About this issue: Overview
Frank Turner has eased off the arms race he was in to play the most gigs in a year, but still manages around 200. One of them, this week, will be in aid of The Big Issue North Trust. The musician tells us why causes such as homelessness matter so much to him – and how it’s hard to write a rabble-rousing anthem about his “militantly centrist” politics.
With the return of learning by rote and the availability of a universe of facts on the internet, just what is the role of a teacher today? The anonymous author of a new book about his idealistic first few years at the chalkface looks back to ancient Sumeria to assert that teachers aren’t quite redundant yet.
From Crosby beach on the west coast of our patch to Whitby on the east – and points in between – Roger Ratcliffe details some great late summer walks.
For this week’s Why Don’t We Just…? comment slot, author John Higgs reckons we could solve many of the world’s economic problems by simply jailing people with too much money.
Our arts and entertainment contains everything from a review of the new album from Manchester band Everything Everything to a Q&A with American author Nicole Krauss.
On the news pages, we interview a Charlottesville expert on politics and race who reflects on the far-right demonstration in his home city, and the York woman who funds her own – increasingly busy – hedgehog hospital.
Plus there’s our crossword, Sudoku and much more.