Meanwhile, the 'c' word's alive and well in London

While anti-Scientology protesters are under attack for using the word "cult" elsewhere in the UK, their comrades in London have adopted a novel tactic for getting their message across. I spotted this sticker this lunchtime on a pedestrian crossing on Tottenham Court Road, just yards from Scientology's Dianetics centre. It's on a busy crossing too, just by the Odeon cinema, so I imagine plenty of people have registered their views on their way to the Sainsburys down the road...

Lott on Lut

From the most recent issue of Granta Magazine (putting all their new money to good use with a snazzy redesign and new website) Tim Lott writes brilliantly about the murder of a friend - a grim tale about the toxic mix of sadomasochism, shame, religion and loneliness.
[Lot makes a passing reference towards the end to the fact that he gave up being a newspaper columnist. I, for one, am very glad of that as I didn't like him as a columnist, whereas he is a very good writer of these kind of long-form reflections]