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My sister brings them back to life, only for me to start killing them again. Something has to changeMy friend has the most beautiful houseplants. They each have their own floating shelf, like they think it's 1992, and their leaves trail down the walls with great grace and verdancy. The sight is simultaneously calming and enlivening. I asked her how she kept them alive, and she said: I don't. When they die, I throw them away and get new ones."I didn't even know you were allowed to throw away plants. I thought when they died, you had to keep the carrion as memorial to your own fecklessness. I still have a dead succulent I got as a gift for my first wedding. It survived five years in storage, though of course it helped that it was already dead. Continue reading...

The images from the Hamas attack are an affront to humanity. But we mustn't forget the traumatic history shaping events

Workers contracted to work for western brands in Saudi Arabia have described conditions as like jail'

Another NHL season has arrived with no shortage of stories, trends and teams to watch. Will Connor Bedard live up to the hype? And can the Oilers dethrone the Knights?Four years ago, someone uploaded a highlight reel to YouTube of then-14-year-old Connor Bedard, already then a potential NHL prospect, lighting it up at a spring tournament in British Columbia for the Vancouver Vipers. Commenters mulled his hockey IQ. Was he really that good? I know his passing may be an issue," one wrote after watching Bedard score multiple times. But from this video, a lot of options weren't properly set up. I'd say he's experienced enough to see some people just shouldn't touch the puck." It's worth mentioning that among Bedard's teammates were two players also drafted to the NHL in 2023: Zach Benson (Buffalo Sabres) and Andrew Cristall (Washington Capitals) - that is, guys who should definitely touch the puck. He had someone to pass it to. He just didn't need to. Continue reading...

Two-way contracts have given fringe NBA players a chance to prove they can play at the highest level, but ask them to live in two worlds at onceAccording to the rules of physics, a body can't be in two places at once. But some of today's NBA players are attempting to prove that scientific maxim false. Yes, the subsection of pro basketball players on two-way" contracts often feel as if they are in multiple places at any single given moment, stretched between different rosters, playing styles, positions, playbooks and cities. But such is the life of a two-way athlete, someone who is walking a dual-pronged path, while also trying to find a permanent home in the league of milk, honey and millionaires. But how do these guys navigate this unique lifestyle and what does it take to succeed?Every day," the Detroit Pistons' Jared Rhoden tells the Guardian, you never know where you're going to be or what's going to happen. What your role will be, what position [you'll play]. It's about staying ready for anything." Continue reading...

Police say that despite life-saving efforts, the suspect was pronounced dead at hospitalSan Francisco police said they shot and killed a driver who crashed into the Chinese consulate.Official details of the incident were incomplete, and police said the identity of the motorist and what precipitated the crash were not yet known. There was no mention of anyone else being injured in the incident. Continue reading...

Horticultural teacher Travis Gienger brings gourd - dubbed Michael Jordan - across country for California contestA Minnesota horticultural teacher set a new world record for growing the heaviest pumpkin - a gargantuan jack-o'-lantern gourd weighing 2,749lb.Travis Gienger set the record at the 50th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California. The plump pumpkin beat the previous record, set in 2021 by Stefano Cutrupi of Italy, by 47lb. Continue reading...

Public school principal reinstates 17-year-old's leadership role and scholarship endorsement and requests leave for rest of school yearA Louisiana public school principal has apologized and requested leave for punishing a student and questioning her religious beliefs after he saw a video of her dancing at an off-campus party.The 17-year-old student government president and scholarship candidate was videotaped dancing at an off-campus party following Walker High School's 30 September homecoming festivities. A hired DJ took the video and posted it on social media. Three days later, Jason St Pierre, principal of the public high school near the state capital of Baton Rouge, told the student she would be removed from her position with the student government association and that he would no longer recommend her for college scholarships. Continue reading...

James Murphy, nicknamed Stoneman Willie' because of hard skin from experimental embalming, has been gawked at long enough'The mummified remains of a petty thief nicknamed Stoneman Willie have been laid to rest in Pennsylvania, concluding a fascinating and somewhat macabre episode stretching back 128 years.Willie, whose real name was revealed to be James Murphy at his burial in Reading, 60 miles north-west of Philadelphia, on Saturday. He was embalmed shortly after his death in 1895 by a mortician experimenting with new preservation techniques. Continue reading...

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Sister Helen Prejean, known for 1995 film Dead Man Walking, accues board of pardons of breaking state's public meetings lawSister Helen Prejean, the Catholic nun and anti-death penalty advocate, is accusing Louisiana's board of pardons of breaking the state's public meetings law to effectively delay clemency petitions for death row inmates.The action pits the 84-year-old sister, who came to prominence as the author of the book behind the 1995 film Dead Man Walking, against Louisiana's far-right attorney general, Jeff Landry. Landry is part of a legal effort seeking to block the pardon board from hearing mass clemency petitions. Continue reading...

Independent candidate's three sisters and brother post joint statement denouncing his run as dangerous to our country'Robert F Kennedy Jr's run for the White House as an independent candidate is perilous" for the US, his siblings said in a statement on Monday, immediately following their brother's campaign launch in Philadelphia.The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country," said sisters Rory Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend; and brother Joseph P Kennedy II in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Continue reading...

Police investigating case say four assailants battered the victim while hurling homophobic slurs at himA 72-year-old New York City man was severely beaten in what authorities have confirmed to be an anti-LGBTQ hate crime.The attack took place on 15 September near the corner of West 17th Street and Ninth Avenue in the heart of the Chelsea neighborhood, which is popular with gay residents and visitors. Police investigating the case said four assailants beat the victim while hurling homophobic slurs at him. Continue reading...

Kennedy, who had been running as a Democrat, says he feels pain' leaving party of uncle John and father BobbyRobert F Kennedy Jr, the scion of the Kennedy political family who has spent the last six months running for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, announced on Monday he would continue his long-shot pursuit of the White House as an independent.The 69-year-old conspiracy theorist and vaccination opponent gave a fiery speech from Philadelphia, declaring his independence from the Democratic party and all other parties", and telling a gathering of several hundred supporters of his pain" at leaving the party of his uncle and father, John F Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy. Continue reading...

American gymnast won four golds at the world championships after a two-year absence and, more importantly, is enjoying her sport againIn the aftermath of an astounding comeback in which she won four gold medals and a silver after a two-year international absence, Simone Biles had every reason to celebrate her renewed dominance and a historic performance that marked her as the most decorated gymnast of all time.Instead, as she faced up to the press on Sunday evening at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Biles was firm. She did not care about the medals. Continue reading...

Eight people wounded and a 22-year-old man died at the scene while police say they believe more than one shooter involvedOne person was killed and eight wounded in a shooting during a private party at a Pennsylvania community center early on Sunday, authorities said.State police said nine people between the ages of 18 and 23 were shot shortly after 12.30am at the Chevy Chase community center in White Township. A 22-year-old Pittsburgh man died at the scene. Continue reading...

Republican US senator's blockade is protest over Pentagon policy which facilitates abortions for service members and dependentsThe Republican senator Tommy Tuberville has said he will continue to block hundreds of military leadership appointments despite the Hamas attack on Israel, a close American ally, that has triggered a deadly escalation in the Middle East conflict.Tuberville has for several months put a hold on at least 300 military nominees, which are typically confirmed in a routine manner by the US Senate. His blockade is a protest over a Pentagon policy that facilitates abortions for service members and dependents. Continue reading...

We are in shock as we digest the Hamas attacks and the failings of Netanyahu's government. The worry now is what comes nextIt is still impossible to digest these darker-than-dark days, that began with sirens jolting us awake on Saturday morning, a day that seems endless and probably won't end for many days to come. The thought of the abductees in the Gaza Strip is crumpling me down with pain. Every thought of them leaves a layer of terror on the skin. The images and reports of bodies strewn in every corner, of families held hostage for hours as human shields in their own homes by Hamas militants, still haunt the mind, freezing the heart.The absolute shock caused by Hamas's attack on southern towns has taken various forms as the hours pass: fear, helplessness, anger, and above all, a deep sense of chaos. The colossal failures of Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the security apparatus are converging into a sense of total breakdown. The intelligence system, which surveils every aspect of Palestinians' lives in Gaza and the West Bank, had no prior knowledge of the attack; civilians were left defenceless for many hours against Hamas militants, who trapped them in their homes and slaughtered them without military intervention - the same military tasked with protecting every settler in the West Bank at any given moment.Orly Noy is a journalist and editor at the Hebrew-language news magazine Local CallDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Florida Republican said it was nonsense that House Republicans would consider kicking him out of either their caucus or Congress

The so-called international community must also make up for its neglect of Israel-Palestine: there has to be a ceasefire

Distribution of New York's $200m from pharmaceutical firms to combat the epidemic has stalled due to bureaucracy tie-upsThe woman on the phone had nowhere else to turn.My son's going to be calling. I already lost two sons this year. Help him, because I can't have all three of my sons dying in one year," she pleaded with the addiction support centre in Buffalo, New York. Continue reading...

The Biden administration can, instead, expand labor pathways, update the US's humanitarian protections to meet 21st-century challengesThe Biden administration's plan to erect a new section of border wall is disappointing not only because it contradicts a campaign promise, nor just because physical barriers are a return to the same tired policy responses of the Trump era.Rather, this week's news around the project - slated for a rural region along the Texas-Mexico border - is upsetting most of all because it stands in stark contrast to the solutions the US immigration system needs right now.Alexandra Villarreal is a policy and advocacy associate at the National Immigration Forum. Continue reading...

Sikh dissidents expressing their support for an independent state face increasing risks. It is time to stand up to IndiaWatching news of Justin Trudeau's explosive statement about intelligence indicating Indian involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar did not shock those familiar with India's security and intelligence operations. Friends and family of Sikh activists regularly express concern about our wellbeing due to a fear of being surveilled by Indian agents, and ultimately being subject to some form of violent reprisal.The statements made in Canada's parliament were finally an acknowledgement of the reality that young Sikhs like me have lived through for decades: Sikh dissidents expressing their support for an independent state may face the risk of imminent harm, even in the diaspora.Prabjot Singh is a lawyer and founding editor of the Panth-Punjab Project Continue reading...

In addition to political censorship and budget cuts, libraries are being undermined by rapacious digital licensing agreementsThe US library system, once the model for the world, is under assault from politicians, rightwing activists and corporate publishers. Book bans are at record levels, and libraries across the country are facing catastrophic budget cuts, a fate only narrowly avoided by New York City's public libraries this summer. In a separate line of attack, library collections are being squeezed by draconian licensing deals, and even sued to stop lending digitized books.This war on libraries - and on the traditional values of equal opportunity, universal education and cultural preservation they represent - directly contravenes the will of the majority in the United States. Polls reveal that public support for libraries is as strong as ever. But the profession of librarianship has become a hazardous one, because of the actions of a hostile minority. It's time to reverse course. Continue reading...

Some Republicans in Congress want Trump as speaker of the House. But why? He already directs them by remote controlDEATH!" tweeted Donald Trump about Gen Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (AKA My Generals"). TRAITOR!" he said about former speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (AKA My Kevin").Monster" and Deranged Lunatic" he labeled the New York State attorney general, Letitia James, who is prosecuting the case against him for his false valuations of Trump properties. Deranged", Psycho" and Crackhead" he called special prosecutor Jack Smith, who has charged him for his role in the January 6 coup attempt and his theft of classified documents. Continue reading...

Health experts describe difficulties in transition from centralized federal system to commercial marketWhen Danielle Campoamor's son Samuel was only about four weeks old in late 2018, he contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the most frequent cause of hospitalizations among infants in the United States, and landed in the neonatal intensive care unit at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.Four years later, during what public health officials called a tripledemic" of RSV, Covid-19 and the flu, Samuel was again placed in an intensive care unit. Continue reading...

Experts say removal of Kevin McCarthy was in large part to keep rebels relevant on Fox News and other rightwing networksRightwing media helped spawn the gang of Republican rabble-rousers who turned Kevin McCarthy's speaker's chair into an ejection seat.But even though their own party members and some of those same media anchors are criticizing the eight lawmakers after last week's debacle, experts say the professed outrage is just more fuel for a fire in which performance politics burns the brightest. Continue reading...

IDF says conflict could be a 9/11 and a Pearl Harbor wrapped into one' as Supernova festival-goers describe attack

New England have scored three points in their last two games. It may be for the best if the man who made them a dynasty moves onThere was a little under seven minutes left in the third quarter. It was another three-and-out for the New England Patriots in their humiliating 34-0 home loss to the New Orleans Saints. The third down had been an uninspired and poorly executed pass up the middle into traffic. It was deflected and nearly intercepted.The boos inside Gillette Stadium had been crescendoing all afternoon. They rose at the end of the first half when a respectable Patriots drive was halted after Mac Jones took a couple of sacks. They grew even louder when New England turned the ball over on a failed pitch three plays into the third quarter. Now they were deafening. Continue reading...

Going cold turkey was the only way to stop obsessing over a carbonated drink. But I'll never forget the thrill of that first sipYou sound like you're talking about quitting a class A drug," my friend said, incredulously. I'd been telling her about what happened when I tried to give up my Diet Coke habit - about the sweats and shakes that followed, along with a thirst that no amount of water could quench. I had a week-long migraine that made me see black spots every time they opened," I continued. I'm telling you, it was really tough."I'd be lying if I said I ever managed to quit Diet Coke completely, but it's no longer a necessary fixture of my day. Ten years ago it was a different story. Back then I was living in Strasbourg, on the French-German border, directly opposite an innocuous little corner shop. I worked long days from home, teaching English - and one particularly hot and busy summer, with no time between tutoring sessions to venture further, my corner shop visits ramped up.Cathy Reay is a freelance journalist covering disability politics, entertainment and culture Continue reading...

Recent footwear flotations have not fared well but German brand hopes to buck trend with multibillion listing in USIt may be hard to believe but Birkenstocks were once seriously unfashionable, the go-to footwear of hippies willing to sacrifice style for arch support. Now those early adopters of frumpy sandal chic stand to be vindicated as the German shoemaker tries to bank its now mainstream appeal with a multibillion-pound listing.But will this week's flotation in New York - which if there is strong demand for its shares could value the 250-year-old orthopaedic shoe brand at almost 8bn - be a turning point for a reliable make that has been loved by those in the know for decades? Continue reading...

We are raised to hate and fear each other, but I want my voice of hope to reach the displaced children of Nagorno-KarabakhThe world has just seen an end to centuries of Armenian existence in Nagorno-Karabakh. All ethnic Armenians have left the disputed region, travelling in a caravan of cars over the border to Armenia. The Armenian children now displaced will hate the Azerbaijanis, just as I once hated the Armenians for what they did to me. I was a victim of the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in the 1990s, when it was Armenia that was victorious, and it ethnically cleansed all Azerbaijanis from its lands. I am speaking out, hoping to be a small pebble, lodged in this endless cycle of violence.Before the first war, inside Azerbaijan's borders there existed the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous oblast", a majority-Armenian island, so to speak, of mountainous land, with the culturally significant, majority-Azerbaijani citadel Shusha right in the middle. Concentric circles of alternating ethnicities radiated outward from Shusha; Azerbaijanis surrounded by Armenians surrounded by Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijani Kurds and so on - a great inconvenience for emerging nationalist narratives. Being Armenian and Azerbaijani became oppositional and mutually exclusive. Neighbour went against neighbour, and eventually state against state, with their armies wreaking havoc on the other. Continue reading...

Bill denial for the prescription drug price cap called a major setback' for diabetics in the stateGavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have stopped insurance companies from charging more than $35 for insulin.The bill would have banned health plans and disability insurance policies from imposing any out-of-pocket expenses on insulin prescription drugs above $35 for a 30-day supply. That would have included deductibles and co-pays. Continue reading...

Sniping was not limited to cross-party wrangling as Republicans also blamed each other of having triggered the violence

Texas congressman Mike McCaul calls on House to unify and move quickly' because we cannot paralyze democracy'Republicans in Washington need to elect a new speaker this week" and end the party's civil war" in the House that is sending a message to the world of dysfunction, especially amid the conflict unfolding in Israel, a senior GOP figure said on Sunday.The Texas Republican congressman Mike McCaul, chairman of the House foreign affairs committee, urged his own party in the House to unify because we have got to move quickly, we cannot paralyze democracy, especially when we have hotspots all over the world... and I'm just worried about the messaging this sends." Continue reading...

The devastating and unforeseen assault has profound implications for the future of Israelis, Palestinians and the regionThe murderous rampage carried out by Hamas across southern Israel on Saturday was not just shocking and horrifying but seismic. It was not merely the most deadly assault in decades, with militants firing thousands of rockets and then attacking from land, sea and air. It targeted civilians, with fighters taking as many as 100 Israelis hostage, including elderly women and young children. At the time of writing, at least 600 Israelis had been killed and more than 2,000 injured.How Hamas was able to do this is not yet known. What is certain is that the attack has already brought further disaster on Gaza. As of Sunday afternoon, Israeli retaliation had killed 370 Palestinians and wounded more than 2,000. A ground invasion looks increasingly possible. Benjamin Netanyahu, no longer Mr Security", talks of a long and difficult war" and reducing the places where Hamas hides to rubble. He ordered Palestinians to leave [those areas] now", knowing that there is nowhere to go in this tiny, densely packed territory. All this will have been in the militants' calculations; as ever, civilians pay. Continue reading...

The guerrilla movement that rules Gaza may be aiming to push Israel to negotiate, or positioning itself for leadership of the West Bank. Either way, there's no knowing if it will succeedHamas's attack on Israel this weekend bore an uncanny resemblance to the 1973 Yom Kippur war, which took place exactly 50 years ago this week. In both cases, careful Arab military preparation was able to catch by complete surprise a complacent Israeli government and military intelligence. Now, like then, a devastating assault was delivered on an unsuspecting morning of a Jewish holiday (Shemini Atzeret, following the festival of Sukkot).The obvious difference is that the Yom Kippur war was launched by two substantively armed and trained militaries. Egypt and Syria, backed by the Soviet Union, attempted to recapture territories in Sinai and the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel in 1967. It was conventional warfare, in which thousands of soldiers died. Hamas, on the other hand, is a guerrilla movement which since 2007 has ruled over Gaza, a strip of land between the Mediterranean sea and Israel where 2 million people live under siege in an open air prison". Hamas militants crossed the border and were able to temporarily take over military installations and towns and villages, as the Israeli military appeared helpless. Continue reading...

Saying farewell at home was the right thing to do for a dog who hated the vet. Goodbye, sweet gent, and thank you for politely putting up with us for so longIn the end, I made the call. My husband cancelled the dog food delivery and dug the hole. I could hear him hitting buried bricks and swearing. The chickens watched, clucking comments.I wouldn't say I knew it was the right time to put Oscar down, more that it didn't feel wrong. Getting into bed made him yelp and, once in, he struggled to settle. He started whimpering at night with pain, bad dreams, or both. He ate voraciously but flinched when touched; a tennis ball could make him momentarily skittish but he was withdrawn and rarely seemed fully relaxed, this dog who had spent a lifetime lolling in the softest possible places.Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Republicans reveled in the idea of Robert F Kennedy Jr weakening Biden with a Democratic bid, but the conspiracy theorist could steal supporters from the right wingFor months, Republicans have been reveling in Robert F Kennedy Jr's presidential bid.Running in the Democratic primary against Joe Biden, the hope has been that Kennedy could weaken the president ahead of a presumed Biden-Trump match-up in 2024. Continue reading...

US Senate is eyeing a bill that would allow banks to do business with cannabis companies - now, if only they would vote on itImagine that you run a perfectly legal business but are unable to open a simple checking account at a national bank. Believe it or not, that's the case right now for anyone licensed to sell cannabis in the US. Given the size of the cannabis industry, it's pretty shocking. But it may be about to change.In the US, 38 states have legalized marijuana for medical use and 23 of them have legalized it for recreational purposes, including three territories and the District of Columbia. An additional eight states have decriminalized its use. Both red and blue states with legalized marijuana laws have collected $15bn in tax revenue between 2014 and 2022, with $3.77bn in tax revenue attributed to 2022 alone. Continue reading...

The GOP was once feared for its ability to unite and win - but Kevin McCarthy's demise shows a party deeply dividedThey are fresh-faced, suited and booted, the National Mall behind them and the world at their feet. Congressmen Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan smile out from the cover of Young Guns, their co-authored 2010 book about the next generation of conservatives. This isn't your grandfather's Republican party," said publicity material at the time.Thirteen years later, the trio is neither young nor the future. Cantor (the leader") became Republican leader in the House of Representatives but lost his seat to a nascent rightwing populism. Ryan (the thinker") became speaker but retired early to escape a toxic political relationship with President Donald Trump. And this week McCarthy (the strategist") was ousted by some of the extremists he helped elect to Congress but could not tame. Continue reading...