Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi: Theyre Calling Me Home review big, beautiful laments

 Posted on June 22, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  439 words  |  Delta Gatti

Folk album of the monthMusicReview(Nonesuch) From lockdown in Ireland, Giddens and Turrisi range across folk traditions on exceptional covers and originals Rhiannon Giddens’ new album with Francesco Turrisi, her partner in life as well as music, explores two subjects that occupied them (and, frankly, the rest of us) over the last tumultuous year. One is often comforting: home. The other is usually the opposite: death. But for this American and Italian, locked-down in their adopted Ireland, they found that exploring these subjects through songs from the perspective of their respective upbringings was uplifting. [Read More]

Kevin Coyne | | The Guardian

 Posted on June 21, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  768 words  |  Barrett Giampaolo

ObituaryKevin CoyneSinger-songwriter respected by his contemporaries but lacking their chart successIn 1973, the singer-songwriter Kevin Coyne, who has died of lung fibrosis aged 60, released his second album, Marjory Razor Blade. It was well received by critics, although his wantonly mannered and guttural delivery, exploration of unorthodox song structure and often improvised lyrics concerning unsavoury topics were not conducive to chart success. His dour and self-effacing manner did not help in interviews, either. [Read More]

Second chance for Mark Meadows to move racketeering case to federal court | Mark Meadows

 Posted on June 21, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  809 words  |  Merlyn Hunt

Mark MeadowsSecond chance for Mark Meadows to move racketeering case to federal courtAppeals court to consider move that could benefit both Meadows and Trump in Georgia election-interference case A federal appeals court is expected to consider Friday whether Donald Trump’s former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, charged by Fulton county prosecutors over his role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, should see his criminal case transferred from state to federal court. [Read More]

The 15 most interesting Australian frogs sorted

 Posted on June 21, 2024  |  8 minutes  |  1556 words  |  Brenda Moya

SortedAmphibiansYou’d be hopping mad to not be fascinated by the weird, wacky and wonderful frogs on this list, which are all well worth protecting Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email and listen to our podcast Australia is a continent as diverse in natural wonders as it is many other things; 41% of our animal species and 80% of our plant species are found here and nowhere else. This is especially true with frogs, with the vast majority endemic, confined to small ranges, and with very limited populations. [Read More]

When slavery isn't such a black-and-white issue

 Posted on June 21, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  754 words  |  Brenda Moya

The ObserverFictionReviewStereotypical views of the master-slave relationship are exploded in a clever and satirical novel by a British-Nigerian writer Few people who read Alex Haley’s 1976 novel Roots, which told of his African slave ancestor Kunta Kinte, will forget the shock of those descriptions of the slave ships and the brutality of the plantations, nor the shame and anger that accompanied it. But how do you maintain that shock over atrocities 200 years old without people feeling they have heard the story before? [Read More]

Wonder by R. J. Palacio - review | Children's books

 Posted on June 21, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  600 words  |  Brenda Moya

Children's booksChildren's booksWonder by R. J. Palacio - review'The positive feedback covering the inside pages and back cover of my copy could only begin to describe the great emotional journey that is Wonder'When I finally finished Wonder it was hard to stop thinking (not that I wanted to) about how it inspired and refreshed me. The positive feedback covering the inside pages and back cover of my copy could only begin to describe the great emotional journey that is Wonder. [Read More]

Fat City by Leonard Gardner review packs a powerful punch

 Posted on June 20, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  701 words  |  Barrett Giampaolo

Nicholas Lezard's choiceFictionReviewA classic story about pugilists and poverty in 1950s California hits hard nearly five decades on Many writers are drawn to boxing, though often with a tendency to express the milquetoast’s awe at the fighter’s power, or to gloss over the bloodiness and pain of the sport – to see it as primal spectacle. Fat City is no such book. It will not make you feel like taking up boxing; nor, unless you are unusually morbid, will it make you want to watch a fight. [Read More]

Football is about friendship: the photo that captured an iconic Milan derby moment | Champions

 Posted on June 20, 2024  |  9 minutes  |  1758 words  |  Brenda Moya

Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa watch on as fans throw flares on to the pitch during their 2005 Champions League meeting. Photograph: Stefano Rellandini/ReutersThe 2005 Champions League tie did not reflect the stardust in the lineups but Stefano Rellandini’s image has lived on By Henry Bell for The Gentleman Ultra Out of a shameful moment in the history of the Milan derby came one of its most beautiful images. The last meeting of Milan and Inter in the Champions League, in April 2005, was paused by the referee after fans created a scene more reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno than a sporting event. [Read More]

Former Hells Angels boss accused of disposing bodies in the pizza oven | California

 Posted on June 20, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  746 words  |  Barrett Giampaolo

The ObserverCalifornia This article is more than 3 months oldFormer Hells Angels boss accused of disposing bodies in ‘the pizza oven’This article is more than 3 months oldUS prosecutors allege Merl Hefferman, 54, illegally cremated up to four members killed by the group at a California funeral home Federal prosecutors say that a former Hells Angels boss disposed of the bodies of up to four of the group’s members at a central California funeral home, known to the gang as “the pizza oven”. [Read More]

Maine shootings highlight Republican senators voting record on gun control | Maine shootings

 Posted on June 20, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  527 words  |  Brenda Moya

Susan Collins has a ‘B’ rating from the National Rifle Association and has received $18,000 in funding from the group. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/APSusan Collins has a ‘B’ rating from the National Rifle Association and has received $18,000 in funding from the group. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/APMaine shootings This article is more than 2 months oldMaine shootings highlight Republican senator’s voting record on gun controlThis article is more than 2 months oldAs her state mourns 18 dead in latest shooting spree, Susan Collins is now facing criticism for her votes against gun control laws [Read More]