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This Europe Day we send a message of solidarity and friendship to British people

The UK may no longer be an EU member but, as the current health crisis shows, cooperation continues to be essential

On Saturday, for the first time in almost 50 years, we observe Europe Day without the United Kingdom as a member state of the European Union. As ambassadors and high commissioners representing the EU and its 27 countries in the UK, we are nonetheless very keen to mark the date with all the citizens of this great country and with the millions of EU nationals who live and work in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We celebrate Europe on 9 May because on this same day in 1950, exactly 70 years ago, in the aftermath of the devastating second world war, Robert Schuman, the Luxembourg-born foreign minister of France, laid the foundations of our collective endeavour. He said then: “Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.”

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The Last Dance: Is the Michael Jordan documentary a dressed-up puff piece?

The hit docuseries on Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls scores big as entertainment, but journalistic compromises make it little more than longform branded content

Not long after ESPN scored its first ever Academy Award for Ezra Edelman’s nonpareil OJ: Made in America, a masterclass in longform investigative journalism that drew comparisons to Mailer and Caro, the network announced another multi-part documentary series centering on an American sports icon. The Last Dance, a 10-part film jointly produced with Netflix, promised an unvarnished deep dive into one of the most transformative stars and feted dynasties in the history of sports: Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls.

The anticipation only mounted with the release of a glossy extended trailer at Christmas that teased never-before-seen footage and a star-studded roster of interviewees – Barack Obama! Justin Timberlake! – along with the participation of Jordan himself, who has spoken only sparingly about the Bulls’ imperious reign and dumbfounding break-up in the two decades since his playing days. Initially slated for a June release alongside this year’s NBA finals, ESPN swiftly moved up the premiere date to April after the coronavirus pandemic went scorched earth on its spring programming schedule.

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Vanessa Feltz: ‘Preserve your mystique at all costs’

The broadcaster, 58, on God, privacy, Mini convertibles, the rudeness of Madonna and her school nickname, Vanessa the Undresser

Even aged two, I was a child of great perspicacity. At nursery we had to answer the register by saying “Yes, Auntie” or “Present, please”, which I found deeply confusing. First, I thought, you’re not my auntie. And if I’m asking politely for a present every day, where on earth is it?

Vanessa the Undresser was my nickname at school, and I put that down to my parents. When a sex scene started on TV I was banished to the hall. I’d stand with one ear against the door desperately trying to work out who was doing what to whom and in what position. Thus was aroused in me an unshakable thirst for sex in all its permutations. I’ve never tired of it, menopause or not.

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VE Day: coronavirus lessons from 75 years ago

This week the Upside reflects on the community spirit felt in our current crisis and the one that ended in 1945

Guardian colleagues have been up to all sorts during lockdown – when they’ve not been working hard that is. At least three have acquired pets and many are digging up the garden or allotment. Potato printing, street chalk drawing, spring cleaning, DIY, it’s all going on. One particularly ingenious staffer is knitting woollen hats for boiled eggs.

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UK coronavirus live: Grant Shapps to lead daily press conference - latest updates

Travellers into UK will be quarantined for two weeks when they arrive as part of measures to prevent a second peak, Boris Johnson is expected to say. Follow the latest updates

The transport secretary Grant Shapps will lead the government’s daily coronavirus press conference, which is due to begin shortly.

He will be joined by the deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam.

Tributes have been paid to a learning disabilities nurse who died after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Augustine Agyei-Mensah, known to his colleagues as Gus, was a highly regarded team member at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Our hearts break today for Augustine’s wife and young family. We remain committed to supporting them through this time.

Augustine epitomised what we stand for here at NHFT. He was committed to making a difference and giving people a second chance.

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Purrfect Combination Of Creepiness And Cats ("Creepy Cat" Comic)

Artist Cotton Valent has created a brilliant cat comic series called, "Creepy Cat."

Creepy Cat is the purrfect combination of creepiness and cats! Honestly, what more can you want in life? The story begins when Flora, the human, moves into an old house. Turns out, the old house is occupied by a "creepy cat." And that is where their story begins! 

You can follow the amazing series on Manga Mutiny! We love "Creepy Cat!"




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Cat Cafe Comics Delivers Instant Wholesomeness

So cute, so wholesome! 

Welcome to Cat Cafe Comics, a place filled with adorable and uplifting animal comics! Created by the talented Matt Tarpley, you can follow the cafe's Instagram page here for comics that will make you feel "warm and floofy!"

Get ready to smile! 




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Mega Cuteness: Tiny Crocheted Couches With Matching Little Granny Blankets

Our pets are our children, and they deserve to be spoiled as such.

That's why we had to share with you these tiny crochet cat couches created by the crafty people on the subreddit r/crochet.

Sure, you could go and just buy a cat bed without exerting much effort, but they're not as fun or cute as this too cute to handle cat couch.

So, if you're looking for a new crochet project to tackle, this has got to be it! 

The couches are shaped with thick foam and polyester filling to really give it that comfy sofa look.

There are a few craft stores online who are offering the crochet patterns if you like. 





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Im a mess tonight

I've calmed down now but tonight I've been such a wreck.

I was crying and upset because I felt like everyone I cared about would leave me and never talk to me again so I felt like I would need to do something drastic and reckless and self destructive. But I was good and I stayed safe. I was so frantically anxious but now that I've calmed down I'm kinda just depressed and sad and I miss letting my eating disorder take the reigns. Like even when I was in the hospital with a fucking feeding tube I feel like I was so much safer. I had an outlet to my issues and that outlet was not eating and I'm hungry now and that just reminds me of how much I miss it.

I still feel really alone and I didn't sort my meds for tonight or the rest of the week so I need to do that and I need to go to the pharmacy to pick up the rest of my meds and I need to put air in my tires and I just feel so overwhelmed and out of control right now.

For now I'm just going to try to go to sleep.

Xoxoxz




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Touken Ranbu's 8th Stage Play Casts Former Takarazuka Actress as 1st Female Cast Member

Ryō Tsukamoto, Yuzuki Hoshimoto also join cast




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Princess Connect Re:Dive Anime Reveals 3 More Returning Cast Members

Kana Hanazawa, Mariko Kouda, Ayaka Ohashi return from smartphone game




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Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Happiness Memories Smartphone Game Ends Service on June 30

Game launched in October 2019




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Inuyasha Anime Gets Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon TV Spinoff This Fall

Rumiko Takahashi designs Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's daughters for reunited Sunrise team




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Girl's Twitter Thread Drips With Awkwardness

Man, you can just feel the energy of the awk being channeled in this quick Twitter thread. Real or not, just picturing this girl trying to live tweet, and then live tweeting herself into an awkward situation, is gold in and of itself. 




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Joseph Gordon-Levitt Turns Camera Back On Aggressive Paparazzi

This video is an oldie but goldie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt turns the tables on the paparazzi that were bombarding him with cameras and questions. It's a curious thing to see how the paparazzi react when being fed a ration of their own medicine. It's almost as if they don't like it, like really don't like it. 




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Senseless Tinder Jerk's Antics Catch Up With Him

Everyone should just play nice with each other. But instead, we have dudes like this guy "Evan", who run around and spill negative, toxic chaos everywhere. Evan thought he'd play a "game" with his friends by bullying a Tinder match for the way she looked, from afar. 

Well, that whole operation definitely went on to catch up with him. I would've loved to have seen that date going down, as it experienced all the (intentional) customer service disasters. I wonder if there was ever a point where it occurred to the dude, "man I wonder if all my negativity is catching up with me?" Maybe, so. 




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Terrifying Signs that make their Message Clear

There are many hazards in this world, and appropriately there are many ominous signs that speak the language of fear. You never know it there could be some hidden mine shaft or risk of monkey attack. Whether they're warning of some totally extreme danger or their scary in their own right, it's usually best to pay attention to spooky signs.





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Misplaced Mannequins That Messed With People's Brains

Man, just imagine walking around and seeing one of these mannequins in one of these bizarre positions, and the reality trip that that'd throw you for? A definite double take would be in order. Can imagine the cops being called on some of these. Mannequins are already eerie enough as it is. 




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Majestically Unprofessional "Not My Job" Moments

Work in any field long enough and you'll see your fair share of wonderfully unprofessional "not my job" moments. There's slides that go right off buildings, misspelled signs and extremely lazy line painting, just to name a few. It makes you feel good about yourself to see people's majestically incompetent "not my job" moments.




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Rotten fish smell could detect awareness in people with brain injuries

It can be difficult for doctors to assess the level of consciousness in people who have had serious brain injuries, but observing their reaction to strong odours may help




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We can't rely on rampant consumerism to get us out of this mess

Hyperconsumption adds to environmental destruction that brings people into contact with animal viruses that can spark pandemics. We have to avoid the temptation to rely on it to get us out, writes Graham Lawton




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Pondering the big question of consciousness is a welcome distraction

Our best mathematical theory of consciousness is sparking a rethink of one of science’s hardest problems – how simple matter gives rise to a complex mind




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Another professor embarrasses the professoriate

A university professor filed suit against his institution because it chastised him for inappropriate sexual behavior. He wasn’t fired, they just tut-tutted, put a black mark on his record, and told him not to do that anymore. He sued anyway, for his ego. During a class in 2013, a psychology professor at George Mason University […]




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New survey: "Millennials are less likely to want a monogamous relationship"






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Classic: Success




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Brexit: Simon Coveney says trade talks progress not good

The Irish deputy PM says time is short to reach a trade deal this year, with much still to do.




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Bank of England warns of sharpest recession on record

Bank head Andrew Bailey tells the BBC there will be no quick return to normality after the hit to jobs and income.




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India coronavirus: Why celebrating Covid-19 'success models' is dangerous

Experts tell the BBC that euphoria over success models runs the risk of people becoming complacent.




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Coronavirus: When might Hollywood reopen for business?

Cast and crews might have to quarantine together in the future when filming begins again.




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VE Day: The Queen addresses the nation

The Queen commemorates the 75th anniversary of VE Day with a televised address to the UK.




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Expressive Design Systems

Yesenia Perez-Cruz started her career as a designer at Happy Cog Philadelphia. From the first day, her design gifts were unmistakable. As her career progressed, she moved from one challenging role to another. At companies like Vox Media and Shopify, and at conferences around the world, she has been a design team leader, a popular […]

The post Expressive Design Systems appeared first on Zeldman on Web & Interaction Design.




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A panel on accessibility, design inclusion and ethics, hiring and retaining diverse talent, and landing a job in UX.

It’s one thing to seek diverse talent to add to your team, another to retain the people you’ve hired. Why do so many folks we bring in to add depth and breadth of experience to our design and business decision-making process end up leaving? Hear thoughtful, useful answers to this question and other mysteries of […]

The post A panel on accessibility, design inclusion and ethics, hiring and retaining diverse talent, and landing a job in UX. appeared first on Zeldman on Web & Interaction Design.




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A kindness

Dino works six days a week as a porter in my apartment building, cleaning walls and floors, removing trash, distributing recyclables. He’s one of those essential workers who are suddenly on the front lines. We’ve always been friendly. I’ve been hibernating in my apartment for days, because it’s what we’re all supposed to do, and […]

The post A kindness appeared first on Zeldman on Web & Interaction Design.




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Confessions of a call-centre scammer

How Indian call-centre scammers justified tricking Western victims out of hard-earned money.




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Coronavirus: 'Depression feels like my cat is sitting on my chest'

Two young people describe how the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown have affected their mental health.




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Coronavirus: The unexpected items deemed 'essential'

Cheese shops and gun stores are among the services still open in locked down places around the world.




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Coronavirus: UK chancellor on new microloan scheme for small businesses

Firms will be able to borrow up to £50,000, which will be interest free for the first year.




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Coronavirus: Brazil's outbreak 'threatens Paraguay's success'

Paraguay's president says he has reinforced the border with the worst-hit country in South America.




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Javier Ceppi, Praful Patel, and Jaime Yarza speak to the media during a press conference

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 26: L-R: Javier Ceppi, Tournament Director at LOC FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, Patel Praful and Head of FIFA Tournaments, Jaime Yarza speak to the media during a press conference ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 tournament at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 26, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)




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Javier Ceppi, Praful Patel and Jaime Yarza speak during a India 2017 press conference

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 26: L-R: Javier Ceppi, Tournament Director at LOC FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, Patel Praful and Head of FIFA Tournaments, Jaime Yarza speak to the media during a press conference ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 tournament at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 26, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)




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Praful Patel and Jaime Yarza speak to the media during an India 2017 press conference

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 26: Patel Praful and Head of FIFA Tournaments, Jaime Yarza speak to the media during a press conference ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 tournament at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 26, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)




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The dressing room of Mali team

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: The dressing room of Mali team is pictured prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 3rd Place match between Brazil and Mali at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)




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The dressing room of Brazil team

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: The dressing room of Brazil team is pictured prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 3rd Place match between Brazil and Mali at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)




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The dressing room of Mali team

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: The dressing room of Mali team is pictured prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 3rd Place match between Brazil and Mali at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)




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The dressing room of Brazil

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: The dressing room of Brazil team is pictured prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 3rd Place match between Brazil and Mali at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)




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The dressing room of Brazil team

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: The dressing room of Brazil team is pictured prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 3rd Place match between Brazil and Mali at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)




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The dressing room of Mali team

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: The dressing room of Mali team is pictured prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 3rd Place match between Brazil and Mali at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)