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5 TOP FACTS BRITISH CELTS 1 Iceni Famous for being led by Boudicca, the Iceni were located in modern-day East Anglia and were a wealthy, warlike people who led many revolts against Roman rule. 2 Dobunni This tribe was one of the largest in Britain and resided on the modern English-Welsh border. Unlike many others, the Dobunni easily submitted to Roman rule. 3 Dumnonii Occupying Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, the Dumnonii favoured small farms over larger settlements and preferred healthy relations with Brittany in France. 4 Catuvellauni One of the most powerful tribes, the Catuvellauni were made out of several smaller groups. Supporting Roman rule, Verulamium (St Albans) was a big Roman settlement. 5 Silures After the Iceni, this band of Celts gave the Romans the most trouble. Originating in the valleys of South Wales, they were described as a…

1 UKRAINE New positions may signal start of spring offensive Ukraine’s military has set up positions on the eastern side of the Dnipro River, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cited Russian military bloggers as saying. Infiltrating the area could be a first step towards trying to dislodge Russian forces from positions they are using to shell and shoot at Kherson (below), which was liberated from occupation in November. Ukrainian military forays across the river could also mark the first steps towards launching a spring offensive. “This is the first time ISW has observed reliable geolocated imagery of Ukrainian positions on the east bank along with multi-sourced Russian reports of an enduring Ukrainian presence there,” the thinktank said. The Russian bloggers reported Ukrainian forces had established stable supply lines and “regularly…

Adorned with elaborate sculptures, covered walkways and dominated by a striking clock tower, Cardiff Castle looks almost too good to be true. Built sometime after 1081 over the ruins of a Roman fort by the Normans, who were then expanding from England into Wales, Cardiff Castle was extended in the following centuries, notably in the early-15th century, where the keep took shape, and in the 18th century, where it was embellished with a Georgian mansion. In 1848, Cardiff Castle was inherited by John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, the third Marquess of Bute — then still not six months old – and its story soon took an unexpected swerve into the past. “My luxury is art”, wrote Bute later. “I have considerable taste for art and archaeology, and happily the means to indulge them.” Armed…

When buying real estate, the golden rule is, “location, location, location.” Thus, when a couple in their late 40s with three kids found this 7,500-square-foot home on Daniel Island, one of the most coveted areas to live in Charleston, they snapped it up. No matter that the home’s classic architecture and outmoded interiors didn’t suit their taste. They knew the three-story space could feel contemporary with the help of the right designer. “What started as, ‘Oh, we want you to put up some window treatments and finish a kitchen backsplash,’ quickly snowballed into redoing the whole house,” says Moe Draz, founder of Architrave Interior Design in Charleston. “The house was very traditional and dated, with high ceilings, heavy moldings, and walnut floors. The couple wanted a look that was fresh, luxe…

THE CLICHED IMAGE of therapy has an older male therapist sitting in an armchair, taking notes, while a patient lies down on a couch telling the therapist all her secrets. It’s no wonder this idea doesn’t appeal to everyone. Do I just close my eyes, open my mouth, and let this random stranger judge me? It doesn’t exactly feel … healing. Sigmund Freud, who did indeed work with his patients on a special couch, is known as the father of modern psychotherapy. And while his insights have certainly been useful in some ways, his strategies have their limitations. In her book It’s Not Always Depression, psychologist Hilary Jacobs Hendel writes that she was “… born into a family of Freudians and a culture where mind over matter was the mantra. My mother…

Wie schon so oft haben wir den Plan, ungewöhnliche Szenerien aus der Luft zu erkunden. Diesmal ist ein nicht endender Strom an Naturgewalt in unserem Fokus. Also machen wir uns mit den Paramotoren im Anhänger auf den Weg Richtung Bodensee. Am Abend angekommen sondieren wir noch die Gegend, um eine passende Startwiese für den nächsten Tag zu finden. Nach einer Stunde Suche werden wir fündig. Eine große und kürzlich gemähte Wiese. Flach und in fast allen Richtungen startbar. Perfekt! Der erste wichtige Schritt wäre schon mal geschafft. Mit einem leckeren Abendessen gestärkt, kehren wir früh zurück in die Unterkunft. Wir checken nochmals das Wetter und gehen zeitig ins Bett. In der Morgendämmerung klingelt auch schon wieder der Wecker – denn wenn die Sonne aufgeht, ist das Licht am besten. Das…

They had arrived in the dead of night; the darkness had been so thick that the monks had not seen their ship until it landed on the shore. It was too late, they all knew it, to call for help. A brother had run into the halls, waking the monks from their beds with shrill cries of “The demons are here! They’re coming! They’re coming!” Some of the brothers began to scream for help, while others leapt into action, grabbing precious items and concealing them in the folds of their cloaks. But already the doors were down and already the invaders were here. They were huge – bigger than any man the humble brethren had ever seen – with their wild blond hair and mighty weapons grasped in hand. They…

The hardest thing about mixing is stopping mixing. No matter how many songs you work on, you never lose the fear that comes with pressing Send. Have you missed something obvious? Will the client or the mastering engineer throw up their hands in horror? Does your mix contain some deadly flaw that will make it unlistenable on phones or over the radio? It’s easy to worry too much, and at the same time, you can’t anticipate what other people will think of your mix. But if peace of mind is what you’re after, there are a few simple checks that can help you pick up on common problems while there’s still time to fix them! Mono Compatibility There are still plenty of mono or near-mono playback devices around, but even if you don’t…

THE FANS INSPIRED BY STAR TREK Columbo was on the cover of TV Guide dated March 25, 1972, but inside was an exclusive piece that both surprised and thrilled Star Trek fans - William Marsano's coverage of the world’s first Star Trek convention, held in January 1972 at the Statler-Hilton hotel, New York City. His thoughtful, engaging article made it clear that, despite Star Trek’s network termination three years earlier, the series still lived on, for thousands of fans. Until then, the chances for its revival were bleak, but the TV Guide coverage of the convention changed that. Re-energized, even more fans sent letters asking for Star Trek’s return in far greater numbers. The numbers jumped from around 100 letters a month NBC and Paramount had jointly been getting in 1971 to…

MORE THAN 4,500 YEARS after an enterprising Mesopotamian stretched a few cords of catgut over a hollow wooden vessel to create the first lute, the craft of building string instruments reached a state of near-perfection in a humble workshop in Cremona, Italy. The craftsman’s name is still known around the world more than 300 years later, though his life story remains something of a mystery: Antonio Stradivari, maker of incomparable violins, cellos and more. Among the violin virtuosos who play a Stradivarius today are Itzhak Perlman, Akiko Suwanai and Joshua Bell. “I can’t think of anything else that has been frozen in time and stands as the holy grail for modern use,” says Gary Sturm, curator emeritus at the National Museum of American History’s Division of Musical History. It’s generally agreed that…

TALE OF THE TAPE Both the Trixx and JetBlaster are based off models in the Rec Lite category: the current Sea-Doo Spark 2up and the former Yamaha EXR. Though Sea-Doo offers the Trixx in the Spark’s 3up version, the added length comes via a 10-inch hull extension that makes it more difficult to perform the original’s signature maneuvers. We’d argue that buyers looking for a true freestyle craft are most often riding solo and looking for best performance, so we opted to pair the best examples from each of these PWC manufacturers. The difference is notable in the specs. The Trixx measures 110 inches long, 46.4 inches wide, weighs 428 pounds and uses a 90 hp, 899 cc Rotax 900 ACE engine. The JetBlaster is longer and narrower at 123.6 inches…

Buzzy shows gave beloved and well-known character actors a place to shine in the 2021-22 TV season, and Emmy voters jumped on board — surprisingly, a lot of these beloved performers are first-time nominees, or have earned just a couple of notices in their careers. Take, for instance, Sheryl Lee Ralph of “Abbott Elementary,” who plays formidable teacher Barbara Howard on the ABC hit. One of the original “Dreamgirls,” she earned a Tony nomination for the hit Broad-way musical, as well as an Indie Spirit award for 1991’s “To Sleep With Anger” — plus, she’s been a staple on TV since the 1970s. But this is her first Emmy nomination. “It is amazing to be at a point in my life in my career in a show where I am so well…

The instruction from the boat's skipper was, “Lie quietly on the surface, don't try to approach them, just wait until they come to you.” Once in the water, I could see large boulders below me and kelp fronds swishing back and forth with the light swell. The movement was making me feel slightly nauseous, and soon, I felt I was beingwatched. I rolled over as smoothly as possible, just in time to see a young seal playing peek-a-boo behind my fins. The seal seemed to take my movement as a precursor to playtime, starting a game of tugging at the fins and chasing me. Laughing while wearing a mask and snorkel isn't ideal, as your mask tends to fill up with water which gets snorted up your nose. However, my…

Chocolate orange hot chocolate A hot drink when it’s cold outside is one of life’s simple pleasures. Classic Christmassy confectionery adds a festive feel Serves 2 100g orange chocolate, such as Terry’s Chocolate Orange 30g dark chocolate 1 orange 400ml whole milk 100ml single cream Pinch of salt 1 Finely chop both types of chocolate using a sharp knife. 2 Using a peeler, remove a 10cm piece of peel from the orange. 3 Combine the chocolate, peel, milk, cream and salt in a pan and place over a low heat. While the chocolate slowly melts, stir well with a wooden spoon. 4 Once melted, pour into two mugs and serve immediately, or transfer to a flask for outdoor adventuring. First, choose your tree… Decorating our homes with evergreen trees dates back to the 4th century. This pagan ritual bringing…

Drawn to the coast of her youth and with a yearning for more space to raise her young family, Arabella Wilson, set her home search on Victoria’s rugged western coastline, where a lazy Sunday drive resulted in a surprise discovery. “Spotting the roadside ‘for sale’ sign was a stroke of luck and fate – I organised a viewing right there and then,” Arabella laughs. “The moment I walked in, I knew instantly that this was ‘the one’ and that Chris, my husband, would love it.” The couple – who have two young daughters, Marlowe and Lottie – swiftly purchased the property, and a short time later swapped their city living in Melbourne for a laid-back life by the beach. “One of the things that I love most is the fact that…

When it came to walking, I used to joke that I only had one pace: ‘fast and far'. It probably says a lot about my frame of mind at the time. I couldn't imagine getting through my days without discipline and force. Walking was just another way to measure y achievements. But the last few years have changed me. Life hasn't been easy, and I've struggled with chronic illness, stress and burnout. I've had to accept that my body isn't always able to endure the intensity of my old walking habits, but I've also realised that I was missing out when I was racing along paths in a blur. I'm now seeking something deeper, a state of mind that can help me to soften rather than harden, and a way of…

We'd all have a garden room in an ideal world, where we could gather as the nights turn chillier or for when the weather is a bit iffy. Pop on your favourite jumper, add a blanket or cosy scarf and all you really need in early autumn is a bit of shelter step forward the greenhouse. Once you’ve cleared it out of its summer harvest, there’s a window before it becomes home to tender overwintering plants, and this is its time to shine*. Set up a folding table and chairs, prepare a menu of harvest treats and squeeze in as many friends as is comfortable. Defrost a few foraged blackberries for a fruity cocktail, use up a tomato glut by mixing them with smoky chorizo (and garlic bread to soak it…

THE ELEVATED cardboard box sits discreetly at the side of my couch. It draws no attention to itself, emitting little more than a whiff of woodsy vitality. And yet this box—my compost—is nonetheless a site of great activity. In my apartment, nowhere is busier, nowhere more exciting. I remove the white fabric cover and thrust a hand into the ongoing decomposition. The peat is grainy black, crumbly but damp, studded with the colorful remains of a dozen meals past: orange rinds, turnip tops, apple peels. Several inches down, near the reinforced base, my fingers register pockets of warmth. They thrill me, these thermal indicators that it’s working, that the mites and motes are actively devouring their way through my table scraps. I picture these microscopic agents as little Pac-men and-women, their…

Hey, Toyota—is everything, um, OK? Strapped into the new Toyota GR Corolla and sitting in pit lane awaiting our turn at a 2.1-mile section of Utah Motorsports Park’s wildly undulating road course, we felt slightly silly. Until now, we imagined, the only people who’d ever worn helmets inside a dealership-ready Corolla were unbalanced folks with visions of, well, something as absurd as a track-ready production Toyota Corolla. One such person is Toyota President Akio Toyoda. He’s been pushing the company’s Gazoo Racing (GR) subbrand, and he personally signed off on the final product. The result is the craziest showroom-spec Corolla hatchback ever built. Just how out of bounds is it? We can count on one hand the sporty Corollas sold here over the decades. It was long ago typecast as an anodyne, safe…

DID YOU KNOW? No trace of Babylon’s famous ‘hanging gardens’ remains; some experts believe they were in Nineveh instead Mesopotamia was home to some of the very first cities in existence, leading many to link it to the birth of true civilisation. The origin of these cities is still unknown today, although many theories exist. One suggestion is that the development and building of temples created a place where people would gather, and thus served as points of contact between different groups of people. Others believe that people sought sanctuary from natural disasters. As the Mesopotamians were able to develop technology to help them control the nearby rivers, such as levees, they could ensure a good crop. They had no need to be nomadic, and were able to settle in one place…

For all the latest news, visit countrylife.co.uk WINTER has been been unbelievably slow to arrive this year, but it surely is coming and with it the need to turn on the heating. Those whose lives revolve around heritage buildings are considering their options carefully. Last week, the National Trust told COUNTRY LIFE that it will not be closing its properties this winter, despite the cost-of-living crisis. ‘The two big impacts this winter will be energy and inflation, particularly the inflation of the cost of materials and repairs,’ says Andy Beer, director of operations and consultancy. ‘We are accelerating our investment in energy-saving measures and encouraging our teams to be assiduous in keeping costs down, but we want to stay open. What we are not going to do is close anywhere because…

PROS Good-looking exterior, great-looking interior • Outstanding Pro Pilot Assist system • Approachable and easy to operate CONS High price for what you get • Range, charging speed, and one-pedal mode are just OK • Vague steering with strange off-center feel VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-motor, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV MOTOR, TRANSMISSION Permanent-magnet elec, 1-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,725 lb (53/47%) WHEELBASE 109.3 in LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 182.9 x 74.8 x 65.7 in ON SALE Now There was plenty of debate at this year’s SUV of the Year competition about which electric vehicles were really SUVs and which were merely hatchbacks. The judges were split on many aspects of Nissan’s all-new Ariya, but we all agreed it’s an SUV through and through. It certainly makes a good first impression. “Design is probably its strongest suit,” features editor…

Built between 1870 and 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge links Brooklyn and Manhattan by spanning the East River in New York City. Designed by a German immigrant, John Augustus Roebling, it was his son, Washington Roebling, and daughter-inlaw, Emily, who actually oversaw most of the construction after John’s unexpected death just months before building commenced. The bridge consists of two main elements. Firstly, there are the two anchorages that are positioned either side of the river and between them are two towers (also known as piers) which stand some 84 metres (277 feet) high. Consisting of limestone, granite and cement, the towers – designed in a neo-Gothic architectural style – stand on concrete foundations that run 13.4 metres (44 feet) and 23.8 metres (78 feet) deep on the Brooklyn and Manhattan sides,…

1 UKRAINE Russia edges closer to seizing control of Bakhmut Russia appeared close to taking control of Bakhmut on Monday, although Ukraine said it continued to fight on in the fringes of the city largely devastated by an intense year of deadly fighting. Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, said Ukraine still controlled “certain facilities” in the Litak district, but reports said the defenders had lost control of the last of the remaining high-rises in the eastern Ukrainian city. Bakhmut was first shelled in May 2022 and Russian forces consistently targeted the mining city that had a pre-war population of about 70,000. Although not considered of particular strategic value, the city has acquired a high symbolic value for both sides. Separately, fighting broke out along the border in the Belgorod region after self-described Russian…

Verizon’s fresh C-band network showed up about 20% of the time in our recent Best Mobile Networks tests and generally unlocked speeds at least twice as fast as the rest of the carrier’s 5G nationwide coverage. But older phones with a hotspot mode can’t take advantage of those mid-band speeds as well as a dedicated hotspot such as the Orbic Speed 5G UW can. This device is currently the only one that can handle the carrier’s new 5G network, and that support should make a big difference in network performance for those who live in a C-band zone. We’re not fans of its bulk or middling battery life, but those issues are worth working around to get the best possible network speeds. Because of its unrivaled network performance (for now),…

THIS COLLECTION of rare documents provides a fascinating insight into the Viking culture and lifestyle, including drawings, maps and manuscripts, along with translations. EXHIBIT I - PLAN OF A VIKING SHIP SLATE WITH SKETCH OF VIKING SHIP, SHETLAND A ninth-century sketch of a Viking Ship on slate, found at a farm on the Shetland Islands north of Scotland. Vikings began to settle permanently in the Shetland Islands from the ninth century onwards. EXHIBIT II - SKALHOLT MAP SKÁLHOLT MAP In the sixteenth century Sigurd Stefansson from Skálholt marked the sites of the ancient Norse discoveries on a map. His original map has not survived, but a copy made in 1690 by Thordur Thorlaksson is in the Danish Royal Library..Stefansson’s positioning of Vinland encouraged archaeological digs at L’Anse Aux Meadows in the 1960s. EXHIBIT III -…

Crystal clear Recently, I had to take a break from university due to mental health problems. I was really struggling to get my motivation levels up, feeling drained from all the negativity around me. On one of my lowest days, I decided to step outside and there, right between my feet, was a black tourmaline crystal. Despite having a big crystal collection, this is one I didn’t have. I took it as a sign I needed it in my life. That day, I wire-wrapped it and have worn it on a necklace ever since. It gave me the encouragement to ground myself and make positive changes so I can get back on track and return to university next year. Amy Morgan, via email Rainbow bright When my dear mum passed away after a long illness,…

Country wisdom Love must go on “I loved to drop in on my 79-year-old mother to keep her company because I knew after losing my father, she was incredibly lonely. With it being St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it was a good reason to pop in with some green frosted cupcakes. But when she opened the door, she seemed flustered and hurried me in saying she didn’t want to leave her ‘Irish gentleman’ alone for long. As I stared in shock, she shrugged and said, ‘As my mother always said, love must go on.’ Just then, an adorable Irish setter pup came scampering out of the kitchen, gazing up at my mom with adoring eyes. “‘This is Lucky, a rescue I adopted from the shelter,’ she beamed. ‘The new man in my life,…

Warner Bros. Discovery is about to find out whether bigger and broader really is better when it comes to streaming. Ever since he took over the merged company in April, CEO David Zaslav has been clear about his vision for one global platform, and with the company’s latest earnings release this week, Wall Street anticipation about details regarding a combo HBO Max and Discovery+ offering is growing. This would enable people who signed up to binge-watch “Barry,” “Succession” and “Last Week To night With John Oliver” to get their fill of “Naked and Afraid” and hundreds of hours of the excitable Food Network personality Guy Fieri hosting supermarket competitions and chowing down on chicken-fried steak or meatloaf at dining hot spots. Will the two fit together? The names HBO and Discovery “do…

FILM REVIEW Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Starring: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas At age 13, Ryan Gosling was spreading cheer on “The Mickey Mouse Club.” But something must have snapped in the dozen years between “The Notebook” and “La La Land.” The Canadian heartthrob seems committed to convincing us that he can be a cold-blooded, even-keeled, unsentimental killer. Starting with Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive,” followed by the Danish director’s “Only God Forgives” and now playing the title character in the Russo brothers’ “The Gray Man,” an actor who once radiated charisma in “Crazy Stupid Love” has been perfecting an inexpressive cool that borders on nihilism, keeping his pulse stable and poker face fixed as he offs whatever adversaries come his way. Gosling doesn’t just want to be an action star; he wants…

Five years after sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein ignited the global #MeToo movement, the former film producer is back in court. The convicted rapist is facing 11 charges in Los Angeles, separate from the sexual assault allegations that led to his monumental 2020 criminal trial in New York and his subsequent conviction, for which he is serving 23 years. Weinstein’s trial, which got underway Oct. 10, is one of four #MeToo cases playing out in courtrooms across America this week. Danny Masterson’s rape trial is taking place across the hall from Weinstein’s; on the other coast, writer-director Paul Haggis is on trial for rape, while Kevin Spacey is facing Anthony Rapp, who has claimed that Spacey sexually abused him when he was 14 years old. These sexual violence cases demonstrate the…

It's a rose hip November Rosehip wine Based on an old 1850 recipe. Select firm, ripe hips. Cut off all stems and tops. Put into a large jar that can be made airtight. To each 450g of hips allow 450g white sugar, and 710ml of water. Pour boiling water over sugar. When quite dissolved, pour lukewarm over hips. Cover with a cloth. Stand in a warm kitchen for two weeks, stirring twice daily. Make airtight with three layers of greaseproof paper, brushed with flour and water paste. Stand in a cool dark place for six months. Strain off wine carefully through a fine muslin. Bottle and cork. It becomes quite potent with keeping - the less you boil, the better the flavour. Taken from Wild Fruits, Nuts and Flowers: 101 Good…

One of my favourite ways to spend a midwinter afternoon is walking. Especially on the hill above my home, where the crisp air forces me to huddle deeper into my thick woollen scarf. It’s a good vantage point for seeing how the season has settled across the landscape: leafless woods, shallow puddles topped with thin layers of ice and hedgerows decorated with trailing tufts of traveller’s joy (also called old man’s beard). Seemingly empty fields offer up wintry gifts: roe deer, given away by their bright white rumps, grazing happily in the fading light. And I often flush out flocks of fieldfares, with flecked chests and iron-coloured heads, from the hawthorn. These thrushes travel from as far as Scandinavia to avoid biting temperatures, and their chuckling calls are a welcome…

*There’s no better way to get to the heart of a city than through the people who live there. Every month we ask someone, clearly in love with their city, to take us on a personal tour and tell us what makes it so special. You may feel inspired to visit one day, but for now just sit back, relax and enjoy some armchair travel. How long have you lived in the city? I’ve been living in Palermo for five years now, but first began travelling and studying here in 2011. Why Palermo, and where are you from originally? I arrived in Palermo after many years in New York, where I’d been working as a private chef. After completing my culinary degree at the French Culinary Institute in NYC, I was awarded a scholarship…

*There's no better way to get to the heart of a city than through the people who live there. Every month we ask someone, clearly in love with their city, to take us on a personal tour and tell us what makes it so special. You may feel inspired to visit one day, but for now just sit back, relax and enjoy some armchair travel. How long have you lived in the city? Rome is my city of birth and where my family are, but I haven't always lived here. I grew up jumping back and forth between Italy and the US, and, as an adult, I've often lived abroad for work. But Rome is my home, the place I always miss when I'm somewhere else and the place I always return…

LAVENDER AND ROSE BATH BOMBS Smell sweet, soothe your skin and a simple thing to make You will need: 290g bicarbonate of soda 110g citric acid 26 drops lavender essential oil 13 drops rose-geranium essential oil 25g oats Witch hazel (in a spray bottle) Dried lavender Dried rose petals Bath bomb moulds - we used 7cm diameter plastic moulds to make one large bomb with spare mix. 5cm moulds should make two bombs. 1 Sieve the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid into a bowl. Add the essential oils and mix with your hands. Add the oats and mix again. 2 Spray the mix 10 times with the witch hazel and stir. Spray 5 more times and stir again. The consistency should resemble ever so slightly damp sand so that it holds its shape when…

Dawn did not break over wartime Kyiv on Orthodox Easter Day. It was more that the darkness gradually paled, leaving the pinnacle of the 18th-century bell tower wreathed in a wan mist. Soon after 5.30am, the faithful began to trickle into Dormition Cathedral, which stands at the heart of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, or Monastery of the Caves. Families carried wicker baskets, covered with hand-embroidered cloths and filled with sweet Easter bread, eggs dyed with onion skins, salt and meat. Members of the congregation lit candles; the great golden candelabra in front of the iconostasis was soon bristling with flames. Easter has been celebrated on this spot since the 11th century, when monks from Mount Athos first hollowed out the rocky hillside to form their cells and shrines, establishing the lavra as…

ITALY Cleanup begins after deadly floods Page 18 → Signs of the burgeoning conflict between the US and China can be spotted in many different places, from balloons in the sky to videos on TikTok. But nowhere is it more apparent than on the microscopic wafers of silicon otherwise known as semiconductors. Semiconductors, or microchips, are tiny pieces of technology that power everything from microwaves to military weapons. The industry is worth more than $580bn, but even that figure belies their importance to the global economy. Their existence powers several trillion dollars’ worth of goods and processes; without them the global economy would shudder to a halt. It’s therefore a source of concern to many that over 90% of the world’s semiconductors are made in the place many US officials think could be the site…

When Dr Harold Young, an eminent Belizean political scientist, takes visitors around Belize City, the first stop is an unremarkable building whose basement entrance is partly shrouded by creeping pink bougainvillea. Its padlocked gates and broken windows back on to a car park in the city’s historic centre. The building is known in the former British colony as the erstwhile headquarters of a TV station and production company once owned by the Conservative peer Michael Ashcroft, who has sprawling investments around Belize. But the building also serves as a reminder of the brutality of British rule. “It’s the last remnants of a holding dungeon for slaves,” Young said. “Before they were put out for sale.” Unlike the island states in the Caribbean, where plantation slavery underpinned the colonial economy, enslaved labour in…

Vinyl is the format that just refuses to die. It looked mortally wounded from the mid-80s CD revolution until the turn of the century, but since then sales have risen and are now steady. And that's something to be celebrated! It's a hugely likeable format capable of terrific sound, provided a bit of care is taken with it. And this is where vinyl is different from other formats. Unlike the digital alternatives, for the most part, a lack of care In installation can really cripple the final sound. There are some undeniably great ‘plug and play’ record players on the market and, when it comes to more complex decks, a number of dealers who will help you set them up correctly. But if you're prepared to get your hands a little…

PROS • Feels a lot like the original • More practical than the previous sedan • Manual version is quite fun CONS • Powerband is too narrow • Among the slowest WRX models ever • The automatic option isn’t fun LIMITED; GT VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE, TRANSMISSION 2.4L turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve flat-4, 6-speed manual; cont variable auto CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,400 lb (60/40%); 3,538 lb (61/39%) WHEELBASE 105.2 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 183.8 x 71.9 x 57.8 in ON SALE Now The Subaru WRX has long been the enthusiast’s default choice for an all-weather sport compact. With rally-bred heritage, standard all-wheel drive, and potent turbocharged engines, the WRX has mastered its domain—especially since Mitsubishi vacated the space when it canned the Lancer. By that measure, the new WRX is primed for success. Longer, lower, wider, and stiffer…

Inside the iconic Chinese vessel DID YOU KNOW? Chinese junks developed in the Han Dynasty of 206 BCE-220 AD 5 TOP FACTS JUNKS 1 Taiwan San In 1955, six men sailed a Ming Dynasty-style replica junk 6,000 miles from Taiwan to San Francisco. In 1959, Catalan men also used a junk to sail from Hong Kong to Barcelona. 2 Junco The word entered the English language in the mid 17th Century via the Portuguese word ‘junco’. Other names include ‘jong’ in Malay and ‘chuán’ in Mandarin. 3 da Conti During his expeditions in Asia (1419-1444), Venetian merchant and explorer Niccolo da Conti sighted junks weighing over 2,000 tons with five sails and multiple masts. 4 Trade The primary use of Chinese junks were as trading vessels. According to Richard Cocks, head of the English trading factory in Hirado, over 60…

CONSERVATIVES Official knew of minister’s alleged speeding request The most senior civil servant in the Home Office was made aware of allegations that Suella Braverman wanted civil service help in dealing with a speeding fine, the Guardian understands. The development raises questions about how many other senior officials and ministers across Whitehall were then informed about the claims, and puts pressure on the prime minister to order an investigation into the allegations. Matthew Rycroft, the department’s permanent secretary, was told about the home secretary’s alleged request to set up a private driving awareness course in the autumn, informed sources said. Braverman had made the request to another senior civil servant who “had concerns about whether it was appropriate”, it is understood, so had reported it to the top official. The home secretary insisted she had done…

1 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES BOEING 737-8 N871HK MSN 67775 · LN 8405 Southwest Airlines (WN) took delivery of a Boeing 737-8 sporting its iconic ‘Desert Gold’ colors, which will bear the name of Herbert D. Kelleher (1931-2019), WN’s founder, CEO, and chairman emeritus. The number 71 in the registration is a nod to 1971 (the year Southwest took to the skies), together with Herb’s initials. 2 GLOBAL CROSSING AIRLINES AIRBUS A320-214 N281GX MSN 2830 GlobalX (Global Crossing Airlines) (G6) has put a ‘Bad Bunny—Adidas’ promotional livery on one of its Airbus A320s. Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican rapper and singer, chartered the aircraft in collaboration with Adidas. The winners of a free raffle received a one-night stay in Puerto Rico and concert tickets to Bad Bunny’s concert in New York, among other prizes. 3 SUN COUNTRY AIRLINES BOEING 737-8K5 N844SY MSN…

Groundhandling. Pull up, stabilise, turn around, tilt the wing to one side, collapse it, control it, move with it, stay centred, move forwards, feel the wind, balance on one foot, feel the pressure, play with the brakes, turn, pull, collapse, control. These, and much more, are a standard part of any good paragliding groundhandling training day, and over time will result in giving the pilot a high level of confidence both on the ground and in flight. Sometimes though it takes a little effort to practise these exercises after a great day’s flying, or to look for the best place to unpack the glider just for groundhandling when the weather is not right for flying. But what if you could do these training exercises at speed on skis on the snow…

INCLUDING JOURNEYS that would take them across the globe, find out how – and why – the Vikings spread their wings and discovered new lands far and wide. TRANSPORT SOME VIKINGS travelled extensively. Others remained at home on their farms, growing crops and fishing to survive, but they still needed to travel occasionally, perhaps to visit a neighbour or to go to the Althing, the yearly assembly. Horses were a common means of transport, particularly in Iceland, where travel was easier by land. Although the horses used were not large and were certainly not war horses like medieval knights used, they were a means of travelling relatively quickly. The Vikings made good use of this mobility in their forays abroad. When they invaded East Anglia in the ninth century, they promptly sought out…

Schnabel recalled in his memoir (My Life and Music, published posthumously in 1961) that Leschetizky, his childhood teacher in Vienna, repeatedly told him: ‘You will never be a pianist. You are a musician.’ Leschetizky’s prediction was off the mark, for Schnabel emerged as one of the most significant pianists (and pedagogues) of the first half of the 20th century. He was not only a serious and erudite musician of integrity, but also a musical polymath: a composer, editor, author and teacher as well as a great pianist. From Schnabel, as from Arturo Toscanini, stems the idea that the composer’s text must be the performer’s guide. Both musicians were committed to faithful realisation of the text, and this principle remains a core aspect of their respective legacies (though the results they obtained…

Professional mixers use drum replacement so much that you would be surprised to learn how many rock albums contain little, if any, of the original kick and snare in the final mixes. For the most part, sample replacement is used on multitrack drum recordings to provide several worthwhile benefits. Rather than put a badly recorded kick drum through a half dozen plug‑ins to beef it up or give it more snap, simply replace it with a sample that has all of the characteristics you need — or enhance it with just the attributes that your original drum lacks. Another application is to replace the snare (while keeping the original in the mix) and use the sampled snare to send to reverb, rooms, and other effects to achieve clean ambience without…

Chemistry is hard to fake in a relationship, but when it happens, it creates an environment where great things happen naturally. From the very start, a lively rapport was established between Ground Up (Design + Build) and their clients, a couple who were new parents and their baby. “What attracted us to the project were the clients themselves. They were really warm people with a creative background,” recounts Ground Up creative director, Megan Lai. So it is no wonder this Seni Mont Kiara home brims with personality and a relaxed, buoyant charm. The exuberance of this 3500 sq ft apartment is held together by a strong thematic continuity. In its original state, Lai notes, “there was no cohesiveness between each space.” The designers addressed this issue by focusing on the coastal…

THE VILLAGE OF Sant Feliu Sasserra perches on a hilltop in a pine-forested region of Catalonia. Fifty-three miles north of Barcelona, the place retains a medieval atmosphere, with a tenth-century church in the plaza and cobblestone alleys lined by old sandstone-block houses. A plain, three-story edifice with a pair of Spanish flags draped from the top-floor windows serves as the ajuntament, or town hall. I’ve come to this quiet village of 600 people because of a major reckoning with history that has made headlines across Europe—a vote by the Catalan Parliament to apologize for the more than 700 “witches” condemned in the region over three centuries beginning in 1424, when Catalonia enacted Europe’s first law prohibiting witchcraft. Catalonia was a center of witchcraft trials in Europe for more than 300 years;…

At Flix Brewhouse, a Texas-based luxury movie theater chain, chief revenue officer Chris Randleman is known as Mr. Sunshine. But his upbeat attitude is about to be put to the test. After a rebound summer at the box office, thanks to hits like “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Elvis” and A24’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” he and fellow movie theater operators are bracing for a steep downturn in admissions before Labor Day weekend. The biggest concern: a dearth of major releases to ride out the dog days of the season. “As great as the summer has been, we’re about to hit a lull,” Randleman says. “The problem isn’t that people don’t want to go to theaters. We don’t have movies to show in August or September.” Hit movies in August aren’t unheard of —…

However this tweetstorm ends, Elon Musk will come out a loser. This spring, the right-wing celebrity tech CEO agreed to pay $44 billion for Twitter — boasting that he would turn his favorite social media site into a bigger revenue machine and a bastion of “free speech.” (Critics interpreted that as Musk condoning a flood of misinformation and harassment.) A little more than 10 weeks later, Musk told Twitter he wanted to kill the deal. What happened? After waiving his right to due diligence in the Twitter agreement, the entrepreneur complained that he suddenly needed verification of Twitter’s estimate that fake and spam accounts are less than 5% of its total user base. On July 8, Musk’s lawyers accused Twitter of failing to provide necessary data after his repeated requests and claimed the…

Let’s get one thing out of the way: “Avatar: The Way of Water,” a sequel to the highest-grossing movie in history, is poised to be another box office smash for director James Cameron and Disney, which now owns the rights to Pandora and its inhabitants. The follow-up, which opens in theaters on Dec. 16, looks to collect a mighty $150 million to $175 million in its first weekend of release. For beleaguered movie theater owners, the decades-in-the-making film can’t come soon enough. At B&B Theatres, a family-owned circuit based in Missouri, “Avatar 2” presales look strong, pacing 58% above those for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (which debuted to $181 million) at the same point ahead of that film’s release. “It’s a very important movie,” says Brock Bagby, executive VP of B&B Theatres.…

With five children, three books under her belt (a fourth on the way), plus a bustling home in the Oxfordshire countryside, Clover Stroud may seem like the poster child for women ‘having it all'. She's from a creative, connected family: her half-sister Emma Bridgewater runs her iconic ceramics company, while her late sister Nell Gifford founded the extraordinary Gifford's Circus. But while this could all appear picture perfect at a distance, Clover makes sure to share both the highs and lows of her life. As she says, “My writing is very much about the bits where things go wrong.” ‘Things go wrong' seems an understatement considering the life-shattering events that shaped her teens, charted in her 2017 debut book, The Wild Other. The youngest in her family, Clover had an idyllic…

The Eater By challenging herself to eat the food of as many countries as possible without leaving her home city, Clare Hill has travelled beyond her usual comfort – and travel – zone. When I set out to eat the food from 100 countries without leaving London, that figure was arbitrary. It appealed to my collector’s mindset, like many ‘completist’ challenges such as riding every London bus route. It began, for me, about five years ago with a dinner companion. We got talking about Chinese regional food – she mentioned she couldn’t find Yunnanese cuisine in London, and I ended up doing an ultimately unsuccessful deep-dive to find it. Rather than deterring me, I thought, why stop at Chinese provinces, why not the whole world? I’ve completed 99 countries, so I’m on to…

Niclas and Elin's charming house in Öden, Sweden, has a very special history. Back in the 1960s, Niclas's grandfather received 30 trees from a local landowner, which he felled, floated on a rowboat across Lake Ömmern, and sawed into planks. He then used the planks to build a cottage, which was completed in 1964, and became his family home. When the couple were presented with the opportunity to take over the house in 2001, they didn't hesitate for a second. The location was just right, and they knew they could use the renovation to introduce their own style to the space. When they moved in, the little yellow cottage was surrounded by beautiful stone walls, a somewhat unkempt garden and intense bird chatter. “Although the house was small, we knew immediately that…

Friends Liza Mackenzie and Luisa Uribe met while living in Japan and share a love of natural dyeing techniques. In 2020, they founded a garden together in east London where they grow indigo and run workshops teaching others how to extract colour from nature. Their summers are full of the blue, turquoise, yellow, purple and pink hues derived from the plants they grow. Follow them on Instagram: @indigo_garden_london The story so far We both developed a love of indigo while living in Japan. Interested in textiles and sustainability, we met while learning traditional dyeing techniques in Fujino, in the northern edge of Kanagawa prefecture. We discovered that the natural dyeing process gives us a deeper connection to the materials that we work with. Liza planned to explore the rest of the colour spectrum,…