A question of etiquette: do you hold the door for others?

 Posted on May 22, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  490 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Improbable researchResearchAmerican researchers stake out a door and find it far from an open and shut caseWhether one person holds a door open for another is not simply a question of etiquette, says a study by Joseph P Santamaria and David A Rosenbaum of Pennsylvania State University. No, they say. Nothing simple about it. Santamaria and Rosenbaum worked to pursue the answer through a tangle of belief, logic, probability, perception and calculation. [Read More]

Christian Pulisic named US male soccer player of the year, tying record | Christian Pulisic

 Posted on May 22, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  392 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

Christian PulisicChristian Pulisic named US male soccer player of the year, tying recordUSMNT star ties Landon Donovan’s record with four winsKevin Paredes was named US Soccer’s young male player of the yearChristian Pulisic was voted the US Soccer’s Male Player of the Year for the fourth time Thursday, matching Landon Donovan for the most times receiving an award that began in 1998. Pulisic received 53% of the vote, followed by Yunus Musah (21. [Read More]

Gone With the Wind dropped from HBO Max over depiction of slavery | Movies

 Posted on May 22, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  417 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Movies This article is more than 3 years oldGone With the Wind dropped from HBO Max over depiction of slaveryThis article is more than 3 years oldTemporary move followed call by 12 Years a Slave scriptwriter John Ridley for streaming services to review content that is ‘blatant in its demonisation’ of race The US civil war epic Gone With the Wind has been dropped from HBO Max, the streaming service recently launched by Warner Bros as a rival to Netflix and Disney+, after protests over its depiction of slavery. [Read More]

Italys new Michelangelo bringing sculpture into 21st century

 Posted on May 22, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  691 words  |  Aldo Pusey

SculptureJago has earned widespread praise for his modern twists on classical art You may think being described as “the new Michelangelo” would be a daunting prospect for an Italian sculptor but the artist known as Jago takes it in his stride. The 36-year-old has earned widespread praise for his modern twists on classical-style sculptures, as well as a large following on Instagram. Last month the first museum dedicated to his work opened in Naples, drawing more than 5,000 visitors in one day. [Read More]

Kenya warms to the water hyacinth as wonder source of biofuel

 Posted on May 22, 2024  |  7 minutes  |  1314 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Global developmentThis invasive plant was reviled for clogging rivers but now it’s helping provide cleaner energy and protect health It is 9am on the shores of Lake Victoria’s Winam Gulf in Kenya’s Kisumu county. Tourists are arriving on the beach in droves, preparing to spend the day sunbathing and taking boat rides. Behind them, enormous marabou storks on spindly grey legs are pacing the beach, waiting for scraps. Nearby, a group of women scan the horizon, looking for the fishing boats that will soon arrive with their daily catch. [Read More]

Mighty Shadow obituary | Music

 Posted on May 22, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  1050 words  |  Valentine Belue

MusicObituaryMighty Shadow obituaryOne of the great calypso musicians admired for his originality and wry humourIn the flamboyant world of calypso, Mighty Shadow, who has died aged 77, stood out as an eccentric counterpoint to the colourful norm. On stage, typically clad in dark cape and wide-brimmed black hat, he would perform with a slight frown while either standing still or moving in jumpy, jerky movements as his deep, tremulous voice conveyed a vulnerability that was matched by songs of personal frailty and wild imaginings. [Read More]

Restaurant: Union Street Cafe, London SE1

 Posted on May 22, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  708 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Marina O'Loughlin on restaurantsRestaurantsReview'I'm going to pretend I don't know Gordon Ramsay has anything to do with this'Here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to close my eyes, stick my fingers in my ears and pretend I don't know that this big, new, shiny restaurant in Southwark is anything to do with Gordon Ramsay. Otherwise, it's impossible to approach without being blind-sided by the baggage trailed in his wake. He's the tallest of poppies, our Gordon; everybody lining up to give him a trampling. [Read More]

The Judas Kiss review Rupert Everett compels as a doomed Oscar Wilde

 Posted on May 22, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  626 words  |  Chauncey Koziol

Rupert Everett as Oscar Wilde and Charlie Rowe as Bosie in The Judas Kiss. Photograph: Richard TermineRupert Everett as Oscar Wilde and Charlie Rowe as Bosie in The Judas Kiss. Photograph: Richard TermineStageReviewBrooklyn Academy of Music Harvey Theatre, New York The 1998 production faltered, but David Hare’s play is back with Everett physically transformed to play the famed wit, sharp of mind but foolish of heart In Oscar Wilde’s final years, did life imitate art? [Read More]

He does it with love: the 32-year-old chef rejoining Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir

 Posted on May 21, 2024  |  9 minutes  |  1830 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

The ObserverFoodNearly 40 years ago, the French chef helped pioneer garden-to-table cooking at his Oxfordshire restaurant. Now he is welcoming the return of Luke Selby The new kitchen gardens: meet the UK chefs and restaurants growing their own If he’s not in the kitchen, challenging a chef one-third his age to a race to prepare girolle mushrooms, or upstairs on the first floor in his small, book-lined office, Raymond Blanc can often be found in the car park of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, the Oxfordshire restaurant and hotel he created. [Read More]

Helene Fischer, schlager superstar: the richest singer youve never heard of

 Posted on May 21, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  539 words  |  Kary Bruening

ShortcutsPop and rockThe German-Russian star sits above Celine Dion and Britney Spears in Forbes’ list of the highest-paid women in music. But you may find her far from easy listening Fans of low-grade pop beef may be titillated by the potential implications of Katy Perry pipping Taylor Swift to be named Forbes’s highest-paid woman in music for 2018. But the real intrigue – and a potential challenger to their status – lies further down Forbes’s top 10. [Read More]