The Story of a New Name

Nov. 16th, 2025 05:11 pm
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[personal profile] alobear
This is the second of the Neopolitan novels by Elena Ferrante.
I enjoyed the first one a couple of months ago, but just really couldn't get into this one.
It's very similar in style and content - so I think I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for it when I picked it up.
I've given up on it for now, but I may come back to the series at a future date.
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Posted by Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent

Gardaí appeal for witnesses and Simon Harris pays tribute to first responders after two-vehicle collision on Saturday

Ireland is in mourning after a road crash killed five people in their early 20s and left three other people injured.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 9pm on Saturday on a road near Dundalk in County Louth.

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Posted by Billy Munday

⚽️ World Cup qualifying news from the 5pm GMT kick-off
⚽️ Live scoreboard | Subscribe to Football Daily | Mail Billy

A duet of well-dressed blokes with microphones lead us (well, not me) in renditions of both anthems. Classy.

Berat Djimsiti and Harry Kane head out with their pennants. Kick-off in England’s final game of 2025 is moments away.

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Posted by Daniel Harris

ATP Finals up date from 5pm GMT in Turin
Sign up for the Recap newsletter | Mail Daniel

The problem Alcaraz has, specifically on this surface, is Sinner’s serve; the return is taken out of the equation so often it’s almost impossible to create a breaking opportunity. I’d not be surprised to see three tiebreakers tonight, because Alcaraz is serving well too and, in New York, produced perhaps the best performance of his career in that aspect.

These two have met five times in 2025; the Wimbledon final is Sinner’s only win. But the reason Calv thinks he’ll win indoors is that he hits the harder, cleaner shots and, with no interference from the elements or the surface, he can merrily thwack away with no fears.

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Posted by Erica Jeal

Howard Assembly Room, Leeds
Isabella Gellis’s first full-length stage work has the feel of a modern mystery play as it unpacks the legends surrounding an ancient Wiltshire monument

Sometimes it feels as though British folklore gets stranger the closer you look at it. The Devil’s Den, an hour-long opera with words and music by Isabella Gellis, is certainly one of the odder shows to have been hosted by Opera North. Following a try-out at the Nevill Holt festival in summer 2024, it was being fully staged for the first time here, courtesy of Shadwell Opera and the Sheffield City Morris.

Morris dancing in opera? That was being claimed as a first. The dancers filled the interludes between scenes like a hanky-waving Greek chorus, their bells and sticks adding another layer to Gellis’s music.

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Posted by Rachel Hall

Flood warnings still in place in England and Wales, with plunging temperatures leading to possible snow and ice

Cold Arctic air has begun to sweep across the UK, bringing freezing temperatures as emergency services continue to deal with severe flooding caused by Storm Claudia.

On Saturday, a major incident was declared in Monmouth, south-east Wales, where people were rescued or evacuated from homes that were flooded during torrential rain on Friday. It was rescinded on Sunday afternoon, the fire service said.

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Posted by John Brewin

Tottenham’s defence nullified Arsenal, who struggled to break down their north London rivals

1 min: It’s a chilly afternoon in Leyton, as Lotte Wubben-Moy makes her 100th WSL appearance for the Gunners. Arsenal go straight on the attack with North London Forever being sung lustily. The ball goes to Mead, who miscontrols.

Charles Antaki gets in touch: “A decent starting XI for Arsenal, but the team have been fragile recently, badly missing Kim Little and of course Leah Williamson. The view at the top of the league looks pretty bleak, with the lurking prospect of missing out entirely from qualification for next year’s WCL - presumably not something the accountants would be very happy about, let alone players and fans. But the opposition today might give a bit of a fillip - ladies, it’s Tottenham.”

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Posted by Reuters

An injury-time goal by Troy Parrott to complete his hat-trick booked Republic of Ireland a spot in the playoffs for next year’s World Cup with a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over their nearest Group F rivals Hungary in a must-win game in Budapest.

Higher-ranked Hungary just needed a draw to secure second place and led 2-1 at half-time thanks to goals from Daniel Lukacs and Barnabas Varga, but Parrott’s second goal of the night on 80 minutes and last-gasp winner broke the home side’s hearts.

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Posted by Donald McRae at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Victory was driven by resentment after defeat in their first bout and towards his doubters after failed drug tests in 2022

“I feel like I’m going to go home and cry,” Conor Benn said quietly in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. “I think I’m going to cry here. Oh man, it’s been hard.”

Despite the surprising ease with which he had beaten his nemesis Chris Eubank Jr over 12 one-sided rounds on Saturday night, Benn’s face was bruised. But his mouth almost crumpled because of a different struggle locked deep with himself. In 2022, Benn tested positive for clomifene twice in separate tests held months apart from each other.

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Posted by PA Media

  • Fitzpatrick wins DP World Tour Championship in playoff

  • McIlroy now one behind record for season-long crowns

An emotional Rory McIlroy hailed surpassing Seve Ballesteros by winning a seventh Race to Dubai title as more than he ever dreamed of. McIlroy lost in a playoff against Matt Fitzpatrick in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, having staged a dramatic late fightback with an eagle at the 72nd hole.

While his Ryder Cup teammate celebrated a third win in the event, the Northern Irishman clinched the season-long crown to eclipse the late Ballesteros’s tally of six and move one behind record-holder, Colin Montgomerie. McIlroy told Sky Sports: “It’s amazing, I had a conversation with Carmen [Ballesteros’s ex-wife] before I went out to play today and she told me how proud he would have been.

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24 hours in Larnaka

Nov. 16th, 2025 04:49 pm
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[personal profile] nanila
When the conference finished in Nicosia, I took the opportunity to give myself a day and night in Larnaka, which is on the beach on the southern side of Cyprus. It's a popular holiday destination for Western Europeans wanting some winter sun, although because it's more northerly than, say, the Canary Islands, it tends to be a bit quieter, especially outside the school holidays.

I picked a hotel on the beach, and was pleasantly surprised to receive an upgrade to a sea view room with a balcony on arrival. It was too early for me to check in when I arrived, so I went to have lunch on the patio and do a bit of work. I cooled off with a small glass of the local beer (Keo). Then I had a long walk along the beachfront promenade, looking for cats.

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[Cat eventually located]

As soon as I could access my room, I went up and had a shower, applied sun cream, and went for a swim. Even at 3 PM it had started to cool off significantly - sunset was at 4:45 PM - so I was alone in the pool, and indeed poolside. I did a bunch of slow, lazy laps and got out to soak up the last of the rays. I also popped down to the beach to poke my toes into the sea.

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I got changed and went for another stroll, this time in the opposite direction, to enjoy the sunset. The promenade ran for several kilometres in both directions from the hotel, and when it petered out, the compacted sand on the beach made walking easy.

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[Big sky, fiery clouds]

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[Palm tree silhouettes]

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[Night falls]

By the time night had fallen, I was pleasantly worn out. I went to the bar, thought about sitting there, and then remembered I had a balcony. So instead, I ordered a negroni and took it up to my room. I chatted to the family. I listened to the howling of the cats. Everything went very quiet around 8:30 PM. It was too early to go to bed, tempting though it was, so I did some writing with old episodes of “House” on in the background before turning in. I set my alarm so I wouldn't miss the sunrise, which was at 6:13 AM.

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[Sunrise from the balcony]

Very glad I didn't miss the sunrise.

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[The sun emerges]

I made myself a small strong espresso and changed for breakfast. I turned up as soon as it opened (07:00) and sat outside to eat. I got chatting to another solo woman traveller, who recommended a walking holiday in northern Cyprus to me the next time I had time to myself (“probably not for the children at this stage, my dear”). She supposed I could bring the husband if I really wanted, but in her opinion I'd enjoy it more on my own. I couldn't laugh. She genuinely meant that.

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[Breakfast!]

Still chuckling, I went upstairs to change into something less roasting and had another walk toward the east, the direction I thought gave me the best chance of finding some shells. The beach was mostly claggy sand and pebbles, but I did spot a few.

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[Meow.]

I changed into my costume when I got back and went down to the sea for a swim. The tide was out and it was possible to walk nearly all the way to the breakwater without being deeper than my chest. I'm not tall. I walked out, had a little paddle around looking at the fish in the crystal clear water, and swam back to the promenade. I sat on a sunbed and enjoyed drying off in the breeze and the sun. Then I went to the pool. Again there was no one in it because it hadn't warmed up yet, so I had a long, slightly more vigorous swim and then sunned myself again.

I knew it must be getting close to checkout time so I went up to shower and attempt to prevent my hair turning into straw after all the soakings. I mostly succeeded, and was pleased I'd succeeded in not getting burnt either.

I chatted with the family, who were eating a late breakfast of dippy eggs. Keiki was excited about his rugby match. Humuhumu was being a teenage potato. Nevertheless we had a nice chat until was time for me to head downstairs, have lunch, and start the long journey home.

I caught the sunset in the airport, sprinting across the terminal to take a photo before boarding the plane.

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Due to various delays, I didn’t arrive home until well after midnight, so technically Monday morning. Nevertheless I had to get up six hour later and go to work. Astro here accurately reflects the amount of sympathy I got from the family about this.

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[Astro at home amongst the carnivorous plants and prickly cacti]
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Posted by Zach Weinersmith



Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
The worst part of selfless robotic servants is going to be how happy they are.


Today's News:

Pre-orders for my new book Sawyer Lee and the Quest to Just Stay Home have begun!

Sawyer Lee is an illustrated middle grade novel starring an unadventurous kid who'd rather dig a deep dent in the couch than make a mark on the world, as many in his illustrious family of astronauts, scientists, spies, champion athletes... blah blah blah... have. He has decided that after generations of effort, it’s time to spend one lifetime relaxing. 

The problem is that Sawyer keeps getting caught up in the exhausting expectations of his wicked aunt Celia, his complex relationship with his ambitious other friend, Angela, and the shenanigans of every else in town hoping to win the yearly Gourd Thump festival celebrating nature’s dullest vegetable.

In this tale of mystery, treachery, conspiracy, plant husbandry, and an imaginary love triangle, Sawyer knows it will take a regrettable amount of energy to escape these entanglements and find a way back to his happy place on Gary’s couch, with a cozy throw blanket, a steaming mug of chamomile tea, and an empty schedule.

You can check out the first chapter here along with pre-order links!



a couple of pics

Nov. 16th, 2025 05:32 pm
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[personal profile] juan_gandhi
River Garonne in Thouars-sur-Garonne




Thouars-sur-Garonne

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Posted by John Brewin

Tottenham’s defence nullified Arsenal, who struggled to break down their north London rivals

1 min: It’s a chilly afternoon in Leyton, as Lotte Wubben-Moy makes her 100th WSL appearance for the Gunners. Arsenal go straight on the attack with North London Forever being sung lustily. The ball goes to Mead, who miscontrols.

Charles Antaki gets in touch: “A decent starting XI for Arsenal, but the team have been fragile recently, badly missing Kim Little and of course Leah Williamson. The view at the top of the league looks pretty bleak, with the lurking prospect of missing out entirely from qualification for next year’s WCL - presumably not something the accountants would be very happy about, let alone players and fans. But the opposition today might give a bit of a fillip - ladies, it’s Tottenham.”

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Posted by Billy Munday

⚽️ World Cup qualifying news from the 5pm GMT kick-off
⚽️ Live scoreboard | Subscribe to Football Daily | Mail Billy

Harry Kane could make a bit of history today. He’s on 76 goals for England and will draw level with Pelé’s total for Brazil if he scores today. Here’s a look at how the Bayern Munich striker compares to some of the (selected) greats at international level:

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 143 goals

Lionel Messi (Argentina) 115

Pelé (Brazil) 77

Harry Kane (England) 76

Gerd Müller (West Germany) 68

Ronaldo (Brazil) 62

Diego Maradona (Argentina) 34

I could score 100 goals this season, but if I don’t win the Champions League or the World Cup, you’re probably not going to win the Ballon d’Or. It’s the same with Haaland, it’s the same with any player. You have to be winning those major trophies.

We’re in great shape at Bayern Munich so that maybe makes the odds a little bit more in my favour. Same with England. Hopefully, if things go my way for club and country then I’m definitely going to be in the conversation for a trophy like the Ballon d’Or.

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Posted by Rachel Hall

Flood warnings still in place in England and Wales, with plunging temperatures leading to possible snow and ice

Cold Arctic air has begun to sweep across the UK, bringing freezing temperatures as emergency services continue to deal with severe flooding caused by Storm Claudia.

On Saturday, a major incident was declared in Monmouth, south-east Wales, where people were rescued or evacuated from homes that were flooded during torrential rain on Friday. It was rescinded on Sunday afternoon, the fire service said.

Continue reading...
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Posted by Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Luke Harding in Kyiv

President to overhaul state energy firms after $100m kickback scheme alleged by anti-corruption investigators

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a plan to clean up Ukraine’s energy sector after an $100m (£76bn) kickback scheme was alleged by anti-corruption investigators, in the worst scandal of his presidency.

Over the weekend, the Ukrainian president announced an overhaul of key state energy companies including a complete change of management at Energoatom, the nuclear power operator at the centre of the alleged criminal scheme.

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Posted by Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent

Gardaí appeal for witnesses and Simon Harris pays tribute to first responders after two-vehicle collision on Saturday

Ireland is in mourning after a road crash killed five people in their early 20s and left three other people injured.

The two-vehicle collision happened at about 9pm on Saturday on a road near Dundalk in County Louth.

Continue reading...
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Posted by Emily Retter

Katie hears voices and has been sectioned 50 times. Isiah became paranoid and tried to kill himself. Both link their illness to cannabis – and the drug is getting more and more potent. Is a tiny London clinic showing the way forward?

It’s two years since Isiah found himself on the roof of a south London shopping centre, about to jump. “I was very done,” he says of that night in November 2023. “It felt there was no other route or option. First, I did a walk around everywhere important to me: primary school, secondary, college.” Then he headed to Lewisham shopping centre. “I remember my head was telling me: ‘You’re probably better off doing this.’”

He was exhausted by his paranoia, which had grown in tandem with a cannabis habit. Now 29, he first tried marijuana at 14, becoming a daily user by 17. At university, studying event management during the pandemic, he smoked more “because this is how you meet people”, but remembers growing “feelings of suspiciousness”, first towards his housemates, then to his workmates at a part-time office job. He struggled to sleep, “started to isolate”, and cannabis became a way to cope. In the end, smoking three joints a day, he felt he could trust no one.

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Posted by Daniel Harris

ATP Finals up date from 5pm GMT in Turin
Sign up for the Recap newsletter | Mail Daniel

Buonasera and welcome to the ATP Finals 2025 – day eight!

We play sport for lots of reasons, central among them because we don’t what’s going to happen; for something a bit less predictable than the trudge through everyday life. But there are times we know exactly what will eventuate, finding thrill in a march to the inevitable through the joy of watching players too good for the inspire helpless anguish in those desperately seeking to compete. Well, this competition – and men’s tennis in general – is giving us both

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