BlinkDash

Henry Kissinger‘I’m doing what I can to keep this man’s legacy from being a master politician,’ says woman who wrote viral copypasta On 31 October, I received an emoji-filled text that screamed: “THOT-O-WEEN is upon us.” While taking a break from Turkey Day baking last week, I got another wishing me a “HAPPY SPANXGIVING”. Such is the horny holiday copypasta text. It’s practically a gen Z and millennial tradition. These texts resemble the chain emails that were popular at the dawn of the digital inbox: send this generic spooky story to 15 people, or you’ll be dead by midnight.

Brazil This article is more than 10 years oldThis article is more than 10 years oldCritics say clearup of São Paulo district violates users' rights and is driven by business interests, yet ex-addicts back moveSome call it a human zoo or a horror show, others a zombie tourist attraction or Brazil's shame. But the most common name for the district south-west of São Paulo's Luz station is Cracolândia. Drug users, many wrapped in dirty blankets, lie on the pavement or are slumped on stained sofas.

Observer New Review Q&ASophie OkonedoInterviewSophie Okonedo: ‘I’m a really emotional person – I sometimes feel like all my skin is off’Kate KellawayThe award-winning actor on taking on the challenge of Medea, her love of cycling, and playing the long game in TV’s Slow Horses Sophie Okonedo, 54, is one of our most extraordinary actors, now starring as Medea at @sohoplace theatre in London and giving a heart-flaying tour de force of a performance as Euripides’s tragic child-slayer.

In Animal Farm (1989 onwards), depictions of world leaders, each with the body of a beast, overlay Orwell’s parable. Painting by Tim Rollins and the KOS; courtesy Maureen Paley, LondonIn Animal Farm (1989 onwards), depictions of world leaders, each with the body of a beast, overlay Orwell’s parable. Painting by Tim Rollins and the KOS; courtesy Maureen Paley, LondonArtObituaryTim Rollins obituaryArtist whose collaboration with young New Yorkers the Kids of Survival pioneered socially engaged conceptual artTim Rollins, who has died aged 62 of cardiovascular disease, was a conceptual artist and pioneer of socially engaged art.

Germany: the accidental empireAdvertising This article is more than 11 years oldThis article is more than 11 years oldThe Audi catchphrase, borrowed by John Hegarty of BBH from a faded poster in Ingolstadt, has become an advertising legendVorsprung durch Technik: Sir John Hegarty on how a catchphrase was coined The Guardian and BBHWhen Sir John Hegarty saw a faded poster on a factory wall in Ingolstadt 30 years ago, he didn't realise he was looking at a catchphrase that would transform the image of an entire country.

Weather trackerCaliforniaAnalysisWeather tracker: why is it so cold in California at the moment?Azure Prior (Metdesk)Precipitation has made western US very cold and wet, with one ski lodge declaring snowiest season on record Over recent months there has been a recurring theme in weather news about how wet and unsettled western parts of the US have been, particularly in the normally sunny state of California. This has been caused by frequent atmospheric rivers funnelling into western North America, and a recent analysis by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography found that over the course of this water year (1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023) 31 atmospheric river events have affected the west coast so far.

Ask JackGDPRBarbara is constantly being interrupted by pop-ups about the new GDPR. Is there anything she can do? Because of GDPR, it feels as though my internet access – my access to information – is now more restricted. I am constantly being interrupted by pop-ups that want me to agree to the website’s privacy policy, use of my data and so on, in order to “personalise my experience”. After recent revelations about unauthorised use of personal data, I’m wary of agreeing without checking what their proposals are, but I often just close the page because there are too many options and it’s too much of a bother.

China This article is more than 14 years oldChina to open first sex theme parkThis article is more than 14 years oldLove Land in Chongqing aims to address taboo and improve sex education but many residents see it as vulgarMaybe it was the giant revolving model of a woman's legs and lower torso, clad only in an unflattering crimson thong, or perhaps it was the oversized replica of a set of genitals.

ExperienceMafia'I knew the mafia were accused of crimes, from murder to racketeering, but I was too young to understand what it meant'My first inkling that my family was different came when I was six and found a gun hidden under my dad's bed. I knew he'd served in Vietnam and assumed it was from then. I even told friends how proud I felt: my father, the brave soldier. A teacher overheard me talking about the gun and quietly mentioned it to my parents.