Sideswipe: March 31: Obstructive, yet comfy art

In 1969 in Amsterdam, The Cushion was one of many inflatable "event structures" within the everyday urban environment. Placed on a street in the city it blocked traffic, providing both a spectacle and a reason for the onlookers to participate. Such an artwork is not so much about the making of an object but more the shaping of an event and a public "situation of opportunity".

Fancy a ploughperson's lunch?

A Devon pub has made headlines after a backlash for renaming the classic British fare the ploughman's lunch to a "ploughperson's lunch". The Tors Pub was accused of being "woke" and of "cancelling" the classic ploughman's lunch dish. Dicky Harrison, the landlord of The Tors pub in the Devon village of Belstone, said they put the ploughperson's on the menu as a lighthearted nod to the women who worked in their local farming community. The plate is traditionally served cold and generally consists of bread, cheese (typically cheddar or stilton) and pickles but is often served with other accompaniments such as cold meats, apples or other fruit and scotch eggs or pork pies. One comment said: "Sorry guys, won't be visiting a 'woke' pub for my lunch. Yes, there are lots of women farmers today and I salute them, but stop changing the past." And another questioned why the pub's menu had offered "Mama's chocolate mousse", claiming all items should be gender-neutral. Harrison explained it was called this because it was his mum's recipe.

First world problems

Look like ALOT of hard work.

Mumsnet sometimes offers a stark reminder about how "other people live" ... Not so much the horsey stuff but the allowance ... Is it 1974 or what? "I have a horse I hate grooming, especially when he's muddy. A friend has a mobile horse washing business and does the equivalent of dog grooming for horses. I booked her to come and wash my boy, and DH has thrown an absolute fit at the waste of money, claiming that because I "don't work", (I am stay-at-home mother) it's not for me to waste money on "frivolities". It has led to a row between my husband and I because he has told me that the allowance, he gives me is not to be wasted on stuff I can do myself. I'm not sure if I'm being unreasonable or not - I don't consider it any different to paying a dog groomer or a cleaner to provide a service. DH says that it's a total piss-take and waste of his money. I gave up my job to support his career, as he works long hours, hence being a stay-at-home mother. My horse is my only hobby/indulgence. Who is right here?"

Shrinkflation

Instead of just raising prices, companies now have a more insidious way to hide those rising costs from people. Would you notice if, say, a bag of Doritos had five fewer chips? asks Business Insider. The price is the same, of course, you just get less. Many of these size changes are subtle, like making candy bars sold in multipacks smaller than ones being sold individually, or changing the shape of their products so you can barely notice the difference in weight. Procter & Gamble-owned Charmin toilet paper saw a reduction by about 20 sheets-per-roll and Gatorade was given a sleek new bottle design alongside a decrease in volume from 32 to 28 ounces — a price jump of about 14 per cent that most Gatorade drinkers probably didn't notice.