Monthly Archives: May 2025

2025.05.13

The cardamom conundrum: what’s the difference between green and black pods?
Did you even know there is a black cardamom? And white and red ones, too? And that some are good for sweet recipes and others for curries? Our top cooks have all the spicy smarts
Anna Berrill
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/may/13/whats-the-difference-between-green-and-black–white-red-cardamom-pods-kitchen-aide-anna-berrill

Inside the world’s largest archeology museum – the Grand Egyptian Museum in pictures
Featuring pharaohs and sustainable design, the $1bn museum in Giza, Egypt, is finally opening after years of delays
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2025/may/12/grand-egyptian-museum-pictures

Watch dramatic moment monkey family defends baby from python
Leaf monkeys are close-knit family groups that work closely to protect themselves and newborns.
Produced by the BBC Natural History Unit.
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0l9r1x3/watch-dramatic-moment-monkey-family-defends-baby-from-python

2025.05.12

Americans putting life on hold amid economic anxiety under Trump, poll shows
Exclusive: Harris poll for Guardian finds people reconsidering major life events such as having children or buying a home
Lauren Aratani in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/may/12/americans-economy-trump-poll

‘Inverse vaccines’: the promise of a ‘holy grail’ treatment for autoimmune diseases
Some researchers say a new approach, which suppresses a particular part of the immune system rather than amplifying it, could be available in the next five years
David Kohn
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/may/12/autoimmune-disease-inverse-vaccines

On The Up: Felton Road named top winery for 2025, wins second year in a row
By Stephanie Holmes
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/felton-road-named-top-winery-for-2025-wins-second-year-in-a-row/YSROPRLE3BEXJOUKRJG22UWC4U/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=nzh_fb&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1747014759

2025.05.11

Antiques Roadshow UK 2025 Series 48 - VE Day Special

Billie Piper on toxic masculinity, raising teens, and playing complex characters: ‘I’ve been a woman on the edge – I’m not afraid of it!’
Kate Lloyd
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/10/billie-piper-tv-baftas-interview

Tea-licious! 17 awesome ways to use earl grey, from ice-cream and cocktails to strudel and salad
Who’d have guessed there’s so much you can do with bergamot-flavoured tea? Apparently you can even drink it
Tim Dowling
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/may/11/tea-licious-17-awesome-ways-to-use-earl-grey-from-ice-cream-and-cocktails-to-strudel-and-salad

2025.05.10

Trump administration mulling end to legal right to challenge one’s detention
Top White House adviser Stephen Miller announces US president considering suspending writ of habeas corpus
Sam Levine
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/may/09/end-habeas-corpus-detention-trump-stephen-miller

Mayor of Newark arrested for trespassing at Ice detention center
Ras Baraka, who has spoken out against Trump’s immigration policies, was at the center with Democratic members of Congress
Richard Luscombe and Marina Dunbar
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/09/newark-mayor-ras-baraka-arrested-ice-protest-detention-center

How a Florida-based election skeptic came to run elections in California
Clint Curtis, who once claimed to build vote-flipping software, will now lead elections in a conservative county
Dani Anguiano in Redding

Authors speak out against failed US book festival: ‘shattered badges and silence’
Grace Marsceau promised to pack A Million Lives event. Authors arrived to empty rooms, unpaid bills and no decor
Rosalind Adams
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/09/a-million-lives-book-festival-romantasy

Nonnas review – fact-based Netflix restaurant comedy is a warm surprise
Vince Vaughn plays a grieving son who decides to open an Italian eaterie with grandmothers in the kitchen in a simple but charming crowd-pleaser
Benjamin Lee
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/09/nonnas-review-netflix-restaurant-comedy

Soviet-era spacecraft plunges to Earth after 53 years stuck in orbit
Kosmos 482 re-enters the atmosphere more than a half century since launch on failed mission to Venus
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/may/10/kosmos-482-soviet-spacecraft-plunges-to-earth

David Tennant on sex scenes, Doctor Who and his run-in with Kemi Badenoch: ‘The trans debate has become unnecessarily cruel’
Kate Lloyd
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/10/david-tennant-tv-baftas-interview

What links butterfly, air, French and Glasgow? The Saturday quiz
From Barbarian invasions and lead poisoning to Saturday Night Fever and the shipping forecast, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz
Thomas Eaton
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/may/10/what-links-butterfly-air-french-and-glasgow-the-saturday-quiz

Meera Sodha’s recipe for dolcelatte tart with sage and pine nuts
Sweet, gooey soft cheese cased in flaky pastry is a cheese-lover’s delight. Serve with a pear and leaf salad for a weekend lunch
Meera Sodha
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/may/10/dolcelatte-tart-with-sage-and-pine-nuts-recipe-meera-sodha

2025.05.09

‘Hollowing out’: New Zealand grapples with an uncertain future as record numbers leave
Surge of departures – mostly fleeing a weak economy – fuels concern over the longer-term impact on the country as some small towns scramble for survival
Michelle Duff in Wellington
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/09/leaving-new-zealand-record-departure-numbers

From sea sparkles to fireflies: Chasing Australia’s ‘big four’
Frankie Adkins
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250508-australias-mysterious-glowing-big-four

The best science fiction, fantasy and horror – reviews roundup
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie; The Incandescent by Emily Tesh; Land of Hope by Cate Baum; A Line You Have Traced by Roisin Dunnett
Abigail Nussbaum
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/may/09/the-best-science-fiction-fantasy-and-horror-reviews-roundup

Rediscovered Thomas & Friends pilot to be released
Paul Glynn
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czel5x60y7lo

The town where deer roam free (and mostly peacefully)
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0l5vc1h/the-town-where-deer-roam-free-and-mostly-peacefully-

Minnesota Songkran Festival: Celebrate Thai New Year at the Capitol this weekend
Also this weekend: Festival de las Calaveras brings live Mexican rock and wrestling to The Hook and Ladder Theater, while a Mother’s Day concert honors Black women in music at the Dakota.
by Myah Goff
https://sahanjournal.com/arts-culture/things-to-do-twin-cities-songkran-fest-mexican-punk-jamecia-bennett/

2025.05.08

Trump tariffs to hit small farms in Maga heartlands hardest, analysis predicts
Major corporations are best placed to benefit from Trump polices at the expense of independent farmers
Nina Lakhani in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/08/small-farms-trump-tariffs

‘Get rid of the pseudoscience’: top doctor’s plan to improve America’s health
Eric Topol says we can prevent age-related disease and live fuller lives – but only if we reject anti-science ‘malarkey’
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/08/eric-topol-health-book

Forever review – an absolutely adorable TV take on Judy Blume’s banned teen sex classic
The 1975 novel might be barred from US schools and libraries, but it gets a hugely important telling here. It’s powerful, sweet – and with a cast as excellent as Heartstopper’s
Rebecca Nicholson
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/08/forever-review-an-absolutely-adorable-tv-take-on-judy-blumes-banned-teen-sex-classic

‘A safe haven from racial violence’: Sinners shows the importance of juke joints
Ryan Coogler’s smash hit horror focuses on the opening of a juke joint, a one-time mainstay in Black southern culture
Andrew Lawrence
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/07/sinners-movie-juke-joints

Rio’s record, giant dogs and a psychic crocodile – take the Thursday quiz
Questions on general knowledge and topical trivia, plus a few jokes, every Thursday. How will you fare?
Martin Belam
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/may/08/the-guardian-thursday-quiz-general-knowledge-topical-news-trivia-209

The stunning retro space-age homes that are perfect for today
Clare Dowdy
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250507-the-stunning-retro-space-age-homes-that-are-perfect-for-today

Men found guilty of violent murder of Aboriginal schoolboy
Tiffanie Turnbull
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9vzzxpdm7o

Teen unable to eat due to rare digestive condition
Stuart Woodward
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly5gkl3dg5o

Karmel Mall owner faces foreclosure suit against his Minneapolis apartments over maintenance issues
Basim Sabri contests many of the allegations in the suit made by Fannie Mae, mortgage holder on two apartment buildings he developed. (No Paywall)
by Mike Hughlett | The Minnesota Star Tribune
https://sahanjournal.com/news-partners/basim-sabri-karmel-apartments-fannie-mae-foreclosure-lawsuit/

2025.05.07

US supreme court allows Trump trans military ban to take effect
Justices rule ban can be enforced while challenge plays out in court, a decision that could lead to thousands discharged
Sam Levine
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/06/trump-trans-military-ban-court

Aardman announces third Shaun the Sheep movie: The Beast of Mossy Bottom
Studio promises ‘smashed pumpkins, wayward science and a wild hairy beast’ in third big-screen outing for the much beloved animation
Catherine Shoard
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/07/aardman-announces-third-shaun-the-sheep-movie-the-beast-of-mossy-bottom

By calling a genocide a genocide, Andor just made its most political point yet
Tony Gilroy’s Star Wars show has repeatedly felt like it was ripped from today’s headlines – but Mon Mothma’s radical speech was written two years ago
Walter Marsh
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/07/by-calling-a-genocide-a-genocide-andor-just-made-its-most-political-point-yet

Gang who smuggled thousands of queen ants sentenced in Kenya
Akisa Wandera & Wycliffe Muia
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0x07pr8dno

2025.05.06

My coverage of the Met Gala:

Mall Park in Uptown: A missed opportunity for meaningful community engagement
Opposition to the redesign mostly came from renters adjacent to the Minneapolis park — not privileged residents fighting change.
by Mike Erlandson
https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2025/05/mall-park-in-uptown-a-missed-opportunity-for-meaningful-community-engagement/

X-ray reveals ancient Greek author of charred first century BC Vesuvius scroll
Ink traces show text is part of work by Epicurean philosopher Philodemus, burned during AD79 volcano eruption
Ian Sample
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/may/06/x-ray-reveals-ancient-greek-author-of-charred-first-century-bc-vesuvius-scroll

Osteoarthritis study could lead to new treatments
Grace Shaw
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy48jynpm8wo

The enthusiast searching for stunning sea slugs
Zhara Simpson
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg1dk3km25o

I made a Wallace & Gromit contraption in real life! - Joseph's Machines

2025.05.05

Trump orders reopening of Alcatraz prison for ‘most ruthless offenders’
Plan to expand and reuse long-shuttered penitentiary off San Francisco described as ‘not serious’ by Nancy Pelosi
Edward Helmore and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/05/trump-plan-reopen-alcatraz-prison

Trump says non-US movies to be hit with 100% tariffs
Peter Hoskins Business reporter Maia Davies BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr7e2z1rxyo

US scientist who touted hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid named to pandemic prevention role
Steven J Hatfill, who promoted the drug despite scant evidence of efficacy, becomes special adviser at HHS
Chris Stein in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/05/covid-hydroxychloroquine-steve-hatfill

Madness, murder and rape on the Batavia: new theory on Australia’s most horrific shipwreck
Dutch academic says an ‘unlikely story about a mad heretic’ has been repeated for 400 years – and poses an alternative
Tory Shepherd
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/06/batavia-shipwreck-new-theory-what-happened

Three people killed after shooting in Phoenix restaurant
Five others injured while police say more than one person may have been firing a gun in Arizona restaurant
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/05/phoenix-arizona-shooting-restaurant

NZ airport to remove Hobbit-themed eagle sculptures
Koh Ewe
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7949plre0o

2025.05.04

Have you followed Trump’s 100-day disaster? Try this quiz!
Lawrence Douglas
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/04/trump-100-days-quiz

Trump feels tug of political gravity as economy falters and polls plunge
The president started his second term fast and furious with a flurry of activity – much of it legally dubious – but analysts say the honeymoon is over
David Smith in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/04/trump-popularity-voters-economy-immigration

Trump says he doesn’t know if he needs to uphold constitutional due process
President also says he sees himself as leaving office at the end of his current term and not seeking a third one
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/04/trump-due-process-rights-constitution

Paris-based thriller offers fresh inside take on French-Tamil community
Writer, actor and director Lawrence Valin says that in Little Jaffna he wanted to ‘show new role models’
Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/04/paris-based-thriller-offers-fresh-inside-take-on-french-tamil-community-little-jaffna

Are actors getting better (and ‘bett-ah’) at Australian accents?
No longer must we wince through a jarring Cockney-Kiwi mix: Hollywood has finally cracked Aussie dialects. Is it the teaching, the spread of Bluey, AI – or something else?
Donna Lu
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/03/are-actors-getting-better-and-bett-ah-at-australian-accents

‘It was born to be a champion’: How Dubai chocolate conquered the world
Soumya Gayatri
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250502-how-dubai-chocolate-conquered-the-world

The bizarre space explosions scientists can’t explain
Jonathan O’Callaghan
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250502-cow-flares-the-bizarre-space-explosions-scientists-cant-explain

Scientists say they’ve found another source of gold in the cosmos
Ashley Strickland
By Ashley Strickland, CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/03/science/magnetar-flare-cosmic-gold?Date=20250503&Profile=cnn&utm_content=1746272935&utm_medium=social&utm_source=threads

Vietnamese artists trace the fragments of war and refugee life in new St. Paul exhibit
Fifty years after the first wave of Vietnamese refugees arrived, five artists map the diasporic experience through art installations reimagining nail salons, prisons booths and border checkpoints.
by Myah Goff
https://sahanjournal.com/arts-culture/vietnam-war-diaspora-art-exhibit-st-paul-minnesota/