glass

TWO men have died while unloading glass panels from a lorry in a freak accident.

The horror unfolded in the car park of one of England’s oldest football clubs, Hitchin Town FC, on Saturday.

Emergency services were called at around 2pm, and paramedics sadly pronounced two men dead at the scene.

A third man was treated for minor injuries.

Hertfordshire Police confirmed the men had been “unloading glass panels from a lorry” when tragedy struck.

A spokesperson for the force confirmed: “Police attended an incident in the Hitchin Town Football Club car park at approximately 2pm on Saturday 6 September, following reports that two men were seriously injured.

“The men, who were unloading glass panels from a lorry parked in the overflow car park, were injured in the process.

“Two men sadly died at the scene. Their next of kins have been informed and are being supported by officers. A third man sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

“The incident is currently under investigation and enquiries continue.”

Hitchin Town Football Club has been contacted for comment.

Hitchin is the childhood home of several Premier League names, including Kevin Phillips and Jack Wilshere.

The club are seventh in Southern League Division One Central and through to the second-round qualifying of the FA Cup.

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The heart and soul of suites by Bach and Handel are often found in the slow, central sarabande, said to be a dance of Spanish origin. In Bach’s cello suites, the sarabande stops time. Watch Yo-Yo Ma play a sarabande. His eyes seem to recede under his eyelids, as though entering a profound state of hypnosis. He can make a Bach sarabande work anywhere, including on a river rafting trip with a background of gurgling water on his latest Bach recording.

The sarabande from Handel’s D-Minor Keyboard Suite is well known as the theme from “Barry Lyndon,” about to thrill Stanley Kubrick fans all over again with the new 50th anniversary 4K restoration screening Saturday night at the Egyptian.

That Handel sarabande was one of the catchy opening numbers of “Sarabande Africaine,” Ma’s joint appearance with Afropop singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo at the Hollywood Bowl on Thursday night. Ma and Kidjo met seven years ago at an event in Paris commemorating the end of the World War I. That led him to look a little deeper into music he had been playing since he was a young boy and was by now ingrained in his DNA.

And it led him to loudly exclaim, before playing the sarabande from Bach’s Second Solo Cello Suite in his short solo set, “Who knew?”

Musicologists have discovered the origin of the rhythmic patterns of what became this Baroque era vehicle for the transmigration of souls in dances carried by enslaved Africans to 16th century Spain. The church banned the sarabande for its perceived lusty eroticism. But when the dance later reached the hands of a certain German father of 20 children, Bach made sarabandes of such mystical serenity that eros equaled the sacred miracle of new life.

That Ma, an old Silk Road musical warrior, and the multifaceted Kidjo bonded is hardly surprising. But that they could put on a show with a fabulous family of African drummers, Caribbean piano and percussion, and assorted electric guitars and brass and dancers in which all the world — not just Bach but Philip Glass, Dvorak, Gershwin, Ravel, you name it — seemed to be just waiting for the right African accent, and that traditional African music needed no translation at all for some 17,000 at a near full Bowl, that was something.

Even so, Kidjo and Ma are an odd couple. Kidjo proudly transforms anything she comes into musical contact with. To hear “Summertime” in Swahili, a beautiful language for song, is indescribably touching. Kidjo added words to “Bolero.” They were not translated and didn’t need to be. Ravel’s rhythms had a riveting new freshness.

Ma’s cello, on the other hand, fits in, often remaining in the background, though not a distant background. He got into playful duets with drummers and a moving one with Kidjo as an intro to “Summertime.”

There was talk of peace, a better world where we understand each other, by both Ma and Kidjo. They demonstrated how that might work, with Kidjo commanding the stage, brilliantly dressed, while Ma, seated and in a sport coat for the first part, speaking a different yet compatible musical language. Even so, it was the big, crowd-pleasing Kidjo numbers that ultimately sent the audience home dancing.

There was, however, one particularly fascinating area of communality. Glass has written important pieces for both. Ma is featured in Glass’ 2002 score to “Naqoyqatsi,” the third in the “Qatsi” trilogy of silent documentary films by director Godfrey Reggio. Although the least known, “Naqoyqatsi” has an antiwar theme that would have fit right in with “Sarabande Africaine.”

Glass also fell under Kidjo’s spell, first composing three enchanted “Yoruba” songs for the singer, and then his Symphony No. 14 (“Lodger”) for her and premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2019. The third in another Glass trilogy, this of symphonies based on David Bowie albums, “Lodger” consists of seven Bowie songs sung by Kidjo with new music by Glass.

For “Sarabande Africaine,” Kidjo sang the first of the songs in the symphony, “Move On,” arranged for cello, piano and percussion. Ma carried the main orchestral melodic lines. Bowie, who sometimes felt the need to move on, could well have written the song for Kidjo, with lines like, “Somewhere, someone’s calling me.”

The two-hour “Sarabande Africaine,” without intermission, could get a tad preachy. The evangelical mixing of musical genres and geography had its touristy elements; however engaging and engrossing the wonder-making, it was always fleeting.

But, ironically, “Move On,” in its new setting, had the powerfully intimate feel of stopping and reflecting. This was the one composer Kidjo and Ma both knew personally. They were equals and equally at home with his style, and the movement put the moving on, the “drifting like a leaf,” “feeling like a shadow,” stumbling “like a blind man,” in revealing relief.

“Move On” ends with Ma tracing a haunting, fleeing cello response to Kidjo singing “Can’t forget you / Can’t forget you” She might have been speaking for how her audience hears her, but also of the forgetful nature of the history of music, in which we are maybe not meant to remember. You hear something, make it your own and move on.

Elbi Henshaw, 23, decided to move from London to Dubai after visiting the UAE city for a holiday and falling in love with the lifestyle

A Brit who was fed up with the “miserable” and “sedentary” life in the UK decided to move to Dubai, despite having to work six days a week to afford the “luxurious” lifestyle where a glass of wine costs a minimum of £20. Elbi Henshaw, 23, relocated to Dubai in January after holidaying there and realising how “miserable” life is in the UK.

Having previously worked in Saudi Arabia, she decided to give the famously opulent city in the UAE a go, seeking a change in lifestyle. The personal trainer, originally from Barnet, North London, moved to Dubai with financial assistance from her parents and secured full-time employment at a gym.

Eight months later, she’s settled and thriving in the city, which is a magnet for British influencers due to its beautiful weather, stunning views and luxury nightlife. However, she admits to missing UK pubs and pub culture.

Elbi revealed that it’s not all fun and games as everything is so pricey – with yoghurt costing £12 and coffee starting from £7 – that it becomes a “dog-eat-dog” lifestyle with people working six-day weeks and taking on extra work to make ends meet. Elbi is now fond of her location, but confesses she “didn’t like it at first” because it can feel “lonely” trying to establish a circle of friends in such a high-pressure environment.

Elbi stated: “In the UK, I was so depressed and miserable and everyone is so sedentary – I wanted a more active lifestyle. Out here, everyone is happier and active and they all want to be the best versions of themselves.

“I work full time, but it’s hard not to just spend all your money – you’d need about £5,000 a month here to live comfortably. But you can pick up extra work quite quickly – at the moment I work six days, but I’ll probably end up working seven.

“Paying no tax is a perk, but the cost of living out here is so expensive that it ends up the same as in the UK. But here, you get the sun and a much better lifestyle – although I miss the pubs.”

Elbi relocated to Dubai in January – initially residing in a studio flat before moving into shared accommodation with two other young women. After joining a local running club, she struck up a conversation with someone who put her in touch with a gym manager and landed her first Dubai role as a personal trainer.

She was instantly struck by the sheer amount of activities and attractions the city had to offer – from fine dining at upmarket restaurants to browsing the renowned Dubai Mall. Since she was relocating solo, Elbi admitted the initial months proved challenging whilst getting established and sorting out the necessary paperwork and banking arrangements. She quickly recognised the “fast-paced and non-stop lifestyle”, with residents frequently clocking up lengthy working weeks to fund life in the glamorous destination beloved by A-listers.

Elbi explained: “The rent is more expensive than the UK and you have to pay big deposits on things like apartments and cars. Clothing is more expensive too – and coffee is like £7 minimum, sometimes as much as £10 a cup.

“I’d say the average salary for a normal person here is like £3,000 a month, but you want more like £5,000 to live comfortably if you want to go out for meals and buy new clothes. I try to work, work, work so that I can enjoy Dubai – there are lots of group chats and apps for companies to advertise weekend work.”

However, she revealed it doesn’t amount to significantly more than life in Britain – where you’re liable for taxes – apart from Dubai’s breathtaking scenery and climate. Eight months on, she’s absolutely adoring her existence there, grafting as a personal trainer at an upmarket gymnasium frequented by “high-end clients”. She’s built friendships and has no immediate intentions of returning home.

She explained: “You have to put your ego aside and put yourself out there – I messaged other women out of the blue, inviting them for coffee.”

Elbi expressed her admiration for Dubai’s pristine conditions – as “everywhere is spotless” and “it makes you realise how dirty the UK is”. During her downtime, Elbi enjoys strolling through the air-conditioned shopping centres and visiting Dubai’s incredibly lavish cinemas.

She fills her leisure hours at the swimming pool – exclusive beach clubs like Summersalt, adored by celebrities including Molly-Mae Hague and Kady McDermott, plus Twiggy club, favoured by Paris Hilton.

Nevertheless, she acknowledged Dubai can be challenging as there’s reduced “sense of community” for young people, making romance difficult without relying on dating applications.

She said: “It’s so hard to meet guys, because there are no authentic meet-ups. People don’t stand in the streets around pubs – you have to schedule it in.

“And it’s hard to date as everyone is so busy 24/7 that you never find the time. I do miss the sense of community and pubs in the UK.

“I love it, but I can’t really imagine meeting someone out here and it becoming serious. People come out here who already have a partner or family, and the ones who are single are never looking for anything serious. I could see myself building a life here, but if I get to 27 and I’m not in a relationship, I’ll move back to the UK as I want to start a family.”

Costs in Dubai

Cappuccino 34dh – £6.86

Mince meat 25dh – £5

Strawberries 30/40dh – £6-£8

Fage yoghurt 1L 60dh – £12

Cheapest thing in Zara 130/150dh – £26/30

Glass of wine when out minimum 99dh – £20

A new list has been made of the “dirtiest” beaches in the UK as many Brits are heading to the coast this month during school summer holidays to enjoy the hot weather

Brits have been given a list of the dirtiest beaches in the UK where there have even been reports of human faeces found, according to new research.

With the exceptionally hot weather so far this year many people have taken advantage by heading to the coast on holiday and some have been left shocked at the state of the beaches they have visited. Experts have also told how there is a lot of litter which is lift behind after vast crowds turn up with plastics a particular problem as it is a hazard for local wildlife.

And for those wondering which is the dirtiest beach, Skegness Beach in Lincolnshire has been named as the worst offender, closely followed by Margate Main Sands and Formby Beach in Merseyside.

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The research was carried out by plastic waste specialists at BusinessWaste.co.uk have listed the most litter-strewn beaches in the UK. The experts analysed TripAdvisor reviews to determine how many mentioned litter on the beach.

One review of Skegness Beach from June 2025 warned: “Avoid the grass dunes between the car park and the beach. Not only do you have to dodge the dog waste you also have to with human waste and serviettes covered in faeces and left for you to tread in.”

Another visitor lamented: “Unfortunately, on the walk down the beach, we passed a lot of trash, dirty nappies and baby wipes strewn about the place in one area, and broken glass.”

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, with many tourists sharing positive experiences on TripAdvisor. Despite some comparing Skegness to North Korea and Syria as the worst place to visit, it continues to be a popular destination for many British families.

A review posted in May 2025 reads: “Skegness is a proper seaside resort. It has everything that you expect from a trip to the coast and a lot more besides. From the iconic Clock Tower to its many attractions.

“But for us the best part was the beach, immaculate golden sands with plenty of places to buy ice cream, fresh food and drinks (including beer and wine). Well done Skeggy! ! ! PS The Blue Fin Fish Bar serves battered fish that is phenomenal.”

Holidaymakers visiting Margate Main Sands have voiced comparable grievances, with assessments highlighting shattered glass, canine excrement, and human waste.

Whilst Formby Beach has received positive feedback generally, countless evaluations reference rubbish scattered across the shoreline. One visitor grumbled that they discovered the car park completely occupied by 10:30am and the coastline already packed with crowds and strewn with debris.

Numerous other beachgoers remarked on abandoned picnics, discarded disposable barbecues littering the sand, and even discovering drug-related items, reported the Express.

Graham Matthews, plastic waste specialist at BusinessWaste.co.uk, says: “Litter on the UK’s beaches turns our natural beauty spots into an eyesore and poses a huge environmental threat to marine life.

“Each year, as the weather heats up, we see a sharp rise in people flocking to the seaside, but sadly, many don’t clean up after themselves. It’s common to find food packaging, disposable BBQs, and even human and animal waste scattered across our shores.

“All this unsightly litter ruins the enjoyment of our beaches, but it also threatens local wildlife. Plastic is a particularly major hazard as it takes so long to break down naturally. Initially, this litter can endanger wildlife, entangle animals or be ingested. However, over time, plastic breaks down into smaller particles known as microplastics that find their way into water, sea life, and even our food chain.”

The UK’s most littered beaches

1. Skegness Beach, Lincolnshire
2. Margate Main Sands, Kent
3. Formby Beach, Merseyside
4. Blackpool Beach, Blackpool
5. Whitmore Bay Beach, Barry Island
6. Bournemouth Beach, Bournemouth
7. Scarborough Beach, Scarborough
8. Weston-super-Mare Beach, Somerset
9. Botany Bay, Kent
10. Clacton-on-Sea Beach, Essex

Visitors to Skegness in Lincolnshire have complained of some horrors lurking within the sand. Several reported rubbish issues, with one Tripadvisor reviewer condemning the beach as “dirty and run down”

Skegness Beach has been condemned as the grossest beach in the country.

A day at the beach—there’s nothing like it. The feeling of sand between your toes; the roar of the waves; the cool taste of a Mr Whippy. Added to this list of familiar British sensations is something a little more unpleasant.

Visitors to Skegness in Lincolnshire have complained of some horrors lurking within the sand. Several reported rubbish issues, with one Tripadvisor reviewer condemning the beach as “dirty and run down,” and another explaining that their children were “pulling out cups, straws and items of clothing from the sand.”

More alarming still, the most recent review from June 2025 recalled: “Avoid the grass dunes between the car park and the beach. Not only do you have to dodge the dog waste, you also have to deal with human waste and serviettes covered in faeces, left for you to tread in. This is what happens when you charge 40p to use the toilets.”

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Another reviewer piled in: “Not been for a couple of years and it’s really gone downhill. Everything is overgrown with weeds and the place is filthy.” While a similarly unhappy beachgoer wrote: “Dirty water, expensive car park, bad sand, not good for swimming and very dangerous. It’s overall bad—nothing good about it.”

As harsh as this criticism is, many others completely disagree. Overall, Skegness has a positive 4.3 out of 5 stars on Tripadvisor, with the overwhelming majority of comments being very positive.

One enthusiastic sunseeker wrote in May: “Skegness is a proper seaside resort. It has everything you expect from a trip to the coast and a lot more besides—from the iconic Clock Tower to its many attractions. But for us, the best part was the beach: immaculate golden sands with plenty of places to buy ice cream, fresh food and drinks (including beer and wine). Well done Skeggy!!!”

The ranking of the UK’s dirtiest beaches was compiled by BusinessWaste.co.uk.

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In second place is Margate Main Sands. Out of 851 reviews, 50 mentioned litter, giving it a percentage of 4.4%. The beach ranks as number 5 of the 75 things to do in Margate, yet many people speak of rubbish issues. Reviewers describe incidents of broken glass, dog poo, and human urine. Others talk about the nostalgia of visiting as children, but many report disappointment on returning.

Formby Beach in Merseyside lands in third place, with 3.83% of reviews mentioning litter (39 out of 731 reviews). The North West beach is well-reviewed overall with a score of 4.2, but many still report litter issues. One reviewer from May 2025 found the car park full by 10:30 a.m. and the beach already crowded and covered in rubbish. Many posts speak of picnics left behind, disposable BBQs strewn across the beach, and even drug paraphernalia.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The glasses might’ve come first. But it was a light bulb moment with the swing that made the most profound change.

Just over a month into the season this year, veteran Dodgers slugger Max Muncy was in a desperate search for answers.

Through the team’s first 30 games, his batting average started with a one and his home run total was stuck on zero. His role as the team’s starting third baseman was being called into question, fueling early-season speculation that the team would need to replace him before the trade deadline. He was absorbing daily criticism from fans, while trying not to succumb to internal self-flagellation.

The 10-year veteran had gone through cold starts before. But nothing quite so frustrating as this.

“It’s a privilege to play under this pressure, and it’s something I’ve always thrived on, but it doesn’t mean it’s been easy,” Muncy said on the last day of April. “It’s been a rough month.”

Starting that afternoon, however, Muncy made one big change. Upon learning he had astigmatism in his right eye, he began wearing glasses at the plate to balance out his vision. In his first game using them, he hit his first home run of the year.

Then, nine days later, came the real breakthrough.

After spending the entirety of the winter tinkering with his swing, and most of the opening month trying to calibrate his mechanics, everything suddenly synced up during a May 9 at-bat in Arizona.

Muncy took a quick hack at a high fastball from Diamondbacks reliever Kevin Ginkel. He lined a ninth-inning, game-tying single through the right side of the infield in the Dodgers’ eventual win at Chase Field. And he realized that, finally, he’d found a feeling in the batter’s box he’d been chasing the last several years.

A demarcation point had just been established.

And Muncy’s season has been transformed ever since.

“The funny thing about baseball is, sometimes, it just takes one swing, one play, one pitch to lock someone in,” he said. “And ever since that day, I’ve had that feeling in the back of my head. Like, ‘That’s what it’s supposed to feel like.’”

In 36 games before then, Muncy was hitting .188 with only one home run, eight RBIs and 43 strikeouts; his early days with the glasses not even leading to an immediate turnaround.

But since May 9, he has been one of the best hitters in baseball, and on one of the most prolific stretches of his entire career. Over his last 43 games, Muncy’s batting average is .313, a personal best over any span that long in the majors. He has 12 home runs and a whopping 47 RBIs, a major-league-leading total in that stretch. According to Fangraphs’ all-encompassing wRC+ statistic, only Ronald Acuña Jr., Cal Raleigh, Aaron Judge and Ketel Marte have been more productive at the plate.

And, most important, he has re-established himself as a central cog in the Dodgers’ lineup.

“He’s one of our most trusted hitters,” manager Dave Roberts said this past weekend. “I haven’t always been able to say that.”

Being a better, more trusted hitter has been a work in progress for Muncy ever since the devastating elbow injury he suffered at the end of 2021.

In Muncy’s prime years with the Dodgers from 2018-2021, he not only blossomed as one of the best sluggers in baseball by belting 118 home runs over a four-year stretch, but did so while posting a .246 batting average and .371 on-base-percentage; solid marks for a power threat occupying a key role in the middle of the Dodgers’ order.

At the core of that all-around approach was an ability to handle pitches to all parts of the plate — none more important than elevated fastballs at the top of the strike zone.

Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy writhes in pain after colliding with the Milwaukee Brewers’ Jace Peterson during the final regular-season game in 2021.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“When I’m going well, I’m a really good high-fastball hitter,” Muncy said earlier this year.

“When Max is covering that pitch,” added hitting coach Aaron Bates, “it allows him to do so many other things as a hitter.”

Coming off his elbow injury, however, getting to high heat became a weakness in Muncy’s game. For much of the next two years, when he still hit for power but batted only a combined .204, he felt “it was really hard to replicate” his old swing. Last year, he made some incremental progress — when he batted .232 — but was stalled by an oblique strain that cost him the middle three months of the season.

Thus, this winter, Muncy set his mind to rediscovering his old mechanics.

“It really wasn’t that big of a change,” he said. “It was just going back to what I did when I first got here from 2018 to 2021. The same philosophy I had all those years.”

The work started in January, when Bates and fellow Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc visited Muncy at his home in Texas and crafted a simple focus for the 34-year-old’s offseason work: Purposely practice hitting grounders and line drives on a lower trajectory, in hopes it would train his swing to stay on top of the ball even on pitches up in the zone.

“You know he’s naturally going to have loft in his swing to elevate the baseball easily,” Bates said. “So that was a focus point for him, making sure he can hit a hard line drive on a pitch up in the zone, not necessarily trying to elevate it more than he needs to.”

A sound theory, with some disastrous early results.

At the start of the year, Muncy’s new swing thought bred other unexpected bad habits. In his effort to stay on top of the ball, he was opening up his backside and letting his front shoulder drift too far forward at the start of his move. As a result, Muncy had trouble squaring the ball and keeping his bat level through the strike zone. It led to not only a lack of power, but a diminished ability to distinguish the kind of pitches being thrown — evidenced by a nearly 32% strikeout rate in April that was seventh-highest among MLB hitters.

“That’s where it’s tough playing the sport,” Muncy said. “Because you can’t chase results immediately, even though you kind of have to. You have to chase the process in the long run.”

And even as external pressure over his dwindling production mounted, Muncy said the club’s coaches and front office assured him he’d have time to keep working through it.

“It’s easier to stick with something long-term when that’s the case,” Muncy said. “And for me, that’s been my entire career. Trust the process, not the result.”

During late April, Muncy’s process included a visit to the same eye doctor who had diagnosed Kiké Hernández with eye astigmatism last year; a discovery that prompted Hernández to start wearing glasses, and keyed a sudden offensive turnaround in the second half of the season.

Turned out, Muncy had a similar problem. Though his vision was 20/12, astigmatism in his right eye had made him left-eye dominant, a subtle but limiting dynamic for a left-handed hitter.

Thus, on the last day of the month, Muncy also started wearing prescription-lensed glasses, and christened the new eyewear with a home run in his first game using them.

“It’s not necessarily something that I need,” Muncy said. “But just any chance at all it evens out both eyes for me, I’ve been taking it.”

Yet, in his first week using them, he still went just six-for-28 with nine strikeouts and only five walks. He was still grinding through his adjustments to his mechanics. He was still waiting for one swing where everything would feel synced up.

When Muncy came to the plate in that May 9 game against the Diamondbacks to face Ginkel, he surveyed the situation, put his swing mechanics out of his head, and tried to focus on only one objective.

“It was guy on second, no outs,” Muncy recalled, “so I was trying to give up the at-bat, get the ball on the ground to the right side of second base, and move the runner from second to third.”

Throughout his career, this is when Muncy is at his best. When his mind isn’t clouded by the pressure to produce, or the particulars of his swing. When he’s “going out there and just trying to play the situation,” he explained. “Like, ‘What is my at-bat calling for in this moment?’”

And on that day in Arizona, with the Dodgers trailing by one run in the ninth, that simplified mindset gave Muncy his moment of long-awaited clarity.

Ginkel threw a 95 mph fastball up near Muncy’s chest. The slugger hit it with the kind of quick, level swing he’d spent all winter attempting to craft.

As the ball rocketed through the right side of the infield for a game-tying single, Muncy felt a lightbulb go off as he pulled into first base.

Fans cheer as the Dodgers’ Max Muncy rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam on June 22 against the Washington Nationals.

(Luke Johnson/Los Angeles Times)

“I was so short and direct to it, it just triggered something in my head,” Muncy said. “It kind of took all the stuff I’d been working on, even going back to the winter, and was like, ‘OK, this is how I’m trying to get it to feel.’”

Muncy hasn’t looked back ever since.

By being able to cover the top of the strike zone, he hasn’t had to cheat on fastballs or hunt on tougher pitches to hit around his knees. When coupled with the glasses that have helped him better differentiate velocity from spin, he’s been able to be selective and wait out mistakes.

“There’s been spells in his career where it was the three [true] outcomes and that was it,” Roberts said, long a believer in Muncy’s ability to be a more potent hit collector, rather than just a high-powered, high-strikeout slugging presence. “Now, I think he’s a complete hitter. So you see the runs batted in, the homers, the quality of at-bats all tick up.”

During this torrid two-month stretch, highlights have come in bunches for Muncy. He’s had two seven-RBI games and another with six. He hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning against the New York Mets on June 3. He had two grand slams in the span of three games last week.

He has gone from the subject of trade deadline rumors to a fan-voting finalist to make the All-Star Game.

He knows it’s still only been two months; that, in a sport as fickle as baseball, the feeling he has discovered at the plate can just as quickly disappear again.

But for the first time in years, he’s healthy, in sync and possessing total clarity — in both vision and mind — every time he steps to the dish.

“This is definitely more of what I was envisioning,” Muncy said this weekend, reflecting back on the early-season struggles and laborious swing work over the winter that preceded his two-month tear.

“Now, I have the confidence to know I can accomplish pretty much anything I want to do for that situation. Whereas, before, you don’t always have that.”

The concrete walls of the David Geffen Galleries were still bare Thursday evening. The landscaping outside was still settling in, and pockets of construction were still visible. But the minute the music poured out of the upstairs entryway, it finally hit: The new LACMA was actually here.

After five years of construction, so much debate about its scale, design and ambitions, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art held its first event Thursday night inside the Peter Zumthor-designed building. A sprawling, immersive concert by composer and SoCal jazz hero Kamasi Washington called for multiple bands, each with about a dozen musicians, to play site-specific arrangements throughout the empty galleries before art has been installed. A woodwind ensemble overlooked Park La Brea through floor-to-ceiling glass; a choir stacked harmonies that floated over the span of the structure as it crossed Wilshire Boulevard.

Hundreds of VIPs and members of the media took it all in. The project has its skeptics, including how the museum’s permanent collection will function in it. But for now, museum members could slink about the echoing halls of L.A.’s newest landmark and ponder the possibilities.

Guests at the sneak peek inside the new building Thursday cross a glass-lined expanse that crosses over Wilshire Boulevard.

LACMA Director Michael Govan addresses members of the media assembled for the first public peek inside the empty building, which still needs to complete some construction details and install the art before opening, targeted for April 2026.

The design of the museum has morphed over the years, from a dark, curvaceous amoeba-like form that echoed the nearby La Brea Tar Pits to a design that retains the curves up top but shifts to rectilinear glass on the galleries level below.

The preview event Thursday featured musicians staged throughout the building.

Preview events give museum members a chance to view Zumthor’s design before art is installed. One of the lingering questions is how the concrete walls will fare given the museum’s new plan to shift from permanent collection displays to ever-rotating exhibitions — and all the rehanging of artworks that will be required.

The setting sun casts long shadows from visitors looking out toward the rooftop of Renzo Piano’s Resnick Pavilion and, off in the distance on the left, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ domed terrace.

Artist Tony Smith’s installation “Smoke” has a new home outside the David Geffen Galleries. The museum recently announced the addition of a forthcoming Jeff Koons’ sculpture, “Split-Rocker.”

When the new building opens in April 2026, LACMA has said, the ticketing process will be handled at kiosks on the ground level.

Inside another one of the galleries. Some of the architecture-circle speculation about the building has centered on the finish of the building’s concrete, inside and out.

The view from the David Geffen Galleries as it crosses Wilshire Boulevard.

Times art critic Christopher Knight, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his early analysis of the LACMA building plan, and Times music critic Mark Swed attended the preview concert event Thursday. Check back for their first impressions of the new space.

SPENDING the day cleaning the bathroom isn’t a task any of us wants to do.

And there’s one job in particular that drives all of us berserk – cleaning shower doors.

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The shower door often looks messy, and there’s not a lot you can do to prevent it.

The water we use often leaves hard limescale stains on the glass while soap scum from scrubbing our bodies sticks on too.

Fortunately, one cleaning whiz has shared the cheap hack that will get your shower doors squeaky clean in seconds.

Taking to social media, they shared a clip of their shower door which was covered in stubborn water stains.

But instead of spending hours scrubbing at it, they shared the hack to get it off in seconds.

The best part is that you definitely already have the product in your bathroom.

The cleaning pro took a tube of toothpaste and applied a pea-size amount to the shower door.

They then took a regular washing up sponge that was damp and began to rub the toothpaste on the glass.

Once done, they turned the shower on and rinsed off the toothpaste.

In just a few seconds, the glass had become squeaky clean once again.

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You can buy a tube of toothpaste for 75p from Waitrose making the hack cost just 5p a time.

The clip posted to their TikTok account @heyyy.j7 went viral with over 10 million views and 118k likes.

People were quick to try it themselves while others shared their own cleaning hacks.

One person wrote: “Um, sorry, WHAT?? I saw this and got out of bed at 23:30 to try. Why am I only learning this now??”

Another commented: “That’s crazy clear.”

“Does that really work” penned a third.

Meanwhile a fourth said: “Fabric softener is better – cheaper and smells nice.”

“Shaving cream will make it so it doesn’t fog for like a week,” claimed a fifth.

Someone else added: “Use a window squeegee after every use. No stains.”

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