Hearing of the terrifying attempt to hijack a Flydubai plane last week, I immediately thought of the noble idea: 'Better to die like a lion than live like a sheep.'
Me?
asserted
I → hear → sheep
But thankfully there were a number of lions on board who undoubtedly saved the lives of the 182 passengers and crew.
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who → be → passengers
Tales of bravery often provoke self-examination.
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Tales → provoke → examination
How brave would any of us be in life-threatening situations?
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any → threaten → situations
Would we be brave enough – as plumber Yaniv Hayoun was – to storm into the cockpit of a plane and confront a guy who had stabbed their co-pilot?
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who → storm → pilot
And would we then be able to pull the plane out of its steep descent?
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we → pull → descent
I guess you don't know until it happens, but I have my doubts I would be that wonderful person.
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I → guess → doubts
For those of us who are nervous flyers, this saga only confirms our belief that the act of entering a metal tube that is going to hurtle through the air at 500mph, 36,000ft above the Earth, is borderline insane.
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that → confirm → Earth
The years I spent travelling for work taught me how to manage the fear with a melange of hypnotism, alcohol and a variety of tranquillisers, but each dramatic airborne incident is a new trigger, dredging up all the old anxieties.
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incident → spend → anxieties
I regard even boarding a plane as an act of bravery.
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I → regard → bravery
The hero who intercepted the hijacker's evil intentions, along with the mothers who sat soothing children throughout the ordeal and the many others who remained calm on board, demonstrated a degree of bravery that sadly, I doubt I could ever live up to.
uncertain
I → intercept → that
The hero who intercepted the pilot's evil intentions demonstrated a degree of bravery that sadly, I doubt I could ever live up to, writes Alexandra Shulman (pictured)
uncertain
Shulman → intercept → that
Oversharing is what I do – it's not bravery
I've been busy launching my new book, Black Coffee And Red Lipstick: Notes On Living, on to the unsuspecting world.
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I → do → world
At a talk in London, my interviewer, art historian Katy Hessel, asked how it felt to be so personally revealing in some of the essays.
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it → ask → essays
Other people have used the word 'brave' about the way I reference my cancers, my sex life, even my underwear, in my writing.
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I → use → writing
While many people prefer to keep all manner of things completely private, others, like myself, find something cathartic in sharing (or oversharing, some might say) personal information.
uncertain
some → prefer → information
However I draw the line at revealing too much about other people.
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I → draw → people
I regard myself as fair game, but am acutely aware that others may not be up for the exposure.
uncertain
others → regard → exposure
They have their own stories to tell, particularly when it comes to family.
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it → have → family
Recollections, as we all know, may vary.
uncertain
we → know → ?
Racism angle the BBC did not nail
The accusation, written in a report since removed from the BBC website, that the trend for unadorned nails smacks of 'white supremacy' and classism, is utterly ludicrous.
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trend → nail → supremacy
It's just that, for years, nails have been decorated in ever more extreme ways and now, as ever in fashion, the pendulum has swung the other way.
Although perfectly nude nails appear low-maintenance, they are just as time-consuming to look after as extravagant talons.
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they → decorate → talons
As someone ahead of the curve on this particular trend, I can speak from experience.
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I → speak → experience
For some months on my regular visit to the salon, I have swapped dithering between blue, crimson, orange or white nails for what's known as a Japanese manicure.
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what → swap → manicure
This involves massaging the nails with a green paste (which supposedly strengthens them), then buffing them with a mysterious powder that leaves them looking as clean as a newborn's, with just the slightest sheen.
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that → involve → sheen
No doubt nude nails – now spotted at every celebrity event – will soon be so common it'll be time to revert to something else.
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it → spot → something
But right now I'm enjoying the sight of my innocent-looking fingernails as I tap away on the keyboard.
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I → enjoy → keyboard
Trends also emerge in language.
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Trends → emerge → language
One minute nobody uses a particular word; the next it's being adopted by everyone.
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it → use → everyone
Until recently I hadn't heard it used for decades – not since the early 1970s.
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it → hear → 1970s
Are Andy Burnham and his projected policies anything more than good vibes, some commentators asked.
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commentators → project → vibes
It'll be interesting to see if the Conservative Party conference, which starts today, will have the same Good Vibrations...
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which → see → Vibrations
Sometimes 'lunatic' is the only word for it
As far as the Green Party is concerned, words can be dangerous.
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words → concern → it
Ahead of its conference this weekend, officials released a list of words and phrases to be avoided in case they caused offence.
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they → release → offence
It included 'mothers and fathers', 'homosexual', 'elderly', 'lunatic' and 'nutter'.
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It → include → mothers
Or is 'delusional' another term that might cause harm, suggesting, as it does, that somebody is not in their right mind?
uncertain
somebody → cause → mind
I can't stay faithful to Claudia's Traitors
I'll probably tune in to The Celebrity Traitors - just to see Claudia Winkleman's wardrobe, writes Alexandra Shulman
I tried, I really tried, to get into The Celebrity Traitors. And it had me hooked until about 15 minutes in, when the two Traitors met and were told to nominate a third.
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Traitors → stay → third
At that point I suddenly felt the urge to make an omelette for supper.
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I → feel → supper
There's something about the way contestants must act as ramped-up versions of themselves that rankles, even though I know it's all in the name of entertainment.
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it → be → entertainment
That said, even a curmudgeon like me loved Jerry Hall's relatively brief cameo: 'Beneath this dumb blonde lies a smart brunette.
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brunette → say → blonde
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
