In May, Mercury-nominated indie rockers The View made the papers once more when their comeback gig at the Deaf Institute in Manchester took an unexpected turn when lead singer Kyle Falconer took an on-stage swing at bassist Kieren Webster whilst screaming “I'm going to fucking kill you!”

Here’s why we long for that perfect love to arrive — even when we’re happily coupled

Excerpted from the book Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain. 

In a heartwarming break from the drudgery of the endlessly negative news cycle, a formerly homeless man in Southern California was caught on camera last month dashing to save a baby in a runaway pushchair from fast moving traffic.

We've all heard the phrase “Trust your gut.” No? You haven't??! Well then trust me, it's a phrase ok?
Maybe it's that sense of excitement you get when thinking of a new venture or the inexplicable dread you might feel about a particular journey.

This morning I was repacking my seven year old's bag for school and found inside for the third day running, yesterday's water bottle full to the brim. We've been encouraging him to aim to drink two full bottles each day in service of learning to read and write, mastering basic arithmetic and of course tearing around the playground like a Red Bull-addled scud missile in Clarks trainers.

As someone who regularly writes about general interest, zeitgeisty topics and (hopefully) captivating scientific advancements, I've evidently dropped the ball by only just becoming cognizant (thanks to an episode of South Park, no less) of one of the most potentially game-changing technological developments of our age – the deployment of artificial intelligence language models such as ChatGPT to create natural, human-like text, allowing users to converse with and be assisted by an apparent intelligence seemingly akin to our own. Ask it anything and it will come up with a cogent, reasoned response, even if that's to explain to you exactly why it won't accede to your request. ChatGPT holds immense potential in unlocking new possibilities in various domains, including communication, education, customer service, and more.

You’ve just walked in the door after your latest adventure.

And whether it was a day trip or a weeks-long voyage, turns out there are ways to make it last a lifetime.

One of the keys to a life-changing journey, says celebrated travel writer and TED Course instructor Pico Iyer, is what you do with it afterwards. This means taking the time to unpack your experiences, and not just your suitcases.

“It’s only when you get back home that you can really begin to understand a trip and implement the changes it may have set into motion inside you,” says Iyer in a lesson from his TED Course on “how to take a life-changing journey.”

Last month, the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay went to Canadian actor-turned-director Sarah Polley for her fourth feature, Women Talking. The film, based on the celebrated Miriam Toews novel of the same name deals with a group of women in a remote religious coterie debating how to respond to incidents of sexual assault they've experienced at the hands of men in their community.

Last month saw the cinema release of the horror / comedy mashup (not the only thing getting mashed up...) Cocaine Bear, a high concept story of an American black bear which scoffs a load of mislaid cocaine and goes on a drug-fuelled rampage, not just boring several people with loud, interminable self-aggrandizement, but also like, eating their faces off and stuff! Extremely loosely based on actual events – in 1985, a Georgian black bear did indeed ingest a duffel bag of cocaine dropped by an unfortunate smuggler whose parachute failed to open (he also ended up pretty mashed...) - though in the real life case, our furry friend Pablo Escobear, or Cokey, as he was posthumously named, quickly died of an overdose, mauling nobody, though no doubt profoundly upsetting his mum who must have wondered where she went wrong.

It’s no secret that aerobic exercise can help stave off some of the ravages of aging. But a growing body of research suggests that swimming might provide a unique boost to brain health.

According to the BBC, a McDonald's branch in Wrexham, North Wales has decided to start piping classical music in after 5pm in an effort to curb the persistent antisocial behaviour being committed by gangs of bored youths.

In recent weeks, my social media feed has been prompting me with several ads for AI powered content generation tools. I don't remember ever googling that rather specific thing, so perhaps the first ad appeared at random... though “random” is not really an appropriate term these days. 

Having recently completed a career-reviving / cockroach-showering stint in the I'm a Celebrity... jungle, former Radio 1 presenter and all-round “funny man” (who's not actually as funny as most of your mates) Chris Moyles is back in the news.... or rather, was (this was written late December so he's probably long gone again by now).

It is an extremely stormy and unwelcoming day in Paradise. Howling winds incessantly whipping majestic, coconut-laden palm trees, once proudly piercing into the sapphire blue skies,  have unexpectedly brought freezing temperatures to Nassau.