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WE NEED TO TALK about death. Brits have long been diffident about mortality. Our coffins are not carried aloft in crowded streets. Our women don’t ululate. Our chaps don’t fire Kalashnikovs skywards. And open caskets are strictly for the morbid and superstitious Irish. We are similarly reluctant to confront the ephemeral nature of our businesses. I am referring here to our large corporations. (Most small business founders I know are in a constant existential battle against their creditors and the HMRC.) For some time, our mega-cap companies have been following strategies seemingly conjured by Hindu holy men. Capital markets days typically lead off with slides that resemble the great cycle of life. Instead of facing the awkward fact that their core business is in inexorable — though profitable — decline,…

In a quiet South San Francisco office, a biotech outfit that once promised to unlock ancestry secrets through a spit tube has hit a financial wall, thrusting the genetic records of millions into an uncertain spotlight. This week, 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Missouri federal court, aiming to sell its assets—including a trove of DNA from 15 million customers—after years of cash struggles and a bruising data breach. For those who mailed in their saliva, it’s a sobering turn, as a firm once pegged at $6 billion now scrambles for a buyer amid a storm of privacy concerns. This filing isn’t a small blip. The firm’s collapse follows a 2023 hack that exposed nearly 7 million users’ records, a blow that dented trust and piled on…

Much as we all hope to find the home of our dreams when we are house hunting, in most cases, a compromise is called for. Some requirements, however, are non-negotiable. This was certainly the case when, in 2015, Amy Maynard and her former husband, Charlie, decided that with two young children in tow – Lottie and Theo, then three and 11 months respectively – it was finally time to move out of London after many hectic years. “We hoped to enjoy a slightly slower pace of life, and give our children the sort of rural childhood we’d enjoyed,” says Amy, an interior designer. “I grew up in Winchelsea in Sussex and we wanted to be closer to family, so it made sense to relocate there – it was finding the…

For years, Russia has been Europe’s greatest enemy, trying everything short of war to divide the continent, bring down democratic governments, and support Kremlin-friendly leaders. Using money, disinformation campaigns, and election meddling, Russia has backed and boosted illiberal, nationalist, pro-Russian, anti-European Union, and authoritarian forces for years. Now, the world’s most powerful leaderxs — U.S. President Donald Trump—and the world’s richest man—Elon Musk—are aligning the world’s greatest superpower with Europe’s greatest enemy by actively supporting the same farright movements, attacking the same democratic governments, and flooding the European information space with the same kind of disinformation, often including Kremlin talking points virtually word for word. It is unfathomable enough that Washington, Silicon Valley, and Moscow are now partnering to make Europe safe for the toxic mix of autocracy and oligarchy that has…

On the eve of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship season, McLaren announced they’d be celebrating their World Constructors’ Championship in the 2024 season with the release of limited-edition versions of their Artura and 750S supercars. Recognising McLaren’s first F1 Constructors’ Championship in 26 years and the ninth in the storied team’s history, the special cars are dubbed the ‘MCL38 Celebration Edition’, in honour of the F1 chassis that achieved eight pole positions and six race wins last season in the hands of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. FROM 1998 TO 2024 Back in 1998, when McLaren won their last Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, they also did the ‘double’, with Mika Hakkinen winning the Drivers’ Championship. Hakkinen was victorious in eight of sixteen races that season, which combined with a…

Katy Perry has commented on the outlandish rumour supposedly linking her to child beauty queen, JonBenét Ramsey. Some online conspiracy theorists firmly believe that the pop singer is actually JonBenét – and that the six-year-old’s 1996 murder was all a hoax. While the theory has existed for several years, a new AI-generated video shared to Instagram brought it back to the public conscious last week. The video showed JonBenét morphing into Katy, 40. Katy weighed in on the viral post, replying: “wait am I.” Her vague response only further fuelled conspiracy theorists, with one fan writing: “I’ve always thought this.” However, others felt the video was in “poor taste”. “Let her precious soul rest in peace people,” read one reply. JonBenét’s death has stumped investigators for almost 19 years. She…

1 Middle Earth marvels A heli-tour of New Zealand’s supremely beautiful Fiordland with Alpine Luxury Tours will leave guests wanting for nothing. Expect outstanding aerial vistas of forest-clad valleys and glacier-fed lakes as you soar over Fiordland National Park before disembarking at World Heritage-listed Milford Sound in search of seals and dolphins. Touch down on a mountain peak for a picturesque pit stop, then enjoy exclusive access to the waterfalls and hanging glacier made famous by The Hobbit. EE alpineluxurytours.co.nz 2 Global conqueror Geoffrey Kent is Abercrombie & Kent’s pioneering founder, and in 2026 the trailblazer is hosting an incredible private jet journey around the world. Kicking off in the Cook Islands, the 24-day extravaganza takes guests to Australia to sip world-class wines in Adelaide’s vineyards and explore the untamed…

The Peruvian tour coordinator gestured to the posters behind her desk, each promoting popular destinations: Amazon River cruises, Incan ruins, lush Andean rain forests. For 15 minutes, she did her best to convince my husband, Kevin, and me to reconsider our plan to hike El Misti, a 19,101-foot dormant volcano outside Arequipa, Peru’s second-largest city. “We are not responsible if something happens,” she said, looking pointedly at me. I tried to look invincible—my warrior pose—as Kevin and I signed a waiver acknowledging the risks of scaling El Misti: altitude sickness, frostbite, rockslides, noxious gases and even death, none of which the tour company wanted to be responsible for. I sensed the tour promoter viewed us as two middle-aged Americans who might not understand what they were getting themselves into. “We…

“This is a more vibrant version of the traditional eggs Benedict. I am not a hollandaise person. I am a fresh herbs person!” Molly Yeh’s EGGS BERNADETTE ACTIVE: 30 min l TOTAL: 30 min (plus 12 hr refrigerating) l SERVES: 2 FOR THE BEET SMOKED SALMON 1 15-ounce can sliced beets (not pickled), drained Kosher salt1 teaspoon sugar1 lemon, sliced8 ounces skinless hot-smoked salmon, flaked FOR THE HERB SAUCE ¼ cup fresh basil¼ cup fresh parsley1 tablespoon fresh dill1 tablespoon fresh mint3 scallions, trimmed and halved2 cloves garlic¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if neededJuice of ½ lemonFine salt and freshly ground pepper TO ASSEMBLE 4 large eggs2 English muffins, halved, toasted and butteredFlaky salt and freshly ground pepperFresh dill, for garnishLemon wedges, for serving 1. Make the beet smoked salmon: Add the beets to a small bowl.…

When the Debut arrived on the market many years ago, it represented both the bottom rung of the Pro-Ject range and pretty much the cheapest fully functional turntable on the market. It’s a mark of how much of a journey it has undergone that not only is it far from the most affordable model that the company makes, but those below it now have tiers of their own. The T1 models replaced the Essential range (which in turn was the first real sub-Debut series Pro-Ject made) in 2020 and the company has now updated the three models to become the T1 EVO family. These models all share the same basic platform, which is recognisably similar to the original T1. This is still a belt-driven, unsuspended turntable that, unusually for Pro-Ject,…

Clarksburg, W.Va., has lead pipes scattered throughout the city, which has caused elevated levels of lead in some children’s blood, resulting in health issues like developmental delays. In 2023, the environmental-justice division of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced a new program designed to increase lead testing for local children and families so that officials could catch elevated lead levels early and prevent long-term health complications. Partnering with cash-strapped state agencies, the EPA bought kits that could measure lead levels in children with just a finger prick, gave out gift cards to incentivize testing, and offered testing opportunities in offices where families picked up benefits and received breastfeeding support. The program invested $150,000 in lead-testing kits for Harrison County, where Clarksburg is located, which raised testing rates in children from…

Andrew is no stranger to life at sea, but it hasn’t always been on board a superyacht. His first experience as a professional chef was in the Royal Navy, cooking for thousands of Royal Marines. Recognised for his natural talent, he was selected for the Navy competition team and represented the service around the world, participating in prestigious competitions such as the Culinary Olympics and the World Cup. Just eight people from the British Army, Navy, and RAF are chosen to form one team. “There are thousands of people at the Culinary Olympics in a huge stadium. There’s an opening ceremony where you walk out with your flags, and it’s very much like the sporting Olympics,” he recalls. Following this, he became a chef lecturer for the Navy, teaching professional…

We often talk about the power of photography as though it is some divine force for good and truth, that has the capacity to liberate the people of the world. It can be, of course, but that’s just one side of the matter. Photography can be used to reveal facts and to raise issues just as much as it can be used to convince us of things that aren’t true – or at least, aren’t quite as they seem. What any of us think personally of Donald Trump is irrelevant to our appreciation of this astonishing picture taken by the Associated Press chief photographer Evan Vucci. It’s got a definitive narrative, like a country song about heroism, patriotism, survival, injustice, triumph, inner power and resurrection. Photographically, the composition is fantastic,…

Something has to change. My mind won’t stop spinning, and I’m staying up all night, thought Silvia Lupone. Her work schedule was hectic, she was struggling to keep everything straight and her anxiety was at an all-time high. Without sleep, she couldn’t focus, which prevented her from keeping herself and her daily tasks organized and on track. “The For 10 years, Silvia’s anxiety had been getting worse. It started when she was 40, and she suspected then that it was due to perimenopause. Her mind was turned on all the time, and it wouldn’t stop. Her constant racing thoughts began affecting everything—her sleep, work life and relationships. I can’t live this way any longer, she despaired. After seeking medical help, Silvia’s doctors told her that the best thing she could do was change…

SEE PAGE 44 Air fryer cheese garlic bread PREP TIME 15 MINUTES • COOKING TIME 15 MINUTES + 2 HOURS CONFIT GARLIC • SERVES 4 TOP TIP! Garlic confit makes garlic sweeter and more tender because you roast it gently in oil in the oven – rather than on the stove in a pan, which can cause bitterness and burning. INGREDIENTS 10-15 garlic cloves ½ cup olive oil 1 Tbsp chopped thyme ½ bunch parsley, also for serving 150g butter 1 tsp chilli flakes 1 tsp smoked paprika 50g parmesan, with extra for in between bread slices and serving Salt and pepper 1 large ciabatta bread METHOD 1. Peel and place garlic in an ovenproof container reserving 2 fresh garlic cloves for later. Add olive oil, making…

1935 SS Jaguar 100 Jaguar was originally the model name of this elegant sports car from Sir William Lyons's SS Cars, before the whole company adopted it in 1945. 1948 Jaguar XK120 The XK120 defined the new postwar optimism, showcased the seminal XK engine, and stole the 1948 London motor show with its stunning design. 1951 C-Type Styling perfection but a serious racer, too: Based on the XK120, the C-Type pioneered disc brakes and won Le Mans—the world's toughest race—in its first attempt, in 1951. 1954 D-Type This more aerodynamically advanced iteration of the C-Type won Le Mans three times—with and without the distinctive “fin.” 1956 XKSS This hugely charismatic, extremely rare road-going version of the D-Type racer was loved by Steve McQueen and is worth about $10 million now.…

WELL BEFORE PRESIDENT Donald Trump returned to office, his supporters boasted that he would start the second term with a flurry of executive actions. The new president exceeded expectations with an avalanche of pardons, orders, and edicts on matters great and small. Wide-ranging in their scope, the orders “encompassed sweeping moves to reimagine the country’s relationship with immigration, its economy, global health, the environment and even gender roles,” noted USA Today. Some should be welcomed by anybody hoping for more respect for liberty by government employees. Others extend state power in ways that are worrisome or even illegitimate. All continue the troubling trend, over the course of decades and administrations from both major parties, for the president to assume the role of an elected monarch. Because executive branch officials interpret…

There’s this shackle that keeps me awake at night, or rather used to. A hefty shackle, and moused – but I’ll come to that later. I won’t be alone in having shackles on my mind: the singlehander whose forestay relies on one, scanning the masthead as a storm approaches, with a pair of binoculars, knowing they really should haul themselves aloft and check. In their mind’s eye they can see hands on a wrench, giving the pin a last twist, before threading the monel through the eye. Or had they made that up? The coil had been down to its last inch, that they can remember. No, they’d asked a guy at the yard to do it, and had been assured that it had been done. Yet still they can’t…

My father once told me that the average lifespan of butterflies is seldom more than a few weeks. OBSESSED WITH THEM since he was a boy, he caught thousands during his lifetime. Using pins and tweezers, he’d straighten their wings on a wooden spreader, not a single antenna damaged. He’d then affix the insects to a foam board by piercing tiny needles through their thorax and apply chemicals to preserve their bodies and wings. He’d meticulously arrange butterflies and moths according to their species and family in display cases. With the help of a magnifying lens, he’d inscribe their Latin names on labels smaller than a sunflower seed. Encased in glass, his specimens glistened. My father, Rustam Effendi, was a Soviet Azerbaijani lepidopterist, a preeminent authority on butterflies and moths…

As French President Emmanuel Macron declared in December: “The bells of Notre-Dame are ringing again.” It is the first time since 15 April 2019, when they were silenced by a fire that ripped through the 860-year-old cathedral’s roof. But while the rush to see this reborn Parisian icon is understandable, France is not short of historic cathedrals. Those outside the city hold just as much Gothic appeal – without adding to the capital’s 50 million visitors a year. North-west of Paris, Normandy’s Rouen is home to a cathedral that is a part of art history. Having caught the eye of Claude Monet, the artist honed his talents in the 1890s by creating more than 30 paintings of it, often focussing on the elaborate western facade. Look out, too, for its…

Kishani Perera has made a career out of designing environmentally healthy homes that are good to live in and to look at. The California designer, who herself practiced veganism for decades, considers reading the “ingredients” lists for paint, textiles, furniture, and finishes as important as reading the labels on foods. So when she set out to design this new Los Angeles home for an eco-conscious family, she studied every word on every label of every piece she brought in so that her clients could be sure their house is 100-percent vegan. “Something may look good from the outside, and then you’ll discover wool strapping on a sofa or a milk product in a paint color,” Perera says. “It was my job to be thorough and not miss a single surprising detail.” It…

“Do you know where your children are?” Once, that was among the most chilling things you could ask a parent, said Sarah Ditum on UnHerd. Now, “parents know exactly where their children are: at home, probably in their bedrooms”. The after-school time that previous generations spent being anti-social in the park, at a youth club, or lost in books, is now spent on screens. Teenagers typically spend almost five hours a day on social media. So parents know where their children are; but they are anxious, because they have very little idea of what they are doing – whose cruel or unsavoury opinions they may be reading, what misinformation they may be absorbing, and what horrific images they may be seeing. That abiding fear – that our children are living…

Picture this: the deep blue expanse of the Pacific stretching endlessly before you, the sun climbing above the horizon, and a reel screaming as a monster Yellowfin Tuna makes a break for it. This is the thrill that awaits with Hidden Gem Boats, one of Fiji’s premier sportfishing charter operators. With two top-tier vessels-Momo Gem II and Looney Tunes-Hidden Gem offers everything from halfday reef fishing excursions to week-long explorations of the region’s most pristine and untouched fishing grounds. Their home base? Port Denarau Marina, just outside Nadi and a quick hop from the international airport, making access to this angling paradise as easy as stepping off the plane. The Fishing: Big, Bold, and Unforgettable Whether you’re an experienced angler chasing the fight of a lifetime or a first-timer looking…

CYGNET BAY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Perched on the rugged tip of the Dampier Peninsula, 200km north of Broome, lies Cygnet Bay, with azure waters that are home to some of the most dramatic tidal movements on the planet. Here, you can see the awe-inspiring Giant Tides; a natural phenomenon that creates whirlpools and cascading water formations, and even a waterfall in the middle of the ocean. This is also a place of deep cultural significance. The waterfall-reef experience celebrates the Bardi Jawi people, the traditional owners of the land and sea surrounding Cygnet Bay, whose rich traditions, knowledge of the land, and ancient pearling practices will add an invaluable dimension to your visit. The area is also home to the Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, a business which has been run by…

“Watch out for that bat behind you,” warned Luca Messina, a civil engineer who moonlights as a speleo-archaeologist with Sotterranei di Roma, Undergrounds of Rome, a local group whose members explore the darkest recesses of the Eternal City. I ducked as the winged mammal swooped past my ear, then flitted beyond the beam of my headlamp and disappeared in the void ahead. “Don’t worry about those insects,” Messina added, nodding to walls hewn 2,300 years ago, and which I now saw were crawling with spider-like crickets called Dolichopoda. “They aren’t dangerous.” Messina and I were standing in a sepulchral stretch of the Aqua Anio Vetus, one of the superbly crafted aqueducts that once channeled water into ancient Rome, built beginning in 272 B.C. and dry for nearly 1,500 years. To some,…

DIFFICULTY RATING You will need: ■ Clay of choice – earthenware or stoneware. Preferably a smooth body of any colour but be aware that surface colour will be brighter on a white background■ General tools and ribs■ Newsprint paper – pencil – sharp cutting knife■ Underglaze or slip colours of choice■ Brushes for application of the above■ Sgraffito tools – can simply be a pin if nothing else is available 1 Begin by forming two equal amounts of clay into balls, the weight of each being entirely dependent on the amount you feel capable of pinching and the size of pebble you want to make, but we are beginning with 200g for each half. 2 Holding the first ball in one hand, press down into its centre with the thumb…

If your man is struggling to get or keep an erection, it needn’t be the end of your sex life. ‘It’s a common problem,’ says consultant urologist and andrologist Professor Suks Minhas*. ‘At some stage in their lives, most men face a degree of erectile difficulty or some form of sexual dysfunction.’ But there’s plenty that can be done to improve it. Follow our expert advice to turn things around in the bedroom. Why it happens Also known as impotence, the correct medical term is erectile dysfunction (ED). The reasons for ED are varied, but ageing plays a part. ‘Testosterone levels start to fall around the age of 40, which can affect erections,’ says Professor Minhas. Other culprits include furring of the arteries and cardiovascular disease, plus conditions such as…

On March 19, 2025, the European Union fired a double-barreled salvo at two of America’s tech titans, charging Alphabet’s Google with violating its landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA) and ordering Apple to loosen its grip on iPhone and iPad ecosystems. Reported by Reuters, this escalation marks a pivotal moment in the EU’s ongoing crusade to tame Big Tech, spotlighting Google’s search and app store practices while pressing Apple to let rivals into its walled garden. For tech enthusiasts and everyday users, it’s a clash of giants with stakes that could reshape how we interact with the digital world. The European Commission’s actions—two charges against Google and a directive for Apple—signal a tougher stance under the DMA, a 2023 law designed to curb the dominance of tech gatekeepers. With fines looming…

Achieve a high-end look for your home without the hefty price tag. We’ve researched some of the most innovative materials and clever design solutions around so you can create a premium finish for less. Read on for some great dupe ideas to try out in your home. Take a SEAT Designer furniture can set you back, and not just on a recliner. Whether it’s a chair, a couch or a dining table, a statement piece can make a room, but it doesn’t need to cost you an arm or a (chair) leg. Many brands now offer ranges inspired by iconic designer pieces. If you’re clever, you can sometimes find options that are just as durable as their pricier counterparts. Try typing ‘dupe.com/’ in front of the URL for a product…

“This doesn’t happen every day!” our guide, Je! Higdon, shouted over the roar of the Zodiac’s motor as 20 five-meter-long male beluga whales swam alongside and beneath the boat. The pod had first appeared at the mouth of the Churchill River half an hour earlier, immediately making a beeline toward us. It was a surreal experience — our two disparate groups, humans and cetaceans, now intertwined. The belugas glided elegantly through the water, their milky-white bodies reflecting the sunlight. As they followed us, I imagined they were as captivated by the encounter as we were. Every June, when the ice on Canada’s Hudson Bay melts away, some 60,000 belugas migrate from the open Arctic Ocean to these more hospitable waters. About 3,000 of them congregate around the Churchill River estuary,…

30 November 2024 – 16 March 2025 Objectspace, Auckland If you haven’t noticed, there’s a movement rising. The groundswell is gathering force. And here, in little Aotearoa, we keep finding ourselves right in the heart of it – sometimes charging ahead at the front, sometimes holding the door open and stepping aside so our global kin can fill the room. This movement I speak of is the global revolution of Indigenous architecture: a force that is resistant, ambitious, gentle, sometimes fragile, yet resilient – insistent and unyielding. It is the quiet but persistent power of indigenuity (indigenous ingenuity), reclaiming spaces that have long tried – and still try – to erase our presence through the global imperial colonial project. Objectspace has done it again, holding open the door with generosity…

Sailing more than 1,100 nautical miles in 25 days is a task for energetic, determined voyagers. That aptly describes Sam Ness and his partner, writer Rachel Jorgensen, who took their 1980 Cheoy Lee 48 from Portsmouth, Rhode Island, to Traverse City, Michigan, in one fell swoop last summer. But this story doesn’t start there. It starts in Thailand in 2016, when they conjured a dream of sustainable travel and settled on sailing despite having minimal experience. The route from the white sand beaches of Southeast Asia to crossing under the Mackinaw Bridge in their own cruising sailboat was a multi-year, multi-step process. First, Sam learned commercial diving, a skill inspired by exploring coral reefs from Thai dive boats. After adopting this vocation, he lived in a converted ambulance on job…

Long before she became a global icon, Lady Gaga (real name Stefani Germanotta) was a struggling singer trying to make it in the NYC club scene. “I would knock on door after door after door and just say, ‘Can I please play here?’” the 38-year-old megastar told Hot Ones host Sean Evans on the Feb. 13 episode. “Or I would call and pretend I was my manager. I’d be like, ‘She’s so hot right now.’ And sometimes I would do an accent. I would do anything to get booked.” Gaga has poured blood, sweat and tears into her work since breaking out with her Grammy-winning debut album, The Fame, in 2008. Her commitment to her art has won her legions of fans (a.k.a. her beloved Little Monsters) and countless awards (she’s…

President Donald Trump looks set to make sweeping changes at NASA, potentially changing track from landing on the Moon to Mars. In his inaugural address, Trump stated: “We will pursue our Manifest Destiny to the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.” The announcement left many wondering if the Artemis programme, which aims to put the first woman on the Moon, but has been plagued by cost overruns and delays, could soon be on the chopping block. As of the time of writing, no official statement had been given about the future of the Artemis programme. In early February, NASA’s acting administrator Janet Petro confirmed that members of the Department of Government Efficiency had arrived at NASA and were in the process of…

Today we know that the sky, or atmosphere, is a layer of air that surrounds our planet. Meteorology, the study of the atmosphere, is a branch of science that looks at what is going on in the sky especially about the weather and weather patterns over time. Earth’s atmosphere is made up of a mixture of different gasses: mostly nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen and a few more. Gravity – the same force that keeps you on the ground, pulls this blanket of gasses towards Earth and holds it in place. Scientists divide the atmosphere into five layers: the exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere and troposphere. About half of all the air in the atmosphere is found in the lowest layer, the troposphere, which reaches from the ground to between 8-15 km…

Smartphones have woven themselves into daily life, offering instant connection and endless scrolls through apps like X, Instagram, and TikTok. Yet that convenience often morphs into a time sink—hours vanish to feeds and reels, leaving many feeling drained rather than enriched. Studies from the American Psychological Association peg average daily screen time at over seven hours, with social media chewing up a hefty chunk. For tech users, it’s a familiar tug-of-war: stay plugged in or reclaim your day. Here’s a practical guide to dial back smartphone use, trim the social media fat, and refocus on what matters—without ditching your device entirely. The pull of social apps isn’t accidental—dopamine-driven design keeps thumbs swiping, from likes to notifications. But the cost is real: lost productivity, strained eyes, even a dip in mental…

Model railroaders have been using photos of prototype scenes to create realistic backdrops for some time. In certain situations they can work well. I’ve successfully used them on the HO scale North American Prototype Modelers (NAPM) layout in Milwaukee, Wis., last featured in the March 2003 issue of Model Railroader. The photo of Tippecanoe Avenue on page 61 of that issue shows an example. However, there are several areas on the club’s layout where prototype images don’t work as well. The biggest challenges are perspective control and anachronistic content. It occurred to me that photographing a diorama, where I could control perspective and content, would yield good-looking background scenes for challenging locations. After a few test photos, I found that the continuity between the models in the diorama and those…

Before the advent of electricity and modern technology, it was nature that set the pace of the lives of our ancestors. Winter, for example was a season to slow down, conserve energy, and survive. The seasons no longer dictate the rhythm of our lives in the same way they once did, but there is no denying the influence that each one brings. New life explodes around us at this time of year with every branch bursting into tufts of pink and white, where verdant shoots spear through the soil before trumpet-headed daffodils herald the end of the land’s slumber. Springtime, therefore, provokes an undeniable impulse to refresh, which is why, a few years ago when the sunlight crept earlier into the mornings and languidly sprawled into the evenings like a…

More than 10 years ago, a number of high-profile retailers were caught up in an animal-welfare scandal that involved the unlikely combination of coffee, dung and a small animal that most people in the UK, or indeed the rest of the world, had never heard of: the civet. Kopi luwak, as the coffee is known, is made from beans extracted from a civet’s dung. Though classed as carnivores, most civets (which are part of the family that also encompasses genets – there are some 17 species spread across Africa and Asia) are omnivores or even frugivores. They eat coffee cherries as part of a semi-natural diet – semi-natural, because coffee is not native to Asia, where kopi luwak is produced. “Kopi luwak, as the coffee is known, is made from…

All you've heard is true. Women in the arts were often kept from opportunities of their era—and not all that long ago. Considered the “fairer sex,” it was socially unacceptable for women to render the nude figure, let alone participate in an academy class that employed live models. Women were also often labeled as “less than” their male counterparts, and considered inferior on a multitude of levels, including having a lower intellect, and therefore incapable of making worthwhile contributions. This “curse” kept women from participating on a serious level at annual salons, earning solo exhibitions at prominent museums and galleries, and henceforth, leaving their names scattered to the winds of history. Despite all these attempts to marginalize women in the visual arts (and in many other arenas), all is not…

1 SARAKINIKO BEACH, GREECE Sarakiniko Beach on the island of Milos, Greece, is a breathtaking landscape of smooth, white volcanic rock sculpted by wind and waves, creating an otherworldly, almost lunar appearance. The stark white cliffs contrast beautifully with the deep blue Aegean Sea, making it one of the most photographed beaches in Greece. With its unique rock formations, sea caves, and crystal-clear waters, Sarakiniko is perfect for swimming, cliff jumping, and exploring. Whether basking in the sun or admiring the surreal scenery under the moonlight, this iconic beach offers a truly unforgettable experience. 2 TRUNK BAY, U.S VIRGIN ISLANDS Trunk Bay, located on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, is often hailed as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, thanks to its…

Picture a sun-soaked stretch of Arizona desert, where a sprawling plant hums with the pulse of tomorrow’s tech, silicon wafers gleaming under the watchful eyes of engineers. Nvidia’s chief, Jensen Huang, let slip a blockbuster vision to the Financial Times, unveiling plans to pour hundreds of billions into U.S.-made silicon over the next four years. For tech buffs, gamers, and industry watchers, it’s a tale of a titan doubling down on American soil, betting big on a future where artificial intelligence drives everything from chatbots to self-steering autos. This isn’t a quiet pivot. Huang pegged Nvidia’s total electronics spending at half a trillion dollars through 2028, with a hefty chunk—potentially $250 billion to $300 billion—flowing to stateside plants. It’s a seismic shift for a company that’s leaned hard on Taiwan’s…

“WHAT fresh Hell is THIS?” Liz B. wondered during a four-mile run on a chilly December night five months after giving birth. She was 2.7 miles into an out-and-back route when she realized she’d leaked a little urine. “It happened on and off the rest of the way home,” says the 36-year-old from central Ohio, who prefers not to use her full name when talking about urinary incontinence, which affects 25 million adult Americans. This was not how she had envisioned her postpartum life. Liz, a physical therapist who works with stroke, brain injury, and spinal cord injury patients, had been a runner for nearly her whole life. Her father, who just ran his 91st marathon at the age of 77, had taken her out for jogs when she was a toddler,…

Today’s customers are overloaded and overwhelmed by too much information, so making any decision is a challenge. You may think this is important only to your marketing and sales teams, but in reality, no matter how great your product or technology might be, you won’t succeed if your whole company doesn’t understand your target customer’s decision process. Everyone on your team needs a regular update on the latest insights for salespeople, like those found in the classic book Heart and Sell, by sales training expert Shari Levitin. Its 10 best insights: 1| Success requires continuous learning and improvement. 2| Emotions drive customer decision making. Your business’s ability to uncover and capitalize on customers’ emotional motivators will dictate your success. 3| Every salesperson must have a repeatable process. So too must every business. Put…

In this series we will be covering the most popular roads to travel in the Kruger National Park (KNP). The popularity of certain roads has come about over the years thanks to the amazing wildlife sightings they produced. It is commonly known that wildlife has territories they roam, which then become home for these animals – and it is therefore not surprising that some of the big cats are named by frequent visitors to the Park. There are even WhatsApp groups for some of the leopards and sightings are posted there. This series will start with a map of the area/road we cover, so next time you book for a stay, maybe choose the road, then the rest camp or camps – which we will include in each article. Keep…

I’ve just arrived back from Brazil and wow, it’s as good as Africa for wildlife! Photographing birds like tanagers and hummingbirds have always pushed my skills, equipment and tools, but it’s not until you combine these subjects with low light shoots and fast shutter speeds, that they become a real challenge. And yet on this trip I was really reminded of how new camera technologies have advanced in the few years since I was last here. Our sensors are exponentially better than they were a few short years ago, and denoising technology makes what were previously unthinkable ISOs possible. Here are five key points to consider or help you when low light shooting. 1 A NEW CAMERA HELPS, BUT THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS I use the Sony A1 and depending…

DON'T OBSESS ABOUT LOOKING ‘PUT TOGETHER’ It's a state of mind rather than a styling trick. I feel more put together when I feel good in what I'm wearing – it can be an off-duty look, a good workout outfit, fitted jeans or a structured but fluid blazer. I've recently been reaching for tailored trousers. Toteme has a beige cotton pair, which is the ideal hybrid between weekend and work pants. I pair them with a With Nothing Underneath blazer, knits and T-shirts. FALL BACK ON TRIED-AND-TESTED OUTFIT FORMULAS My whole life revolves around outfit formulas, between travel, my job, the kids and their drop-off/playground/school rhythm, I couldn't really function if I had to think twice before getting dressed. Here are some I wear on repeat: ■ High-waisted denim with…

There’s no doubt that the newly released Snow White film is a visual spectacle. Almost 2,000 costumes featured in the shoot, filling a space the size of an aircraft hangar at Pinewood Studios in Slough. But hidden away in a cupboard under lock and key was the film’s most important outfit: a blue and yellow dress – and 13 identical copies – worn by the titular heroine. Security around the live-action version of Disney’s famous animated movie was paramount – there were to be no sneaked peeks. Sandy Powell, the film’s Academy Awardwinning costume designer, knew she would have to pay homage to the iconic look of the original 1937 animation. “If you take on a Disney film, you know what you’re doing,” she says, and she should know –…

If you’re a gym newbie, don’t worry, it’s common to feel anxious about mastering the equipment, wearing the right gear to fit in and wondering whether people are judging you. You’re not alone as a 2019 study found this is experienced by 31% of gym goers, so here are our tips to help you to own the gym on your next visit. Home start: trying a few online workouts in the comfort of your own lounge is a great way to build your confidence and to gain an understanding of the basic terminology and techniques. It’s a group thing: joining a class full of other people takes the spotlight off you, provides instruction on what to do, when and how, plus encourages social interaction making your sweat session more fun.…

CEOs today are focused on improving team efficiency and fostering strong team connections—without compromising employee experience. This challenge has intensified in a remote work environment where offices are spread across various locations. With its 12,000 fully distributed employees, Atlassian, a global software company that makes enterprise team collaboration software such as Jira and Confluence, leverages its experiences to develop innovative products and practices aimed at combating the 25 billion hours Fortune 500 companies lose annually due to “ineffective collaboration.” Here, Avani Prabhakar, Atlassian's chief people officer, discusses how teams can become more effective. Atlassian's State of Teams 2024 report says teams are busier than ever, yet accomplishing less. What do you attribute this lost productivity to? While the nature of work has changed, how most teams collaborate hasn't. Teams spend more time…

Indonesian Prince Sang Nila Utama founded the settlement of Singapura (Malay for ‘Lion City’) on the island of Temasek in 1299. The city was a crucial trading hub between East and West, facilitating the exchange of goods such as spices, textiles and porcelain. These transactions only increased from 1819, when the ‘founder of modern Singapore’, Sir Stamford Raffles, signed a treaty with Temenggung Abdul Rahman and Sultan Hussein Shah of the ruling Johor empire to establish a British trading post on the island. He had a vision that Singapore would be “a place of considerable magnitude and importance”. His Town Plan allotted parcels of land to each segment of society: Europeans would reside along the seafront; the Chinese were designated a kampong (village) on the south-west bank of the river;…

“Nah, you’re alright, they’re all the same now,” said a friend when I offered them the opportunity to go for a spin in a new Range Rover Evoque. And to a certain extent, they weren’t wrong. Sitting in the driver’s seat and you’ll find a centre touchscreen, steering wheel festooned with switches, a couple of stalks for lights and wipers and a gear selector on the centre console. Powerplants and transmissions are shared across the range and even the premium fabrics are available across the models; it’s all very samey. Yes, there are differences, but they mostly come down to the exterior body design and the seating position. The Evoque still looks great. It may not quite have the same head-turning appeal that the first-generation model had at its launch…

ON WINTER EVENINGS throughout much of Europe and North America, an hour before sunset, thousands of starlings gather in the skies. Before descending to their nighttime roosts, the birds put on one of nature’s most spectacular displays. They pulse, ripple, and wheel as if they were a single entity—an amorphous, shape-shifting creature with the delicate beauty of calligraphic brushstrokes and the erratic chaos of flickering flames. How could so many birds be so tightly coordinated? That’s a mystery that researchers have sought to solve for more than a century. In 1931, the ornithologist Edmund Selous argued that a starling murmuration, which he described as “a madness in the sky,” could only arise through telepathy. The birds “must think collectively, all at the same time,” he wrote. Like many others, Selous assumed…

From smoky, wok-hei-infused char kway teow to delicate, colourful Nonya kueh, Penang’s bold and distinctive flavours have earned it the title of Malaysia’s food capital. With a history of over two centuries, Penang’s diverse culinary heritage is hard to replicate. However, thanks to the culinary prowess of chef Talor Liew and his team at Princess Terrace, Singapore has its very own “little Penang,” where the vibrant tastes of Malaysia’s street food paradise come to life. A beacon of Penang cuisine since the 1970s, this homely restaurant at Copthorne King’s Hotel is beloved by generations of Singaporeans for its extensive buffet line-up, filled with the coastal city’s most iconic dishes. Among its most popular offerings is the wok-fried Penang char kway teow, a must-try that’s laden with aromatic Chinese sausage, springy…

In 2022, I witnessed in concert the distinctive flair of Virginia-based multi-instrumentalist Yasmin Williams. Having become drawn to the realm of instrumental acoustic guitar through 2021's Urban Driftwood, I found it transformative to experience her exhilarating musicianship in person. Williams has established her reputation in the past several years as an accomplished guitarist known for playing acoustic guitars both with standard fingerstyle method and by laying the guitar across her lap to explore extended techniques. Her newest record Acadia, released in late 2024, expands the intimate solo sound of Urban Driftwood, curating a large cast of collaborators spanning folk, Americana, jazz, hip-hop, electronic music, and modern composition. Acadia blends their unique sounds with hers to create her own sonic universe and fosters a vibrant community of extraordinary musicianship. The record's…

In recent years, the evolution of digital banking has revolutionized the way individuals manage their personal finances. What was once the realm of physical bank branches and paper-based transactions has now shifted into the hands of users, accessible anywhere, anytime, with just a few taps on their smartphones. But as we move further into the 21st century, the role of digital banking continues to expand, and its influence on our personal finance is becoming more profound. From simplifying everyday transactions to reshaping the very nature of banking itself, digital banking is paving the way for the future of personal finance. The Rise of Digital Banking The concept of digital banking is not entirely new, but its growth over the past decade has been nothing short of transformative. Traditional banks were…

THE TREND FOR MICRO dosing wellbeing – performing positive daily practices in small amounts – can mean swapping lengthy gym workouts for shorter sessions, or taking small dietary steps to reinforce new lifestyle habits over fad diets. Now, the trend for micro-dosing your sleep routine is gaining popularity. With World Sleep Day on March 14 (worldsleepday.org) there’s no better time than now to streamline your sleep routine, otherwise known as micro-napping. Southern European countries, such as Italy and Spain, are known for having among the best longevity levels of European nations. While the Mediterranean diet with its brightly coloured seasonal fruits and vegetables is thought to have a big part to play in the wellbeing of these nations; the afternoon siesta, which has been a pivotal part of daily life…

THE ADVERTISING INDUSTRY is at an inflection point, grappling with the fallout of a shifting political landscape. Since the reelection of Donald Trump, brands that once championed diversity, equity, and inclusion are now retreating, with Target, Meta, and Walmart among those pulling back efforts. Meanwhile, brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Costco, e.l.f. Beauty, and Delta have remained steadfast in their commitment to inclusivity, recognizing that their future consumers—Gen Z and the rapidly emerging Gen Alpha—care deeply about these values. Trump’s second presidency will last four years, but times change; what will come next for brands that are abandoning internal and external DEI advocacy? As divided as the electorate is, the next administration could swing public sentiment back toward DEI and corporate social responsibility. If that happens, brands that retreated from…

We’ve literally run out of road. There we were, happily surfing a wave of torque provided by a RUF tuned Porsche flat six, the tea kettle boil of boost causing the car to squirm very slightly on upshifts on the hot tarmac, each tiny snatch of silence between gears like the pause before someone reveals a secret. The air is filled with the howl of an Akrapovič titanium exhaust and sparkling grains of sand are siphoned from the road surface by the car’s passing. Glorious. But very suddenly there’s a lot of braking and the chunky tyres are groaning under the effort of managing traction the other way. It’s not a gentle wash of windblown sand that’s veiled the road, but a blunt downing of tools and a half metre…

Just three days after having surgery on his knee following an injury last November, college basketball player Hansel Enmanuel was back on his feet and running around in his apartment, recalls his coach Corey Gipson, who then holds up his cell phone in a Zoom call with People to show video proof of the 6´6˝ athlete bounding up a staircase. “Hansel’s turnaround has been faster than anybody I’ve ever coached who had those types of surgeries,” says Gipson, the head coach of Enmanuel’s Austin Peay State University Governors basketball team in Clarksville, Tenn. “It’s remarkable.” So is the rest of Enmanuel’s story. The 21-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, where he was raised by his grandmother while his mother was living overseas, lost most of his left arm at age 6…

Silly Linguistics is all about the silly side of life and language. Rightly so. In Modern English, silliness connotes fun. Sure, it can be used pejoratively, but only in the mildest sense – to be called sIlly is hardly a cutting insult. Silliness more than that; it is the pleasure we have in learning bits of absurd information that amuse us, the wisdom not to take ourselves too seriously, our ability to do things just for the joy of it. To be silly is to enjoy life. This hasn’t always been the case, however. The history of the word silly is a long and interesting one, mostly because silly has undergone semantic drift. Semantic relates to the meaning of a word, and in the case of semantic drift, this meaning…

SPERM ARE STUPID. They’re among the smallest cells in a man’s body, single-minded and unwavering. (Women’s eggs are among the most complex human cells—read into that what you will.) A typical fertile, healthy young man produces over 100 million spermatozoa, or sperm cells, in his testicles every day—if he doesn’t ejaculate, the sperm eventually die and get reabsorbed—and that can be frightening, if you’re trying to avoid having children in a country hell-bent on making pregnancy high-stakes. Sperm also can be an ick: For months, when I told people I was working on a story about the state of sperm, I watched women roll their eyes, and I heard a lot of men make jokes—usually the Monty Python bit: Every sperm is sacred, every sperm is great—before asking in a…