Author: The Guardian

Shark tattoos adorn each of Heidi Ernst’s calves. You can see them now as she sits at an Iowa clinic, gazing out the window. Around her neck are two silver necklaces: one clasps two dolphins, the other a shark. Her blue eyes twinkle like the ocean. The lines on her face reflect not her 74 years, but the fears she has faced.“I’m so excited I can hardly talk,” she says to her neighbor, who drove her to this critical medical appointment in mid-September.Ernst is a physical therapist, but today she is the patient. For the first time in 103 days,…

Scrabble: the game that has brought families together and caused chaotic arguments in equal measure.But now in what will either bring music to people’s ears or cause groans of disappointment, the competitive edge of the board game could be lessened.Mattel has launched a new way to play the game with a version of Scrabble that has a double-sided board designed so people can team up and play, completing goal cards at their chosen challenge level.They also get helper cards that players can use throughout the game, and a quicker game with simple scoring. The aim, Mattel said, was to make…

Larry David has never been particularly good at endings. Time and time again, he has attempted to draw the curtain on Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2005, his character died, only to be booted out of heaven by a pair of irritated angels. In 2011, the show went on extended hiatus, only to return six years later. Another death scene was filmed in 2011, but never used. Famously, David declares that each season of Curb will be the last, only to blink when it comes to actually pulling the trigger.You can probably forgive his reticence on being definitive, since the last…

Most people would consider running a marathon the pinnacle of fitness – but not Russ Cook. The endurance athlete has just completed a 9,940-mile (16,000km) run along the entire length of Africa.While Cook told reporters that he was a “little bit tired” and in need of a strawberry daiquiri after completing his odyssey, scientists who spoke to the Guardian suggested the road to recovery could be rockier than he anticipates.There will be some positive impacts on his health, such as increased cardiorespiratory fitness, more efficient delivery of oxygen to the muscles and better energy efficiency.But Dr Dan Gordon, an associate…

JRam laughed. “I have to be careful here. I don’t want to be in the headlines.” He means, of the unwanted kind. Ram has been on billboards for years. The question should be simple. In his opinion, who is the best male golfer in the world right now? However, reigning Masters champion Rahm realizes there will be huge trouble as he and others leave LIV Golf. The Rebel Tour’s failure to gain recognition from the Official World Golf Ranking adds complications that Rahm has been vocal about in the past. This time, he calmed down and gave a completely sensible…

When I first saw Oscar he seemed the most chilled puppy ever, five months old, a black labrador/something cross, lying placidly on a sofa in a foster home in Sussex. I already had a German shepherd, Phoebe, and wanted a playmate for her after losing our Hungarian puli to old age. I took Phoebe into the room to see how they might get on. Oscar lifted an eyelid as if to say “Whatever” and closed it again …But when we took Oscar home, he panicked in the car and threw up. We later learned that he had been found wandering…

STsukazuka, host of Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, has long been regarded as one of Formula 1’s greatest circuits, beloved by drivers and fans alike, and it has it all. A legendary history full of drama and thrills, and majestic challenges that accompany the changing landscape of Aichi Prefecture. It’s the perfect mix of risk and reward, bold and rigorous, but also retains a terrible reputation for not being tolerant of mistakes. This is a classic track and indeed an old-school track in modern times.Suzuka recently extended its contract with F1 until 2029, a decision that was widely welcomed given the…

I have mixed feelings about being the first non-white actor to win a Bafta. I was very grateful, but it also raised questions. I remember watching The Buddha of Suburbia and Bhaji on the Beach as a kid. British-Asian culture didn’t start in 2017, when I won. It’s weird to think it wasn’t recognised until that point.Working on Four Lions with Chris Morris was a great lesson in irreverence. Even if people insist you take things seriously, you don’t have to. Actually, it’s probably more important not to. Comedy can take the teeth out of even the most serious issues.I…

Wrestler turned action star Dwayne “rockJohnson took a swipe at Joe Biden, saying he would not repeat his support for the president in his upcoming rematch with Donald Trump.Johnson endorsed Biden in his first campaign against Trump four years ago, paying tribute to the former vice president and senator’s “compassion, love, drive and soul.”But in an interview with Fox News on Friday, Johnson said: “Would I do it again this year? The answer is no. I realize now that in this election, I will not do that.”Johnson, who has long been the subject of rumors about his political ambitions, was…

A scorched-earth policy after a breakup might seem like the quickest option for some. But for others, it’s worth the effort to keep things sweet even when the romance has soured. Whether the motivation is shared children or pets, cost-of-living concerns or simply liking the person even if things didn’t work out as lovers, readers shared overwhelmingly positive experiences about staying friends with an ex.While the transition came quite naturally for some, the consensus is it takes work and that each “post-dissolution friendship” is as unique as the reasons the former couple came together in the first place.Readers agreed that…