4+ hour, 13+ min ago (214+ words) Separate rooms | Downsizing homes | Nigel Farage | Hong Kong fires | Idle Working Men's Club All five "homes for downsizers" (Fantasy house hunt: Homes for downsizers, 28 November) are larger and more expensive than the one I've happily inhabited for many years. And I have to ask: from what palace might one be downsizing to a three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment in St'John's Wood, London?Anne CowperBishopston, Swansea Samuel Johnson was wrong. Patriotism isn't the last refuge of a scoundrel. It is the penultimate refuge; hiding behind the term "banter" is the last refuge of the scoundrel (Three more ex-pupils at school with Nigel Farage reject "banter' claims, 25 November). Prof Stephen FarrallSheffield Hong Kong authorities wasted no time in arresting those they hold responsible for last week's fatal fire in tower blocks. Here, eight years on, still'no arrests over Grenfell.John KendallPresteigne, Powys If we're…...

4+ hour, 53+ min ago (972+ words) Her business creates interiors "that feel like home the moment you step inside'layered, lived-in, and deeply personal. We blend soulful refinement with California ease, crafting environments that support your way of living and tell the story of who you're becoming," wrote Allen. The designer said her favorite part of her work is that moment when clients walk into their finished home "and instantly soften." "Design can restore people'it can bring ease, peace, and belonging," wrote Allen. "That transformation never stops inspiring me." 1. What was your childhood ambition? To be an artist'and to lead. Even as a kid, I wanted to create, inspire and do things differently. I've always had a clear vision and a deep drive to bring ideas to life in a way that felt uniquely my own. Over time, that vision has evolved into something bigger: to see…...

6+ hour, 13+ min ago (269+ words) Jennifer is a third-culture kid, born in Scotland but raised in Rome, Italy where she attended an American international school. Living in Dubai, she worked as the health features writer for a lifestyle magazine, then as head of content at VeggieBuzz, an online platform dedicated to vegetarian food and lifestyle. How The Wellness Trend Is Changing The Way We View And Decorate Our Homes In what may come as a surprise to some, the wellness trend has become one of the biggest home-design drivers of the mid-2020s. It's clear from reports from both design publications and wellness institutions that people are no longer engaging just in small moments of self-care anymore " they're dedicating whole chunks of their home spaces to a calmer way of life. Search trends and real estate data alike point to a strong interest in wellness-focused upgrades. Heat…...

7+ hour, 4+ min ago (80+ words) For more than a century, the pages of Architectural Digest magazine have captured not only timeless designs but also the spirit of their subjects' homes. Their distillation of private spaces is featured in a new book, "AD at Home: Architectural Digest." Serena Altschul talks with editor Amy Astley about the magazine's treatments; and with actor Live Schreiber and designer Marc Jacobs about what it means to open up one's living space to the magazine's photographers. At home with Architectural Digest...

7+ hour, 14+ min ago (48+ words) Real time news brief - 'Since you left, a lot has changed' | The haunting performance at Dror Or's funeral - Israel National News flashes around the clock are waiting for you on the site 'Since you left, a lot has changed' | The haunting performance at Dror Or's funeral...

7+ hour, 21+ min ago (87+ words) The heavy metal band Metallica has not only changed lives with their music; they've also changed lives with their philanthropy " from donations to food banks and disaster relief, to the band's charity All Within My Hands, which has donated to workforce education and other critical services. Luke Burbank talks with band members Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Robert Trujillo and Lars Ulrich, and with one of the 9,000 Metallica Scholars who have benefitted from the band's grants through trade schools and community colleges. Metallica's gift of giving...

8+ hour, 21+ min ago (173+ words) [STaM Styles: What's the Difference?]Ask the Rov: What is the difference between the various ksovim used for STaM? Rabbi Chaim Hillel Raskin responds. The post STaM Styles: What's the Difference? first appeared on Anash.org. " " " | November 30, 2025 Ask the Rov: What is the difference between the various ksovim used for STaM? Rabbi Chaim Hillel Raskin responds. Halacha requires that Stam be written in the Ashuri script whose letter shapes follow the tradition of the Gemara and Rishonim, tracing back to Har Sinai. Ideally, this is to be transmitted in an unbroken chain or oral tradition. Yet, deviations from the accepted script don't invalidate the letters b'dieved, provided they retain their correct basic forms.1 Conversely, the Ashkenazic Rishonim discussed and delved more into the nuances of the traditional script as transmitted by the sofrim of each generation.5 A thorough compilation, Baruch…...

10+ hour, 2+ min ago (625+ words) A man who crafted a replica Viking shield in his garden shed before donating it to a museum on the Isle of Man said the process was a "labour of love". Chris Clayton, who lives in Rotherham and works as an outdoor activity instructor in Nottingham, has a keen interest in Viking history and goes into schools to teach children about the time period. A regular visitor to the island, he took his inspiration for the replica from a shield found in a Viking burial site in Ballateare, in Jurby, in the 1940s. The piece of armour, which had been put on display at the House of Manannan in Peel, was made using historically accurate materials and techniques and took eight weeks to complete. Helping to fuel his interest in the Viking era, Chris said he would visit the museums whilst…...

10+ hour, 23+ min ago (109+ words) If you are unfamiliar, the album is more musically diverse than you might think. So let's look at three must-hear tracks from this groundbreaking masterpiece. Well, you're built like a carYou've got a hubcap diamond star halo.You're built like a car, oh, yeah.Well, you're an untamed youth,That's the truth with your cloak full of eagles.You're dirty sweet, and you're my girl. 4 Vince Gill Songs From the 1980s That Still Sound Great Today 3 Songs That Sound Like Led Zeppelin Tracks (But They Aren't) 3 of the Most Absurdly Dominant Chart Runs in Music History...

11+ hour, 23+ min ago (305+ words) Early in Siesbye's life in Denmark, she maintained an epistolary friendship with Edip Cansever, among the foremost poets of modern Turkey. Cansever's letters to Siesbye, which were published in 2021, are moody, erotic, and playful'full of yearning and of reproach. A terrible longing takes over. Everywhere, you, all at once'and a slow anger begins. Toward whom? Toward longing, the melancholy of distances, the oppression of helplessness, toward it all' After an editor encouraged her to publish the letters,Siesbye agreed with some hesitation. They become less fervent, more brooding, around the time that she meets David. After the epistolary friendship ended, Cansever destroyed all of Siesbye's letters. And yet she also calls herself a worker. Is that, I asked her, not a contradiction? "Why should it be a contradiction? I've never called myself an artist. You need to be a really…...