After many turbulent decades of politics and controversy, the life of Ian Paisley is finally quietening, and perhaps close to permanent rest.
With his family at his bedside, the 85-year-old former First Minister of Northern Ireland is being treated in hospital after suffering heart problems. If this is indeed the end, the obituaries will no doubt reflect on how Paisley so powerfully embodied the historical forces that swept his nation.
You are in an out-of-the-way place, aged between 13 and 16, huddled in a tight circle with your excited mates. Out of a jacket pocket comes a measly-looking ten-bag, acquired from some local shifty character or an amused older brother. A joint is inexpertly rolled; it is bulgy and misshapen, drooping whimsically at the end. Many people will no doubt recognise this tale of youthful dabbling. Indeed, smoking cannabis is increasingly seen as normal teenage behaviour, with a Guardian poll finding that over 81 per cent of people consider it a rite of passage.
The announcement was uncharacteristically low-key. On the morning of October 6, Sarah Palin sent an email to supporters stating her decision not to seek the Republican presidential nomination. With its interest depleted, and its attention diverted to more important matters, the world responded with a nonchalant shrug.
Wildly experimental and surprisingly enigmatic, Egyptian Hip Hop defy the mindless hype that has
been thrust upon them.
Everything Everything are undoubtedly an oddity. Signed to a major label and lavishly praised by mainstream critics, they nonetheless remain defiantly obscure.