is about slowing the spread to reduce the burden on our NHS. A flatter infection curve will save the health service from ruin and mean that, when this thing finally tails off, we can all go out to the pub again and stop worrying about our curves for good. Mine’s a pork pie and a pint. 2. The Wuhan Shake Designed to minimise hand-to-hand contact, these dreadfully awkward gestures have been adopted in business meetings the world over. From serious-looking politicians to sports stars and celebs, everyone’s at it.

Friday

Will Maule

Don’t sacrifice Flybe to the eco-warrior mob

From our UK edition

When I saw droves of carbonistas suggesting that the ailing airline Flybe should be left to nosedive into financial oblivion, I immediately rolled my eyes. Of course an airline that serves people outside of London is falling victim to the city’s woke scaremongers. To millions of people functioning outside of the capital’s bubble, however, travelling from places like Exeter, Belfast, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, and Norwich – Flybe is absolutely vital to their livelihood. Of all the operators to pick an eco-fight with, Flybe is a strange choice. The company’s flagship aircraft, the Dash 8 Q400, utilises ‘turboprop’ technology for thrust, burning 30 per cent less fuel and producing an astonishing 30 to 40 per cent less carbon than normal jets.

Tuesday

Will Maule

Does Jordan Peterson’s carnivore diet work?

From our UK edition

Jordan Peterson has spent much of the past few years eloquently torpedoing all that the liberal progressives hold dear, and he’s not done yet. Citing a profound health transformation, the bolshy Canadian psychologist is now piling into the opinion-saturated arena of diet, and the vegans aren’t happy. But Peterson’s latest revelation is not about culture wars or the eroding of free speech. This is about his own mental health, which has at times been unspeakably grim. Controversial as ever, Peterson is now claiming to have beaten away his regimen of antidepressants through the excessive consumption of a rather more rudimentary substance: meat.

Monday

Will Maule

How a chicken shop was cancelled

From our UK edition

From the moment the popular American fried chicken vendor Chick-fil-A opened its inaugural UK branch in Reading, gay rights activists started mobbing it with complaints and calls for it to close. Why? Well according to Reading Pride who led the campaign, the food outlet's charitable donations to 'anti-LGBT' organisations such as The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and, God forbid, The Salvation Army, was indicative of their unforgivable bigotry. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes are opposed to same-sex relationships and marriage equality, and the campaigners say several charities Chick-fil-A gives money to are hostile to LGBT rights. And so, cancelled they must be.