The Fetish Room: The Education of a Naturalist by Redmond O'Hanlon and Rudi Rotthier review

 Posted on May 9, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  846 words  |  Merlyn Hunt

The ObserverRedmond O'HanlonReviewNaturalist Redmond O'Hanlon's travels round the England of his boyhood make charming if poignant readingIn Evelyn Waugh's Scoop, nature writer William Boot was bottom of the food chain at the Daily Beast. He had the unsexy countryside beat all to himself when he wrote the "Lush Places" column: "Feather-footed through the plashy fen passes the questing vole". But thanks to a boom in writing about the great outdoors, the questing vole can barely move for prosperous naturalists these days. [Read More]

The Kardashian Christmas cards that reveal the ghosts of Khristmases past

 Posted on May 9, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  788 words  |  Merlyn Hunt

Lost in showbizKim KardashianEntertainment's first family spent $250,000 on their sledgehammer-subtle festive greeting. But how does it compare with the mighty dynasty's previous efforts?PAGING RICK DECKARD … And so to the latest Kardashian Khristmas Kard, which really ought to be captioned Nine Replicants in Search of a Blade Runner. Set in post-apocalyptic contemporary culture, the image of reality TV's ultimate nuclear family was shot on a $250,000 budget by tedious artiste David LaChappelle, a man who has about as much to say as a photographer as Guy Ritchie does as a film director. [Read More]

'No Cambodia left': how Chinese money is changing Sihanoukville

 Posted on May 8, 2024  |  9 minutes  |  1910 words  |  Brenda Moya

Cities of the New Silk RoadCitiesThe once-sleepy beach town of Sihanoukville has been transformed by Chinese investment – and the sheer speed of development has divided locals Follow the New Silk Road: Jon Watts’ journey Interactive explainer: what is China’s Belt and Road? Inside a lavishly decorated casino where chandeliers hang from the ceiling, cigarette smoke lingers in the air and platters of mango are served to gamblers, a game of baccarat is getting heated. [Read More]

Betty White: TV's golden girl on 63 years in showbusiness | Television

 Posted on May 8, 2024  |  7 minutes  |  1297 words  |  Barrett Giampaolo

TelevisionInterviewBetty White: TV's golden girl on 63 years in showbusinessMichael CraggThe former Mary Tyler Moore show star is still turning down work at 90. 'They don't know how to get rid of me,' she tells us"Why do people say 'grow some balls'? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding." If you happen to look this quote up, you'll see it attributed to notoriously sweet 90-year-old TV great Betty White. [Read More]

Deborah Voigt: 'When I walked onstage, you saw addiction' | Opera

 Posted on May 8, 2024  |  10 minutes  |  2012 words  |  Brenda Moya

OperaInterviewDeborah Voigt: 'When I walked onstage, you saw addiction'Ed Pilkington in New YorkOne of the world’s great sopranos, Deborah Voigt was notoriously fired from Covent Garden for being too fat. Now she’s back with a book detailing her struggles with addiction – and her recovery In 1996, when Deborah Voigt was starting to build her international reputation as a dramatic soprano, she was summoned by the revered conductor Sir Georg Solti to audition for the female lead in Wagner’s opera, Tristan und Isolde. [Read More]

Hurricane Idalia batters Florida in pictures | US news

 Posted on May 8, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  475 words  |  Christie Applegate

Hurricane Idalia batters Florida – in pictures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Hurricane Idalia tore into Florida with powerful winds splitting trees in half, ripping roofs off hotels and turning small cars into boats. After coming ashore in the state’s Big Bend region, the storm swept into Georgia where it flooded roads and sent some residents fleeing to higher ground [Read More]

Is this the worlds greatest gate? The Gate Appreciation Society thinks so

 Posted on May 8, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  520 words  |  Delta Gatti

Pass notesArt and designIf anyone knows what makes a good gate, it’s 118,000 enthusiasts who share their favourites on Facebook. And this wooden work of art in Anglesey has been liked by 42,000 members ... Name: The world’s best gate. Location: Anglesey. Appearance: Wooden, ornate, gorgeous. What is this stupidity? A gate is a gate. This is where you’re wrong. The gate in question is an absolute thing of wondrous beauty. [Read More]

Republican Senate candidates family egg company caught in price-fixing plot | Indiana

 Posted on May 8, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  506 words  |  Christie Applegate

Indiana This article is more than 1 month oldRepublican Senate candidate’s family egg company caught in price-fixing plotThis article is more than 1 month oldSeveral food giants claimed that Rose Acre Farms – which John Rust chaired until recently – unlawfully fixed the prices of eggs The family farming company of a Republican candidate for the US Senate was found liable on Tuesday in a plot to fix the price of eggs. [Read More]

Artist Graham Ovenden jailed for two years for sexual abuse of children | Crime

 Posted on May 7, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  888 words  |  Brenda Moya

Crime This article is more than 10 years oldArtist Graham Ovenden jailed for two years for sexual abuse of childrenThis article is more than 10 years oldNon-custodial sentence for artist's sex offences, given at Plymouth court in June, was 'unduly lenient', appeal court rulesThe renowned artist Graham Ovenden has been jailed for two years and three months for sexual offences against children, after the appeal court ruled that an earlier non-custodial sentence was " [Read More]

Boris Johnson's hero is the mayor who kept the beaches open in Jaws. That's fine by me

 Posted on May 7, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  696 words  |  Christie Applegate

JawsThe PM thinks Amity mayor Larry Vaughn is ‘the real hero of Jaws’. Maybe that’s why he’s emulating his ‘the beaches are open’ politics as coronavirus spreads around the world The coronavirus has turned the UK into an outlier. The rest of the world has seemingly gone into lockdown, shutting schools and public transport in a desperate bid to quell the pandemic. But Boris Johnson has gone in a different direction. [Read More]