Ghosts Christmas Special review a beautiful farewell to a sublime sitcom

 Posted on March 16, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  910 words  |  Aldo Pusey

TV reviewTelevision & radioReviewIf you ever needed a sign that this comedy had reached classic status, this clever, spiky finale is it. It’s a perfectly-timed end to a show that will be sorely missed And then, suddenly, it floated away: one of the finest British comedies of the century is over, and it’s ended with a Christmas special so light and so neat it barely seemed to be there at all. [Read More]

Houseplant of the week: white jasmine

 Posted on March 16, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  244 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

Houseplant of the weekPlantsIts intoxicating aromas and delicate blossoms make this plant a showstopper Why will I love it? The charming white jasmine is a climber native to China and Myanmar. Its slender stems, with dark-green pinnate leaves, can stretch up to a generous 6 metres in length and 3 metres across, transforming any space into a botanical sanctuary. Indoors, it gracefully entwines itself around climbing supports, staying beautifully contained. However, what makes this plant a showstopper is its super-fragrant flowers. [Read More]

Modern Baseball: meet the band tackling pop-punks crude image

 Posted on March 16, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  497 words  |  Aldo Pusey

Sidewalked… Modern BaseballSidewalked… Modern BaseballPunkA new breed of bands are busting the genre’s juvenile stereotypes and tackling serious subjects like loss and depression How well do you know Blink-182? Test your pop-punk knowledgeRead morePop-punk has long had a reputation as the male-dominated genre of choice for angsty teenagers who love pizza and hate their parents. The younger cousin of “real punk”, its petulant image means that it tends to be marginalised by critics. [Read More]

More flowers, fewer cars: the rewilders turning parking spaces into parks | Urban wildlife

 Posted on March 16, 2024  |  14 minutes  |  2937 words  |  Aldo Pusey

‘Meet you at the planter’: Lynne Friedli (second left), gardening with neighbour Helena Farstad and helpers Hennie Farstad McKeown, Roy Hanson, Jesse Hanson and Ebba Farstad McKeown in Islington, north London. Photograph: Urszula Sołtys/The GuardianAcross the UK and Europe, the ‘parklet’ movement is gaining pace, transforming dead spaces where cars used to be into pockets of green As told to Phoebe Weston Read more in our Wild world series As more towns and cities bring in measures to curb traffic and the number of cars on the streets, the idea of converting parking spaces into “parklets” is gaining traction. [Read More]

Oona Doherty: I wasnt the best dancer in the class. My ego couldnt handle it | Dance

 Posted on March 16, 2024  |  8 minutes  |  1664 words  |  Aldo Pusey

DanceInterviewOona Doherty: ‘I wasn’t the best dancer in the class. My ego couldn’t handle it’Lyndsey WinshipKicked out of conservatoire during her hard-partying years, Doherty has gone on to become one of the most exciting choreographers of her generation. Now she’s teaming up with Jamie xx for a dread-filled new work The last time I saw Oona Doherty, she was rolling out of a car boot in east London, nervily hitching up tracksuit bottoms, hair slicked like a close crop, transmitting wiry masculinity. [Read More]

Speeding skier sent to jail over death on piste | World news

 Posted on March 16, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  556 words  |  Aldo Pusey

World newsSpeeding skier sent to jail over death on pisteThe world of skiing was shocked yesterday after a skier was sent to prison for his role in a fatal accident on an American piste. Nathan Hall, 21, was convicted of criminally negligent homicide in a court in Eagle, Colorado, and faces up to six years in prison. The accident took place in 1997 when Hall, who was working as a lift operator at the leading American resort of Vail, lost control skiing down the mountain and struck Alan Cobb, inflicting severe head injuries. [Read More]

Story of cities #48: Cybercity, Mauritius a vision of Africa's 'smart' future? | Cities

 Posted on March 16, 2024  |  9 minutes  |  1865 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

Ebène Cybercity is Mauritius’s hi-tech hub, and home to Africa’s internet registry platform. Photograph: Christopher Schuetze/The GuardianEbène Cybercity is Mauritius’s hi-tech hub, and home to Africa’s internet registry platform. Photograph: Christopher Schuetze/The GuardianThe story of citiesCitiesStory of cities #48: Cybercity, Mauritius – a vision of Africa's 'smart' future?Ebène Cybercity was built 15 years ago to create a modern working environment for Mauritians and bring a hi-tech hub to this island nation. [Read More]

T-Pain: rappers will not work with Frank Ocean because he is gay | Frank Ocean

 Posted on March 16, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  430 words  |  Kary Bruening

Frank Ocean This article is more than 9 years oldT-Pain: rappers will not work with Frank Ocean because he is gayThis article is more than 9 years oldThe rapper has spoken out about homophobia in the urban music scene, suggesting some artists will not work with the R&B singer T-Pain has spoken out about his opposition to homophobia in the rap world, and claims that certain rappers will not work with Frank Ocean because of the R&B singer’s sexuality. [Read More]

Time Addicts review drug-fuelled, time-travelling fairytale in Melbourne

 Posted on March 16, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  391 words  |  Valentine Belue

FilmReviewA mission to steal a bag full of crystal meth sparks an enjoyable labyrinthine sci-fi adventure for two bickering addicts Denise (Freya Tingley) and Johnny (Charles Grounds) are drug buddies living in present-day Melbourne. When they’re not getting high, they spend their time mooching about, bickering, and arguing about whether some of the fancier words Johnny uses are real. (Funnily enough, most of the time they are.) They are what the cops might uncharitably describe as no-hopers. [Read More]

Adam Armstrong stars as Southampton thrash Wednesday to close gap | Championship

 Posted on March 15, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  1059 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

ChampionshipAdam Armstrong stars as Southampton thrash Wednesday to close gapAdam Armstrong produced an attacking masterclass as Southampton dispatched Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 to equal their longest English Football League unbeaten record. The top scorer Armstrong scored one and set up Che Adams, Ryan Fraser and Sékou Mara as Saints leapt into the top two for the first time since the opening day and closed the gap to table-toppers Leicester to 10 points. [Read More]