UTFORSKA kostnadsfria artiklar om ZINIO

Bodies in a suitcase

TRUE-LIFE On a hot and sunny afternoon, a group of teenagers explored Alki Beach, in Seattle, Washington. It was 19 June 2020. The teens were having fun with an online trend called ‘randonauting’. Using a phone app, they'd generated random map coordinates, which had directed them to the beach. As part of the game, they were supposed to film a video at their random location. Spotting a suitcase perched on rocks at the shoreline, they went to take a closer look. Joking that the suitcase might contain money or even treasure, they started filming. But what started off as innocent fun, soon took a much darker turn. They later uploaded the footage to TikTok… The video showed a girl scrambling across the rocks. Inching closer to the suitcase, she used…

Bodies in a suitcase
‘For me, there was no other way’

‘For me, there was no other way’

THEY TRAVELLED AT NIGHT, for what seemed like hours, but it was difficult to tell. Yonas was blindfolded and drowsy from the Xanax he had been given. He wasn’t sure where he was, but he could smell salt in the air when the car stopped. Yonas heard Ali, the other passenger, wind down his window and light a cigarette. The driver sat, breathing heavily. Several minutes passed in silence. Then Yonas heard a pinging noise. Someone’s phone had received a message. The door next to Yonas was opened, and two men escorted him into a building. After they took off his blindfold, the men walked down a long corridor and took the stairs to the basement. There, Yonas entered a room where a man dressed in blue scrubs was talking to…

13 FOREVER BADPLAAS

13 FOREVER BADPLAAS

Campsite 300 numbered stands with electricity, most have shade but little to no grass. Wifi at places like the coffee shop and hotel. Catch and release apllies when fishing. Ablution facilities Six large and modern ablution blocks. Arrival and departure 15:00 and 11:00. Contact 017 844 8000 foreverbadplaas.co.za badplaas@foreversa.co.za Nearest town Carolina, 50 km. Road condition Tar all the way. GPS S25.956596 E30.562910 HAVE WE VISITED? Yes, September 2016 (WegSleep #92). WHAT'S THE LATEST? The last renovation done was paving some of the camp sites and renovating the two sleeper rondawels. Some of the activities • Cold and warm swimming pools • Indoor hot mineral pools • Game drives and hiking trail • Guided horse rides • Kids'swimming pool and slide • Laundromat and liquor store • Mountain bike trail…

USE UNREAL ENGINE FOR COMPOSITING

USE UNREAL ENGINE FOR COMPOSITING

UNREAL ENGINE The Pipeline Use Unreal Engine for compositing Most of us think of motion graphics and After Effects in the same breath. Not only has it been the world’s most popular mograph and compositing tool, its timeline style of animation control is similar to our common video editing tools. Other compositors such as Flame, Nuke and Fusion are node-based and offer more flexibility. But that process takes a certain frame of mind; even node junkies occasionally get too burned out to deal with it. This year, we’re seeing a minor exodus of creatives from Adobe, and an increase of creatives moving to Linux, leaving many without any access to Adobe or After Effects. Then there’s the buzz about Epic Games’ new motion designer module for Unreal Engine, and how it’s…

The Magic of Making Matcha

The Magic of Making Matcha

I have enjoyed matcha across Japan in myriad ways. I’ve knelt on tatami mats in 200-year-old tea huts in Uji while slurping whisked tea made by robed tea masters who continue the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. I’ve drunk hot or cold cans of matcha from vending machines in Tokyo. And, on hot days, I’ve licked matcha ice cream dispensed into cones from soft-serve machines in Kyoto. Matcha has found a new audience, with American tea drinkers intrigued by its health benefits but baffled about how to make it. Should it be whisked, steeped, stirred, or frothed into a latte? Can it be added to a fruit shake or baked goods? The answer to all the questions is yes! What Matcha Is Matcha is a superior green tea that has been finely ground into…

An Island Destination

No stranger to difficult projects, Spanish designer Isabel López-Quesada has tackled a plethora of historic homes in need of major overhauls in various parts of Europe over the course of her career. But this particular dwelling in a small village on a Mediterranean island presented more challenges than she’d encountered in the past. “The couple who owns the property invited Marta Marin, the architect who works in my studio, and me to visit the home to see if we could help them,” says López-Quesada. Undaunted after a thorough walk through the property—which consisted of three separate but adjoining stone structures in poor condition—the designers agreed to take on the job. “We told them we could do something amazing,” says López-Quesada. “And they hired us on the spot.” The homeowners, a…

An Island Destination
THE RETURN OF THE GALACTICOS

THE RETURN OF THE GALACTICOS

“Good afternoon, everyone. I’m going to try to speak Spanish.” As ice-breakers go, Kylian Mbappe’s was about as well-rehearsed and effective as they come, eliciting a roar from the sun-kissed stands of the Santiago Bernabeu. After striding down a royal-blue catwalk leading to a stage in the centre of the pitch, Mbappe – flanked by club president Florentino Perez, the man who makes everything possible – delivered his coronation speech to 80,000 adoring Madridistas. “I spent endless nights dreaming about this,” he beamed. “Today, I’m one happy guy.” Tickets to the event had sold out two days in advance. Growing up on the outskirts of Paris, a young Mbappe had slept beneath posters of Cristiano Ronaldo on his bedroom wall; now he was standing in the same spot where his…

SMALL TOWNS, BIG COLOR

SMALL TOWNS, BIG COLOR

In my 45th autumn in the Monadnock Region since I first arrived here one October, I ask myself: Where would I take a friend who has never been to this beguiling place tucked into southwestern New Hampshire? And this is my answer. Here is where we'd go. Let's begin on high, looking for hawks. We drive up a twisting 1.3-mile road at Miller State Park to reach the 2,290-foot summit of Pack Monadnock, the little sibling of the mountain for which this region is named. The park lies four miles east of downtown Peterborough, and we will soon stop there—but now, on a brisk fall morning, we look outward and upward. The wind swirls, the air cools, and color sweeps across the landscape below us, visible through summit clearings. A sign points…

AS ROMANCE BLOSSOMS FOR THE ACTOR AND HIS GIRLFRIEND BRAD PITT AND INES DE RAMON WHO IS THE WOMAN WHO HAS CAPTURED THE HEART OF ONE OF HOLLYWOOD’S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELORS?

AS ROMANCE BLOSSOMS FOR THE ACTOR AND HIS GIRLFRIEND BRAD PITT AND INES DE RAMON WHO IS THE WOMAN WHO HAS CAPTURED THE HEART OF ONE OF HOLLYWOOD’S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELORS?

Movie star Brad Pitt and his girlfriend Inés de Ramón made a glamorous red carpet debut at the 81st annual Venice International Film Festival last week, looking absolutely smitten with each other at the premiere of Brad’s new film Wolfs. The 60-year-old actor looked dashing in a black tailored suit by Louis Vuitton, and was all smiles as he held hands with Inés, 31, who was stunning in a white floor-length gown by Entire Studios. The couple, who met through mutual friends and went public with their romance in 2022, were spotted arriving together at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport the previous day. It was a double date for Brad, whose close friend and Wolfs co-star George Clooney, 63, also walked the Venice red carpet with his glamorous wife, international human rights lawyer…

THE DAPPER DON OF AMERICAN LETTERS

I hadn’t been in the living room of Gay Talese’s East Side brownstone more than 10 minutes before he said, “You wouldn’t go to a wedding or a job interview dressed like that, would you?” Probably not. I was wearing a puffy Dodger-blue hoodie over a dress shirt. Did Talese equate our author-writer conversation with the formality of occasions such as a wedding? Probably so, and he’s long regarded sartorial style as a sign of respect. “When I go to interview someone,” he tells me, “I always felt I was representing myself as a professional and I had to dress the part. It’s a sense of separateness, not protection; a sense of self and pride. Most people will dress for a funeral. I dress for being alive, not being dead.…

THE DAPPER DON OF AMERICAN LETTERS

An ocean’s worth of water may be buried within Mars, but can we get to it?

Enough water to cover the surface of Mars has been discovered within the crust of the Red Planet by NASA’s InSight mission. However, the ocean is buried several kilometres underground. InSight touched down in the Elysium Planitia region on Mars in November 2018 and maintained its mission for four years. Armed with the first seismometer to be taken to the Red Planet, it detected 1,319 marsquakes. Geophysicists Vashan Wright and Matthias Morzfeld of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and professor of planetary science Michael Manga of the University of California, Berkeley, have used that seismometer data to discover water on the planet. They combined the varying speeds of recorded marsquakes – documented as the quakes reverberated through the Red Planet’s interior – to a mathematical model describing the physics of…

An ocean’s worth of water may be buried within Mars, but can we get to it?
TICKETMASTER’S PRICING FOR OASIS TICKETS IS UNDER INVESTIGATION IN THE UK

TICKETMASTER’S PRICING FOR OASIS TICKETS IS UNDER INVESTIGATION IN THE UK

The U.K.’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into the way more than one million tickets were sold for next year’s reunion concerts from iconic 1990s Britpop band Oasis. In a statement Thursday, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its investigation into Live Nation Entertainment’s unit Ticketmaster will look specifically at “dynamic pricing,” whereby prices can vary rapidly in light of changing market conditions. It is a pricing strategy used in flight sales and home food deliveries, where demand levels can fluctuate and lead to surging prices while also sometimes leading to lower prices. It is a more common practice in the U.S. than in the U.K. Many Oasis fans who queued online at the Ticketmaster site for hours Saturday complained that they ended up paying more than double the face value…

The California Wine Lover’s Guide

A California Icon Paul Draper & Ridge Vineyards UP BEHIND THE TOWN OF CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, there’s a long, steep, winding road. If you follow it, you will eventually come to a graceful redwood building. From there, you can see, far down below, distant and silent, the tech fervor of Silicon Valley. This is Ridge Vineyards. Not long ago, I went there to chat with Ridge’s chairman emeritus, Paul Draper, an icon of California winemaking whose career more or less encompasses the entire modern era of California wine, as does Ridge itself. The winery was founded in 1959 by a trio of Stanford engineers; Draper joined them in 1969. Things were different then. “There wasn’t remotely as much interest in wine in the U.S. at that time,” Draper recalls. “And California wine from the 1940s,…

The California Wine Lover’s Guide
Faster After 40

Faster After 40

Athletes in both the elite and age-group categories are proving that 40 can be the start of some of their best performances rather than a decline. There are realities of aging that must be respected, but that doesn’t mean your fastest splits have to be behind you. Here are effective ways I’ve modified training and psychology in athletes I coach to help them be faster after 40. Mindset Every athlete can point to their best race and still find areas for improvement. Mastery of triathlon is challenging and, while some improvements are quicker and simpler to gain than others, some dangle just out of reach. Maintaining focus on chasing these improvements is key to maintaining motivation year after year. Focusing on the experience of doing triathlon without expectation of a specific result…

Settling In

Settling In

After an extensive search for a team who could help them bring their newly acquired historic Tuscan estate back to life, an American couple landed upon British interior designer Nicola Harding, who is known for the atmospheric abodes she crafts mostly in England. The couple was drawn not only to the warmth and energy of Harding’s style, but also to her attitude about the process of making a house a home. “Core to what we do is to understand the people who will inhabit a home, to discover what kind of moments they want to have there, the deeply held values they subscribe to, how they imagine an ideal Sunday breakfast,” says Harding. “Weaving elements of their stories into the spaces so they feel connected is key to creating a…

FIELD OF DREAMS

FIELD OF DREAMS

Stormers coach John Dobson is a regular visitor to Barrydale. He gives easily of his time to support his mate Rick Melvill and the Karoo Art Hotel, but more significantly both Dobson and Melvill invest energy into the local rugby community. Melvill has a Pied Piper presence in Barrydale. Where he walks others follow because of his generosity to improve someone's day, be it in an interaction or an opportunity. Dobson is from similar ilk. He loves to give back to the sport that gave him so much and he loves to do so through community projects. The Flying Eagles were once the singular club rugby entity in Barrydale. The club was established in 1950 but in 2018 there was a breakaway and the Barrydale Stryders were born. No community…

Feels Like Coming Home

I am not the first person to consider a tree a friend. The Giving Tree, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and The Secret Life of Trees, just to name a few books, are testaments to the reciprocity between trees and humans. I recall a friend from Israel who would speak at length of his childhood, of how he would sit beneath a fig tree and be blessed by the shade of its foliage and by its fragrance—the sweetness of earth and fruit and sunlight. He was clearly moved by the memory. And I think of my friend the poet Naomi Shihab Nye, who has written about her Palestinian father longing to grow a fig tree in the back yard of every home the family lived in when she was growing…

Feels Like Coming Home
…And How It’d Ruin America

…And How It’d Ruin America

TRUMP FRAMES IMMIGRATION as an existential threat to the United States. He has said immigrants are “taking our jobs,” are “not people,” and are “poisoning the blood of our country.” In fact, the nation’s undocumented immigrants grow and harvest the food we eat, construct our homes, and care for our young and elderly. They pay billions in taxes, start businesses that employ Americans, and help rebuild in the wake of climate disasters. Not only would Trump’s plan rip families and communities apart, but it also would have devastating effects on the economy for years to come. According to a 2016 report by the Center for American Progress, deporting 7 million workers would “reduce national employment by an amount similar to that experienced during the Great Recession.” GDP would immediately contract by…

Why are orcas ramming boats?

Why are orcas ramming boats?

IN A VIDEO TAKEN BY THE MARINE scientist Renaud de Stephanis, three orcas, or killer whales, can be seen swimming around the stern of a boat. One orca is vocalising in high-pitched tones before it gently nudges one of the twin rudders and swims off like a dog that’s just snatched some food from a kitchen top. “Whoa!” it seems to say, “that was fun.” This is just one of about 1,000 recorded interactions that orcas have had with boats in the Strait of Gibraltar and around the coasts of Spain and Portugal since the summer of 2020. Roughly 200 of those incidents have resulted in damage to the boats, with a total of seven sinking. It is behaviour that raises questions about our relationship with this species of dolphin.…

1963 Corvette Sting Ray

1963 Corvette Sting Ray

The 1963 Sting Ray is considered by many to be the most desired model and year Corvette ever. With its sleek, modern design, a range of powerful engine choices, and newly introduced independent rear suspension, its popularity makes total sense. With mostly positive reviews from automotive journalists when it debuted in the fall of 1962, those favorable assessments translated to strong sales. The 1963 model marked the first year of the C2 and featured a one-year-only distinctive rear split window. While this iconic feature contributed to the car’s futuristic and aggressive demeanor, it also created a blind spot posing visibility issues, which many owners considered to be an inconvenience. Some actually had dealers replace the split window for a single-piece rear window. Blasphemy! Today, the ’63 Corvette commands insane prices,…

THE uk hi-fi SHOW The ultimate high-end hi-fi experience Live

THE uk hi-fi SHOW The ultimate high-end hi-fi experience Live

Advance tickets are now on sale for the UK’s premier high-end audio event – The UK Hi-Fi Show Live, hosted at the Ascot Racecourse Grandstand, High Street, Ascot on Saturday and Sunday 21st -22nd September 2024. Friday 20th is reserved for accredited press/trade only. Tickets will cost just £20 (£30 for a weekend pass) via www.eventbrite.co.uk or using the links on the www.hifishowlive.com site. Concessionary £15 day passes will be offered for subscribers of Hi-Fi News and Hi-Fi Choice (print and digital subscribers will be contacted by e-mail). See our website for further information. Tickets On Sale Now! www.hifishowlive.com…

“WE MADE A MILLION DOLLARS IN 30 SECONDS”

“WE MADE A MILLION DOLLARS IN 30 SECONDS”

07/2024 7:29AM FASTCOMPANY.COM HAVE A NICE DAY! WD-40 COLOGNE. A NIKE AIR MAX SNEAKER FILLED WITH BLOOD. A FRUIT LOOP AS BIG AS YOUR HEAD. EVERYWHERE I TURN IN THIS GARAGE that's been half converted into an office, I see objects that look like they belong in a Hot Topic managed by a MoMA curator on acid. I'm perched on one of three couches, which appear to have been rescued from the curb to form a conversation pit. Around me are piles of stickers, gallons of chemicals, a power sander, and a shop vac. To my left, a few glass conference rooms hint at more grown-up endeavors. A hand-drawn sign is taped to one of them: RAT LOOSE INSIDE! KEEP THIS DOOR CLOSED! The door stands casually ajar. At Mschf, it's hard to tell…

Hands off

Hope Woodard was 25 when she moved to New York City with her then boyfriend. When they broke up, she dipped in and out of casual flings for a few years. By her own admission, it was both fun and chaotic until she started to develop feelings for a Londoner who unceremoniously gave her the cold shoulder. “He just ghosted me one day,” says the now 28-year-old. So she did what many twentysomethings do in crisis and uploaded a video to TikTok, in it decreeing she was 'boy sober'. No dating, sex, hook-ups or situationships for an entire year. “I was thinking this could go on for the rest of my life if I don't do something,” says Woodard of her unfortunate dating experiences. “If nothing changes, nothing changes. Let's…

Hands off
Traditional Textiles from Around the World

Traditional Textiles from Around the World

Featuring textiles from Indigenous traditions across the American Southwest, Mexico, India, and Pakistan as well as the Indonesian islands of Bali, Java, and Sumatra, two-thirds of the exhibit’s pieces have never been shown before. Woven pieces include, among others, an American linen and wool overshot coverlet, a Balinese hip cloth in cotton and hemp weft-faced plain weave with supplementary weft patterning in metallic thread, multiple blankets by Navajo artists, and a Balinese overskirt in silk with an elaborate ikat-dyed weft. Other techniques on display include silk and mirror embroidery on a shawl from Pakistan; leather and beaded moccasins by a Cheyenne artist; a coat from Romania with silk embroidery, leather appliqué, silk tassels, and embossed patterns on sheepskin; cotton with batik patterns on a sarong from Java; and painted bark…

A Brief History of Marijuana Law in America

A Brief History of Marijuana Law in America

The movement toward the medicalization of cannabis has been hailed by some and decried by others—but unquestionably, its path has been unique in the history of American drug and medical policy. The federal government first regulated marijuana in 1937, when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act. As with the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914, Congress deemed an act taxing and regulating drugs, rather than prohibiting them, less susceptible to legal challenge. As a result, the 1937 legislation was ostensibly a revenue measure. Just as the Harrison Act used taxation and regulation to, in effect, prohibit morphine, heroin, and other drugs, the Marijuana Tax Act essentially outlawed the possession or sale of marijuana. More stringent measures followed. The Boggs Act of 1951 provided stiff mandatory sentences for offenses involving a variety…

Family Inheritance

Family Inheritance

Family archives can arrive without warning. One day you’re creating a research plan, perusing online databases, analyzing information, and recording results and conclusions. Then suddenly, you’re the keeper of the family “stuff.” A relative passes away or downsizes, and boxes of photos, documents, and memorabilia arrive on your doorstep. As a genealogist, you know those old photos, loose papers, and fragile letters likely hold a wealth of information about your family. And somewhere in those boxes could be the key to an elusive ancestor you’ve been seeking for years. With a good plan and the right supplies, you can conquer the chaos to create an organized and accessible family archive. Fine-tune your archival skills with this guide to confidently work with your family collection and preserve your inheritance for the…

Night out nightmare

TRUE-LIFE Clinking our two fruity ciders, me and my friend grinned. ‘Finally, a Friday night off together,’ Charlie said. ‘Cheers,’ I smiled. It was March 2023 and we were catching up in our favourite bar in Leicester. Aged 19, I lived alone in the city centre and worked at another bar nearby. Charlie, also 19, did the same at a local pub. While I wasn't close to my family, I had a tight-knit group of friends. All in our late teens, we loved to party, especially after long shifts. As we'd often lose each other on nights out, we all had the same tracking app, Life360. It showed people's live locations on a digital map. Tonight, though, it was just Charlie and me. We had a giggle, hitting a few…

Night out nightmare
Ukraine pushes further into Russia using U.S. weapons

Ukraine pushes further into Russia using U.S. weapons

What happened Ukraine redoubled its attacks in Russia’s Kursk region this week in an effort to cement its hold on captured territory, destroying three bridges to prevent Russian reinforcements from arriving. Ukraine said it now holds some 500 square miles of Russian land, and it confirmed that it used U.S.-made weapons in its offensive—including to take out the bridges. The two sides traded barrages this week, with Ukraine sending nearly a dozen drones as far as Moscow; Russia said all of those were shot down. Farther south, in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Donetsk, Russian troops advanced toward the town of Pokrovsk, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. The town is a logistical hub, and its capture by Russia would compromise Ukrainian supply routes and bring Russia closer to control of…

ACTIVE BOOST

ACTIVE BOOST

TOYOTA Australia is rapidly moving towards applying some form of electrification to all of its popular models. It recently announced that it is dropping petrol-only variants of popular cars – like Corolla and Camry, as well as popular SUVs like RAV4 and Kluger – and replacing them with hybrid motivated versions. This is not surprising when you consider that Toyota has been at the forefront of hybrid technology with vehicles such as Prius and other models for more than 20 years now, and these have paved the way for current and future model hybrids with more evolved petrol/electric systems. Things are a little different on the diesel-fuelled 4x4 front, which represent a major part of Toyota’s Australian sales volume. Most of those 4x4 vehicles are powered by the 1GD-FTV 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel…

Jamaica Revisited All Inclusive Reimagined At S Hotel

Jamaica Revisited All Inclusive Reimagined At S Hotel

Having been to some of the very best all inclusive resorts and non-all inclusive resorts around the globe, I must say that I tend to be extremely discerning. Visiting S Hotel this year came just at the right time. Needing a little R&R before delving back into the fray of a hectic travel month, I thought that slipping S Hotel in would be the perfect respite that I was seeking. The last time I visited, the hotel was in its pre-opening days. I remembered the vision of Chrsitopher Issa, the owner, being conveyed to me as we walked (briskly) through the matte white walls that rose above the famed “Hip Strip” of Montego Bay. It was a bright idea to create the hotel’s foundation as a blank canvas. Once you…

It’s the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?

It’s the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?

Attention all preppers! Today’s column is right up your alley—or, more precisely—your tunnel to your underground bunker. Put down your MRE. Lay aside your auto-loading shotgun. This is important. We are discussing your favorite topic: Armageddon. Of course, everyone is familiar with Air Force One, the Boeing 747 designed to transport the President, well—presidentially. In case of imminent global annihilation, the aircraft also serves as a kind of safe room, keeping the commander-in-chief secure and flying high even while, regrettably, the flyover country below burns. But do you know about the fleet of Doomsday airplanes? Currently, there are four E-4B Nightwatch aircraft, highly modified Boeing 747s, that would board all the Beltway muckety-mucks (first class, naturally) and thus ensure the continuity of government decision-making during and after a nuclear war. And no,…

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

Originally, Nicolas Potts just headed to Saugerties, New York, on weekends. But over the years, the idyllic forests around the upstate town became too hard to resist. His time in Manhattan started to dwindle, and trips to the Catskills became more frequent. Now a full-time Saugerties resident, Nicolas and his partner, photographer Emma Pilkington Mead, are enticing others with a new vacation rental. Just across from their home on a one-lane road is a tiny cabin: a simple wooden and black metal box with a sloped roof and a carved-out porch beckoning visitors in. The 475-square-foot house is a collaboration between Nicolas (a self-described jack-of-all-trades now wearing his interior designer hat), Emma, and architectural designer Christos Athanasiou. The latter was introduced to the couple by a mutual friend who identified…

BUDGET BREAKDOWN
Dave Grohl’s Shocking Secret Baby News

Dave Grohl’s Shocking Secret Baby News

When Dave Grohl announced on Sept. 10 that he’d fathered a daughter outside of his 21-year marriage to wife Jordyn Blum, it sent shock waves through an industry that has long considered the Foo Fighters musician the dedicated “nice guy” of the hardened rock and roll scene. Grohl, 55, revealed the news in an Instagram post, saying that he plans to be a “loving and supportive parent” to his new daughter. According to an insider, Blum, 48, whom Grohl married in 2003 and with whom he shares daughters Violet, 18, Harper, 15, and Ophelia, 10, was also thrown for a loop. “She was shocked when she found out about the baby,” says a source close to Blum. “Her friends are like family, and they rallied around her.” Insiders say that prior to…

Europe’s turn to the far-right

Europe’s turn to the far-right

Where is the far-right doing well? Across much of Europe. In June, far-right parties gained a record 24% of all seats in the European Parliament. In France, that result prompted Emmanuel Macron to call a snap parliamentary election: Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) won the first round, gaining 33% of the vote (though it faltered in the second round). In the Netherlands, a new far-right coalition took office in July, following Geert Wilders’s shock election win last year. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neo-fascist roots, has been in power since 2022. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán has led an illiberal nationalist government since 2010. The nationalist Sweden Democrats are the second-largest force in the country’s parliament; the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has led Austrian opinion polls…

COLOSSAL SEA CREATURES

COLOSSAL SEA CREATURES

THRESHER SHARK Alopias vulpinus The Indiana Jones of sharks, threshers have a 3m long whip-like tail that they use to stun their prey. The tail is half the length of the entire 6m shark. Threshers can leap clear of the water in a massive breach. This rare spectacle has been caught on camera by lucky tourists on dolphin watching tours off Cardigan Bay, Wales. LEATHERBACK TURTLE Dermochelys coriacea The world’s largest turtles, leatherbacks grow to over two metres and can be seen off the UK’s west coast. They don’t have a hard shell and can dive to depths of more than 1,200m, when other turtles don’t go deeper than 290m. The leathery skin on their backs compresses in deep water but a shell would crack under the pressure. HUMPBACK WHALE…

Artists stand up for their rights against AI threats

Artists have been disillusioned with social media for some time, but Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, took relations with the creative community to a new low recently with its announcement that users’ images could be used to train its AI models. We knew last year that images from Instagram and Facebook have been used as training data for Meta’s AI image generator. But now the issue has been brought into the spotlight by an email sent to European users, which announced changes to its Privacy Policy and the intention to extend usage of people’s information to develop AI. Artists have had enough. And the sense of violation is compounded by the fact that it’s not just artwork that’s being misused. The Faeries of the Faultlines creator Iris Compiet…

Artists stand up for their rights against AI threats
Wine Is Healthiest Choice for Drinkers

Wine Is Healthiest Choice for Drinkers

Decades of research has linked light to moderate drinking, especially of wine, to a range of health benefits. There’s also strong evidence that alcohol consumption raises the risk of certain cancers and that heavy drinking carries serious health risks. But the reasons why moderate drinking seems to be neutral or beneficial for some people and harmful for others remains a mystery. A new study sought to solve that puzzle. Looking at health and lifestyle information for a large population, the researchers found that while any alcohol posed risks for adults with existing health problems from poorer areas, healthy adults from wealthier areas suffered no additional risks from moderate drinking, and those who drink wine with food even enjoyed better health. For the study, published Aug. 12 in JAMA Network Open and conducted…

Autumn Alfresco

FLOWER: Tell us about your entertaining style. Augusta Cole: It is definitely rooted in an appreciation for interior design, antiques, and tradition—all things that I learned about early on from my mother and grandmother. I believe the greatest gatherings marry an elegant setting with fresh design touches, an abundant menu, and great music. I aim to treat my guests to a total sensory experience! How do you like to entertain, specifically in the fall? When the days become shorter and the temperature drops, I embrace the opportunity to entertain outdoors. The glow of the autumn light and the feel of the fresh air allow me to create an ambiance that is warm and cozy. Share how you make it feel warm and cozy—without all the seasonal fall kitsch, of course!…

Autumn Alfresco

“It’s time to choose you!”

Gratitude is the pillar of Jennie Garth’s life. Gratitude for her family, friends and her achievements—including her acting career, podcast and, most recently, becoming one of QVC’s Q50 Ambassadors to help women over 50 celebrate possibility, authenticity and purpose. “Each morning, I wake up early and say, ‘This is going to be a great day’ and set my intentions,” Jennie shares with Woman’s World. “And at night, I think of three things that went well.” But Jennie admits it isn’t always easy to stay positive. “I’m the kind of person who has to work daily on keeping myself in the right lane and moving forward with no negativity around me.” Read on as Jennie shares her keys to staying healthy, confident and happy. Pick up Jennie’s QVC clothing line! With the launch…

“It’s time to choose you!”
Dispatches

Dispatches

Grandpa wearing his best Sunday suit, the second cousin’s first communion, the aunt who made it big as a singer in Bollywood, a family member whose name nobody can ever remember in costume at the carnival parade, the uncle who moved to Brazil never to return but kept sending gifts and photographs. These are some of the images one may encounter in Goa Familia, an archive documenting family histories through vernacular photography, with highlights presented as an installation each year in Panjim, Goa’s capital. Last December, I visited its third edition, curated by Akshay Mahajan and Lina Vincent and titled Let the Sound Linger, hinting at the potential of both songs and photographs to remain in one’s mind well after being heard or seen. There were few original prints—perhaps they…

Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt: The Divorce That Won’t End

With its gondolas and glamour, the Venice Film Festival launches the fall season in high style as stars head to Italy to showcase their much-anticipated movies. For Angelina Jolie that meant kicking off serious Oscar buzz as she tearfully welcomed an eight-minute standing ovation after the Aug. 29 premiere of her biopic Maria, about opera singer Maria Callas. Asked during a press conference how she identified with the legendary diva, Jolie, 49, told reporters that she related “to the part of her that is extremely soft and didn’t have room in the world to be as soft as she truly was and as emotionally open as she truly was.” Three days later (well after Jolie jetted off to attend the Telluride Film Festival) her ex-husband Brad Pitt, 60, electrified the crowd…

Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt: The Divorce That Won’t End
Have we conquered inflation?

Have we conquered inflation?

Bravo to the central bankers, says The Economist. The likes of the Bank of England and the US Federal Reserve appear to have pulled off mission impossible – bringing down inflation without crashing the economy. In 2022 the average rate of inflation across developed countries peaked at about 10%. Large interest rate hikes followed and inflation in most developed economies has now fallen below 3% (annual UK inflation was 2.2% in July). Previous central banks’ battles with inflation tamed prices only at the cost of “deep” recessions. While the going has been tough this time, severe pain has been avoided. Interestrate theory worked in practice, with hikes causing just enough cooling in labour markets to ease wage pressure, but not so much that they triggered mass unemployment. Self-serving narrative A…

Side by side with the Americans

A full six decades have passed since a new motorsport discipline landed on UK shores, announcing its arrival with an all-out assault on the senses. The occasion was the 1964 International Festival of Drag Racing. This pioneering event, soon known as ‘Dragfest’, was the brainchild of Sydney Allard. It proved to be so influential in generating interest in this new discipline that within a couple of years Santa Pod in Northamptonshire became Europe’s first permanent dragstrip. For some context of the sea-change in motorsport this represented, we are fortunate in having some recall provided by Dave Lecoq, who was not only there, but took part in the event. Speaking to Dave recently, his recollections come with the caveat that this was something that happened a long time ago…! Drag racing started in…

Side by side with the Americans
Audiovector Trapeze Reimagined Loudspeaker

Audiovector Trapeze Reimagined Loudspeaker

As the name suggests, the Audiovector Trapeze Reimagined is a reboot of the company's original “Trapez” loudspeaker from 45 years ago. Also, as the name suggests, the Danish floorstanding loudspeaker has a trapezoidal cabinet. It has nothing whatsoever to do with circuses. The Trapeze Reimagined is a short three-way design. It uses a 12-inch high-power mid/bass driver with an eight-inch driver in a configuration Audiovector calls “Isobaric Compound Bass” loading. This is met by a five-inch high-speed midrange, and an Air Motion Transformer tweeter specifically designed for this loudspeaker. Unlike “frozen in time” designs such as the evergreen BBC LS3/5a, the Trapeze Reimagined is not a carbon copy of the original. However, the waist-high family resemblance to that loudspeaker, which wowed Scandiwegian audiophiles of the late 1970s, is unmistakable. The Trapez was…

The Future of the Housing Market? These Companies Want to Build It

In 2020, the world turned upside down—and so did the real estate market. But despite a global pandemic, strict lockdowns that briefly halted home showings, and a double-digit unemployment rate, the housing market did not crash in 2020. Instead, it soared, with a significant surge in home prices, home sales, and housing demand, bolstered by historically low mortgage rates, increased remote work and demand for space, and stimulus measures. Between March 2020 and June 2022, U.S. home prices jumped a staggering 43 percent. This phenomenon, which I call the pandemic housing boom, defied expectations. The boom created a historic tailwind for almost the entire real estate sector, with the exception of office real estate, which saw vacancy rates spike as remote work took off. As offices emptied, workers built out their…

The Future of the Housing Market? These Companies Want to Build It
2025’s MOST EXCITING NEW CRUISES

2025’s MOST EXCITING NEW CRUISES

WHERE EAGLES DARE Animal lovers are in for a treat with HX’s 13-night summer cruise from Anchorage to Vancouver. Starting with a night in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, you’ll board your ship in Seward and begin your journey on a cruise that will allow the remarkable diversity of nature and culture offered by Alaska and British Columbia to unfold around you. Expect to see many of Alaska’s wild animals, including bald eagles, moose, bears, sea lions, otters, orcas, humpback whales and many seabirds. You’ll also enjoy the sights of towering forest-clad mountains, glittering glaciers and deep blue fjords. The 13-night Wilderness, Glaciers & Culture cruise, from Anchorage to Vancouver, departing 9 June 2025, is priced from £4,648 per person. travelhx.com LATIN AMERICA EXPLORER AMAWATERWAYS will be the first major cruise line to sail Colombia’s…

10 NEW THINGS

1 ARCHITECTURAL UPDATE Panelling, dado rails, mouldings… These traditional elements are brilliant for adding grandeur and detail in a room, but what if you want a more contemporary, colourful take on these classic features? Then trompe l’oeil could be the answer. For instance, creating the illusion of depth with a series of painted rectangles in a punchy palette is not only a great imitation of panelling, it’s also easier and more cost-effective than installing the real thing. Take a note from the interior designers at PL Studio, whose painterly effects offer a playful, modern way to add some old-school character. 2 Exclusive collab Vintage prints and patterns are the inspiration for an exciting John Lewis x Collagerie homeware collab, launching this autumn. Carefully selected from the John Lewis textiles and wallpaper design archive…

10 NEW THINGS

Do Men Really Not See The Mess?

There was a time, earlier in my marriage, when every morning as I walked into the kitchen I braced myself for the rage and resentment that would well up in me. Cupboards left open. Dirty dishes in the sink. Coffee cups strewn around the house. And usually a pair of slippers or shoes, with inside-out socks, on the floor somewhere nearby. Even when I had left the house spotless the night before, I’d wake to a scene of disarray — the mess my husband had left behind on his way out the door for work. I didn’t know which scenario seemed worse, my husband’s consciously expecting me to clean up these messes or his truly not noticing them at all. I found myself silently tallying these small resentments, furious and flummoxed in…

Do Men Really Not See The Mess?
YOUR BEST SHOT WATER

YOUR BEST SHOT WATER

THIS MONTH’S WINNER VERONICA WILLIAMS Water gems EDITOR’S COMMENT Captured beautifully by Veronica Williams, this lovely shot was taken in Mt Lofty Botanical Gardens SA, when the weather had “other plans”. “I decided I'd brave the rain and wander, anyway,” says Williams. “Umbrella in one hand and camera in the other, I took only my macro lens thinking visibility would be too low for other photography (I was wrong, of course). I came across some gorgeous decaying leaves, both on the ground and on the trees. The fresh raindrops on this coloured leaf look ready to roll off at any time, and epitomise autumn in the leafy Adelaide hills.” There’s something lovely and peaceful about this image that made it a clear winner in a stacked field this time. We really loved the autumn tones, the…

Letter from Austria: Spreading the Wealth

In January, Erna was having a coffee in her living room in Vienna when she opened a letter from something called the Guter Rat für Rückverteilung, or the Good Council for Redistribution. “Guten Tag Ernestine!” the letter began. “How wealth is distributed across the country shapes how we live together and influences how well a democratic society functions.” The Good Council, the text went on, would comprise fifty Austrians selected by lottery—Erna was among ten thousand who made the first cut—and meet for six weekends to come up with proposals for how to address inequality in Austria, where the richest one per cent controls half of the country’s wealth. Additionally, the council would have twenty-five million euros to distribute as it saw fit, money provided by Marlene Engelhorn, who was described…

Letter from Austria: Spreading the Wealth

How England Became England

THE SOLDIERS arrived in “three ships of war, with their sails wafted by the wind and with omens and prophecies… that they should occupy the country to which they were sailing three hundred years, and half of that time… should plunder and despoil the same.” So wrote Gildas, a sixth-century British monk, describing the Germanic conquest of Britain shortly after the end of Roman rule. His account of this bloody war endured, as did the belief that the conflict had elevated a Germanic upper class, who oppressed the natives for generations afterward. These beliefs stood as a hallmark of British identity for centuries. But did that invasion actually happen? Since the Renaissance, scholars have been engaged in a curious and feverish debate over where the people who populate England came from.…

How England Became England
NINTENDO’S ICONIC HARDWARE INNOVATIONS

NINTENDO’S ICONIC HARDWARE INNOVATIONS

Whether or not you’re a fan of Nintendo’s products, it’s impossible to deny its influence on the design of home videogames. Time and again, the company has introduced new design concepts that have become commonplace – and just as frequently, it has popularised technologies that had previously been tried to no avail. Thanks to its lengthy tenure in the business, it’s arguable that Nintendo has done more to push the videogame console forward than any other manufacturer. Prior to its transformation into the company we know today, Nintendo was making toys like the Ultra Hand and arcade games such as EVR Race. Key employees including Genyo Takeda, Masayuki Uemura and Gunpei Yokoi were hired in this era, and they carried the inventive nature required for those industries with them as…

The Greatest Love Story Never Told

BEN’S MOVED ON – WITH A JEN G LOOKALIKE! Ben’s rumoured to be the first one to have a rebound fling, after he was spotted spending time with Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy Jr’s daughter, at the Beverly Hills Hotel and other hotspots around Hollywood. And it didn’t take long for some to point out a resemblance between Kick, 36, and Ben’s first wife, Jen Garner, 52. An activist like her famous father and a one-time actress, a source told People Kick is a “partier” who “likes to have a good time” – which could spell trouble for recovering addict Ben. Another insider claims Ben and Kick actually had a fling before he rekindled things with J.Lo... JOHN’S GOT JEN BACK, BUT FOR HOW LONG? Now that J.Lo and…

The Greatest Love Story Never Told

The power of love

‘Mum, I’m going with Nick to the driving range to play golf, we’ll be back later,’ my son grinned. It’s at moments like this that I can’t help but smile. On 8 November 2023, my partner Nick officially adopted Pierce. It had been entirely his idea and was a moment that has cemented our family unit for good. Seeing how well they got along, and the fact Nick treated Pierce as his own – and no different to his own two older kids – meant everything and more to me. We’d never been happier… Pierce was born in October 2010 and although his biological dad has full access, he stopped all contact with our beautiful son when Pierce was about two. Since then, I’d remained single and raised my son as a single…

The power of love

Walk on the wild side

EXOTIC SANCTUARY A garden room is the perfect space to immerse yourself in exuberant, tropical flora and fauna prints, such as the beautiful new Mayani design from Osborne & Little. Inspired by the Mayani Bird Sanctuary in India, the wallpaper and fabric features a dazzling array of exotic birds perched on lush trailing branches. Use over walls to create a sense of magic and escapism, perfect for switching off; alternatively, frame French doors with curtains to blur the boundary between outside and in, helping to draw the eye out to the view beyond. Complete the look by picking out a captivating jewel tone to use as an accent colour over seat cushions, as done here with this beautiful rich-blue velvet, finished with a lush woven trimming. Mayani wallpaper in Apple,…

Walk on the wild side
SALT & GELATO Cinque Terre by Sea Kayak

SALT & GELATO Cinque Terre by Sea Kayak

Cinque Terre Admittedly, I’m not sure whether our plan falls into Category 1 (excellent idea) or Category 2 (can-do idea). But it doesn’t really matter. It’s too late to think about it because I’m already standing on the platform with what feels like a 100-kilo rucksack waiting for the train. Still, waiting gives you time to think—and that’s sometimes the problem. Let’s put it this way: our plan is definitely an idea worth thinking about. Crossing the Alps by train from Rosenheim in Germany to the south and spending a few days sea kayaking on the Italian Mediterranean Sea. We want to follow the coast from Genoa for about 100 km to La Spezia and then take the train home. Between lies the wild, romantic cliff coast of Cinque Terre…

Eyewitness United Kingdom

Eyewitness United Kingdom

Block party Thousands of people gathered on the streets of west London over the August holiday weekend draped in flags and decked in jewels to celebrate the Notting Hill carnival, with some describing the festival as a “big statement” on the cultural diversity of Britain. Around a million people attended the carnival on Sunday and Monday, marking the 56th year it has been running. The celebration of Caribbean heritage, arts and culture is one of the biggest carnivals in the world. Ras Sherby, who has been attending the carnival for more than 20 years – and set up a sound system blasting reggae and dub music – described the festival as the “engine that carries people together every year”. “It’s one big ball of happiness, one big day of fun,” Sherby, 47, said. “Every…

‘My brute ex tried to kidnap Holly Willoughby’

‘My brute ex tried to kidnap Holly Willoughby’

Opening the front door, I came face-to-face with a chubby, smiley boy. ‘Hello, is your sister in?’ the boy asked. His name was Gavin Plumb and he was 11 years old. He was a year younger than me and went to school with my sister. He used to call round for her and eventually, I became friends with him too. I thought Gavin was kind and sweet. We grew closer and, when I was 19, we became a couple. After a few months, we moved in together and things were OK at first. But after around eight months, Gavin started to show signs of controlling behaviour. ‘I felt so isolated and alone’ If I wanted to go out to see friends or family, he'd guilt-trip me into spending time with…

The popping of the AI bubble

newstatesman.com There’s nothing new about speculative booms and busts, says Will Dunn. And sometimes even the canniest investors get caught out badly. Isaac Newton famously lost a fortune equivalent to millions of pounds in the South Sea Bubble of 1720. In the 1920s it was radio stocks that burnt investors; 2000 saw the dotcom bust. Another dotcom boom Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, a familiar story has played out. Between then and July 2024 the share price of Nvidia, for example, which makes chips used to run the large-language models that underpin generative artificial intelligence (AI), surged almost tenfold. The firm’s market value leapt by $2.5trn – more than the value of the whole FTSE-100. Intelligent people lined up to reassure each other that this time really…

The popping of the AI bubble
‘A real hero’ The brave migrant who tackled a London attacker

‘A real hero’ The brave migrant who tackled a London attacker

Three weeks ago, Abdullah, a Pakistani-born man living in the UK, was watching the news in fear. Far-right riots had spread across the country, with mosques being attacked and hotels housing asylum seekers set alight. After a horrific knife attack on children in Southport, disinformation spread quickly on social media falsely claiming the perpetrator was a Muslim seeking asylum in the UK. “Everyone was concerned, scared. They were scared of going to the mosque. They were not able to do their religious obligations,” said Abdullah, a security guard who lives in London. Little did Abdullah know that just days after the riots had appeared to subside, he would be at the centre of another appalling story involving an attack on a child. But the 29-year-old was not to be a blame figure, rather…

Asia’s Golden Treasures

Asia’s Golden Treasures

KYAIKTIYO PAGODA, MON STATE, MYANMAR Pagodas painted in gold are an Asian speciality, but the pagoda at Myanmar’s Golden Rock Temple isn’t the main attraction. That honour belongs to the gigantic granite boulder on which the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda is perched that sits precariously at the edge of a cliff commanding spectacular views of the Eastern Yoma mountains of Mon State. About 7.5 metres tall and with a circumference of around 15 metres, the Golden Rock, as it’s popularly called, is covered in gold leaf that’s been pasted on by devotees. Legend has it that a strand of the Buddha’s hair keeps the gravity-defying Golden Rock from tumbling down the mountain GOLDEN TEMPLE, AMRITSAR, PUNJAB, INDIA For Sikhs, the holiest place of worship, or gurdwara, is the Sri Harmandir Sahib in the northern city…

A Ducati Unica for Massimo Bottura: the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak becomes Desert in the chef’s dream garage

A Ducati Unica for Massimo Bottura: the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak becomes Desert in the chef’s dream garage

From the creative and value-based bond that has linked Ducati and the world-famous chef for many years a new motorcycle jewel is born. Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak Desert; this is the name of the work resulted from the union between the artistic vision of chef Bottura and Ducati’s attention to detail. The motorcycle belongs to the Ducati Unica customization programme: launched by the Bologna-based company in January 2022, this program allows Ducatisti to create the motorcycle of their dreams, interacting directly with the designers of the Centro Stile Ducati and accessing fine materials, exclusive finishes and special colours. The Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak Desert was designed from an aesthetic point of view with meticulous work on the paintwork that gives it an unmistakable look, as if the bike just came…

Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole

Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole

THIS ISSUE: UMG releases an expansive new Mind Games. After a wild decade in the biggest pop music group ever, John Lennon’s post-Beatles years were spent in protest, in various kinds of therapy, in immigration court, and in search of a new musical identity. He had been a musician since age 16 and a superstar since his early 20s. He was only in his 30s. By summer 1973, when Lennon’s fourth album, Mind Games, was recorded at New York’s Record Plant Studios, the turbulence of Lennon’s life seas was at gale force. He was separating from Yoko Ono and starting a 16-month relationship (consummated at Ono’s suggestion) with their shared administrative assistant, May Pang. The Nixon Administration was targeting Lennon and Ono for deportation because of their left-wing political activities, mostly…

Build an N scale barn

Build an N scale barn

Winter is the time of year when my model railroad gets a facelift. Even though my N scale Missabe Junction Ry. is complete to the eyes of most folks, I’m always looking for ways to generate more interest in the layout. On most model railroads, we concentrate new construction on rail-related structures — depots and industries, among other items. I’ve found that the addition of non-rail structures adds more realism. While looking for the structures to build, I found an interesting building from RSLaser Kits. The structure is based on an abandoned brewery silo in Missouri. Around the same time, I was in a meeting at a business that had a framed print of an aged barn on the wall. A large U.S. flag was painted on the side. Good companion for the…

MIND THE GUT

MIND THE GUT

HAVE YOU EVER HAD AN anxious feeling in your gut? Or felt angry, sad, happy, nervous or any other strong emotion and had a reaction in your tummy? Phrases such as “gut feeling” and “butterflies in my tummy” are often used to describe emotions. This shows how your gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to your emotions and your brain has a direct effect on your gut. For example, when you think about the food you’re about to eat, your body releases saliva and digestive juices before the food physically arrives in our mouth or stomach. This mind-gut connection works both ways, with issues in the gut sending signals to the brain and leading to emotional symptoms, such as poor concentration, depression, irritability, and poor memory. For example, around a third of…

HOW TO RAISE KIDS WHO COOK

HOW TO RAISE KIDS WHO COOK

I walked into the kitchen one day to find my teenage son cooking at the stove with multiple skillets and pans going. “I’m making a full English breakfast,” he said, stirring a pot of beans. “I saw it on YouTube.” I was shocked. He doesn’t naturally gravitate to the kitchen (except to get a snack). When I ask him to cook with me, he usually grumbles. That morning was a reminder that my kid is more motivated when he’s creating something that’s his own idea—and that all those times he reluctantly helps me cook, he’s picking up the skills to do so. Getting kids interested in cooking builds confidence and a key life skill. If yours are less-than-willing participants in the kitchen, here’s my advice: • HELP THEM COOK WHAT THEY LOVE Even…

‘I DON’T BELIEVE IN OZEMPIC’

In the Johnson family, fat sits central. “Who has the fattiest tummy?”my father would ask his grandchildren, and – until he lost stones in the I’m a Celebrity… jungle – my father Stanley used to win the Fatty Tummy contest. As the years pass, there are other contenders. When I sailed into my 50s, I took on more ballast. Compared with ten years ago, I am stouter. I exercise just as much and eat less. I even have love handles. But I have a theory that men don’t notice middle-aged spread, and if they do notice, they don’t care. There isn’t a man in the world who will look at a wedge of podge between a woman’s belly button and bikini line and decide that they will pass simply because she doesn’t…

‘I DON’T BELIEVE IN OZEMPIC’
Are mosquitoes getting more dangerous?

Are mosquitoes getting more dangerous?

Mosquitoes seem to be everywhere this year, and they’re not just a nuisance at outdoor gatherings. Health experts say they’re carrying some serious diseases—a fact that’s hitting home in the U.S., as some towns in Massachusetts have shut down public parks and other outdoor areas in the evenings, after mosquitoes in the region were learned to be carrying eastern equine encephalitis, a rare but deadly virus. And Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s former top infectious-disease expert, was recently hospitalized with a West Nile virus infection he is believed to have acquired from a mosquito buzzing through his backyard. It’s not news that mosquitoes carry a number of viruses and parasites that can be harmful to human health, including malaria, dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, West Nile virus, and eastern equine encephalitis. And…

BARBIE MOVIE SCREENING

BARBIE MOVIE SCREENING

August 12, 2023 Notable Attendees Navid Armstrong Kari Lincks and Parker Coomans Karen and Oliver Caldwell Anna Chouteau Jorge and Marcella Hernandez www.PLPG.NEWS George and Cristine Saltzner…

HP REVEALS ULTRA-FAST AI LAPTOP

HP REVEALS ULTRA-FAST AI LAPTOP

IN MAY, Microsoft announced the Copilot + PC Program. AMD responded with the Ryzen AI 300 series. The 55-TOPS (Trillion Operations per Second) of Neural Processing Unit performance would place these chips above both the Snapdragon X Elite (45 TOPS), and Apple’s M4 chip in the iPad Pro (38 TOPS). HP has announced that the Omnibook Ultra 14 laptop will be the first to feature AMD’s chips. HP has stated that it won’t be released as a Copilot+PC device, but users will receive a free upgrade from Microsoft once it becomes available. The company has also confirmed that it will feature the AI 300 series processor with integrated AMD Radeon 800M graphics. The laptop is expected to be available at the start of August on HP.com and at Best Buy…

Top 10 Brand VISIONARIES

Top 10 Brand VISIONARIES

There are moments in entrepreneurship where a spark of ingenuity meets opportunity. Sometimes, this flicker ignites, forging companies that become part of our everyday lives. For some founders, their billion-dollar company’s reputations precede them. Learn more about where these visionaries started and how they wielded success to create 10 of the most innovative brands we’ve come to know, love and—in some cases—can’t live without. AIRBNB Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk, Joe Gebbia In 2007, while scrambling to make their San Francisco rent, Chesky and Gebbia capitalized on a design conference coming to town. Hotels were scarce, so the roommates transformed their loft into a “designers bed and breakfast,” outfitted with three air mattresses and complimentary breakfast. Seeing a grain of an idea, even in one of the worst economic downturns since…

SEW IT AND ZIP IT!

YOU WILL NEED ■ Main fabric (mid weight cotton): 50cmx50cm.■ Lining fabric (mid weight cotton): 50cmx50cm■ Medium weight iron on interfacing: 50cm x 50cm■ Two colourful chunky zips to match the fabric, at least 30cm long■ Matching thread■ Basic sewing kit NOTES ■ Seam allowance is 1cm, unless otherwise stated■ To make it easier to cut the rectangles, we would recommend using a quilting rule to mark out the fabric.■ If you can’t find zips 30cm long, buy longer ones and cut them down. MATERIALS USED: ■ Main fabric: Sweets by Pigeon Wishes (UK supplier Grid Fabric)■ Lining fabric: Pastel Grid by PBS fabrics (UK supplier Grid Fabric)■ We used green and red zips from Frumble Fabrics CUTTING OUT Step one From the main fabric, cut: 2 x rectangles 16x30cm.…

SEW IT AND ZIP IT!
FIX A POST-SUMMER SEX SLUMP

FIX A POST-SUMMER SEX SLUMP

Enjoyed more intimacy over the summer? You’re not alone. Brits have the most sex during August* – laid-back holiday vibes and warmer, sunnier days are the perfect fuel to ignite the flames of summer lovin’. So as the seasons change and the weather cools down, you might be worried it could have the same effect on your love life. The good news? Our expert tips will help with the transition so things stay red-hot and sensual in the bedroom. RECREATE THAT HOLIDAY FEELING ‘The first step I’d recommend is to try and identify exactly what it is about summer that makes you feel more sexy or more connected to your partner,’ suggests psychotherapist Eloise Skinner**. If it’s the buzz of socialising with your partner that leads to great sex, make sure you…

Only in Tokyo

Only in Tokyo

To say that Tokyo is unlike any other spot in the world would be an understatement. Here is a list of just a few of the things you will find in this special place. Tokyo is filled with cat cafés—restaurants where patrons can grab a bite to eat while playing with cats. Cat cafés became so popular that other animal-themed cafés were opened throughout Tokyo. They feature many animals including dogs, birds, rabbits, snakes, goats, and even hedgehogs. Apartments in Tokyo are so small that most people are unable to have their own pets. When it comes to popular forms of entertainment in Tokyo, nothing can compare to pachinko, the Japanese version of pinball. Pachinko parlors are located all over Tokyo. They are loud, brightly lit, and filled with rows of gamblers…

Will William ever forgive his brother?

Will William ever forgive his brother?

For the first time since King Charles’ Coronation, the Royal Princes – William and Harry – were seen in the same place at the same time... As a memorial service was held in the coastal village of Snettisham in Norfolk on 28 August for Lord Robert Fellowes, 82, their uncle by marriage, both brothers joined the congregation. Harry had discreetly flown in from his California home, keeping the visit very much away from the spotlight. However, although there were united – geographically – in wanting to pay their respects to Diana’s brother-in-law, and comfort their newly widowed aunt Lady Jane Spencer, it seems that when it comes to relations between the two – there appears to be no thawing. According to an eyewitness who was at the service the brothers ‘kept their distance’…

Harris: Will her patriotic pitch win over the center?

Harris: Will her patriotic pitch win over the center?

“Not bad,” Madam Vice President, said William Kristol in The Bulwark. “Pretty damn impressive, in fact.” Kamala Harris wrapped up last week’s Democratic National Convention with a stirring address that established her as a vigorous, centrist, and unabashedly patriotic leader—everything that Donald Trump is not. As flag-waving delegates in the Chicago arena chanted “USA! USA!” the Democratic presidential nominee reintroduced herself as a child of immigrants whose story, she explained, “could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth.” She spoke of “the privilege and pride of being an American,” vowed to bolster border security, and called for “optimism and faith” in the fight for American ideals. “Yes, this was a Democrat talking,” said Peter Hamby in Puck. There were, of course, “paeans to diversity and pluralism.” But Harris’…

Range Rover Sport SV Edition Two

Range Rover Sport SV Edition Two

MAKING its public debut at CarFest 2024, the latest Range Rover Sport is now available as the SV Edition Two. Offering a performance-honed exterior, the range-topper blends unique paint colours with new carbonfibre detailing. Inside, SV Performance seats are available in a range of colours, upholstered in knit textiles or Windsor leather. The SV Edition Two also features exclusive branding on the front splitter, centre console, treadplates and puddle lamps. Powered exclusively by a 626bhp, 553lb-ft 4.4-litre twin-turbo MHEV V8 petrol engine, the Range Rover Sport SV is capable of dashing from 0-60mph in 3.6sec and on to a top speed of 180mph, thanks to both a weight saving of up to 76kg if you tick the box for the Carbon Ceramic Brakes option, and standard-fit aerodynamic enhancements. Clients can…

an Apple a day

TURKEY-APPLE BURGERS WITH JERK SEASONING ACTIVE: 35 min | TOTAL: 35 min | SERVES: 4 1 pound ground turkey1 tablespoon jerk seasoning1 small green apple, peeled and grated, plus thin slices for topping¼ cup finely chopped scallions¼ cup pankoKosher salt and freshly ground pepperVegetable oil, for the grillMayonnaise, for spreading4 brioche or challah rolls, split4 slices cheddar cheeseDijon mustard, for topping 1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Mix the turkey, jerk seasoning, grated apple, scallions and panko in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Form into four 1-inch-thick patties, making a small indentation on top of each using your thumb (this will prevent the burgers from puffng up during cooking). 2. Oil the grill grates. Grill the patties until browned and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side; top…

an Apple a day
THE ART OF THE SNACK: KINTSUGI OMAKASE

THE ART OF THE SNACK: KINTSUGI OMAKASE

This month, we made our way to Kintsugi Omakase to have an epic meal that we will talk about for quite a bit! We knew that there would be a number of courses that would be created in front of us by Chef Victor Chen who was in last month’s issue in our THE 9LIST 9M3NU feature. Our meal didn’t disappoint! We were able to enjoy a 16 course meal that is part of their Kintsugi Experience. It’s a fantastic experience where upon entering the restaurant, you are sitting with 9 other guests who nave a front row seat at a meal that is next level. We wanted to know more about when the restaurant launched, why they provide omakase, and what you can expect when it comes to heading…

Like NO OTHER

As you enter the exhibition “Naomi: In Fashion” at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, you are greeted by a video montage of Naomi Campbell’s iconic walk down the many runways across her 40-year career: a flirty sashay from baby Naomi at Todd Oldham in the mid ’90s, a moody saunter in a black silk outfit for Isaac Mizrahi from Fall 1997, a dead-serious stomp in a sequined black Saint Laurent tuxedo just a few years ago—all distinctly different, all distinctly Naomi. A solo V&A exhibition on any one person, particularly during his or her lifetime, is rare and sought-after. (Previous honors have been bestowed upon Alexander McQueen, Frida Kahlo, and David Bowie.) I also observe, quietly, two Black girls, perhaps 16 or 17, who are transfixed, staring closely at the footage…

Like NO OTHER

Woven into history

Margaret Hubert, Mitan & Moni and James Walters are crochet pioneers, whose invention and dedication propelled the craft to prominence from the 1960s onwards. We look back at their work and achievements. MARGARET HUBERT US-based craft legend Margaret Hubert’s crochet journey began unexpectedly in her late teens when a knitting error led her to discover the art of crochet. “I learnt to knit at a young age, but did not learn to crochet until I was 19,” says Margaret. “A local yarn shop owner taught me when I’d made a mistake in my knitting and she told me that I could correct it with a crochet trim. When I told her that I did not know how to crochet, she said, ‘You will learn right now.’ ” That moment marked…

Woven into history
Our LOVE may be unconventional but...

Our LOVE may be unconventional but...

‘AGE IS MEANINGLESS WHEN YOU’RE HAPPY’ Suzanne Scott Nagasaka, 77, from Skerne, Yorkshire, has been with her husband Michael, 54, for 30 years. A few years ago, I was out shopping with my husband Michael when a shop assistant made a comment about him getting a ‘nice present from his mum’. Instantly, I was mortified. The age gap between us is 23 years. To us, it’s irrelevant but the same can’t always be said for others. Jazz night I was 47, a single mum of two grown-up boys and living in Hong Kong when I met Michael. I was out with friends at a jazz club when the barman asked me to talk to this young man who’d just flown in from Washington, USA, and didn’t know anyone. I invited…

CHEESE PLEASE!

Are you tired of the same boring old cheese in flat orange squares or powdered in a can? If so, you’re in luck—the world is full of wonderful, tasty cheeses. That’s what Lydi and Earl discovered one day last summer when they came to our farm to help us make cheese straight from the goat. So how do you turn plain old milk into tasty, chunky cheese? It takes patience, heat, and some friendly bacteria. Move Over, Miss Muffet All cheese starts with milk. You can make cheese from any kind of milk—cow’s milk, goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, even water buffalo’s milk. Cheese is the solid fats and proteins from the milk with the liquid part drained away. The next ingredient in cheese is bacteria. While you don’t want harmful…

CHEESE PLEASE!

Fleeing War and Scams

UKRAINIANS FLEEING WAR WITH Russia for the United States have come across suspected scammers trying to exploit a government humanitarian support initiative for financial gain, Newsweek can reveal. Three Ukrainians described the attempts they had seen to use social media to take advantage of Uniting for Ukraine, or U4U—a program President Joe Biden’s administration announced in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, whereby displaced people with sponsors can enter the U.S. for two years on a temporary basis. Our sources say they were asked for payment for sponsorship. Under the program, sponsors agree to support Ukrainian beneficiaries for the duration of their stay. They are not offered financial support from the government and it is understood that there is a financial obligation for sponsors to support beneficiaries. The…

Fleeing War and Scams
ROKIT BMW MOTORRAD WORLDSBK M 1000 RR

ROKIT BMW MOTORRAD WORLDSBK M 1000 RR

addiction As we went to press, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu was nearly 100 points ahead of his nearest rival in the 2024 WSBK title race, after seven out of 12 rounds. The superstar from Türkiye is making the rest of the paddock look just a wee bit ‘steady,’ and the best bit is he's doing it for a marque that's never won the WSBK crown before – BMW. The Bavarian firm has been looking for a world production-based title since the original S1000RR appeared back in 2010, but success has been patchy; Marco Melandri's third and fourth spots in 2012 and 2013 are still the best placings for the firm in the WSBK riders’ championship. There's been race success elsewhere, of course; notably at the Isle of Man TT. But WSBK has…

Code Repository

Code Repository

We’ve included a vast Python code repository for you to freely use in your own programs. There’s plenty in here to help you create a superb piece of programming, or extend your project ideas. We’ve got code for making backups of your files and folders, number guessing games, random number generators, Google search code, game code, animation code, graphics code, text adventure code and even code that plays music stored on your computer. We’ve broken down some of the newer, and extended, concepts of the code to help you better understand what’s going on. This way you can easily adapt it to your own uses. This is an excellent resource that you won’t find in any other Python book. So use it, take it apart, adapt it to your own…

Allergic to… EVERYTHING!

Allergic to… EVERYTHING!

Walking across campus with friends, it was my first week at Holy Cross college, Massachusetts, in September 2017. And with food trucks parked all around, we wouldn’t be going hungry. Only I had to be careful. Since I was two years old, I have had severe allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, kiwi, mustard and seafood, cats and dogs, mould and pollen. Apart from a severe reaction aged two, my life had been normal. It had never held me back. My mum Julie, 60, even made sure I had pretty bags and purses to carry my EpiPens as a child. And aged 18, I was so excited to experience college. Holy Cross’ food hall was entirely nut free and it even had an allergy kitchen. And with my family home…

GOLDEN OLDIES

“Take all the things you love about the biscuit and make it a cake! Just so there’s more coconut-scented carbohydrate real estate to sink your teeth into. The frosting is a fluffy version of a royal icing, with freeze-dried raspberries to pink it up. Use rosewater to make it even more exotic, and not the Iced VoVo of your fore-bakers.” It’s not that Natalie Paull doesn’t find savoury food nostalgic – a chicken soup or ragu, “Can comfort like a family recipe for chocolate cake,” she says. “But where sweet pulls ahead is because sweet things are a special effort in the kitchen, a rare treat associated with celebrating a birthday or special moment. And sugar comforts the soul like no other ingredient.” Paull drew on a lifetime of sensory memory as…

GOLDEN OLDIES
Glory Days

Glory Days

EXTERIOR Two crepe myrtle trees stand proudly on either side of the steps leading to the front door of this 120-year-old grand Federation house. In 2015, over a 24-hour period, while her then husband was on a flight from Sydney to London, Kelly Pearce received an offer on the house they were selling and put in an offer on this Federation home in Sydney’s Lower North Shore. “By the time he landed, I had accepted the first offer and bought the second house. When he touched down, there was just absolute silence,” she says, laughing at the memory of calling him to share the news. “I just knew it was the right property. I had seen it advertised and when I went to look at it, I just thought, ‘Oh…

Lost in Palm Springs

Lost in Palm Springs

This September, the Alexandrina Council will be hosting ‘Lost in Palm Springs’ at the Signal Point Experience Centre in Goolwa. This touring exhibition, curated by Australian writer and conceptual artist Dr Greer Honeywill, features the work of fourteen international artists and photographers from America and Australia. Mid-century modern architecture and design explores how Palm Springs’ climate of sunshine and clean lines have influenced Australian architects. The Gold Coast is a city that reflects this. In post-war Australia and America both nations were chasing the same dream: affordable homes for the growing middle class to boost the economy. In Palm Springs, California the influence of the architects is huge. Palm Springs, with its dramatic mountain backdrop and vast desert floor is a wonderland, a magnet for creatives seeking inspiration and solitude.…

Manual mode explained

Manual mode explained

Beginner models On beginner models, use the main command dial to alter the shutter speed and then hold the plus and minus button while turning the dial to alter the aperture. Alternatively, press the Q button and move the box over the setting you wish to alter, then turn the command dial. Enthusiast and advanced models If you own an advanced or an enthusiast model, you alter the exposure settings slightly differently, because you don’t have the beginner plus/minus button. Instead, use the front command dial to change the shutter speed and the back-panel multi-controller to change the aperture. The exposure meter Once you know how to change the settings, what should you change them to? The aim is to balance the exposure meter (by adjusting the shutter speed, aperture…

Fresh Pain Over Matthew

Matthew Perry’s former Friends co-stars have been left “inconsolable” after five arrests were made in relation to his death last October. “Jennifer Aniston’s in bad shape,” an insider tells New Idea, adding that Courteney Cox has “not left her side”. “Everyone’s in shock over some of the details and the extent of Matt’s addiction.” Last week, authorities made shock new revelations about the 54-year-old’s addiction and death from a ketamine overdose. Charges were laid against two doctors, the actor’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, former Hollywood producer Erik Fleming and ‘Ketamine Queen’ Jasveen Sangha. Authorities revealed the star was receiving ketamine treatments for depression from his regular doctor, but sought more than his prescription allowed. Doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez supplied additional doses, which Kenneth would administer. Matthew and Kenneth…

Fresh Pain Over Matthew

Everyone on the web will die. What about their data?

The internet is aging. As soon as the 2060s, there may be more dead than alive users on Facebook. Many of the platforms that are now part of society’s basic infrastructure face a similar prospect. What happens when they—and their users—die will be a critical battleground for the internet’s future. We have done virtually zero preparation for it. Back in 1997, when John Perry Barlow published his now legendary “A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace,” he boldly stated that the governments of the world—the “giants of flesh and steel,” as he called them—had no dominion over cyberspace. The internet was a “new home of Mind” beyond the flesh, where its young and tech-savvy citizens would never age or decay. We still tend to see the internet that way. We also…

Everyone on the web will die. What about their data?
That McLaren needs Spa treatment

That McLaren needs Spa treatment

There are lots of places to shoot Turn 1 at Spa-Francorchamps, which is good because the start is usually dramatic. I like this position and angle where you’re on the outside of the corner shooting across and down. With a telephoto lens and a fairly big aperture it blurs a lot of the messier background elements so you can draw the eye towards the action. The risk you take is that some of the drama kicks off earlier in the corner. A couple of years ago the organisers widened the run-off here but replaced a lot of the asphalt with gravel to deter track-limit gambling. Lando Norris just got it a bit wrong at the start here and slipped from fourth to fifth. Where Spa, Belgium When 3:04pm, Sunday 28 July 2024 Details Canon…

Big Picture: Southern Lights Spectacular

Big Picture: Southern Lights Spectacular

I HAVE WITNESSED my fair share of aurora australis here in Antarctica, having worked eight expedition seasons in the past 14 years. But the solar storm on 25 March 2024 led to the most beautiful auroral display I’ve ever seen. I knew the geomagnetic activity was going to be intense, having read online about the solar storm that was making its way down to Earth. There was no guarantee I would witness this event in its entirety; aurora displays can be obscured by cloud, wind, fog and snow. The light from a full Moon might wash out half of the sky, making it nearly impossible to photograph the full impact of the aurora. It was a full Moon that night – but this didn’t affect the vibrant colours of the pink, crimson,…

Python in Focus: Artificial Intelligence

Python in Focus: Artificial Intelligence

Despite how close AI and ML are, there are distinct differences between the two technologies. AI refers to the study of how to train a computer to accomplice the things that humans can do significantly better and faster. Whereas, ML is the ability for a computer to learn from its experiences, so that the outcome and performance will eventually become more accurate and accomplished. While different, they are both essentially discussing the same element: training a system to learn and do things independently. Where AI is said to lead to wisdom, ML reportedly leads to knowledge and, thanks to Python, that gap is getting closer every day. APPLICATIONS Both AI and ML are hugely present in today’s technology. Where, just a few years ago, most of us associated AI with…

DREAM IN COLOUR

DREAM IN COLOUR

Once maligned for their perceived architectural monotony and crowded living conditions during the late-19th and early-20th centuries, Berlin’s tenement houses or Mietskasernen – characterised by multiple apartments stacked on top of each other – are now some of the most sought-after properties in the city. In recent years, the need for more living spaces has meant the creation of coveted penthouses on the top floor of these buildings, many of which are readily snapped up by young professionals. Such was the case with this home, bought by a couple (one a scientist, the other an illustrator) who had recently moved to the German capital from Amsterdam. The pair were quick to realise the potential of this rooftop three-bed located in Kreuzberg and bought it as a shell before turning to interior…

CATASTROPHE IN ANTARCTICA

DRAMATIC CHANGES WITNESSED During the Antarctic Climate Expedition (ACE) 2023, we witnessed the most dramatic changes compared to the previous 10 visits between 2003 and 2022. Ecosystems are naturally subject to change, especially in extreme environments such as the Antarctic, and they often fluctuate greatly as a result of natural cycles. However, based on photographic evidence, recent changes are more pronounced, affecting the wildlife and landscape of this icy continent. Some changes, though, are caused by events beyond the Antarctic, and are far more difficult to address. How the Antarctic ecosystems will cope with the effects of a warming, more acidic ocean is subject to much scientific research, but the solutions to these problems do not come from the scientific realm, but the combination of policies from the political world,…

CATASTROPHE IN ANTARCTICA

What does your handwriting say about you?

Discover the intriguing world of graphology, where your penmanship unveils more than just words. Certified graphologist Caro Duncan sheds light on how this ancient method offers a unique map to self-exploration, revealing insights into intellect, emotions and even subconscious drives. Did you know that your handwriting conveys more than just your words? Penmanship can reveal aspects of your personality, offering inky insights into your education, dream career, perfect companion and much more. So, what does your handwriting say about you? According to certified graphologist Caro Duncan, handwriting analysis is one of the oldest methods used to understand a personality. Duncan was drawn to study graphology decades ago when she noticed her students’ writing spoke volumes about their characters. Script can convey personality, intellect, cognitive thinking approach, attachment style, vitality, sexuality and unconscious…

What does your handwriting say about you?
AI TOOLS THAT ACTUALLY WORK

AI TOOLS THAT ACTUALLY WORK

ChatGPT ChatGPT may sound like an obvious recommendation, but it still has many nonobvious uses—like helping to bridge language barriers. That’s what Florida-based jewelry company Artizan Joyeria uses it for:The company’s offshore customer service employees, who aren’t native English speakers, “can now produce higher-quality written content in all forms, such as presentations and emails addressed to customers,” says Sasha Slimak, the company’s COO. Microsoft Copilot Microsoft’s AI tool Copilot has a range of features across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. Chad Stark especially loves using Copilot in Teams, Microsoft’s video meetings platform. Stark is the CEO of Stark, a luxury carpet and rug brand, and he has Copilot summarize important meetings and send the summary to all participants. “You could prompt ChatGPT to do the same, but because Copilot is integrated with Teams…