Yarram

Revealed: Europe’s water reserves drying up due to climate breakdown
Exclusive: UCL scientists find large swathes of southern Europe are drying up, with ‘far-reaching’ implications
Rachel Salvidge
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/29/climate-crisis-depleting-europe-groundwater-reserves-analysis

Analysis
They tried to overturn the 2020 US election. Now, they hold power in Trump’s Washington
Rachel Leingang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/29/2020-election-deniers-trump

‘Nature’s original engineers’: scientists explore the amazing potential of fungi
Unique properties of fungi have led to groundbreaking innovations in recent years, from nappies to electronics
Linda Geddes
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/nov/29/fungi-scientists-innovations

At least 460 killed in south-east Asia floods and landslides, reports say
More than 300 people killed on Indonesia’s Sumatra island with 162 reported dead across Thailand
Donna Ferguson and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/29/indonesia-and-thailand-flooding-death-toll-tops-350-as-rescuers-struggle-to-reach-worst-hit-areas

Meera Sodha’s recipe for Christmas aubergine and rice timbale
A stunning but simple festive vegetarian centrepiece for the whole table to enjoy
Meera Sodha
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/nov/29/christmas-spiced-aubergine-timbale-cream-cheese-fruit-nuts-recipes-meera-sodha

Interview
‘If I was American, I’d be worried about my country’: Margaret Atwood answers questions from Ai Weiwei, Rebecca Solnit and more
Introduction by Lisa Allardice
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/29/if-i-was-american-id-be-worried-about-my-country-margaret-atwood-answers-questions-from-ai-weiwei-rebecca-solnit-and-more

Cats became our companions way later than you think
Helen Briggs
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8dvdp9gn7o

Lightning detected on Mars for the first time, scientists say
Fiona Nimoni
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q5w13e58zo

And with tomorrow’s [today's] menu at the top of mind, did you know that Minnesota produces more turkeys than any other state? WCCO shares how we got there. Via MinnPost
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-turkey-production-thanksgiving/

Speaking of turkeys, it's Turkey Day here in the USA. Happy Thanksgiving.

How to be a good party host (or guest)
From picking your guests (always add a random) and your outfit, to coping with drunks and nudity, this is what you need to know
Zoe Williams
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/26/how-to-be-a-good-party-host-or-guest

‘Stay tuned’: new Anne Rice film could foretell release of unpublished work by late author
Documentary series of Interview with the Vampire writer available to stream with potential for further releases
Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/27/anne-rice-author-anthology

Netflix crashes within minutes of releasing Stranger Things series five
Viewers unable to watch episodes of long-awaited final series on TV when the streaming service briefly froze
Rachel Hall
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/nov/27/netflix-crashes-stranger-things-series-five

Review
Stranger Things season five review – this luxurious final run will have you standing on a chair, yelling with joy
The kids growing up might have changed this show’s appeal, but they manage to go out in a flame-throwing, bullet-dodging blaze of glory – while still being more moving than ever before
Jack Seale
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/nov/27/stranger-things-final-season-five-review-netflix

‘We like it a lot’: how Romania created the largest deposit return scheme in the world
In the two years since the system was launched, beverage-packaging collection and recycling has risen to 94%
By Andrei Popoviciu in Bucharest, Romania
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/27/we-like-it-a-lot-how-romania-created-the-largest-deposit-return-scheme-in-the-world

‘I didn’t even know this type of attack existed’: more than 200 women allege drugging by senior French civil servant
In a case echoing the Pelicot trial, dozens of women allege they were given hot drinks mixed with a diuretic to make them urinate. Three of them speak out here
Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/26/women-allege-drugging-by-senior-french-civil-servant

'Extraordinary discovery' at Orkney Neolithic site
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7836wvx4q4o

Novel scientific method proves pit circle near Stonehenge was man-made, say researchers
Archaeologists use multiple types of geophysics equipment to analyse ‘extraordinary structure’
Steven Morris
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/nov/27/novel-scientific-method-proves-pit-circle-near-stonehenge-was-man-made-say-researchers

Scottish fashion designer Pam Hogg dies
Steven McIntosh
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm28v743mpyo

From Paul Krugman: https://youtu.be/tJE3KDxTbWI?si=vKYHnCMiS0nDelby

If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving early this week, be sure to check road conditions. WCCO TV reports the Twin Cities’ first “real snowstorm” of the season is anticipated soon. “An inch or two of snow is possible in the Twin Cities by Wednesday morning, possibly impacting travel. We’ll also have wind gusts between 30 and 40 mph.” A winter storm warning has been issued for parts of central and northern Minnesota, too. Via MinnPost
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-weather-snowstorm-nov-24-2025/

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport food workers reached an agreement to avoid a strike just before the holiday. The Minnesota Star Tribune writes “the agreement, which is expected to be approved Monday night, includes the highest wage increase ever won for hospitality workers at the airport, according to union leaders.” Via MinnPost
https://www.startribune.com/msp-workers-union-strike-agreement-thanksgiving/601533108?utm_source=gift

Minnesota State Fair season might be well past us, but now is the time to get the most affordable ticket for next year. Bring Me The News says “tickets will be just $15 with a limit of 12 tickets per order, only available Tuesday and while supplies last.” Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/minnesota-state-fairs-lowest-price-of-the-year-ticket-sale-happening-tuesday

Minnesota officials and organizers gear up to fight Trump ending Somalis’ TPS
Though president’s order is legally questionable, advocates worry community could be targeted for immigration raids
Rachel Leingang in Minneapolis
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/25/minnesota-fight-trump-somalis-tps-order

Reith lecturer accuses BBC of censoring his remarks on Trump
Dutch writer Rutger Bregman says claim that Trump was ‘most openly corrupt president in US history’ was removed
Michael Savage Media editor
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/25/rutger-bregman-accuses-bbc-of-censoring-his-reith-lecture-on-trump

Italian man ‘dressed as dead mother in order to claim her pension’
Man from Borgo Virgilio investigated for benefit fraud and hiding body since woman’s death in 2022
Angela Giuffrida in Rome
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/25/italian-man-dressed-as-dead-mother-in-order-to-claim-her-pension

What happened at Fox News after the 2020 election? Documents reveal new details
Tens of thousands of documents were released as part of Smartmatic’s defamation lawsuit against the network
Jeremy Barr
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/24/fox-news-coverage-2020-election-documents-key-takeaways

Frances McDormand on her adult-sized cradle art project: ‘It’s not performative, it’s experiential’
Three-time Oscar winner has joined forces with conceptual artist Suzanne Bocanegra for an exhibition inspired by the Shakers
David Smith in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/25/frances-mcdormand-adult-cradle-art

‘A nucleus of a community’: the five-hour stage play about Dungeons & Dragons
In Initiative, a group of young people in the early 2000s finds themselves via the role-playing game, the latest example of its undying popularity
Jesse Hassenger
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/nov/25/dungeons-and-dragons-play-initiative

EU court rules entire bloc must respect same-sex marriages in rebuke to Poland
Couple who married in Germany had their right to a ‘normal family life’ impeded, court of justice finds
Reuters
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/25/eu-respect-same-sex-marriages-court-rules-rebuke-poland

‘Eating Indigenously’: award-winning chef celebrates Native American cuisine in new cookbook
James Beard-winning chef Sean Sherman’s cookbook Turtle Island pushes readers to view food systems through an Indigenous lens
Melissa Hellmann
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/23/sean-sherman-turtle-island-cookbook-indigenous-food

French winemakers ‘battle for survival’ as minister prepares for crisis talks
Vineyard owners say sales slump, Trump tariffs and worst harvest in 70 years have put producers in danger of closure
Kim Willsher
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/23/french-winemakers-sales-slump-crisis-talks

Bird flu: first ever death from rare H5N5 strain is recorded in US
Washington state resident’s backyard flock of domestic poultry had been exposed to wild birds, health officials said
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/22/bird-flu-first-death-h5n5-strain-us

Rocky Horror creator Richard O’Brien: ‘The Spice Girls couldn’t sing. But lovely girls’
The actor, writer and musician on growing up on a sheep farm in New Zealand, being in Spice World and a lovely afternoon with Aretha Franklin
Rich Pelley
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/22/rocky-horror-show-creator-richard-obrien-interview-spice-girls-aretha-franklin-new-zealand

Analysis
China has brought millions out of poverty. The US has not – by choice
Eduardo Porter
Despite the US’s economic success, income inequality remains breathtaking. But this is no glitch – it’s the system
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/23/china-us-poverty-income-inequality

Maga is in meltdown over a preppy pink sweater for men. So, what exactly is the problem?
Ellie Violet Bramley
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/23/maga-meltdown-pink-sweater-men-masculinity-fragile

'We've never seen this before': The spectacular stereo images of giant galaxies
Stephen Dowling
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251121-sir-brian-mays-stereo-vision-of-galaxies

There’s finally hope for new life at the former home of St. Paul’s Hamm’s Brewery
If all goes as planned, local developer JB Vang could break ground on a residential project at the Hamm’s site next year.
by Bill Lindeke
https://www.minnpost.com/cityscape/2025/11/theres-finally-hope-for-new-life-at-the-former-home-of-st-pauls-hamms-brewery/

From the mundane to the out-there, wonks on Minneapolis’ tax board have ideas for reining in your property taxes
Setting property tax rates is only one part of the job – and not the most fun part.
by Brian Martucci
https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2025/11/from-the-mundane-to-the-out-there-wonks-on-minneapolis-tax-board-have-ideas-for-reining-in-your-property-taxes/

Hospitals and clinics are shutting down due to Trump’s healthcare cuts. Here’s where
From Georgia to Oregon, clinics and wards are closing as Trump’s health law triggers steep Medicaid cuts and rising costs
Carter Sherman
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/20/hospitals-shutdown-trump-healthcare-cuts

‘The English person with a Chinese stomach’: how Fuchsia Dunlop became a Sichuan food hero
The author has been explaining Sichuan cuisine to westerners for decades. But ‘Fu Xia’, as she’s known, has had a profound effect on food lovers in China, too
By Leslie T Chang
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/nov/20/how-fuchsia-dunlop-became-a-sichuan-food-hero

Telling a reporter ‘quiet, piggy’ was shocking – even for Trump
Margaret Sullivan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/20/trump-quiet-piggy-reporter

Digitised official records of Nuremberg trials made available online
Launch on 80th anniversary of groundbreaking legal effort comes after 25-year project by Harvard law school library
Kate Connolly in Berlin
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/20/digitised-official-records-of-nuremberg-trials-made-available-online

Nasa releases close-up pictures of comet flying by from another star system
The interstellar visitor, known as 3I/Atlas, will be seen just in this instance, never to come back again
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/nov/19/nasa-interstellar-comet-pictures

Review
Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks review – the sheer number of pornographic drawings is a big shock
JMW Turner left behind some 37,000 sketches when he died, many of which have rarely been seen. Do they – including a huge collection of explicit sketches – reveal truths about the elusive man?
Jack Seale
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/nov/19/turner-the-secret-sketchbooks-review-bbc-two-iplayer

‘I never wanted to sing into a vacuum’: Scottish folk pioneer Dick Gaughan’s fight for his lost music
A skilled interpreter and social justice champion, Gaughan is a hero to the likes of Richard Hawley and Billy Bragg. Yet much of his work has been stuck in limbo for decades – until a determined fan stepped in
Jude Rogers
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/19/i-never-wanted-to-sing-into-a-vacuum-scottish-folk-pioneer-dick-gaughans-fight-for-his-lost-music

‘We love a plastic chopstick to stir’: 10 cocktail-making tips from Australian bartender Michael Madrusan
You don’t need fancy equipment to make a martini, the founder of Melbourne’s The Everleigh says – but you do need to measure precisely
Michael Madrusan
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/nov/19/cocktail-making-tips-australian-bartender-michael-madrusan-everleigh

Bronze Age to Elphaba: The centuries-old origins of the witch's hat
Scarlett Harris
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20251119-the-5000-year-old-origins-of-the-witchs-hat

The words you can't say on the internet
Thomas Germain
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251118-the-words-you-cant-say-on-the-internet

Pluribus: Carol Sturka is the flawed lesbian hero America needs
Opinion: The creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is back with a lesbian-led new show that just might save (or destroy!) the world.
By Mey Rude
https://www.out.com/voices/pluribus-lesbian-hero-carol

A large crowd of observers and protesters gathered at the scene of a federal law enforcement operation in St. Paul Tuesday. MPR News reports “federal agents wearing clothing marked ‘FBI,’ ‘DEA’ and ‘HSI’ — Homeland Security Investigations, part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — were seen at Bro-Tex Inc. … It was not immediately clear what prompted the operation.” Via MinnPost
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/11/18/st-paul-federal-law-enforcement-operation-draws-protests

A Dakota-led nonprofit has unveiled its vision for the restoration of St. Anthony Falls. Bring Me The News says “nonprofit Owámniyomni Okhódayapi shared design plans on Monday for the area around the Upper Lock of the Mississippi River. … Native plants will be reintroduced … with seeds and soils sourced from Dakota tribal lands in Minnesota.” Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/dakota-led-nonprofit-unveils-design-plans-for-st-anthony-falls-restoration

Nearly all immigrants detained in Trump Chicago raid had no criminal conviction
Data sharply contradicts officials’ portrayal of immigration sweeps as effort to fight ‘worst of the worst’ criminals
Roque Planas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/19/trump-chicago-immigration-raid

Trump officials wrongly deport trans woman in violation of court order
Officials admit ‘inadvertent removal’ after court ruled Britania Uriostegui Rios should not be sent to Mexico
Lucy Campbell
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/trump-mexico-deportation

Man pours liquid on woman and sets her on fire on Chicago subway
Victim was hospitalized in critical condition and suspect taken into custody following incident on city’s train system
Maya Yang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/man-sets-woman-on-fire-chicago-subway

Trump faces criticism for referring to female Bloomberg reporter as ‘piggy’
Critics accuse the US president of trying to ‘shut women journalists up’ with ‘demeaning language’
Jeremy Barr in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/trump-calls-reporter-piggy-bloomberg

Neanderthals and early humans ‘likely to have kissed’, say scientists
Study from University of Oxford looks into evolutionary origins of kissing and its role in relations between species
Nicola Davis Science correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/nov/19/neanderthals-early-humans-kissed-research-evolution

British woman among four tourists killed in blizzard at nature reserve in Chile
Four people also rescued alive at popular Torres del Paine reserve in Patagonia amid heavy snowfall and strong winds
Matty Edwards
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/18/british-woman-among-four-tourists-killed-in-blizzard-at-nature-reserve-in-chile

The Kessler Twins sisters Alice and Ellen die together aged 89
German pop duo who last year said their wish was ‘to leave together’ had joint assisted death at their home in Grünwald
Angela Giuffrida in Rome
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/18/the-kessler-twins-sisters-alice-and-ellen-die-together-aged-89

Stranded whale euthanized after failed rescue attempt off Oregon coast
Young humpback whale was found washed ashore and individuals had rallied together to try to help
Shruti Rajkumar
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/stranded-humpback-whale-euthanized-oregon

Questions arise over strikingly similar signatures by Trump on recent pardons
Seemingly identical signatures appeared on clemency orders, which White House blamed on technical error
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/15/trump-signatures-clemency-orders

How Google’s DeepMind tool is ‘more quickly’ forecasting hurricane behavior
‘Less expensive and time consuming’ model helps with fast and accurate predictions, possibly saving lives and property
Eric Holthaus
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/16/google-deepmind-hurricane-forecast

Merchants’ ‘victory’ over credit card fees will just complicate things more for them
Gene Marks
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/16/small-business-credit-card-fees

Ethiopia confirms outbreak of deadly Marburg virus
Africa CDC says at least nine cases have been detected of Ebola-like illness, which kills up to 80% of those infected
AFP in Nairobi
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/15/ethiopia-confirms-outbreak-of-deadly-marburg-virus

Scrutiny grows over LA fire origins after bombshell report: ‘Our Pearl Harbor moment’
Reports that fire crews were ordered to leave original site of blaze prompt tough questions for city and LAFD leaders
Nick Visser
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/16/la-fire-palisades-report

One more day? I've had a wee lift parked in the driveway for several days now to provide a safety anchor for installing solar panels. They worked on Saturday, and I think it's going to be finished on Monday.