Category Archives: News

2025.03.17

How, err, convenient?
Jeff Wald at FOX 9 reports: “Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management licensing website shut down at 9 p.m. on Friday, leaving business applicants scrambling to complete the process by the 11:59 p.m. deadline.” Via MinnPost
https://www.fox9.com/news/mn-cannabis-licensing-down-hours-before-deadline

Happy trails, Peter Callaghan, your Minnesota legacy lives on
State government reporter Peter Callaghan ended his time at MinnPost on Friday after more than 10 years.
by Elizabeth Dunbar
https://www.minnpost.com/inside-minnpost/2025/03/happy-trails-peter-callaghan-your-minnesota-legacy-lives-on/

Let the heavy avalanche of sternly worded letter begin!
Democrats demand investigation into Musk over possible criminal corruption
Leading figures urge Pam Bondi to examine ‘Mr Musk’s activities at the FAA’ amid conflict-of-interest concerns
Martin Pengelly in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/17/democrats-elon-musk-investigation

A missile here, a missile there, pretty soon we’re talking WWIII.
Japan to deploy long-range missiles able to hit North Korea and China
Planned missiles on Kyushu said to be part of ‘counterstrike capabilities’, as fears grow over US security pact
Gavin Blair in Tokyo
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/17/japan-long-range-missiles-north-korea-china-us-security-pact

From sewage and scum to swimming in ‘blue gold’: how Switzerland transformed its rivers
In the 1960s, the Swiss had some of the dirtiest water in Europe. Now, their cities boast pristine rivers and lakes – and other countries are looking to follow their lead
Phoebe Weston in Geneva
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/17/from-sewage-and-scum-to-swimming-in-blue-gold-how-switzerland-transformed-its-waterways-aoe

‘All the birds returned’: How a Chinese project led the way in water and soil conservation
The Loess plateau was the most eroded place on Earth until China took action and reversed decades of damage from grazing and farming
By Helen Davidson
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/14/how-china-led-way-water-soil-conservation

Bad Art Expert! Bad! Bad! Bad!
The art expert did it: LGG Ramsey revealed as 1951 thief of Van Dyck painting
Exclusive: How one historian’s investigative work led to artwork finally being returned to ‘English Versailles’
Dalya Alberge
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/mar/17/art-expert-did-it-lgg-ramsey-revealed-1951-thief-van-dyck-painting

Avoid the White Lotus effect: Thailand travel without the tourists
The country is no stranger to pop-culture fuelled overtourism. But behind the scenes there are islands, wild places and temples to explore
Eloise Basuki
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/mar/17/white-lotus-filming-location-setting-koh-samui-four-seasons

Ittsa chewing gum and a floor wax!
The explosive potential of custard powder
Veronique Greenwood
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250313-the-explosive-potential-of-custard-powder

May your green beer look half as fine coming up as it did going down:
Dublin goes green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day
Kevin Sharkey
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwygjq5jv93o

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

2025.03.15

Minneapolis set a record Friday (75 degrees, fondly Fahrenheit or ~24 C for the rest of you). Of course, snow is forecast, but it ain’t here yet.

‘Brain pacemakers’: implants to be tested to help alcohol and opioid addicts
Trial will determine whether electrical pulses can control and decrease yearnings
Robin McKie, Science editor
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/15/brain-implants-alcohol-opioid-addicts-trial

‘Spreadsheets of empire’: red tape goes back 4,000 years, say scientists after Iraq finds
Ancient Mesopotamian stone tablets show extraordinary detail and reach of government in cradle of world civilisations
Dalya Alberge
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/15/stone-tablets-mesopotamia-iraq-red-tape-bureaucracy

‘They’re on. They’re off. We can’t plan’ – bourbon makers dazed by Trump tariffs
The president’s chaotic policy on import duties makes planning impossible, says the CEO of a Kentucky distillery – and state Republicans are unhappy, too
Callum Jones in Louisville, Kentucky
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/15/bourbon-makers-trump-tariffs

Baby wombat-snatching US influencer apologises and says she was ‘concerned’ for Australian animal
Sam Jones, who left Australia on Friday, posted a 900-word statement questioning outrage in country where ‘slaughter of wombats’ is permitted
Nino Bucci
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/15/baby-wombat-snatching-us-influencer-apologises-and-says-she-was-concerned-for-australian-animal-ntwnfb

How a New Zealander working from her mum’s kitchen started a news service read by Madonna
The success of Shit You Should Care About has been down to Lucy Blakiston’s focus on social media at a time where news avoidance is growing
Eva Corlett in Wellington
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2025/mar/15/shit-you-should-care-about-lucy-blakiston-media

Clothes brand gets 100 complaints a day that models are ‘too fat’
Jennifer Meierhans
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2xjd41g33o

Trump is coming for your poppers: Major producer closes amid FDA crackdown
Several other companies seem to have followed suit.
By Mey Rude
https://www.out.com/news/poppers-fda-crackdown-double-scorpio

U of M Regents Pass Resolution Gagging Faculty
Plus the Wolves basketball boss, weird weed rulings, and don’t drive like a dumbass in today’s Flyover news roundup.
By Racket Staff
https://racketmn.com/university-of-minnesota-regents-pass-resolution-gagging-faculty-speech

Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for Lebanese moussaka with five-garlic-clove sauce
The Lebanese take on moussaka is a simple vegetable stew of aubergines, chickpeas, spices and herbs, here spruced up with a lively garlic sauce
Meera Sodha
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/mar/15/lebanese-moussaka-five-garlic-clove-sauce-recipe-meera-sodha

Wallace and Gromit on the couch:

Animators React to Wallace and Gromit!

2025.03.14

Walz to tour red districts where GOP is too scared to face constituents by Walter Einenkel https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/13/2309950/-Walz-to-tour-red-districts-where-GOP-is-too-scared-to-face-constituent?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_7&pm_medium=web

Shocker! Former Trump crony has been indicted for child sex crimes by Alex Samuels https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/13/2309952/-Shocker-Former-Trump-crony-has-been-indicted-for-child-sex-crimes?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_8&pm_medium=web

ARTS & CULTURE Teatro del Pueblo celebrates a Broadway legacy with ‘Voces Latinas’ Also this weekend: a Latina art exhibit at CLUES Art Gallery, a Holi celebration at Midtown Global Market and a chance to help shape a Pan-African Museum in St. Paul by Myah Goff https://sahanjournal.com/arts-culture/twin-cities-things-to-do-teatro-del-pueblo-holi-fest-clues/

Freeloader Friday: 91 Free Things To Do This Weekend
St. Pat’s Day parties, band jams, a meat raffle, and more.
By Jessica Armbruster
https://racketmn.com/freeloader-friday-91-free-things-to-do-this-weekend-5

The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis May Be Closed by Summer
Plus feds defund the schools, celebrating Front Row Paul, and a skyway-walkin’ birthday in today’s Flyover news roundup.
By Keith Harris
https://racketmn.com/the-womans-club-of-minneapolis-may-be-closed-by-summer

Survivor who ignited US Catholic church’s reckoning with abuse killed in Louisiana
Scott Anthony Gastal, who at age 11 had testified in court in the 1980s that his priest had raped him, was beaten to death
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/14/church-abuse-survivor-louisiana-killed

‘It’s an extremely sexy story’: How the legendary tale of ‘rebel’ saint Mary of Egypt became a medieval blockbuster
Donna Ferguson
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250313-how-the-legendary-tale-of-rebel-saint-mary-of-egypt-became-a-medieval-blockbuster

‘It’s human conceit to think we’re alone’: life must extend beyond Earth, leading space scientist says
Exclusive: It is imperative humans expand their understanding of space, argues Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Nicola Davis Science correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/14/life-must-extend-beyond-earth-leading-space-scientist-says

Meanwhile, back here on Earth: Fatberg weighing 30,000kg is pulled from a sewer in Western Australia
The blockage – thought to be the state’s biggest ever – was discovered at a wastewater facility during routine maintenance
Rafqa Touma
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/14/fatberg-weighing-30000kg-is-pulled-from-a-sewer-in-western-australia

Baby wombat grabber Sam Jones leaves Australia after intense backlash including from PM and immigration minister
Montana-based hunting influencer flies out of Australia on Friday after home affairs minister said he couldn’t ‘wait to see the back of this individual’
Graham Readfearn
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/14/sam-jones-baby-wombat-australia-backlash-leaving-australia

Holi celebrations and a lunar eclipse: photos of the day – Friday
Girls are smeared with coloured powder during Holi celebrations in Kolkata, India. Photograph: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2025/mar/14/holi-celebrations-lunar-eclipse-photos-of-the-day-friday

Take your pic! Sony world photography open award winners – in pictures
Feasting polar bears, flying octopuses and gadgets galore – these stunning images won in their category at this year’s awards
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/mar/13/sony-world-photography-open-award-winners-in-pictures

Om Ali: An ‘unforgettable’ sweet with a sinister history
Soumya Gayatri
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250312-om-ali-an-unforgettable-sweet-with-a-sinister-history

2025.03.12

The Star Tribune’s Elliot Hughes and Janet Moore report: “As expected, DFL candidate David Gottfried ran away with a victory in Tuesday’s special election for District 40B, securing shared power for his party in the Minnesota House.” Via MinnPost

Music icons Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys share their collection of Black art with Mia
“Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” features works of canvas, sculpture and photography on display until July 13.
by Sheila Regan
https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2025/03/music-icons-swizz-beatz-and-alicia-keys-share-their-collection-of-black-art-with-mia/

Carrie H. Lippincott: The Pioneer Seedswoman of America
Lippincott moved to Minnesota where she created a mail-order company focused on selling flower seeds to women.
by Marjorie Savage
https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2025/03/carrie-h-lippincott-the-pioneer-seedswoman-of-america/

‘Carers need care, too’: Bruce Willis’s wife speaks out after deaths of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa
Emma Heming Willis, who is primary carer for the actor since his dementia diagnosis in 2023, says there is ‘a broader story’ to tell about their plight
Catherine Shoard
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/12/emma-heming-willis-carers-gene-hackman-death-bruce-willis

CDC expects measles outbreak in west Texas to ‘expand rapidly’
Two people have died in outbreak in Gaines county, and doctors fear the spread of the extremely contagious disease
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/12/texas-measles-outbreak-spread

Vermont confirms first case of measles of year in school-aged child
Case is not related to three ongoing outbreaks in US and authorities say there is a low risk to public
Marina Dunbar
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/11/measles-outbreak-vermont

MS patients in England to benefit from major roll out of take-at-home pill
Cladribine tablet for those with active multiple sclerosis will reduce hospital visits and free up appointments
Andrew Gregory Health editor
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/12/nhs-england-first-in-europe-roll-out-take-at-home-pill-multiple-sclerosis

‘We’re on the edge of chaos’: families with trans kids fight for care as bans take hold
A federal judge blocked Donald Trump’s executive order banning trans youth healthcare, but access remains uncertain
Melissa Hellmann
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/12/trans-kids-healthcare-ban-south-carolina

Nasa’s new Spherex telescope lifts off to map cosmos in unprecedented detail
The $488m Spherex mission aims to explain how galaxies evolved over billions of years
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/12/nasas-spherex-telescope-launch

Rembrandt to Picasso: Five ways to spot a fake masterpiece
Kelly Grovier
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250311-rembrandt-to-picasso-five-ways-to-spot-a-fake-masterpiece

The art curator saving the world’s rarest fruit
Lucy Lovell
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250307-the-art-curator-saving-the-worlds-rarest-fruit

Her grandpa brewed beer in his cellar in Iran. Last month she canned 30,000 brews that taste like home
Zahra Tabatabai’s Back Home Beer features select Middle Eastern flavors, and she’s looking to expand its reach nationally
Katerina Liakos
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/12/back-home-beer-new-face-of-small-busines

Checking out early: who is going to die in this season of The White Lotus?
The third season of Mike White’s delicious resort-set comedy drama has teased yet another murder but we don’t yet know the whos or the whys
Stuart Heritage
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/mar/12/the-white-lotus-theories-predictions

2025.03.11

Nightlife
Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar, co-owned by Trixie Mattel, has now closed
“It would’ve been irresponsible of us to think that throwing more money at the problem would fix it,” This Is It! co-owner George Schneider wrote.
Bernardo Sim
https://www.out.com/nightlife/trixie-mattel-owned-gay-bar-this-is-it-shutdown#rebelltitem1

‘Stolen off a donkey’: why is The White Lotus so obsessed with graphic penis footage?
From Jason Isaacs’ shocking flash to Theo James wearing a prosthetic he described as ‘ginormous’, the luxury resort drama is packed with male nudity. Why are so many men going full frontal?
Michael Hogan
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/mar/11/the-white-lotus-graphic-penis-male-nudity

Male blue-lined octopuses inject females with venom during sex to avoid being eaten, study shows
Tetrodotoxin immobilises the female – who is about two to five times bigger than the male – so mating can occur, researchers observed
Donna Lu Science writer
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/11/blue-lined-octopus-sex-venom-tetrodotoxin

USDA cuts more than $1bn in local food purchases for schools, food banks
Millions of children could lose free school meals as food costs rise, warns School Nutrition Association president
Michael Sainato
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/11/usda-cuts-food-banks-schools

If only they actually cared and provided things like medical care, childcare, and support:
Pronatalists are ascendant on the right. Can they agree on how to make Americans have more babies?
The movement unites ‘family values’ conservatives and tech bro rightwingers. Will this incoherent coalition hold?
Carter Sherman
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/11/what-is-pronatalism-right-wing-republican

Only seven countries worldwide meet WHO dirty air guidelines, study shows
Annual survey by IQAir based on toxic PM2.5 particles reveals some progress in pollution levels in India and China
Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/11/only-seven-countries-worldwide-meet-who-dirty-air-guidelines-study-shows

Don’t need that science shit no more:
Nasa announces shuttering of two departments and office of chief scientist
Office of technology, policy and strategy and one covering DEI initiatives were eliminated in line with ‘efficiency’ cuts
Richard Luscombe
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/10/nasa-cuts-firing-chief-scientist

Music flows as Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill lead tributes at Roberta Flack memorial
Grammy winner, who died last month at 88, remembered at New York service with series of star performers
Diana Ramirez-Simon and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/10/roberta-flack-memorial-stevie-wonder-lauryn-hill

K-pop singer Wheesung found dead at home aged 43
Tributes have been paid to singer who had a string of hits in South Korea including a cover of Craig David’s Insomnia
Sian Cain and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/11/k-pop-singer-wheesung-found-dead-at-home-aged-43-autopsy-cause

Kevin Drum died March 7, 2025
https://jabberwocking.com/health-update-100/

2025.03.10

This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow

Norfolk woman refuses to hand over 16th-century Italian painting identified as stolen
Exclusive: Barbara De Dozsa’s husband bought Madonna and Child by Antonio Solario in 1973 after it was stolen from a museum
Dalya Alberge
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/10/norfolk-woman-refuses-to-hand-over-16th-century-italian-painting-identified-as-stolen

JD Vance’s cousin says vice-president and Trump are ‘useful idiots’ to Putin Nate Vance reportedly spent three years trying to help Ukraine repel Russian troops and has been alarmed by his cousin’s remarks Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/10/trump-vance-putin

Kleptocrats to benefit from Trump DoJ’s anti-corruption pause, experts warn
Former prosecutors criticize Pam Bondi’s decision to halt enforcement of bribery laws as short-sighted and dangerous
Peter Stone in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/10/trump-doj-pam-bondi-corruption

Alzheimer’s research centers face Trump-imposed $65m funding delay across the US
Researchers report difficulties retaining staff as White House cost-cutting stresses US medical research system
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/10/alzheimers-research-trump-funding-cuts

US added to international watchlist for rapid decline in civic freedoms
Civicus, an international non-profit, puts country alongside Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, Pakistan and Serbia
Anna Betts
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/09/watchlist-decline-civic-freedoms-civicus

Myanmar junta’s promise of elections denounced as ‘sham’ by experts
There are fears military will deploy further violence in run-up to any poll, which is unlikely to be viewed as credible
Rebecca Ratcliffe in Bangkok
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/10/myanmar-juntas-promise-of-elections-denounced-as-sham-by-experts

New treatment could cure one in 20 cases of high blood pressure
TTT therapy burns away nodules that lead to salt buildup in body, which increases risk of stroke or heart attack
Denis Campbell Health policy editor
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/09/new-treatment-could-cure-high-blood-pressure-due-to-primary-aldosteronism

Watch: Tropical storm erodes iconic Australian beach
Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred caused huge swells and flooding as it hit Australia’s east coast over the weekend.
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/ce8v6lzrn73o

Tourists leave India temple town after gang rape-murder
Imran Qureshi
BBC Hindi, Bengaluru
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9de6vqlwypo

Athol Fugard: Death of a great South African playwright
Farouk Chothia
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8j0rk1kl8no

2025.03.09

I suspect Harris growing a penis and turning white would have helped more:
Tim Walz says he and Harris were too ‘safe’ during 2024 presidential campaign
Former vice-presidential candidate claims pair should have held more in-person events around the US
Adam Gabbatt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/tim-walz-2024-presidential-campaign

Northern lights sightings expected in Scotland over weekend
Met Office says aurora borealis may be visible across north of country and possibly even further south
Donna Ferguson
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/08/northern-lights-sightings-expected-in-scotland-over-weekend

Wales on a plate: 10 of the best restaurants, hotels, pubs and food hubs
From market fare to fine dining – your gastronomic guide to the most delicious destinations around the country
Annabelle Thorpe
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/mar/09/wales-finest-food-10-best-restaurants-inns-hotels-and-gastro-hubs

Go outside, ditch the phone, get humble: my top 10 Scandi life lessons after a decade in Denmark
After 12 years, we’ve said goodbye to one of the happiest countries on Earth. From friluftsliv (the joy of the open air) to janteloven (realising you’re no better than others) here’s what I’ve learned
Helen Russell
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/08/top-10-scandi-life-lessons-after-decade-in-denmark

Mass blackouts in storm-hit eastern Australia
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8y3xgkpw9o

Deadly floods engulf Argentine city after fierce storm
Robert Plummer and Henri Astier
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g07dqep0ko

A very camp environment’: why Alan Turing fatefully told police he was gay
Ubiquity of then-illegal relations at King’s College, Cambridge, explains puzzling 1952 admission, says scholar
Donna Ferguson
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/08/a-very-camp-environment-why-alan-turing-fatefully-told-police-he-was-gay

Can you solve these time puzzles from the ancient world?
Martha Henriques
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240228-leap-year-can-you-solve-these-time-riddles

Sole portrait of England’s ‘nine-day queen’ thought to have been identified by researchers
‘Compelling evidence’ suggests figure is Lady Jane Grey, making it only known depiction made before 1554 execution
Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/mar/07/sole-portrait-of-england-nine-day-queen-lady-jane-grey-thought-to-have-been-identified-by-researchers

Shamelessly stolen from Andrew Ducker:
Game-Changing Vaccine Offers Long-Lasting Protection Against COVID-19 & Flu
https://scitechdaily.com/game-changing-vaccine-offers-long-lasting-protection-against-covid-19-flu/

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