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16 March 2022

This England: They don’t know beans

This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, refers to the whole of Britain – has run in the NS since 1934.

By New Statesman

They don’t know beans

Nearly one in three kids think fruit and veg grows on supermarket shelves, a study has found. Almost a quarter could not identify a lettuce and over a third did not know what a green bean was. Five per cent could not identify a potato.

Sainsbury’s polled 2,000 kids aged five to 13 and their parents. A fifth of mums and dads could not identify a courgette.
Daily Mirror
(Amanda Welles)

[See also: This England: Story of my life]

Better late than never

A plaque celebrating 32 women priests ordained at Bristol Cathedral is to be replaced 28 years after the event. The original plaque only names the cathedral’s male bishop and dean who performed the ceremony in 1994 and doesn’t mention the women’s names.
Bristol Post
(Vin Arthey)

[See also: This England: Flight of fancy]

More than a feeling

A pig’s grunts, oinks and squeals can reveal its emotions, a study has found. Using thousands of recordings gathered throughout the lives of pigs, a team of researchers is the first in the world to translate pig grunts into actual emotions.
Yorkshire Post
(Michael Meadowcroft)

[See also: This England: Attack of the clones]

Along for the ride

A man stunned police when he told them he had driven without a licence for 52 years. The police team confirmed the vehicle had been seized. Addressing the driver’s admission, they added: “It’s apparently OK though as the driver only narrowly failed his driving test in 1970.”
BBC East Midlands
(Daragh Brady)

Each printed entry receives a £5 book token. Entries to comp@newstatesman.co.uk or on a postcard to This England.

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This article appears in the 16 Mar 2022 issue of the New Statesman, Russia’s War Goes Global