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Tammy Wynette: Brian Brennan’s Brief Encounter

Tammy Wynette said that if she had to make a choice between husband and career, she would choose the music first. As Arts columnist Brian Brennan reports in his new time capsule piece, she revealed this to him just as she was about to divorce her fourth husband, Nashville real estate executive Michael Tomlin. An excerpt of excerpt of Brennan’s Brief Encounters column, Troubled First Lady of Country Music: Tammy Wynette (subscription*): Tammy Wynette was no longer standing by her man when I saw her perform at a nightclub in 1976. At least, she was no longer singing with ex-husband George Jones, with whom

Humans have the tools to avoid eco-geddon: Chris Wood

Systems approaching the brink display some common features, and sometimes thresholds give advance warning, writes Chris Wood in his new Natural Security column. They recover more slowly from disruption; “in-state fluctuations” become wilder and less predictable; conditions “flicker” rapidly from one state to another. But by opening our eyes to these and other signs, we may be able to determine where some of the riskiest thresholds lie — and how to push them, and ourselves, back from the brink of “eco-geddon.” We have the tools, he argues: the question is whether we have the will. An excerpt of Isn’t It Hysterical? The cliff

Oscar Pistorius and South African justice

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympian known as Blade Runner, was found not guilty in South Africa on Thursday of premeditated murder in the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a law graduate and model. Pistorius was convicted Friday** of unlawful homicide, a charge similar to that of manslaughter in other countries. “I am not persuaded that a reasonable person … would have fired four shots into a toilet cubicle,” ruled Judge Thokozile Masipa Thursday, reported the Mail and Guardian. The judge said Pistorius used excessive force, was “negligent,” and “culpable homicide is a competent verdict.” The court heard evidence that Pistorius killed Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day

Island-building Inflames China-Philippines Dispute

Pursuit of Beijing’s claim to the South China Sea is a major element in the drive by China’s Communist Party boss Xi Jinping to convince the population that the country is re-emerging as the world’s pre-eminent power, writes International Affairs columnist Jonathan Manthorpe.. “The prospects are not good.” An excerpt of Manthorpe’s new column, China manufactures islands to back its sovereignty claims: Not content with stealing other people’s territory, the Beijing government is now manufacturing islands to boost its insubstantial claim to ownership of the South China Sea. The Philippines government has released aerial photographs of Chinese dredgers and construction teams pulling

Darts, bitters and Granny Admirers — Oh, My

Mature babes: Granny admirers more overt in the UK is the title of Penney Kome’s hilarious new work for F&O’s Loose Leaf column. It’s a story prompted by a startling experience in a London pub, and while title almost says it all, here is an excerpt: Stepping up to the line to throw my three darts, I sank into my sideways stance and studied the score and the dartboard. From the corner of my eye, I saw an older man squirming appreciatively in his bentwood chair, his hand around a pint of bitters. He was giving me the eye. That hasn’t happened much

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