Category Archives: Movies

2025.04.08

Chris Riemenschneider at the Star Tribune reports: “The co-founder of one of Minneapolis’ most reputable breweries, Falling Knife, (Tom) Berg died unexpectedly over the weekend. The cause of death is believed to be heart failure, the brewery’s representatives said. He was 46.” Via MinnPost

The White Lotus season three finale review – the show’s least satisfying ending ever
The most interesting character was sidelined, the deaths were riddled with lazy logic and it all felt frustratingly middling. Season four will have some redeeming to do
Stuart Heritage

The creators of The White Lotus tried to avoid stereotypes of Thailand. They didn’t succeed
Rachel Harrison

Five nurses from same unit in Boston hospital diagnosed with brain tumors
Newton-Wellesley hospital says it ruled out environmental risk as staff members diagnosed with benign growths
Anna Betts

US supreme court allows deportations under 18th-century law with limits
In 5-4 ruling, court laid down terms for invoking Alien Enemies Act, stating challenges must take place in Texas
Cecilia Nowell and agencies

Rightwing group backed by Koch and Leo sues to stop Trump tariffs
New Civil Liberties Alliance says president’s invocation of emergency powers to impose tariffs is unlawful
Robert Tait in Washington

‘What if we didn’t suck?’: the leftist influencer who wants to campaign for Congress differently
Kat Abughazaleh has been critical of what she describes as Democrats’ lack of vision and says the party has lost touch with many of its voters, especially young people
Lauren Gambino

How ‘liberation day’ rout compares with other notorious stock market crises
Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent

Sweet, sticky and sold out everywhere: why is there such a craze for Dubai chocolate?
The creamy pistachio bar is all over TikTok, but good luck trying to find it in shops. Connoisseurs, market-watchers and the woman who invented it discuss its sudden rush to fame
Emine Saner

The Penguin Lessons is just the latest film that teaches us how animals rescue men from loneliness
The comedy, about a curmudgeon played by Steve Coogan and his waddling new friend, joins a subgenre of movies from King Kong to John Wick – in which men are emotionally and socially rescued by animals
Sophie Monks Kaufman

2025.04.06

Ang Lee’s Film Festival talk highlights local-global movie connections
Filmmaker’s work with ‘Brokeback Mountain’ producer and Minnesota native Bill Pohlad led to this weekend’s Minneapolis appearance.
by Nick Kouhi
https://www.minnpost.com/arts-culture/film/2025/04/ang-lees-film-festival-talk-highlights-local-global-movie-connections/

Exclusive: how the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg got added to the White House Signal group chat
Internal investigation cleared the national security adviser Mike Waltz, but the mistake was months in the making
Hugo Lowell in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/06/signal-group-chat-leak-how-it-happened

‘False teacher’: Trump’s pick to head the ‘White House faith office’ roils some fellow Christians
Paula White, a millionaire televangelist who speaks in tongues, was criticized for an alleged cash-for-blessings scheme
Adam Gabbatt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/paula-white-faith-office-trump

Doge’s attack on social security causing ‘complete, utter chaos’, staff says
Understaffed agency sent into ‘death spiral’ as employees warn Musk-led cuts will lead to structural collapse
Michael Sainato
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/06/musk-doge-social-security

Senate approves Republican plan for trillions in tax breaks and spending cuts
Vote fell mostly along party lines and now goes to the House, where it could be voted on as soon as next week
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/senate-republicans-trillions-tax-breaks-spending-cuts

Second child reportedly dies of measles in Texas amid growing outbreak
US health and human services department confirmed death but insisted the exact cause is under investigation
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/06/texas-measles-death-child

A White Lotus actor’s guide to Thailand
Mayra Peralta
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250225-a-white-lotus-actors-guide-to-thailand

Anti-Trump protests hit cities worldwide – in pictures
Thousands of ‘Hands Off’ protesters – in the US and across major European cities – took to the streets on Saturday in a show of defiance
Diana Ramirez-Simon
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/gallery/2025/apr/05/anti-trump-hands-off-worldwide-protests

2025.04.05

Planned construction on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis starts this weekend with a full shutdown of the section between I-35W and Highway 280, reports MPR News. And various disruptions on that section of I-94 will be in place for the next several months. Via MinnPost

A Minneapolis man accused of shooting his neighbor has been found incompetent to stand trial, reports Bring Me The News. Via MinnPost

Space probe to map carbon content of world’s remotest tropical forests Revolutionary scanner to be fired into Earth orbit this month to measure effects of deforestation Robin McKie Science editor https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/apr/05/space-probe-to-map-carbon-content-of-worlds-remotest-tropical-forests

Painkillers without the addiction? The new wave of non-opioid pain relief
Pharma firms are developing drugs that avoid the brain’s opioid receptors to minimise the risks of dependence and overdoses, but not all experts are convinced
Ayisha Sharma
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/apr/05/painkillers-without-the-addiction-the-new-wave-of-non-opioid-pain-relief

‘My father’s death saved my life’: director Steve McQueen on grief, gratitude and getting cancer
After his dad died at 67, the 12 Years a Slave film-maker knew it was only a matter of time before he would get prostate cancer, too. The disease kills 12,000 men a year in the UK – a disproportionate number of them black. Now, in a bid to save lives, he is speaking out about his own diagnosis, alongside the doctors who successfully treated him
Simon Hattenstone
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/apr/05/my-fathers-death-saved-my-life-director-steve-mcqueen-on-grief-gratitude-and-living-with-cancer

Major endometriosis study reveals impact of gluten, coffee, dairy and alcohol
Edinburgh University report authors say dietary changes could benefit women living with the disease
Victoria Allen
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/05/major-endometriosis-study-reveals-impact-of-gluten-coffee-dairy-and-alcohol

Patwa is not ‘broken English’: the African ties that bind US and Caribbean languages
Centuries later, Jamaican Patwa and US Gullah Creole retain many Africanisms adopted from enslaved people
Zakiya McKenzie
https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/apr/05/patwa-is-not-broken-english-the-african-ties-that-bind-us-and-caribbean-languages

‘Too sticky. Too saucy. Too weird’: could I persuade my son to eat the food of my heritage? Before she became a mother, Samantha Ellis secretly judged other parents who let their children subsist on white bread and pesto-pasta. And when her son was born she couldn’t wait to share the Iraqi Jewish food of her ancestors. Unfortunately, he had other ideas … Samantha Ellis https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/apr/05/too-sticky-too-saucy-too-weird-could-i-persuade-my-son-to-eat-the-food-of-my-heritagehttps://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/apr/05/too-sticky-too-saucy-too-weird-could-i-persuade-my-son-to-eat-the-food-of-my-heritage

The Christian right has set the US on the road to Gilead. Without a fight, other nations may follow
Deborah Frances-White
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/05/christian-right-us-gilead-roe-v-wade-europe-women-rights-abortion

George Santos prosecutors seek seven-year prison term for campaign fraud
Disgraced Republican congressman ‘made a mockery’ of election system and merits long sentence, US officials say
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/04/george-santos-prosecutors-campaign-fraud

Broken and in the grip of civil war, can Myanmar rebuild after earthquake?
The junta’s poor emergency response leaves people fearing prolonged chaos, despite the relentless propaganda
Rebecca Ratcliffe, Esther J and reporters in Mandalay and Sagaing
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/05/myanmar-earthquake-rebuild-junta-civil-war

Los Angeles agrees to $4bn deal to settle thousands of sexual abuse claims
County’s offer – largest of its kind – would settle lawsuits filed over alleged abuse in juvenile facilities since 1959
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/04/los-angeles-sexual-abuse-claims-settlement

Former Washington archbishop Theodore McCarrick, defrocked over abuse allegations, dies aged 94
Most senior American prelate in Catholic church to face accusations of sexual abuse died in state of Missouri
Agence France-Presse
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/former-washington-archbishop-theodore-mccarrick-defrocked-over-abuse-allegations-dies-aged-94

2025.04.04

I worked in Trump’s first administration. Here’s why his team is using Signal
Kevin Carroll
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/05/why-trump-administration-used-signal-hegseth-gabbard

What will Trump do when his tariffs backfire?
Nils Pratley
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/03/the-world-looks-on-and-wonders-how-much-pain-is-trump-willing-to-take

Chance of asteroid hitting Moon increases slightly
Maddie Molloy
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpdznz83x8vo

This Hawaiian island’s ‘freakosystems’ are a warning from the future
Matthew Ponsford
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250403-the-new-hawaiian-freakosystem-emerging-on-oahu-accidentally-created-by-humans

Did John and Yoko split because of Richard Nixon? The making of revelatory music film One to One
The director of One to One: John & Yoko reveals how he was given access to a trove of intimate and family archive material that changes how we see the star couple
Kevin Macdonald
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/apr/04/one-to-one-john-and-yoko-film-archive

From gun-toting monkeys to triple homicides: the wildest theories for the White Lotus finale
Will Gaitok go rogue? Might there be an incest-related shooting? Could primates do it? Here’s a rundown of the top rumours around the last episode’s looming death (or deaths)
Michael Hogan
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/apr/04/from-gun-toting-monkeys-to-triple-homicides-the-wildest-theories-for-the-white-lotus-finale

Edwardian homes for sale in England and Scotland – in pictures
From a Devon terrace in need of modernisation to a vast six-bedroom house near Aberdeen, properties that exude craftsmanship
Anna White
https://www.theguardian.com/money/gallery/2025/apr/04/edwardian-homes-for-sale-england-scotland

Drop to A Minecraft Movie: 11 of the best films to watch this April
Nicholas Barber
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250404-11-of-the-best-films-to-watch-this-april

‘I love my country’: Ken Burns on showing the dark parts of US history
Christopher Luu
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250402-ken-burns-influential-interview-katty-kay

Your weekend: Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, a Mexican-inspired opera
This year’s film festival features Latin dramas, Somali and Chinese documentaries, a film on Hmong identity and a documentary on Black liberation in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.
by Myah Goff
https://sahanjournal.com/arts-culture/things-to-do-minneapolis-international-film-festival-mexican-opera/

2025.03.18

Well! Eero support asked me to install their app on a second phone to check an issue. Then they emailed me to ask how I was doing on that. Today, I emailed that I was waiting for them to send me a phone. Stay tuned.

So yesterday the guy from Hayes Windows showed up to do some work I set up last year. The window in the sunroom which I have not rehung in the couple of years since I moved into the house, is now hung. The bathroom pocket window, which has been broken since I moved into the house a couple of years ago is on its way to have two panes replaced and one pane moved for esthetics. Along with it went one large lower broken window from a bedroom, and the wooden storm window from the lower stair pocket window, which was not in good shape the last time I put it in after I bought the house a couple of years ago. (Why have time and weather not healed it?) Of course, snow is predicted for tomorrow.
https://hayeswindows.com/

Ya think?
The Star Tribune’s Deena Winter and Jeff Day report: “The city of Minneapolis withdrew its request that a controversial pastor’s nonprofit get a nearly $650,000 violence prevention contract on the same day two violence interrupters who have worked for the pastor were charged with multiple felonies in a shootout after a community barbecue last week.” Via MinnPost

Wait for it:
The Pioneer Press’ Steve Karnowski reports: “A federal judge dismissed the charges Monday against a Minnesota man accused of hiding a stolen pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in the 1939 musical ‘The Wizard of Oz’ after prosecutors informed the court that he died on Sunday.” Via MinnPost

Gold hits record high over $3,000 amid rising geopolitical tensions; Thames Water receives six takeover offers – business live
https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2025/mar/18/gold-hits-record-high-over-3000-geopolitical-tensions-weakening-us-dollar-oil-stock-markets-inflation-business-live-news?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-67d917018f08d273c01e5858#block-67d917018f08d273c01e5858

‘It’s back to drug rationing’: the end of HIV was in sight. Then came the cuts
The abrupt halt to US funding threatens to undo decades of advances, dramatically increasing infections and deaths, but some see an opportunity for Africa to lead the response
Kat Lay, Global health correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/mar/18/global-health-trump-usaid-cuts-hiv-aids-2030-drugs-vaccine-research-africa

Why is Gavin Newsom handing Steve Bannon a megaphone? It’s becoming clear
Margaret Sullivan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/17/gavin-newsom-steve-bannon-podcast

Harvard offers free tuition to students from families earning under $200,000
Ivy League school is latest US university to make step with aim to make it affordable to ‘more students than ever’
Marina Dunbar
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/mar/17/harvard-free-tuition

​How a tiny village in a deserted part of Spain became a centre for gay weddings
A couple of hours’ drive from Madrid, Campillo de Ranas has played a huge role in promoting same-sex marriage – and revived the fortunes of the ‘black villages’ of Guadalajara
Paul Richardson
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/mar/18/how-a-tiny-village-in-a-deserted-part-of-spain-became-a-centre-for-gay-weddings

‘A very deep bond of friendship’: The surprising story of Van Gogh’s guardian angel
Deborah Nicholls-Lee
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250317-the-surprising-story-of-van-goghs-guardian-angel

How sex with Neanderthals changed us forever
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0kytlx7/how-sex-with-neanderthals-changed-us-forever

The Matrix film producer files for bankruptcy
João da Silva
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgwzp2jpneo

2025.03.16

Russell T Davies: gay society in ‘greatest danger I’ve ever seen’ after Trump win
Exclusive: Doctor Who writer says he feels ‘a wave of anger heading towards us’ and hostility in UK as well as US
Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/16/russell-t-davies-gay-society-greatest-danger-ever-seen-trump

Back to cash: life without money in your pocket is not the utopia Sweden hoped
Miranda Bryant
Nordic countries were early adopters of digital payments. Now, electronic banking is seen as a potential threat to national security
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/16/sweden-cash-digital-payments-electronic-banking-security

Rocks and racism? How geologists created and perpetuated a narrative of prejudice
Kathryn Yusoff sparked a culture war with her latest book, suggesting slavery and white supremacy informed the work of geology’s founding fathers. Here, she and other experts suggest that attitudes have changed little since
Miriam Frankel
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/16/rocks-and-racism-how-geologists-created-and-perpetuated-a-narrative-of-prejudice

Unearthed notebooks shed light on Victorian genius who inspired Einstein
Michael Faraday’s illustrated notes that show how radical scientist began his theories at London’s Royal Institution to go online
Donna Ferguson
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/15/notebooks-michael-faraday-victorian-scientist-einstein

They had a fairytale American childhood – but was radiation slowly killing them?
Sophie Williams
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2e7011n03vo

The ancient drink serving the world for 13,000 years
Scientists have found evidence of ancient beer production from different kinds of crops all over the world.
From our modern point of view, beer might just be a mind-altering beverage. But in fact, it has played a significant part in human life since near the dawn of civilisation.
Video by Pierangelo Pirak
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p09h36ld/the-ancient-drink-serving-the-world-for-13-000-years

The fascinating history of the f-word
It’s one of the most versatile words in the English language, but where does it come from? Lexicographer, etymologist and broadcaster Susie Dent activates the f-bomb and takes us on a journey through time.
Animation by Adrian Hartrick and Dominika Ozynska
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p08fy0xs/the-fascinating-history-of-the-f-word

How Covid-19 changed the way we die
The pandemic forced many people in England and Wales to reflect how they might die with dignity, and the numbers of those wanting to die at home is on the rise
Harriet Sherwood, Pamela Duncan and Matthew Pearce with graphics by Tural Ahmedzade
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/16/how-covid-19-changed-way-we-die-england-wales

Demon-child movie wows China – and smashes global box office records
Virtually unknown in the west, Ne Zha 2 is the world’s highest-grossing animation at £1.6bn – outdoing Inside Out 2 – just weeks after its release
Amy Hawkins Beijing
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/16/ne-zha-2-animation-chinese-box-office-inside-out-2

‘I’ve always felt a little neurospicy. But it’s my factory setting!’ Natasha Rothwell on taking The White Lotus by storm
Michael Hogan
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/mar/15/ive-always-felt-a-little-neurospicy-but-its-my-factory-setting-natasha-rothwell-on-taking-the-white-lotus-by-storm

2025.03.08

Dustin Nelson at Bring Me the News reports the Twin Cities Book Festival is saying farewell to the State Fairgrounds. The Rain Taxi-run event will host its 25th fest at St. Paul’s Union Depot, organizers announced on Thursday. Via MinnPost

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz bring Black art ‘Giants’ to the Minneapolis Institute of Art
Also this weekend: Digital art by a Japanese trans artist at FKM Gallery; art and poetry exploring the immigrant experience at Indigenous Roots, and a performance festival spotlighting composers of color at MacPhail Center for Music.
by Myah Goff
https://sahanjournal.com/arts/twin-cities-weekend-arts-events/

Texas cities run short of MMR vaccine as measles outbreak drives demand
Pharmacies are struggling with supplies as fatal outbreak expands and health secretary sows disinformation
Melody Schreiber
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/texas-mmr-vaccine-measles-outbreak

Mormon church rocked by child sexual abuse allegations in California
Look-back window results in nearly 100 allegations against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/mormon-church-child-sex-abuse-allegations-california

‘She is evil’: Amy Coney Barrett under attack by the right wing after supreme court USAid ruling
Conservative justice who frequently votes with the far-right side of the supreme court faces backlash for recent ruling
Adam Gabbatt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/amy-coney-barrett-under-attack-by-right-wing

‘Etched in my mind’: witness to South Carolina firing squad execution describes killing
Brad Sigmon was executed on Friday for the murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 2001
Guardian staff
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/south-carolina-firing-squad

‘I’m on the side of the workers’: the Minnesota senator calling out Trump and Musk
Tina Smith is leaving at the end of her term, and says she would call Musk a dick even if she had to face re-election
Rachel Leingang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/tina-smith-minnesota-senator-interview

Anora is nothing new – Hollywood has always been obsessed with sex workers
Anne Billson
Mikey Madison is the latest in a line of actors dating back to Janet Gaynor to win Oscars depicting the sex trade. Why this is, and whether it lessens the stigma of such work, is an open question
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/07/hollywood-obsessed-with-sex-workers-anora-mikey-madison

Athena spacecraft declared dead after toppling over on moon
Robotic private spacecraft touched down about 250 meters from its intended landing site on Thursday
Richard Luscombe
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/07/athena-spacecraft-mission-dead

‘We’re fairly different’: life in New Zealand’s remote self-declared ‘republic’
The tiny town of Whangamōmona on the North Island maintains some eccentric traditions – past ‘presidents’ have included a goat and a poodle
Anna Rankin in Whangamōmona
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/08/whangamomona-new-zealand-self-declared-republic-feature

This is how we do it: ‘After mutual cancer diagnoses we didn’t have sex for five years. Then we discovered toys …’
Jill and Bob became more like housemates than lovers during an illness-enforced break, but a delivery of sex toys brought back the fun
As told to Olivia Ladanyi
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/08/this-is-how-we-do-it-mutual-cancer-diagnoses-sex-toys

2025.02.28

For one Minnesotan, a new heat pump brings comfort and savings Even in one of the coldest cities in the U.S., Kathy Palmer’s heat pump helps displace gas heating, lowers heating bills, and makes her home more comfortable.
by Alison F. Takemura
https://www.minnpost.com/other-nonprofit-media/2025/02/for-one-minnesotan-a-new-heat-pump-brings-comfort-and-savings/

‘Come back strong’: 19 Bar reopens in Minneapolis nearly a year after major fire
Nicole Ki
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/02/27/19-bar-reopens-in-minneapolis-after-major-fire

St. Patrick’s Day parade returns to Minneapolis after 5-year hiatus
Nick Halter
https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/02/27/st-patricks-parade-returns-minneapolis-columbia-heights

Senate GOP demands Walz apology for ‘fascists and Nazis’ comment; Walz says he was talking about actual neo-Nazis
Gov. Walz said his comments, which Senate Republicans posted to social media, were not about President Trump or Republican voters.
Author: Danny Spewak
https://www.kare11.com/article/news/politics/senate-gop-demands-walz-apology-for-fascists-and-nazis-comment/89-9a40b189-5c5f-4977-b3b9-c59de7bea4b5?ref=exit-recirc

Preserving your family’s immigration journey: Where to start
Last week, Sahan Journal and MPR News hosted a live community conversation, titled “My family immigration story — and yours” — about how artists, historians and community leaders record and preserve their community history.
by Katelyn Vue
https://sahanjournal.com/immigration/minnesota-family-immigration-history/

‘They’ve lost my trust’: consumers shun companies as bosses kowtow to Trump
Americans are using their wallet to hurt where it matters – including during Friday’s planned ‘economic blackout’
Lauren Aratani in New York and Guardian community team
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/feb/28/trump-consumer-protests-companies

Disney’s Snow White to Mickey 17: 10 of the best films to watch this March
Nicholas Barber
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250227-10-of-the-best-films-to-watch-this-march

‘I was born to be an actor’: Twice-knighted Derek Jacobi on nearly 70 years on the stage and screen
Christopher Luu
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250226-derek-jacobi-influential-interview-katty-kay

Is there no such thing as Italian cuisine?
Thomas Fabbri
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250227-is-there-no-such-thing-as-italian-cuisine

Jim Gaffigan, Italian Flicks, Queer Soup Night: This Week’s Best Events
Plus fiber arts, art books, and A Bar of Their Own turns one.
By Racket Staff
https://racketmn.com/jim-gaffigan-italian-flicks-queer-soup-night-this-weeks-best-events

2025.02.14

‘We’re like sitting ducks’: the right’s ‘war on woke’ has a well-tested playbook to take down academics The campaign against Claudine Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, has become a blueprint increasingly wielded against women and scholars of color Alice Speri https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/14/chris-rufo-jo-boaler-academics-woke

‘No one wants to pay $25 for breakfast’: US restaurants are cracking under inflation It’s not just eggs, but coffee, orange juice and bacon, making life especially hard for diners, bakeries and brunch spots Danielle Renwick https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/14/restaurants-inflation-egg-prices

Dating apps could be in trouble – here’s what might take their place Fiona Macdonald https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7zxgxdggjo

Stars pull out of shows and positions at Kennedy Center after Trump takeover Issa Rae, Ben Folds and Shonda Rhimes among those who chose not to associate with the institution and president Adrian Horton and Benjamin Lee https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/feb/13/kennedy-center-trump-issa-rae-shonda-rhimes

‘It changed my life’: Get Millie Black, the thrilling Caribbean crime drama shaking up TV
Booker prize winner Marlon James is breaking into television with his rave-reviewed cop show. Its creator and star talk wigs, unfinished business – and what it’s really like being queer in Jamaica today
Ellen E Jones
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/feb/14/marlon-james-get-millie-black-the-thrilling-caribbean-cop-show-tamara-lawrence

‘Another woke disaster from Hollywood!’ How Captain America joined the culture wars In the latest film from the Marvel franchise, Captain America: Brave New World, a Black hero squares up to a raging red baddie trashing the White House. Cue the conservative outrage … Steve Rose https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/feb/14/woke-disaster-hollywood-how-captain-america-joined-culture-wars

Tilda Swinton decries ‘internationally enabled mass murder’ at Berlin film festival Actor speaks out against ‘the unacceptable complacency of our greed-addicted governments’ as she picks up a Golden Bear award for lifetime achievement Andrew Pulver https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/feb/14/tilda-swinton-berlin-film-festival

2025.02.13

Riley Moser, Frankie McLister at WCCO report: “The Department of Education announced Wednesday it is investigating the Minnesota State High School League for allowing transgender student-athletes to compete in sports consistent with their gender identity.” Via MinnPost https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/education-department-mshsl-title-ix-investigation/

Tommy Wiita at Bring Me the News reports: “Eden Prairie-based UnitedHealth Group has agreed to pay $20.25 million to settle a lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Labor, after it was found to have wrongly denied thousands of medical claims via its third-party administrator.” Via MinnPost https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/unitedhealth-group-to-pay-20m-to-settle-lawsuit-over-denied-coverage

The Star Tribune’s Paul Walsh reports: “A woman lured a man she met on a dating app to a predawn meetup in north Minneapolis, where her accomplice fatally shot him as part of a carjacking plot, according to criminal complaints filed Wednesday and Thursday.” Via MinnPost https://www.startribune.com/charge-carjacking-victim-killed-after-being-lured-on-dating-app-to-predawn-meetup-in-minneapolis/601221200

Nick Longworth at FOX 9 reports: “Minnesota lawmakers are considering a new bill that would stiffen the penalties for those who engage in the prostitution of minors.” Via MinnPost https://www.fox9.com/news/minor-prostitution-penalties-law-change-proposal

Kevin Drum is in hospital and doing poorly. https://jabberwocking.com/health-update-89/

Rape under wraps: how Tinder, Hinge and their corporate owner chose profits over safety Match Group has known since 2016 about abusive users on its dozen dating apps, but leaves millions of people in the dark Emily Elena Dugdale and Hanisha Harjani https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/13/tinder-hinge-match-investigation

It’s a cowboy show out there’: the deadly lottery of the snakebite antivenom industry Investigation reveals ineffective products being sold across Africa, with poor regulation and shortage of effective medication leading to needless deaths By Paul Eccles, Andjela Milivojevic and Rachel Schraer. Additional reporting by Shafa’atu Suleiman and Laura Margottini https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/13/its-a-cowboy-show-out-there-the-deadly-lottery-of-the-snakebite-antivenom-industry

‘Here lives the monster’s brain’: the man who exposed Switzerland’s dirty secrets Inspired by Che Guevara, Jean Ziegler has spent the past 60 years exposing how Switzerland enabled global wrongdoing. His enemies accuse him of treason By Atossa Araxia Abrahamian https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/feb/13/here-lives-the-monsters-brain-the-man-who-exposed-switzerlands-dirty-secrets

London’s first Roman basilica found under office block Archaeologists hail discovery of near-2,000-year-old structure as one of most significant recent finds in the city Esther Addley https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/feb/13/londons-first-roman-basilica-found-under-office-block

From Timothée Chalamet to TV’s latest epic series: Six reasons the 2025 Berlin Film Festival is set to make waves Hugh Montgomery and Nicholas Barber https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250212-six-ways-the-berlin-film-festival-will-make-waves