Category Archives: Art

2025.06.05

A trillion here, a trillion there, pretty soon we’re talking real money!
Trump’s tax bill would add $2.4tn to US debt, says non-partisan analysis
The Congressional Budget Office warns Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill’ will leave 10.9 million uninsured by 2034
Joseph Gedeon in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/trump-tax-bill-debt

‘These guys are idiots’: Sean Penn and Dustin Lance Black call out government’s Harvey Milk erasure
Team behind Oscar-winning biopic of the groundbreaking gay politician hits back at decision to remove his name
Adrian Horton
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/sean-penn-harvey-milk

Hundreds arrested across 28 states in effort to curb organized retail theft
Illinois taskforce brought together more than 100 law enforcement agencies and over 30 retailers for crackdown
Marina Dunbar
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/organized-retail-theft-arrests

Many of Dead Sea scrolls may be older than thought, experts say
Researchers enlisted help of AI along with radiocarbon dating to produce new insights into ancient texts
Nicola Davis Science Correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jun/04/many-of-dead-sea-scrolls-may-be-older-that-thought-experts-say

MyPillow’s Mike Lindell faces trial and plans to testify about 2020 election lies
The case, brought by former Dominion employee Eric Coomer, could deepen Lindell’s legal and financial troubles
Rachel Leingang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/mike-lindell-testify-2020-election-trial

FDA issues highest alert for tomato recall due to salmonella risk
Williams Farms Repack tomatoes recalled in Georgia and Carolinas, although no cases of illness have been reported
Maya Yang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/tomato-recall-salmonella

Contraception warning over weight-loss drugs after dozens of pregnancies
UK watchdog has had 40 reports relating to pregnancies in people using drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro
Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/05/contraception-warning-over-weight-loss-drugs-after-dozens-of-pregnancies

Breakthrough in search for HIV cure leaves researchers ‘overwhelmed’
Exclusive: Melbourne team demonstrates way to make the virus visible within white blood cells, paving the way to fully clear it from the body
Kat Lay Global health correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jun/05/breakthrough-in-search-for-hiv-cure-leaves-researchers-overwhelmed

I thought it was being gay that made my life so difficult. Then, at 50, I got an eye-opening diagnosis …
I spent far too many years lonely and angry, thanks to schoolmates who called me ‘weird’ and bosses who dismissed me as ‘hysterical’. But was it my sexuality that put their backs up – or the autism I am still coming to terms with?
Matt Cain
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/05/i-thought-it-was-being-gay-that-made-my-life-so-difficult-then-at-50-i-got-an-eye-opening-diagnosis

Millions in west do not know they have aggressive fatty liver disease, study says
Research finds more than 15m in US, UK, Germany and France with MASH have not been diagnosed
Anna Bawden Health and social affairs correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/05/millions-in-west-do-not-know-they-have-aggressive-fatty-liver-disease-study-says

First bacteria we ever meet can keep us out of hospital
James Gallagher
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgr5lej9l8lo

What to do if your email account is stolen – and how to stop it happening again
A hacked or compromised account can be a nightmare. But with these tips, it need not be the end of the world
Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/jun/04/what-to-do-if-your-email-account-is-stolen-and-how-to-stop-it-happening-again

From MPR News: “The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said people are receiving scam text messages that threaten penalties if they do not pay up. Department officials are asking people to delete and disregard the messages.” Via MinnPost
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/06/04/minnesota-officials-warn-of-scam-dmv-texts

From Bring Me The News: “Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a statement in response to the law enforcement operation at two Twin Cities restaurants on Tuesday, one of which drew a large crowd of protesters. … MPD’s policy said that it will not interfere with ICE investigations, but will not be involved in the enforcement of federal immigration law.” In this case, “MPD said it ‘responded to a request to assist with crowd control and to help ensure public safety,’ adding: ‘Officers supported federal law enforcement in safely departing the area.’” Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/ice-issues-statement-in-response-to-raids-at-2-twin-cities-restaurants

From KARE 11: “Skies are clearing over much of the state after days of being surrounded by a smoky haze, air so unhealthy it triggered the highest level Air Quality Index (AQI) warning for residents in northwest Minnesota. Things have improved so much that an Air Quality Alert issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) expired at 9 a.m. Wednesday for residents of the Twin Cities metro. Via MinnPost
https://www.kare11.com/article/weather/air-quality-alert-ends-for-twin-cities-wildfire-smoke-exiting-minnesota/89-a85d429f-5def-4025-92a7-ad26bb38790f

Contorted bodies and bare bottoms: Ralph Gibson’s all-seeing eye – in pictures
The photographer has spent six decades photographing Hollywood, New York … and lots of women. He talks us through his favourite images
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/jun/05/contorted-bodies-and-bare-bottoms-ralph-gibsons-all-seeing-eye-in-pictures

Where to start with: Edmund White
After the news of White’s death, here is a guide to a foundational writer of gay lives and elder statesman of American queer literary fiction
Neil Bartlett
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/04/where-to-start-with-edmund-white

Why Minneapolis is one of the world’s happiest places
Lindsey Galloway
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250530-why-minneapolis-is-one-of-the-worlds-happiest-places

2025.06.03

Philadelphia paper warns Fetterman to take Senate job seriously – ‘or step away’
Democratic senator hits back at ‘smear’ after being accused of missing votes and skipping committee hearings
Anna Betts
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/john-fetterman-senate-philadelphia-inquirer

US firms say Trump trade war is hitting production as dollar nears three-year low
Manufacturing survey signals third monthly decline in output in a row amid uncertainty over tariffs
Heather Stewart Economics editor
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/us-firms-say-trump-trade-war-is-hitting-production-as-dollar-nears-three-year-low

Outrage over Peru’s decision to nearly halve protected area near Nazca Lines
Shock decision has raised fears ancient site with almost 2,000-year-old geoglyphs will be exploited by illegal miners
Dan Collyns in Lima
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/02/peru-nazca-lines-protection-illegal-mining

Theater Mu’s new artistic director sees role as a call to arms in uncertain times
Writer and director Fran de Leon aims to elevate the theater’s profile and reach, while continuing to bring overlooked Asian-American histories to light.
by Macy-Châu Diễm Trần
https://sahanjournal.com/arts-culture/theater-mu-new-artistic-director-fran-de-leon/

How Bangkok’s Coolest Neighborhood is Taking On Gentrification
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NHfQ7ox_is

2025.06.02

Much of Minnesota will be under an air quality alert, MPR News reports. The alert is expected to last until at least 6 p.m. Monday. “According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, fine particle levels caused by large wildfires from Manitoba and Saskatchewan will push the air quality index to the red category, a level considered unhealthy for everyone, across the northern half of Minnesota. … For most of the southern and central part of Minnesota, the air quality index is expected to reach the orange category, which is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.”  Via MinnPost
https://www.minnpost.com/glean/2025/06/smoggy-times-canadian-wildfires-contribute-to-minnesota-haze/

Key US weather monitoring offices understaffed as hurricane season starts
National Weather Service offices are reeling from job cuts and a hiring freeze imposed by Trump
Oliver Milman
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/trump-national-weather-service-hurricanes

Half of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders faced hate in 2024, study finds
Exclusive: rampant anti-Asian hate in 2024 reflected divisive election season, survey finds
Minnah Arshad
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/aapi-hate-study

A ‘war on children’: as US changes Covid vaccine rules, parents of trial volunteers push back
Frustration and anger mount as Trump administration contemplates new trials and restrictions for Covid vaccines
Melody Schreiber
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/vaccine-rule-change-child-trial-volunteers

Loan plan in Republican bill could worsen doctor shortage, experts warn
Proposal to limit student loans for ‘professional programs’ risks driving people away from medicine, critics say
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/01/republican-trump-bill-doctor-shortage

Is it true that … taking collagen supplements slows signs of ageing?
Many people take collagen powders and pills in the hope of looking younger for longer, but there are better ways to improve your chances
Kate Lloyd
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jun/02/is-it-true-that-taking-collagen-supplements-slows-signs-of-ageing

The deadlift difference: is this the exercise you need for an active and pain-free future?
Life is easier with a strong, flexible body – and this weightlifting move will help with everything from rearranging the furniture to picking up your groceries. You might even learn to love the barbell
Phil Daoust
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jun/01/the-deadlift-difference-is-this-the-exercise-you-need-for-an-active-and-pain-free-future

How electric scooters are driving China’s salt battery push
Xiaoying You
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250530-how-electric-scooters-are-driving-chinas-salt-battery-push

Stakes are high for US democracy as conservative supreme court hears raft of cases
Former critics now hope the justices have enough fealty to the US constitution to mitigate Trump’s assault on rights
Robert Tait in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/01/us-supreme-court-democracy

Parks, libraries, museums: here’s why Trump is attacking America’s best-loved institutions
Margaret Sullivan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/02/national-parks-libraries-museums-trump

Trump’s tax bill helps the rich, hurts the poor and adds trillions to the deficit
Katrina vanden Heuvel
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/02/big-beautiful-tax-bill-deficit-trump

The women saving Japan’s vanishing cuisine
Michelle Gross
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250530-the-women-saving-japans-vanishing-cuisine

Butt-naked Milton and a spot of fellatio: why William Blake became a queer icon
How did an ancient poet and painter who died in obscurity come to obsess everyone from Oscar Wilde to David Hockney, Robert Mapplethorpe, Derek Jarman and David Bowie? The writer of a new book explains his glorious allure
Philip Hoare
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/02/william-blake-queer-icon-bowie-wilde-mapplethorpe-jarman

2025.05.31

‘Breakthrough’ breast cancer therapy can slow advance of disease and prolong survival
Study shows combination treatment for aggressive breast cancer delays advance by average 17 months and chemotherapy by two years
Andrew Gregory Health editor, in Chicago
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/31/breakthrough-breast-cancer-therapy-can-slow-advance-of-disease-and-prolong-survival

Trump says he fired National Portrait Gallery chief in latest conflict with arts
President says director Kim Sajet has been fired but experts suggest president does not have legal grounds to do so
Robert Mackey
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/30/trump-fires-kim-sajet-national-portrait-gallery-director

Want to see where Trump’s tariffs are leading US business? Look at Georgia
The political swing state has a $900bn economy, with hospitality, industrial manufacturing – and movies
George Chidi in Atlanta
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/31/georgia-business-trump-tariffs

Four queer business owners on Pride under Trump: ‘Our joy is resistance’
As the first Pride month under Donald Trump’s second presidency approaches, LGBTQ+ businesses are stepping up
Jenna Zaza
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/31/pride-queer-business-owners

Tourist damages two of China’s terracotta warriors after jumping fence
The man ‘pushed and pulled’ the ancient clay warriors and damaged them to varying degrees, said authorities
Agence France-Presse
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/31/tourist-jumps-into-chinas-terracotta-army-damaging-ancient-warriors

Four tips for home care, from vacuuming your mattress to … cleaning your dishwasher?
I tried some of the advice from Kyshawn Lane of the wildly popular Instagram account Weekly Home Check
Buy an exclusive print from our Well Actually series
Madeleine Aggeler
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/may/30/four-tips-for-home-care

Are seed oils really bad for you?
Jessica Bradley
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250530-are-seed-oils-really-bad-for-you

Never before seen images of our Universe
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0lf3qdj/never-before-seen-images-of-our-universe

Loretta Swit, who played ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan on MAS*H, dies aged 87
The actor, who won two Emmy awards, was best known for being one of longest-serving cast members on the hit series
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/30/loretta-swit-actor-dead

2025.05.29

US federal court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs
Ruling from court of international trade in New York comes after slew of lawsuits arguing president exceeded authority
Kalyeena Makortoff and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/28/us-court-blocks-trump-tariffs

Donald Trump commutes sentence of former Chicago gang leader
Larry Hoover, 74, ex-chief of Gangster Disciples in Chicago, had been serving multiple life sentences for over 50 years
Léonie Chao-Fong
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/28/donald-trump-commutes-chicago-gang-leader-sentence

‘Flooding could end southern Appalachia’: the scientists on an urgent mission to save lives
Geologists race to collect perishable data as Kentucky residents ‘scared to death’ over floods amid Trump cuts
Nina Lakhani in eastern Kentucky with photographs by Jon Cherry
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/29/appalachia-kentucky-floods-research-trump-cuts

Scared advertisers, flag bans and Trump: the US is in for a troubled Pride 2025
Event organizers in red and blue states have seen an exodus of sponsors amid an anti-LGBTQ+ political climate. They insist the show will go on
Tim Teeman
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/29/pride-month-trump

Chinese paraglider survives accidental 8,000-metre-high flight above the clouds
A strong updraft propelled Peng Yujiang thousands of metres high, in line with flight paths and nearly as high as Mount Everest
Helen Davidson in Taipei
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/29/chinese-paraglider-peng-yujiang-survives-8000-metre-high-flight

Why does Switzerland have more nuclear bunkers than any other country?
Switzerland is home to more than 370,000 nuclear bunkers – enough to shelter every member of the population. But if the worst should happen, would they actually work?
By Jessi Jezewska Stevens
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/may/29/why-does-switzerland-have-more-nuclear-bunkers-than-any-other-country

Swiss village almost entirely destroyed after collapse of glacier buries it in mud
One person missing and Blatten devastated after huge cloud of ice and rubble inundates evacuated town
Guardian staff and agencies in Geneva
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/28/swiss-glacier-collapse-village-switzerland-blatten

Thousands in Canada’s Manitoba ordered to evacuate in wildfire emergency
There are more than 130 active wildfires across the country, half of which are considered out of control
Agence France-Presse
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/29/canada-wildfires-manitoba-province-fire-evacuation

‘Space travel is queer’: the unstoppable film-maker skewering Bezos and Musk’s macho fantasies
Cath Clarke
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/29/space-travel-bezos-musk-macho-fantasies-nelly-ben-hayoun-stepanian

Materialists to 28 Years Later: 10 of the best films to watch this June
Nicholas Barber
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250528-10-of-the-best-films-to-watch-this-june

2025.05.23

Harvard University sues Trump administration over ban on enrolling foreign students
Ivy league school calls administration’s decision unconstitutional retaliation for defying White House’s demands
Michael Sainato and agency
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/may/23/harvard-university-sues-trump-administration-ban-foreign-students

Trump’s barbarism is turning his biggest strength into a liability
Osita Nwanevu
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/23/trumps-barbarism-is-turning-his-biggest-strength-into-a-liability

Fear, hope and loathing in Elon Musk’s new city: ‘It’s the wild, wild west and the future’
Starbase in Texas, where the world’s richest man has a rocket-launching facility, was incorporated this week. Mars obsessives are flocking there – but some long-term locals are far from happy
Oliver Laughland
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/23/elon-musk-new-city-starbase-texas

Brazilian tribe sues New York Times for allegedly portraying members as porn addicts
Defamation suit claims Marubo people were depicted in story as tech-addled and porn-obsessed after introduction of internet
Associated Press in Los Angeles
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/23/brazil-tribe-new-york-times-pornography-lawsuit

California hummingbird beaks transformed by feeders: ‘more tapered and longer’
Study details evolutionary change of Anna’s hummingbirds and finds ranges have expanded to follow such devices
Cy Neff
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/23/california-hummingbird-beak-study

This doctor calls LGBTQ+ rights ‘satanic’. He could now undo healthcare for millions
Exclusive: A rightwing activist behind a current supreme court challenge has spent decades railing against ‘homosexual behavior’
Sam Levin
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/23/supreme-court-case-steven-hotze-hiv-prep

Key takeaways: RFK Jr’s ‘Maha’ report on chronic disease in children
Report ignores common dangers to children, focuses on Kennedy’s favored topics – and will be forcefully opposed
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/22/rfk-jr-maha-health-report-explained

Disarray at Department of Veterans Affairs imperils patient care, internal documents reveal
Unit closures, reduced hours of operation and exam backlogs reported after Trump administration reductions
Aaron Glantz
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/23/veterans-affairs-doge-musk

‘Ludicrous and unfair’: older workers react to pressure to delay retirement
IMF is urging countries globally to act to ease stress on public finances, sparking mainly outrage but also support
Jedidajah Otte
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/may/23/ludicrous-unfair-older-workers-react-pressure-delay-retirement

Awkward clapping, no-sand beaches and Alexander Skarsgård’s thigh-high boots: a trip to Cannes to see my film
Harry Lighton’s film Pillion is based on the novel Box Hill so, misgivings riding alongside, it felt right for the author to motorbike to the film festival for its premiere
Adam Mars-Jones
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/23/adam-mars-joness-cannes-diary-pillion-box-hill-cannes-diary

Man in Norway wakes to find huge container ship in garden
Francesca Gillett
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8nk279ydyo

The sounds and songs of Iceland’s melting landscape
Karen McHugh
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250521-the-sounds-and-songs-of-icelands-melting-landscape

Kangaroo ‘tries to drown’ man in Australian floodwaters
Flora Drury
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg71gqe068o

The Mayan languages spreading across the US
Juan Pablo Pérez-Burgos
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250515-the-mayan-languages-spreading-across-the-us

In full bloom: Chelsea flower show 2025 – in pictures
The photographer Sarah Lee has made her annual visit to the RHS Chelsea flower show in south-west London to revel in the floral delights
Sarah Lee
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2025/may/22/chelsea-flower-show-2025-in-pictures

2025.05.19

Is it true that … male pattern baldness is inherited from the mother?
It is often down to genetics, but hair loss is also affected by hormones, stress and other factors
Kate Lloyd
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/may/19/is-it-true-that-male-pattern-baldness-is-inherited-from-the-mother

Athletes and fitness influencers use creatine, but what is it? And does it work?
We find out if this fitness supplement can be used to build muscle mass, decrease fatigue and improve mental health
Adrienne Matei
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/may/15/what-is-creatine-benefits-drawbacks

Runaway rice prices spell danger for Japan’s prime minister as elections loom
Attempts to bring down the price of the Japanese staple have had little effect amid a cost-of-living crisis
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/19/runaway-rice-prices-spell-danger-for-japans-prime-minister-as-elections-loom

Human statues in Bolivia and flowers at Chelsea – photos of the day: Monday
Joanna Ruck
https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2025/may/19/human-statues-in-bolivia-and-flowers-at-chelsea-photos-of-the-day-monday

Solving the mystery of a dinosaur mass grave at the ‘River of Death’
Rebecca Morelle Science editor
Alison Francis Senior science journalist
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0k3x8lmje1o

The pilots chasing ‘sky rivers’ and cyclones from Japan to the US
Sophie Hardach
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250516-the-pilots-chasing-sky-rivers-and-cyclones-from-japan-to-the-us

Still booting after all these years: The people stuck using ancient Windows computers
Thomas Germain
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250516-the-people-stuck-using-ancient-windows-computers

2025.05.16

Budget breakthrough? What Gov. Walz and the Legislature did and didn’t accomplish
Explaining Thursday’s State Capitol budget news amid the bipartisan boasting and a frenzied pushback.
by Matthew Blake
https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2025/05/budget-breakthrough-what-gov-walz-and-the-legislature-did-and-didnt-accomplish/

Thousands without power in Twin Cities after storm
A powerful storm blew through Minnesota on Thursday afternoon, knocking down trees and damaging power lines.
Author: Felicity Dachel
https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/thousands-without-power-twin-cities/89-f489d1c3-bcab-4558-8488-74cfa6c0c230?ref=exit-recirc

DNC vice-chair David Hogg on Democratic party: ‘We need to dramatically change’
Lauren Gambino
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/16/david-hogg-dnc-democrats-trump

Murderbot review – Alexander Skarsgård is hella cool as a bored Robocop who hates all humans
This space comedy is about a cyborg who reprograms himself to go rogue … then just wants to mock stupid humans and glob out in front of the telly. It’s such a funny premise – but sadly falls short
Lucy Mangan
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/16/murderbot-review-alexander-skarsgard

Mexico demands compensation from YouTube star MrBeast after pyramid chocolate video
Celebrity used trips to ancient Maya cities to advertise his own-brand snacks, drawing criticism from Mexico’s archaeology and history institute
Agence France-Presse
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/16/mexico-demands-compensation-from-youtube-star-mrbeast-after-pyramid-chocolate-video

Brontë sisters’ Bradford birthplace opens for visitors
Queen Camilla opens house, refurbished after 18-month fundraising campaign, where you can stay ‘in the same room the Brontës slept in’
David Barnett
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/may/15/bronte-sisters-bradford-birthplace-opens-for-visitors

Author denied UK visa unable to attend premiere of play based on his memoir
Exclusive: London theatre urges Home Office to reconsider as Ibrahima Balde unable to watch adaptation of award-winning book
Daniel Boffey Chief reporter
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/15/author-ibrahima-balde-denied-uk-visa-to-attend-premiere-of-play-based-on-his-memoir

The world’s five happiest cities for 2025
Lindsey Galloway
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250515-the-worlds-five-happiest-cities-for-2025

‘People are still haunted by what happened’: How history’s brutal witch trials still resonate now
Lindsay Baker
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250516-how-historys-brutal-witch-trials-still-resonate-now

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/