Can cryptic crosswords save the world?
Can we survive without paper straws?
An old Chinese curse is “I hope you live in interesting times”. We seem to be in quite interesting times. In the 1970’s Skyhooks labelled the six-thirty news as a Horror Movie - right on my TV.
Things have got worse. We now have more news, special news channels, news alerts on our phones and tablets, Tik Tock, Truth Social, X, Xcetera Xcetera.
I decided to escape into a cryptic cocoon. Maybe I could ignore the weird cult of plastic straws.
So I started a crossword by the excellent Gollum, an amateur setter from the UK. Soon got the message. The Horror Movie was right there in my crossword.
But after I whacked in a couple of answers I saw that Gollum is an ally fighting for us against the anti-woke crusaders trying to destroy paper straws.
The human spirit is stronger than those pathetic bullies.
So have a crack at Gollum’s wonderful antidote to interesting times with a bit of brain exercise.
A free online crossword