New research is revealing how the Sceptered Isle transformed from a Roman backwater to a mighty country of its own by Francine Russo
At the Democratic National Convention, the sense of relief was as overwhelming as the general euphoria—but the campaign against Donald Trump has only just begun. By Jonathan Blitzer
How declining enrollment is threatening the future of American public education. By Alec MacGillis
After the President’s debate with Trump, Democratic politicians felt paralyzed. At the D.N.C., they felt giddy relief. How did they do it?
The Guardian Weekly (August 21, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Counter Punch’ – Can Ukraine’s big gamble in Kursk pay off?; Is Threads the new social media safe haven?; The festivals that went disastrously wrong…
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Spotlight | 40,000 deaths: another grim milestone for Gaza
As faltering ceasefire talks continued this week, Malak A Tantesh and Emma Graham-Harrison report on how the death toll given by Gaza’s health officials fails to tell the full story of Palestinian grief.
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Technology | Is Threads a new safe haven for those leaving X?
Elon Musk’s frequently inflammatory online remarks have left many seeking a less toxic alternative. James Ball explores whether Meta’s Instagram spin-off provides it.
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Feature | Audrey Tang, the good hacker
The activist turned hacker is used to breaking boundaries as the world’s first minister for digital affairs. Now, she tells Simon Hattenstone, she wants the world to learn how to detoxify the internet.
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Opinion | Caution needed over Kamala Harris’s flying start
The Democratic vice-president has enjoyed a spectacular launch to her presidential campaign. But, warns Jonathan Freedland, it is far too early to write off her rival Donald Trump.
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Culture | Snogs away! The crazy world of UK dating shows
There’s much to be gleaned about British culture from analysing its TV dating shows, finds Daisy Jones – and, it stands to reason, about other countries’ via theirs.
Country Life Magazine (August 20, 2024): The latest issue features ‘Sensational Scotland’ – Where to buy north of the border; The legend of the Stone of Scone; Up the workers – Chatsworth’s red-sock army; Forests of the future – the trees we should plant now…
In the first of two articles, John Goodall charts the central role played by Scone and its former abbey in the history of Scotland.
Britain’s native trees are facing an uncertain future, but we can still act to save our magnificent woodland, argues Sir Harry Studholme
A very special band of helpers is behind the smooth staging of Chatsworth Country Fair, as volunteer Simon Reinhold reveals
Penny Churchill casts her eye over three Scottish estates, one a ‘pastoral oasis’ making its first appearance on the open market
The actor chooses a work that treads that fine divide between ‘life and death, night and day’.
There’s nothing more diverse than divers. Marianne Taylor dips below the surface to examine these underwater masters
The ‘weediest of weeds’ is loved by insects, loathed by landowners. John Wright tackles the prickly matter of Scotland’s emblem.
Hetty Lintell selects luxuries designed or made in Scotland
Tom Parker Bowles finds that the best way to savour traditional British varieties is to grow them yourself
Perennials and billowing grasses are a perfect backdrop for the sculpture at Whitburgh House in Midlothian, finds Caroline Donald
And, as always, much much more
The dubious rise of the private-security industry by Jasper Craven
For millennia, the figure of the guard has inspired as much derision as demand. An early antecedent to the modern security guard can be found in ancient Egypt. Nobles employed “doorkeepers” to protect palaces and tombs. The performance of such duties was accorded a measure of reverence even as guards were often cast as apathetic or incompetent. Some hieroglyphs depict doorkeepers as those “who ward off all evil ones”; others show them as sleepy, drunk, or blind.
Many still believe in this image of guards as feckless agents in spaces not in need of protecting. And yet, in a moment of peculiarly American volatility, certain places that guards patrol—like schools, bars, grocery stores, and retail outlets—are increasingly prone to seeing outbursts of violence. These trends might justify a guard’s usefulness if not for the fact that most guards lack the training or legal authority to do much of anything.
From Burdened: Student Debt and the Making of an American Crisis, which will be published this month by Dey Street. by Ryann Liebenthal
From L’instant précis où Monet entre dans l’atelier, which was published in 2022 by Éditions de Minuit. Translated from the French in May by Pauline Cochran. by Jean-Philippe Toussaint
How Vice-President Harris’s public persona has evolved, from tough prosecutor to frozen interviewee to joyful candidate. By Vinson Cunningham
His campaign is careening, his poll numbers are slipping, and, after something of a summer lull, he is due for several confrontations in court.
As the oceans ebb and surge, staggering ingenuity has gone into inventing the measure. By Brooke Jarvis
On John Constable’s The Hay Wain & the foundations of the West.
We write as The New Criterion’s annual period of aestivation enters its home stretch. The cicadas are buzzing, the days are noticeably shorter, and the leaves—some of them—are already edged with brown. Certain summers feature quiet expanses of lazy days. This one was different. In July, Donald Trump, except for the tip of his right ear, dodged a would-be assassin’s bullet; Joe Biden dropped (or, we now know, was pushed) out of the 2024 presidential race but, as of this writing, remains president; Kamala Harris, Biden’s vice president, stepped into the vacancy and magically became the new candidate for president, choosing the Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
The Guardian Weekly (August 15, 2024) – The new issue features Has mass tourism gone too far? – Why holiday hotspots have had enough. Plus: America’s Kamala and Tim show
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Spotlight | On the road: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz re-energise Democrats
The US vice-president and her running mate have hit the ground running in their campaign for the White House. Can they keep the momentum going, asks Lauren Gambino.
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Technology | The fragile world of underwater internet cables
Deep-sea wires are the veins of the modern world. What if something were to happen to them? Jonathan Yerushalmy investigates.
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Feature | Beautiful, bruising and complex female friendships
Ahead of her new book examining women’s friendships, the Observer’s Rachel Cooke reflects on two pivotal ones of her own, as well as some notable literary attachments.
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Opinion | The Olympics showed France’s far right what true patriotism is all about
Despite a febrile political backdrop, the Paris Games reminded a nation of what it means to be proud of one’s country, says French sports writer Philippe Auclair.
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Culture | The second act of Sam Neill
He is one of the world’s most famous actors, but the New Zealander – whose cancer is thankfully in remission – can still go to Starbucks without anyone recognising him, finds Zoe Williams.
Country Life Magazine (August 14, 2024): The latest issue features ‘Save the Albion Cow’ – It’s rarer than a Giant Panda; Old houses, new technology; Hot and Steamy – Why the pressure cooker is back and Whizz kids – What made Elizabeth I, Brunel and Nelson special…
Our treasured native livestock breeds are in danger of being lost, yet they have a crucial role to play, believes Kate Green
Anyone waiting with trepidations for the A-level results should take heart from the likes of Nelson and Brunel, says Alice Loxton
Old houses with poor wifi need not be denied new gadgets, from wireless lighting to kettles that can be switched on remotely. Julie Harding taps her screen
From a hollowed-out cow to autofocus and gyro-stabilised cameras, clever ideas continue to transform wildlife photography. Amie Elizabeth White takes a look down the lense.
Neil Buttery fires up the pressure cooker, back in our kitchens and tenderising those bones
Sturdy, hardworking and now prized for their rarity, farm wagons were key to rural life in times past. Jack Watkins rolls out the surviving examples.
Follow thou Toby Keel’s wise advice for digital life and thou shalt not be shunned in society
The new generation is building on a fine legacy of gardening and travel at Bryngwyn Hall in Powys, where Caroline Donald wanders among trees gathered from far-flung countries
John Wright sets off into the woods in search of meaty rot fungi, the magnificent chicken of the woods and its cousin, joy-inducing hen of the woods
It might be an acquired taste, but gazpacho — recipe of your choice — is worth tasting again. Tom Parker Bowles dips his spoon into a Spanish favourite
Sri Lanka: The Indigenous Vedda people are leading immersive treks in the jungled highlands
Valencia:Journey through the parks, wetlands and groves of 2024’s European Green Capital
Austria: Drink up the views from Carinthia’s lakeside restaurants and lofty mountain trails
Japan: Itineraries to experience the archipelago’s urban life, scattered islands and more
Miami: Explore the influences that have shaped Florida’s sun-soaked capital
Dublin: A guide to the Irish capital, from big-ticket attractions to intimate audiophile bars
Bay of Kotor: From medieval towns to national parks, this is Montenegro at its prettiest
Perth: The capital of Western Australia is fresh out of an unprecedented hotel boom
Plus, a Silk Road adventure in London’s British Museum; Spain’s Parador hotels unveil new tours; the global influences behind Guyanese cuisine; fine dining in Sorrento; the inside scoop on St John’s, Canada; canal boating trips in the UK; a bucolic escape in the Forest of Dean; the best autumn literary festivals; and portable kit for your next adventure.
We talk with author Oliver Smith on finding peace at Britian’s holy sites, and former astronaut José Hernández on reaching for the stars. In our Ask the Experts section, the experts give advice on digital nomad visas, planning a music-themed road trip in the US and more. The Info sets sail for Venice’s historical regatta, while Hot Topic explores the rise of tiger mosquitos across Europe and the Report asks whether costlier safaris really mean more money for conservation initiatives. Finally, photographer and writer Simon Urwin discusses capturing the otherworldly landscapes of Algeria in How I Got the Shot.
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