A-Town Magazine
Powerball ticket sales begin Tuesday in the United Kingdom
Powerball ticket sales in the United Kingdom will begin Tuesday, giving players across the Atlantic a chance at winning the same massive jackpot that U.S. players already play for — with the same minuscule odds. The expansion, first announced in April through an agreement between the Multi-State Lottery Association in the U.S. and Allwyn UK, […]
A gardener’s guide to 5 orchids that mimic animals, insects and even a naked man
Like most gardeners, I occasionally stumble upon fruits and flowers that resemble something else. But a naked man was not on my botanical bingo card. Sure, tomatoes can be mischievous, taking on the shape of horned animals, Russian dolls, large-nosed characters and even unmentionables when exposed to extreme temperatures and vivid imaginations. But I thought […]
Luke Skywalker’s ‘Empire Strikes Back’ lightsaber with severed hand attached auctioned for $3.75M
LOS ANGELES | A lightsaber with Luke Skywalker’s severed hand from “The Empire Strikes Back” has sold for $3.75 million at auction. Heritage Auctions announced the results of its Hollywood & Entertainment Signature Auction on Monday. The lightsaber, used onscreen by Mark Hamill in the climactic Cloud City fight where Darth Vader declares “I am […]
Cut the number of choices you make each day. Your brain will thank you
Jeans that fit perfectly. The ideal Netflix show for a Tuesday night. Your one and only soulmate. Modern life promises that with enough options, you will happily find the best of everything. But behavioral scientists say the increasing flood of choices — whether it comes to shopping, social lives or relationships — is doing the […]
A centuries-old festival in Japan brings Shinto traditions and towering floats to the streets
KYOTO, Japan | There’s a special moment when Katsushi Horikawa feels closer to the gods. It comes as he rides atop one of the towering floats pulled through the streets in a centuries-old procession in Japan. This is the Gion Matsuri festival, born more than 1,000 years ago as a ritual to ward off epidemics […]
Japanese beetle advances through northern Italy’s vineyards and orchards, frustrating farmers
DONNAS, Italy | The iridescent green beetles native to Japan have become a growing menace in Italy, swarming through orchards and vineyards and leaving behind devastating lattice patterns in leaves that weaken the plants and reduce production. The Popillia japonica, or Japanese beetle, is a familiar pest in the United States, where it arrived more […]
DNA from bones on a Revolutionary War battlefield solves the case of ‘America’s oldest John Doe’
After 246 years, Pvt. John Pumphrey is unknown no more. Through DNA testing and old-fashioned sleuthing, the Maryland teenager who died in one of the last big battles of the American Revolution can now take his place in history, just in time for the 250th birthday of the nation he fought to create. “There was […]
What to Stream: Charli xcx, ‘The Dink,’ ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ and ’72 Hours’
Charli xcx’s new album and a pickleball movie starring Jake Johnson are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: the “Big Bang Theory” spin-off “Stuart Fails to Save the […]
Not Greek to them. Scholars question Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’
NEW YORK | For Greek translator Emily Wilson, the release of director Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has been gratifying in various ways. Her acclaimed 2017 edition of Homer’s epic has reached the top 5 on Amazon.com, leading a wave of similar books boosted by the movie. Nolan has even cited her translation, notably the opening […]
Toronto International Film Festival sets lineup with films by Chris Rock, Peter Farrelly
NEW YORK | The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled the bulk of the lineup to its 51st edition on Monday, setting world premieres for Chris Rock’s drama “Misty Green” and Peter Farrelly’s Sylvester Stallone film “I Play Rocky.” TIFF, North America’s largest film festival, annually hosts some of the fall’s most anticipated titles. On Monday, […]