Latest news with #orange
Irish Times
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange
Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange Author : Katie Goh ISBN-13 : 978-1805301738 Publisher : Canongate Guideline Price : £16.99 I'll be honest with you, I don't even like oranges. They're too messy. Drippy, sticky; forever associated in my mind with my schoolmates' grubby little fingers clawing at the thick glossy skin at breaktimes or on the bus. Ugh! Somebody give that child a wet wipe. But for the Irish writer and critic Katie Goh, the messiness of the orange is exactly the point. As her superbly reflective, restive, and revealing book shows, this fruit that many of us take for granted has a fascinating and thoroughly messy history. Its millenniums-long narrative criss-crosses the globe from western China to southern California and back again, cropping up all over the place, especially in accounts that the author refuses to clean up or sanitise – of colonial expansion, racialised bigotry, and capitalist exploitation. 'The orange is a souvenir of history,' she writes, 'entangled with the story of migration, of exile, and of invasion'. It's tangled up with her own story, too. She started writing the book in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Atlanta on March 17th, 2021, that left six Asian women dead at the hands of a white male supremacist. Anti-Asian sentiment had risen sharply during the pandemic, but this was a terrifying escalation. She remembers: 'The morning after a white man murdered six Asian women, I ate five oranges.' READ MORE Out of this moment, charged with shock and horror, where the eating of oranges was like grieving, like a tribute to those who were murdered, came an impulse to trace the roots of her identity in parallel with the oranges she held in her hands. Goh was born and raised outside Belfast, the child of an Irish mother and a Chinese father, in a place that was 99 per cent white; so white, she says, that she could count on the fingers of one hand the non-white children in her school. When she was growing up, she felt her difference acutely but couldn't really inhabit it. Being mixed-race, she found herself pulled in two directions, falling between categories – 'not Asian or White but Other'. She also had an inkling that she was queer, 'not Straight or Gay but Other'. Lingering in this space of otherness instilled in her a lifelong feeling of dislocation, and a desire for connection 'to a place, to a history, to a sense of belonging'. Foreign Fruit tracks her pursuit of that connection alongside a global history of the orange, which becomes for her 'a talisman, a compass, an anchor, a map', inextricable from its origins in Chinese antiquity. The first mention of oranges can be found in the Shūjīng, the ancient Chinese documents compiled by Confucius as early as 500 BC, and Goh's book starts in China, with a trip to Fujian, where her father's people once lived before they emigrated to Malaysia. From the sparsely populated villages of her ancestors, she travels to the heaving streets of Chang'an, the world's marketplace, haggling with a fruit vendor in the town 'where the Silk Roads begin and end and where they begin anew'. Returning to Europe, in the Netherlands, she reflects on the spoils of colonial warfare and greed represented by a Willem Kalf still life of an orange and a lemon dating from 1660. In Vienna, she visits the Schönbrunn Orangerie, an ostentatious symptom of the 'citrusmania' that spread across Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Crossing the Atlantic, she delivers a detailed and emotional investigation of the orange's history in California that confronts the violent impact on immigrant communities of the early-20th century 'orange rush'. Goh is a bold new voice in Irish writing. In less capable hands, a personal history of the orange could be an opportunity merely to write one's life in citrus, to absorb one into the other. But as the author reminds us, there are dangers in taking people for plants, which have historically threatened people of colour: eugenicists in the late-19th and early 20th centuries, for instance, endeavoured to 'control, curtail, cull' non-white populations as they did their orange groves. The sophistication of Goh's thinking shows itself in the glimmer of daylight she leaves between human and fruit. Foreign Fruit is a stunning, stylish search for origins reminiscent of books like Saidiya Hartman's Lose Your Mother, and the work of queer writers like James Baldwin, who called himself 'a stranger everywhere' and whose rootlessness was a creative wellspring. 'The borders between what is native and what is foreign become hazier as we step back into the past,' remarks Goh, and her forays across the world and through time attest to the power and the imaginative richness of movement, migration, messiness – the in-between of assumed positions. 'The world is made of hybrids,' she writes. 'Purity is an illusion.' Dr Diarmuid Hester is a cultural historian, activist, and author
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Sydney sky turns orange courtesy of rare weather phenomenon
Sydney 's skies have been tinted orange following an enormous dust storm in South Australia. Destructive winds whipped up dust storms over SA on Monday. Strong westerlies then swept up more topsoil overnight and a wind stream carried the dust and sand over Victoria to reach eastern NSW by Tuesday morning. The topsoil was vulnerable to being swept up following a lengthy spell of dry weather over much of SA with many places in the south experiencing record-breaking low rainfall in recent months. The 'dust front' was perceptible on satellite images on Monday over SA and western Victoria. The cloud of dust had stretched an estimated 600km by 3pm yesterday, covering parts of eastern SA, northwest Victoria and southwest NSW. By Tuesday morning it could be seen as a brown mass hanging over the Tasman Sea. The dust thinned considerably over the journey but remained thick enough to treat Sydneysiders to a rare orange glow over the city. The weather event is rare, with the last major dust storm to reach Sydney in 2009 turning the sky a deep orange colour for days and dumping thousands of tonnes of dirt into Sydney Harbour. Weatherzone's Anthony Sharwood said the dust storm did not come out of the blue. 'Take the driest 15-month spell in a century-and-a-half of records. Add the strongest cold front of the year to date with winds gusting up to 80km/h,' he wrote. 'And presto, a massive South Australian dust storm a few days out from winter.' Visibility was heavily impacted throughout the morning by the dust. 'Observations from Canberra Airport reported haze overnight, with visibility reduced to around 5-6 km for more than one hour as the dust blew over the ACT,' Weatherzone said. 'Similar visibility reductions were also reported in other areas of the Illawarra and South Coast regions of NSW. 'Sydney Airport's aviation forecast, which is used to help safely plan and operate flights, also warned of blowing dust on Tuesday morning.' The Bureau of Meteorology said there would be 'morning dust' on Tuesday. But it also added there would be further winds to lash the NSW coast later in the day. A severe weather warning is in place for damaging winds in the Illawarra and parts of the Mid North Coast, Hunter region, South Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands. The warning is also in place for the Snowy Mountains, Northern Tablelands, North West Slopes and Plains districts. The dust is expected to continue to move over the Tasman and clear from the coastal regions. Rain is also expected to briefly return to flood-battered areas of NSW's east. It is possible showers will develop again later in the week in the regions. Wind conditions will ease overnight as general conditions begin to calm.
Daily Record
27-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Beauty products for the best night's sleep - from hair masks to lip treatments
There's nothing worse than a terrible night's sleep , especially with that early alarm looming. Many of us find it hard to wind down at night, with the hopes a soak in the bath may help. Beauty products that promote a good night's rest is on the rise. Many ingredients such as lavender and chamomile have been proven to help ease you off into a peaceful slumber. Let's take a look at some beauty steals that can help you unwind and relax, perfectly set up for that good night's rest. This sleep eye mask from John Lewis currently has 20 percent off down to £14.40 from £18. Reviews have raved over the "excellent" quality, and the relaxing silk material, making the perfect remedy for a good snooze. One person hailed it as "exceptionally soft" and despite its light tone, is successful in blocking out the sun rays to make sure you aren't disturbed. An alternative, and with 23 percent off currently on Amazon, is MyHalos 100% Blackout Sleep Masks for only £9.99, down from its original price of £12.99. It includes a handy storage pouch making it ideal for travel too, and can be doubled up as a blindfold. Thanks to its 3D design, it also makes it a better option for those wearing any type of lash extensions. Dose 3.0 Sleep Serum Hair Oil (£26) - This lavender-scented hydrating overnight treatment revives dry, tired hair, boosting softness and manageability, while its strengthening properties help prevent breakage. Sleep Lip Mask (£16) - Wake up to softer, smoother, and more nourished lips with this overnight treatment. The cooling metal applicator delivers an indulgent blend of peptides, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E to replenish lips. One Side Silk Pillowcase (£29) - Designed to reduce hair breakage and keep your hair looking sleek and smooth. Limited-Edition Lilac Sleep Collection Bag - (free with set) Sleepy Head's relaxing bath salt blend combines Organic Lavender and Frankincense essential oils with the powerful benefits of Himalayan and Epsom Salts. Calm your mind and body as you soak in this natural, mineral rich product. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, BetterYou's magenisum sleep flakes have highly-rated reviews on Amazon, priced at just £8.40 for a 1kg bag. It may seem like an oversight for some people, but laying out the perfect canvas is also an important step in a nightly routine for a good night's rest. This relaxing L'Occitane essential oil spray is effective at creating a soothing sensation, conducive to a peaceful, relaxing night's sleep. Blending essential oils of lavender, bergamot, mandarin, sweet orange and geranium known for their relaxing properties, it can be sprayed in your bedroom to create a calming atmosphere that promotes a feeling of peace and well-being. A cheaper alternative which is also highly-rated is the Body Shops' Sleep Calming Pillow Mist , which retails slightly cheaper at £20. They also offer free UK delivery, and with a nearly perfect review scoring of 4.7 it could be worth giving a go. Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Axios
03-04-2025
- General
- Axios
Best building winner: The Guardian Building
Most tours of Detroit include the Guardian Building — and for good reason. Why it matters: In a recent poll, our readers overwhelmingly crowned the Guardian Building as Detroit's top historic structure, celebrated for its colorful grandeur that evokes both churches and banks. By the numbers: Out of 253 votes, the Guardian earned nearly 28% (70 votes), followed by the Fisher Building with 18% (45). Michigan Central came in close behind with 15% (38), then the DIA, Belle Isle Conservatory, Masonic Temple and Renaissance Center. Between the lines: Nearly 13% of you chose to write in a candidate. Reader Paul C. went with the First National Building — a historic downtown gem he says "doesn't get enough love." It was designed in a Z shape so its offices could get natural light. Flashback: The Guardian Building was built for the Union Trust Co. with 1.8 million unique "Guardian orange"-colored bricks and opened in 1929, according to Historic Detroit. The building's ornate three-story lobby showcases vibrant geometric Aztec designs, along with Rookwood and Pewabic pottery, per Historic Detroit. Strangely enough, horsehair mats cover the ceiling in the lobby and the adjacent, stunningly constructed banking hall, making the space feel quieter than it should. Intricately painted canvas covers the hair. The bottom line: The Fisher and Michigan Central get a lot of press, but the Guardian just couldn't be stopped.
