http://blogs.independent.co.uk| Blogs from the Independent newspaper - news, views and features from the world's most free-thinking newspaper| Tue, 22 May 2012 23:01:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2| en hourly 1 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/14/is-there-a-relationship-between-the-decline-of-smoking-and-the-decline-of-profits-at-jp-morgan/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/14/is-there-a-relationship-between-the-decline-of-smoking-and-the-decline-of-profits-at-jp-morgan/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 19:04:59 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=24187 The full version of number 807 in my series of Questions to Which the Answer is No is: I’m reluctant to bring this up again, but is there a relationship between the decline of smoking (pondering things with a cigar) and the decline of profits at JP Morgan on smoke-free Wall Street? Asked by David Hockney, in [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/14/is-there-a-relationship-between-the-decline-of-smoking-and-the-decline-of-profits-at-jp-morgan/feed/ 5 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/13/did-the-elite-use-paris-leylines-to-kill-lady-di/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/13/did-the-elite-use-paris-leylines-to-kill-lady-di/#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 17:09:29 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=24136 I have still not settled on a suitable Question to Which the Answer is No with which to end the selection for The Book of the Blog Series. The above, number 805, is very good, spotted by Stuart Ritchie, but as he says David Icke forums are easy pickings. Meanwhile, in a different part of the internet, [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/13/did-the-elite-use-paris-leylines-to-kill-lady-di/feed/ 3 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/12/are-dads-the-new-moms/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/12/are-dads-the-new-moms/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 15:17:34 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=24123 I have just finished the first draft of my book, Questions to Which the Answer is No, which collects the best of the 801 examples from newspapers and new media that I have listed on this blog since 2009. There was one thing missing, though. I have listed the questions in chronological order, in the hope [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/12/are-dads-the-new-moms/feed/ 5 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/11/tony-blair-will-he-become-the-antichrist-of-prophecy/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/11/tony-blair-will-he-become-the-antichrist-of-prophecy/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 20:41:33 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=24114 I haven’t watched this YouTube clip (pictured), but it asks number 799 in my series of Questions to Which the Answer is No, although a similar question has been asked before. Meanwhile, Live Science asks number 800: ‘Jackie’ the Ripper: Was the Infamous Serial Killer a Woman? Thanks to Nick Stanton. As the Independent on Sunday’s Katie Price correspondent, [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/11/tony-blair-will-he-become-the-antichrist-of-prophecy/feed/ 12 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/01/whom-do-the-voters-really-want-thats-nice/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/01/whom-do-the-voters-really-want-thats-nice/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 20:45:45 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=23754 Fifteen years ago today Tony Blair won the first of three elections. To mark this momentous anniversary, a few things. 1. The man himself has been interviewed by China Daily TV. The story is here, and the video is here, which I do recommend for the interviewer (pictured), who is wonderful. A couple of times he [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/01/whom-do-the-voters-really-want-thats-nice/feed/ 5 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/26/should-your-dog-be-watching-tv/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/26/should-your-dog-be-watching-tv/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:15:30 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=23606 Lovely Question to Which the Answer is No asked by The New York Times. Number 796 in my series. Thanks to Emily Purser. And here comes another, asked by The Atlantic: Are Indie Movies Getting Too Pretty? (Something to do with high definition pictures.) Number 797. We have done this one before (slightly different wording about robots I think), but [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/26/should-your-dog-be-watching-tv/feed/ 2 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/23/was-einstein-the-worlds-worst-husband/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/23/was-einstein-the-worlds-worst-husband/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:16:25 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=23493 Tom Watson MP is waiting for me to write my “must do better” article about David Cameron, now that Ed Miliband has slumped to an eight-point lead with ICM, the pollsters usually most cautious about the level of Labour support. Well, he’ll have to wait. Because the Daily Mail has just asked number 795 in my [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/23/was-einstein-the-worlds-worst-husband/feed/ 2 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/21/is-this-the-loch-ness-monster/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/21/is-this-the-loch-ness-monster/#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:19:13 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=23434 I may have done this one before, as I think the Daily Mail automatic generator of Questions to Which the Answer is No has been switched to its “eco” setting, so that it produces recycled material. I’ll call this one number 792 in the series, but the whole series may disappear into the time-space vortex [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/21/is-this-the-loch-ness-monster/feed/ 2 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/17/was-shakespeare-a-jewish-woman/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/17/was-shakespeare-a-jewish-woman/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:43:28 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=23289 Number 788 in my series of Questions to Which the Answer is No is asked by the Jewish Book Council, itself reporting Matthue Roth’s article at My Jewish Learning, which is headlined merely, “Was Shakespeare a Woman?” (The answer is still no.) Thanks to Anthony Cox. Number 789 was asked by Nile Gardiner: Is Hillary Clinton becoming an [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/17/was-shakespeare-a-jewish-woman/feed/ 12 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/14/was-winston-churchill-to-blame-for-titanic/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/14/was-winston-churchill-to-blame-for-titanic/#comments Sat, 14 Apr 2012 10:23:03 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=23207 Lovely. Number 785 in my series of Questions to Which the Answer is No was asked by The Sun nearly three weeks ago. Thanks to Stuart for spotting it. Meanwhile, catching up. Number 786 was asked yesterday by Charles Garcia on CNN: Is Castro Cuban-Americans’ Hitler? Thanks to James Whetlor. Number 787 has been turned out by the automatic [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/14/was-winston-churchill-to-blame-for-titanic/feed/ 8 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/01/did-mi6-agent-kill-spy-in-bag/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/01/did-mi6-agent-kill-spy-in-bag/#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2012 10:48:45 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=22881 Now I know that the Daily Mail is doing it on purpose. Yesterday it put number 783 in the world-famous series of Questions to Which the Answer is No on the front page. The story comes complete with that adornment of the genre, the list of “The Unanswered Questions”. I suspect many of those are numbers 784 [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/01/did-mi6-agent-kill-spy-in-bag/feed/ 4 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/03/29/should-obama-use-the-nuclear-option-to-eliminate-joseph-kony/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/03/29/should-obama-use-the-nuclear-option-to-eliminate-joseph-kony/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:58:30 +0000 John Rentoul http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=22830 Thick and fast. Number 780 in my series of Questions to Which the Answer is No, asked by Christwire. (Update: Arieh Kovler kindly points out that the site is a spoof; so its inclusion in my series is a fine example of postmodern ironic humour.) Thanks to Tim Miller. Then there is number 781, asked by Sunny [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/03/29/should-obama-use-the-nuclear-option-to-eliminate-joseph-kony/feed/ 0