It's a familiar part of the calendar of British life, one of those events that holds a mirror up to this society, with all its strange traditions and odd new habits.
This year, it was more revealing than usual, when the losing Oxford crew complained that several of its members had come down with stomach bugs, thought to be related to the high levels of E coli in the river as a result of sewage dumping.
The more it rains in England, the more the water companies pour sewage into the rivers. This year, it has rained almost incessantly. February and March were among the wettest months on record. Which means rivers are more polluted than ever.
Of course, water companies aren't supposed to pour sewage into rivers. They do it because if they get caught, it's cheaper to pay the fines than to invest in the infrastructure required to avoid polluting rivers.
Esta historia es de la edición April 20-26, 2024 de New Zealand Listener.
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Esta historia es de la edición April 20-26, 2024 de New Zealand Listener.
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Spilt milk
Excess dietary calcium goes into toilets, not bones.
To the Max
The testosterone and torments of late adolescence are centre stage in this novel about finding your place in life.
A chemical killer
A new book outlines the life of a woman who may well have been New Zealand’s most prolific poisoner. What was it that led police to exhume the body of her husband from its watery grave?
Creating the WOW factor
Meg Williams, in charge of the biggest festival involving a bunch of people wearing wacky outfits, admits she's not very flamboyant in her own dressing.
Leaving it all on the park
After cancer treatment, Graeme Downes takes stock of a musical life leading The Verlaines and lecturing future generations of songwriters.
Wrong message
A UK journalist who came here to talk about Rwanda’s authoritarian regime found herself the victim of a social media hate campaign.
Busting a gut
IBD is escalating, seemingly thanks to the Western lifestyle, and New Zealand has one of the highest rates in the world.
The point of Peters
There's been much to admire about the NZ First leader's politics over the years, but where has it got him?
Don't call us ...
Finland's ingenuity galvanised the rapid global uptake of cellphones, so it's paradoxical the country's latest claim to fame should be the elevation of no-speakies to a new commercial opportunity.
He is here
In the week my brother died, there was a storm in the universe.