Author: The Guardian

I had a very happy childhood – I know that’s against the law. Everybody is suited to certain times of life and I was very suited to being a child. I am very suited to having no responsibilities.I was really looking forward to my first day at kindergarten. I was only five. The day ended with me sitting in the corner with a Band-Aid over my mouth and holding up a sign saying: “I am a chatterbox.” Now I get paid for what I was punished for.I grew up in a small town in New Jersey – a very beautiful,…

Max Verstappen has defended his father Jos in his ongoing row with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, saying the current situation is far from ideal for himself or the team and his comments give him Victory in the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint was overshadowed.Verstappen’s father Jos accused Horner of childishness on Friday after he claimed the team principal had vetoed his decision to drive his 2012 Red Bull in this weekend’s Legends Parade at the Red Bull Ring. Verstappen Sr. was furious and said he was “completely fed up” with Horner.The spat is the latest episode in an almost…

America was meant to be Britain’s route to the sunlit uplands of Brexit. Then, after hopes of a free trade deal evaporated, successive Conservative governments have set their sights lower, by trying to forge closer ties with individual US states.Now the civil servants responsible for delivering those state-level deals have been let go, in what a furious British businessman described as “an act of arson”.More than one-sixth of trade posts within British consulates in the US have been axed, with 24 people losing their jobs and other vacancies left unfilled, out of 150 posts. The decision was taken barely two…

The New York Times editorial board is calling on Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race because of his poor performance in a debate with Donald Trump.Biden’s poor performance sent leading Democrats into panic on Thursday night after the US president appeared shaky and struggled at times to complete the verdict. That heightened concerns about his age and suitability for public office that had been hoped the debate would ease.Shortly after the debate, senior Democrats including Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged Biden’s “slow start” but emphasized his “strong finish,” while others privately suggested he should step down.The…

Rob, 34 I’ve resisted the idea of fooling around – I feared the subtext was that I wasn’t enough If we hadn’t moved to Los Angeles, Mikey and I would never have started experimenting with non-monogamy. We bought a house in Echo Park last year and started socialising with a group of queer couples who see open relationships as a necessary form of self-care. I’m from New York, where in the gay scene non-monogamy still has a reputation for being a little chaotic, but in LA it’s completely different. It is perfectly normal for a woman to sit right next…

HHow many players started their careers in the back of a van? There may be only one Wimbledon event this year. Britain’s fifth-ranked Billy Harris, who last week secured a wild card into the tournament, achieved his first Grand Slam at the age of 29.Ten years ago, opportunities were limited. After rising from juniors to the pros, Harris lacked the wherewithal to handle tennis like a superstar. “I didn’t have the money to fly every week in the beginning,” Harris told the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) last year. “So I thought: ‘The easiest way to travel around Europe is to…

At the end of 2023, the Oxford University Press chose “rizz” as its word of the year. Rizz, which topped a shortlist that included “Swiftie”, “parasocial” and ‘“situationship”, is defined by the OUP as a noun denoting “style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner”. It can also be used as a verb, often linked with the word “up”, as in “to rizz up”.Etymologically, rizz is said to be derived from charisma, although the person directly credited with popularising rizz – the American YouTuber Kai Cenat – has said that, as far as he knows,…

timeThe last European Cup without penalty shootouts was in 1988, when there were eight teams and only three knockout matches. Therefore, it is almost certain that at least one country will withdraw from Euro 2024 in the coming weeks. But among the past 16 teams, which team has the most reason to be fearful or confident based on past penalty record? Is there really a country with a worse record than England? Answer: Yes. Sort of.Switzerlandwon 1lost 4pen conversion rate: 65.2%Switzerland earned a memorable penalty shootout win over France at Euro 2020, with Yann Sommer saving Kylian Mbappé’s penalty The…

Prom Week has arrived in Tennessee, and the class of 2024 is lined up in suits and crowns, posing for pictures by the red carpet. Who says four legs and a tail should stop you from going to the ball?It’s just another day in doggy daycare. As well as a graduation ceremony, canines at this facility in Franklin, Tennessee, on the outskirts of Nashville, were recently treated to bark-uterie – customized charcuterie boards – and challenged by Sports Week, for which they were dressed up with sweatbands.“I did have someone tell me that our daycare calendar has more activities than…

Anita, 32 We invited another couple to join us in bed. It was so clumsy, it felt more funny than erotic When Bo and I first became a couple, we were all over each other in public, and we got a kick out of being admired by strangers. At parties, occasionally an acquaintance would approach us and ask – half-jokingly – for a threesome. I enjoyed the excitement of other people desiring Bo. I fed on it. But as our relationship has matured, I have become less willing to share him.Within my social circle in Paris, threesomes are not unusual.…