Poem of the week: The Horse and the Monkey by Mary Jean Chan

 Posted on April 30, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  945 words  |  Kary Bruening

‘At home, my mother / greets us both with these words: / I love monkeys’ … a traditional Chinese papercut marking the year of the monkey. Photograph: Getty Images‘At home, my mother / greets us both with these words: / I love monkeys’ … a traditional Chinese papercut marking the year of the monkey. Photograph: Getty ImagesCarol Rumens's poem of the weekPoetryA sunny reflection on the obstacles a couple has overcome [Read More]

Prince Harry privacy trial will be uncomfortable for Mails publisher | Associated Newspapers

 Posted on April 30, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  800 words  |  Valentine Belue

Prince Harry and six other claimants were given the green light by a judge on Friday to proceed with their case against the Mail’s publisher. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/APPrince Harry and six other claimants were given the green light by a judge on Friday to proceed with their case against the Mail’s publisher. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/APAssociated NewspapersAnalysisPrince Harry privacy trial will be uncomfortable for Mail’s publisher Alexandra ToppingAssociated Newspapers had avoided being drawn into the scandal around practices faced by rivals. [Read More]

The Accidental Ecosystem: behind the rise of urban wildlife in US cities

 Posted on April 30, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  1042 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

BooksIn a new book, Peter Alagona examines how wild animals returned to urban habitats, and why coexistence is critical “Animals that do well in cities do things that, in a lot of ways, resemble what people do.” Peter Alagona, author of The Accidental Ecosystem – a new book about how wildlife make habitats out of cities – is talking about one of his favorite creatures: bears. He’s explaining how, in part, they thrive in our cities because they resemble us so well. [Read More]

The Richard Burton Diaries edited by Chris Williams review

 Posted on April 30, 2024  |  10 minutes  |  1964 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Book of the weekAutobiography and memoirReviewSimon Callow on the booze, the money, the life with Liz …One Sunday evening, in the winter of 1981-82, there was a celebration, at the Duke of York's Theatre in London, of the original radio production of Under Milk Wood. Various participants in that famous broadcast, including Richard Burton, the original narrator, were to read the play under the direction of its producer, Reggie Smith. The theatre was packed, with a largely Welsh audience. [Read More]

The tragedy and triumph of Diane von Frstenberg: My mother taught me fear is not an option |

 Posted on April 30, 2024  |  11 minutes  |  2174 words  |  Aldo Pusey

‘It is wonderful to get older’ … Diane von Fürstenberg. Photograph: Carmen De VosShe was the miracle baby, born after her mother survived the concentration camps, who married a prince, then became rich and famous as a fashion designer. She discusses love, life advice and losing her virginity by Jess Cartner-MorleyDiane von Fürstenberg picks up on the first ring. We are speaking by phone, not on Zoom, so I start by asking her where she is at the moment. [Read More]

Whistle in the Dark review a satire on every parents nightmare

 Posted on April 30, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  697 words  |  Chauncey Koziol

The ObserverFictionReviewEmma Healey’s story about a teenager’s disappearance struggles with tone, but remains emotionally compellingThere were several striking absences in Emma Healey’s debut novel, Elizabeth Is Missing, from an elderly woman suffering with memory loss through dementia, to the disappearance of her sister decades earlier and the eponymous Elizabeth. That book received an avalanche of praise and bestseller stardom. This second novel, Whistle in the Dark, toys with the same subjects of disappearance and blots on the memory, except that the narrative intrigue is built around what happens when the disappeared return and what, if anything, can be retrieved of their lost time. [Read More]

Women have long been the leaders in Navajo culture. Now they're steering the fight against Covid

 Posted on April 30, 2024  |  13 minutes  |  2663 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Natalie Tome-Beyale tends to the corn on her Shiprock farmland. Photograph: Don J Usner/ Searchlight NM/Searchlight NMNatalie Tome-Beyale tends to the corn on her Shiprock farmland. Photograph: Don J Usner/ Searchlight NM/Searchlight NMNative AmericansEver since coronavirus arrived on the Navajo Nation, women in this matriarchal society have put themselves at risk, taking on more responsibilities, culturally and in everyday life Sitting in the passenger seat of her husband’s pickup truck just before dusk, Eugenia Charles-Newton watched a young Navajo girl, her niece, at a traditional kinaaldá ceremony in Shiprock, New Mexico. [Read More]

All the president's emails: Michelle Obama, Pete Rouse, Joe Biden and Dick Cheney

 Posted on April 29, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  408 words  |  Kary Bruening

All the presidents emailsBarack ObamaIn a unique experiment in democratic transparency, Barack Obama – a BlackBerry owner, and the first American president to use email while in office – has agreed to copy G2 in on his otherwise highly confidential electronic communications. Each week, we present a selection from recent daysTo: Michelle Obama <firstlady@whitehouse.gov> Subject: Re: Why were you acting so weird at breakfast?Sweetie, I'm THRILLED that Sasha won a descriptive writing prize for her essay on " [Read More]

Hot dog! 100 years of Nathan's Famous at Coney Island in pictures | US news

 Posted on April 29, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  447 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Hot dog! 100 years of Nathan's Famous at Coney Island – in pictures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email The Coney Island institution is 100 years old. Founded in 1916 by Nathan Handwerker, it has been serving hot dogs to crowds on the boardwalk ever since Sarah Gilbert Thu 17 Mar 2016 18.41 GMT Last modified on Thu 2 Aug 2018 19. [Read More]

Humiliation, homoeroticism and animal cruelty: inside the frathouse

 Posted on April 29, 2024  |  8 minutes  |  1606 words  |  Valentine Belue

Access all areas to “the unholy trinity of fraternity life: racism, deadly drinking, and misogyny” Photograph: Andrew MoiseyAccess all areas to “the unholy trinity of fraternity life: racism, deadly drinking, and misogyny” Photograph: Andrew MoiseyPhotographyPhotographer Andrew Moisey uncovered ritual hazing, extreme drunkenness and toxic masculinity on one college campus – from men destined to be America’s future leaders Last year in the US, four freshman students died as a direct result of hazing rituals during college fraternity initiation ceremonies. [Read More]