The Daily: August 14

We scour the news so you don't have to.

The Dandy comic faces closure
75 years after its first issue, Britain’s oldest comic is facing closure after a plummet in sales. Between the 1950s and the 1980s, sales of the Dandy reached around two million copies every week, but in the second half of last year, sales failed to reach even 8,000. The increasing slump is being attributed to problems encountered by the digital age, citing the mounting popularity of computer games and the Internet as a reason for the comic’s struggle. The Dandy’s publishers have stated that they hope some of its best-loved characters will continue to exist online, as well as noting the possibility of relocating one or two characters to The Beano magazine instead.

Helen Gurley Brown dies, aged 90
Author and former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown, has died aged 90. She was hired by the magazine’s publishers in 1965 with the intention to provide a radical transformation to the publication, where she remained for 32 years. Throughout her career, she was viewed as a controversial character, fuelled by her open-minded attitude towards sex and her endorsement of cosmetic surgery. She was famed for her honest, spirited nature, and is credited with reshaping a nation’s attitude, candidly encouraging women to embrace their own recognition and achieve success.

Recovered cuckoo is flown to Italy
Later on today, a cuckoo is being flown to Italy by plane. The bird, named Idemili, was found dying in a garden in Tolworth, Surrey, suffering from an injured wing and head wounds after being attacked by other birds. She has since been treated, and is now healthy enough to be flown to Turin, accompanied by veterinary nurse Lucy Kells from Leatherhead’s Wildlife Aid Foundation (WAF). Idemili is the only female cuckoo to be have been fitted with a satellite tag, and it was upon seeing other tagged cuckoos migrate that the WAF knew she was the last one remaining. Upon reaching Italy, the bird should be able to rejoin the other cuckoos as they migrate towards warmer climates.

Football fans display dedication to their wives
In a recent experiment, scientists have found that Newcastle United fans express greater distress when images of their partners are torn up, rather than towards the destruction of images of the team’s star players. Research undertaken by the University of Bristol has discovered that men’s affection for their partners is almost five times stronger than towards their teams. By measuring the subject’s stress levels upon seeing images of their wives and teams cut up, the scientists were able to detect the degrees of loyalty towards each party. Despite the evident passion of football fans, with some stating that they would choose the well being of a star player of that of their wife, when tested they predominantly demonstrated a much stronger sense of loyalty towards their partners.

Vintage photographs unveil tattooed women from by-gone eras
A series of vintage photographs has been revealed, showcasing a variety of heavily tattooed women in the early twentieth century. According to scientists, tattoos date back to around 3300 B.C., and have since been employed for a variety of functions, from beautification to identifying criminals. More recently, they found popularity in The Bronx in the 1920s, in England in the 30s and reached Japan by the 40s. There they were adopted by women as a statement of rebellion against the restrictive kimonos worn by the upper classes, as they instead chose to adorn their upper bodies with illustrations. Whilst in modern day society tattoos typically carry a tough, urban image, the craft was initially intended to be an artistic expression of beliefs, desires and aspirations.