Friends, Romans, naked wolf-men ... why an ancient festival is still controversial

Posted on April 19, 2024 | 5 minutes | 1005 words | Barrett Giampaolo

The past and the curiousScienceThe annual Lupercalia festival turned society upside down – and the location of its starting point is still hotly debated Scenes from films like Gladiator and series such as HBO’s Rome might lead you to think that the ancient Romans were liberal in their view of nudity. In fact the opposite was true. It was only during exceptional occasions that Romans were freed from their social norms – and the most spectacular occasion was the annual Lupercalia festival. [Read More]

My breast reduction: why I had the surgery that helped Simona Halep win at Wimbledon

Posted on April 19, 2024 | 10 minutes | 2112 words | Delta Gatti

Cosmetic surgeryThe operation freed me from chronic headaches, and back and neck pain. But nothing about the process was easy Three days before Christmas 2015, when I was 19, I had my breasts reduced in size. Sitting alone in my flat after the operation at Ross Hall hospital in Glasgow, I confronted my scars for the first time, and I cried. It was not the first time that I had cried over my body, but these were not the tears of a miserable, frustrated teenager. [Read More]

The 'female pirate printer' who creates fashion from manhole covers | Cities

Posted on April 19, 2024 | 3 minutes | 632 words | Delta Gatti

A manhole cover in Alexanderplatz, Berlin, which bears images of the city’s TV tower and other monuments. Photograph: Orpheas TziagidisArtist Emma-France Raff decorates clothing and tote bags guerilla-style in the street using ink, a roller and manhole covers as her printing press All photographs by Orpheas Tziagidis by Claire BurkeIt’s not often “manhole covers” and “fashion” are uttered in the same sentence, but for Emma-France Raff, these functional metal structures have a distinct charm. [Read More]

The Arcs: Electrophonic Chronic review emotional healing

Posted on April 19, 2024 | 2 minutes | 261 words | Barrett Giampaolo

The ObserverPop and rockReview(Easy Eye) The Arcs’ first album since the death of bandmate Richard Swift uses the material they worked on together in this bittersweet tribute Mothballed since their debut album, Yours, Dreamily, in 2015, the Arcs have a famous member – Dan Auerbach – with a busy schedule as a producer, label boss and the Black Keys. Likewise, keys man Leon Michels is a Dap-King, label-runner and, as El Michels Affair, will release a collaboration with rapper Black Thought in April. [Read More]

George Saunders | Books | The Guardian

Posted on April 18, 2024 | 1 minutes | 43 words | Merlyn Hunt

Freedom to write what you like and a chance to build an army of followers, some of whom will pay to read your posts. It worked for Salman Rushdie, so Tim Lott decided to give it a go

Published: 21 Oct 2022

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Halloween in books - quiz | Global

Posted on April 18, 2024 | 1 minutes | 45 words | Brenda Moya

Children's booksGlobal

Halloween in books - quiz

Think Halloween, think monsters, vampires, witches, and werewolves! But how much do you know about scary ghouls and ghosts in fiction, from Harry Potter to Twilight? Try our skeleton-rattling quiz to find out if you're a Halloween trick or treat

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How to cook the perfect rsti

Posted on April 18, 2024 | 7 minutes | 1483 words | Christie Applegate

Word of Mouth blogFoodIt seems the Swiss reputation for secrecy extends to recipes: with little by way of guidance on röstis, Felicity Cloake was compelled to experimentFor a simple peasant dish with just two ingredients – and humble ones at that – rösti is surprisingly difficult to pin down. In fact, it's almost as if the Swiss want to keep the recipe secret, tucked away in a subterranean vault, as establishing anything concrete about this Alpine favourite, from the type of potatoes used to the cooking method, is a feat akin to scaling the north face of the Eiger. [Read More]

Khushwant Singh obituary | Fiction

Posted on April 18, 2024 | 5 minutes | 979 words | Brenda Moya

FictionObituaryKhushwant Singh obituaryProlific novelist and short-story writer whose newspaper columns often infuriated the Indian establishmentThe author and journalist Khushwant Singh, who has died aged 99, held a particular place in Indian life as a critic of the establishment and a challenger of hypocrisy. His ability to view matters from an outsider's perspective came out of the partition of the subcontinent in 1947: he belonged to a Sikh family, with roots in what became Pakistan, and the division into two countries led to his abandoning law and diplomacy for writing, as well as providing the subject-matter of his best-known novel, Train to Pakistan (1956). [Read More]

Microscopic Louis Vuitton bag sells for more than $60,000 | Handbags

Posted on April 18, 2024 | 3 minutes | 578 words | Brenda Moya

Handbags This article is more than 6 months oldMicroscopic ‘Louis Vuitton’ bag sells for more than $60,000This article is more than 6 months oldMSCHF says bag was created for musician Pharrell Williams because he loves big hats – ‘we made him an incredibly small bag’ If you’ve even a mild interest in luxury handbags, you’ve likely heard of the Chanel classic flap bag or the Hermes Birkin. But you’ve perhaps not heard of the Microscopic Handbag by MSCHF. [Read More]

Notes and queries: How long do house spiders live?

Posted on April 18, 2024 | 4 minutes | 727 words | Christie Applegate

Notes and queriesWildlifePlus: Do humans have a sixth sense? Who washes up in MasterChef? Will the world end with a bang or a whimper?How long do house spiders live? There's one in my bathroom and I need to know when I can stop strip-washing in the downstairs loo. Several years. They can live for months without food and water, so prepare yourself for a long residency in the downstairs loo. [Read More]