mistakes

STRANGER Things star David Harbour admitted he has “made mistakes” over the last 10 years just WEEKS before ex-wife Lily Allen released her bombshell album.

The couple, who split after a five year marriage in February this year, have had their relationship thrust into the spotlight after Lily’s blistering attack on her marriage on new album, West End Girl.

The 14-track album was dropped last week, but shortly before the release, Harbour briefly spoke about ‘regrets’ while promoting the upcoming final season of Stranger Things.

Talking to Esquire Spain, Harbour was asked to reflect on the past decade of his life in line with how long he has played burly cop Jim Hopper on the show.

He responded by calling it a “hard question” and, while not addressing Lily specifically, he said: “I would change either everything or nothing. 

“You either accept your path completely and realise that even the pain and the slip-ups and the mistakes are all part of the journey, and that there’s truth and growth, wisdom and deeper empathy and connection in all that.”

SHOCK CLAIMS

David Harbour faces claims he ‘harassed & bullied’ co-star Millie Bobby Brown

who’s she

Lily Allen has dig at ex David Harbour & dresses as his ‘mistress’ for Halloween

“It’s kind of like a house of cards,” he added. “The minute you try to change one thing you kind of have to change it all.”

Ultimately he said he’d change “everything” and “just make his life happy and silly”, though it would “suck” not to be an actor.

West End Girl

On West End Girl, Lily chronicles her relationship with Harbour, starting with their whirlwind relationship after meeting on Raya in 2019 and setting up their life together in New York.

However, she notes things began to unravel after she landed a part in a West End production of 2:22 A Ghost Story, which required her to come back to London.

She then accuses him of getting close to a woman she names “Madeline”, despite them having an “arrangement” for him to sleep with other people.

Mentioning her on the track ‘Tennis’, fans were abuzz with the question: “Who the f**k is Madeline?”

While Lily has said the album, which features alleged dates and supposed voice notes, is a mixture of fact and fiction, the the real life “Madeline” has spoken out, with New Orleans based costume designer Natalie Tippett, 34, claiming to have been involved in the fling.

David and Natalie reportedly began an affair while working on 2021 film We Have A Ghost, despite marrying Lily the previous year in Las Vegas.

He later allegedly flew Natalie to his home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since the album has been released, Harbour has not commented on the claims on the songs – which took Lily 10 days to make and record.

It’s also unclear where the line between fact and fiction stands on the album.

Despite this, Lily made another dig at her ex – dressing up as cartoon character Madeline for Halloween as she partied with friends in Los Angeles.

The Nasdaq Composite‘s brutal 3.6% sell-off on Oct. 10 was a painful reminder of how quickly growth stocks can sell off when doubt creeps in. Friday’s tumble marked the worst session since April during the height of trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

The sell-off was a reaction to the U.S. threatening an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports as a retaliation for China’s stricter export controls on rare-earth minerals and magnets. These materials and products are used across economic sectors, including semiconductors and technological equipment with artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

On Oct. 12, reports indicated that China would not back down against escalated tariff threats from the U.S.

Investors often talk about buying opportunities when the market is selling off. But it can be just as helpful to be aware of potential mistakes and prevent them before they do damage to your portfolio. Here are three that apply to AI growth stock investors who are preparing for next year.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Having an overly concentrated AI portfolio

A common mistake is to overly focus on one facet of a value chain.

For example, an investor may own Nvidia (NVDA -0.17%), Broadcom, and Advanced Micro Devices as a way to diversify across different AI chip designers. The issue is that many of these companies have the same customers. For example, OpenAI is buying chips from all three companies to build out 10 gigawatts of data centers. If OpenAI were to cut its spending, it could affect the earnings of all three companies.

Similarly, equipment suppliers like Applied Materials, Lam Research, and ASML all share the same largest customers — which are semiconductor manufacturers like Taiwan Semiconductor, Samsung Electronics, and Intel. So if Taiwan Semi cuts its spending, it would reduce earnings across the semiconductor equipment supplier industry.

Further down the value chain are the cloud computing giants like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Alphabet-owned Google Cloud, and Oracle. These companies benefit from increased AI spending, but they also serve general computing and storage needs. A slowdown in AI spending, or a widespread economic downturn, could reduce demand for additional cloud computing usage across major corporations.

By building out an AI portfolio across the value chain rather than focusing on one segment, you can help reduce volatility and limit the damage of an industry-specific pullback.

2. Ignoring position sizing

Portfolio sizing and allocation are just as important as the stocks and exchange-traded funds owned. You don’t want to be so diversified that your best ideas don’t make a big impact, but you also don’t want to be overly concentrated to the point where a handful of stocks can damage your financial health.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to diversification. But factors to consider include investment goals, investment time horizon, and risk tolerance.

A risk-averse investor would probably want to limit the size of a single stock in their financial portfolio, whereas an investor with a high risk tolerance and a multi-decade time horizon may not mind betting big on a handful of stocks, especially if they are still making new contributions to their investment accounts.

3. Buying stocks and not companies

Building a diversified portfolio isn’t enough. In fact, it’s not even the most important factor.

Arguably, the greatest mistake investors can make when approaching AI is to invest in stocks rather than companies. In other words, focusing too much on price action and potential gains rather than on what a company does and where it could be headed.

Peter Lynch’s investment advice to “know what you own, and why you own it,” still rings true today. Without conviction, a concoction of emotion and volatility can corrode the foundations of even the strongest portfolios. An investor may hold positions in stocks just because they are going up, even if those gains are temporary, because they don’t have to do with the underlying investment thesis.

The best investments are the ones you can put a decent amount of your portfolio into and be confident in owning, even if they suffer an extreme sell-off — like we saw in April during the height of trade tensions. If someone bought Nvidia just to make a quick buck, they may have been tempted to sell it when it fell by over 37% from its high in early April. Or when it dropped over 55% from its high in 2022. But someone investing in Nvidia for its multi-decade potential in AI data centers would have had an easier time holding the stock throughout these volatile periods.

Unlocking lasting success in the stock market

Diversifying across the AI value chain in companies you understand and with an awareness of portfolio sizing can help you build a portfolio that’s built to last, rather than one that can get hot only if the conditions are right.

Long-term investors know that success is more about making consistently good decisions over an extended period, rather than a few great ideas wedged between mediocrity and mistakes.

AI stocks have generated monster returns for patient investors, and many have the potential to create lasting generational wealth going forward. But those gains could take time, with many bumps along the way.

No one knows when the next major stock market sell-off will occur. Instead of guessing the timing and severity of a sell-off, it’s better to put your effort into following great companies and limiting mistakes.

In sum, diversification, conviction, and good companies are components that can help you build an investment suspension system capable of absorbing sell-off shocks.

If you’re looking to change your body shape, we’ve got you covered.

Here, Laura Hoggins, a personal trainer and author, takes you through your new workout plan.

Your New Workout 

Include a few compound movements in each workout, which work multiple muscles and joints at once. Do eight to 12 reps in each set.

“Women should lift heavy enough that the last two to three reps of a set are challenging but doable with good form,” says Laura.

You can use dumbbells or a barbell for these exercises:

SQUATS 

5

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand, letting them hang at your sides. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, chest up, and core tight.
• Initiate the squat by pushing your hips back, as if you are reaching for a chair behind you.
• Bend your knees and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or as low as you can comfortably go while keeping your back straight and chest up). Keep the dumbbells close to your sides.
• Push through your heels and the middle of your feet to powerfully drive back up to the starting position.
• At the top, fully straighten your legs and squeeze your glutes for a complete repetition.

Try a goblet squat with one, heavier dumbbell held at the chest, or with a barbell on your upper back/neck.

DEADLIFTS

5

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bend over and grip the bar with your hands just outside your shins.
• With the bar still on the floor, bend your knees until your shins touch the bar. The bar should be going across the mid-foot. Keep your hips low, chest up, and back straight. Take a big breath and brace your core.
• Drive through your heels, pushing the floor away. Stand up by extending your knees and hips simultaneously. Keep the bar in contact with your body (dragging it up your shins).
• Finish the lift by standing tall. Squeeze your glutes together and lock your hips and knees.
• To lower the bar again, hinge at your hips first, keeping your back straight, and allow the bar to descend down your thighs. Once the bar passes your knees, bend your knees to lower it to the floor with control.

BENCH PRESS

5

• In the gym, set up a barbell on a rack with a flat bench underneath it. Lie on the bench and, planting your feet firmly on the floor, grab the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades back and down (like you’re pinching a pencil between them). Arch your upper back slightly and drive your feet into the floor to lock in your entire body.
• Take a deep breath and push the bar straight up and off the rack. Move it forward until it is balanced directly over your shoulders. This is your starting position (see illustration above).
• Slowly lower the bar to your mid-chest, just below your collarbone. Keep your elbows tucked to a 45-to-70-degree angle from your body (avoid flaring them out wide).
• When the bar lightly touches your chest, press it forcefully up and slightly back (not straight up) until your arms are fully extended over your shoulders. Exhale, and then repeat the movement for the next rep.

Try with dumbbells if you are at home or are new to the exercise and want more flexibility or range of motion, for example.

BENT OVER ROWS

5

• Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other (neutral grip). Bend your knees slightly, then hinge at your hips so your torso is close to a 45-degree angle to the floor.
• Keep your back straight, chest up, and core tight. Let the dumbbells hang straight down, just below your knees.
• Lead the movement by pulling your elbows up and back towards the ceiling, drawing the dumbbells toward the sides of your chest/lower rib cage.
• At the top of the movement, squeeze your back muscles together (imagine pinching a pencil between your shoulder blades).
• Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position with your arms fully extended, maintaining the bent-over posture for all repetitions.

Try with a barbell too.

OVERHEAD PRESS WITH SQUAT

5

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand by your sides (palms facing inward). Keep your chest up and core tight.
• Initiate the squat by pushing your hips back, as if you are sitting down into a chair.
• Bend your knees, keeping your back straight and the dumbbells hanging close to your body. Go down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as low as comfortable.
• Push through your heels and the middle of your feet to drive your body back up to the starting position. Fully straighten your legs and squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement.

Add on a couple of accessory lifts, which target specific areas and work only one side of the body at a time.

Think biceps curls or single-leg glute bridges.

Short on time?

“I suggest pairing exercises together from opposite muscle groups (such as quads and hamstrings), or an upper and a lower exercise to get the biggest bang for your time spent in the gym,” says Laura. 

Los Angeles County supervisors criticized the long-awaited $1.9-million outside investigation on government failures during the January wildfires as full of gaping holes after outcry from residents who say the report failed to answer their key question: Why did evacuation alerts come so late for so many?

“I’ve heard from many residents, some of whom are in the audience, who share that this report leads to more questions than answers, and, quite frankly, a lot of anger,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents unincorporated Altadena, as the board discussed the report’s findings at its Tuesday meeting.

Nineteen people died in the Eaton fire, all but one of whom was found in west Altadena, an area that did not get evacuation alerts until hours after the fire threatened the area.

The report from McChrystal Group found, among other failures, that there was no clear guide of which county department was responsible for deciding which areas to evacuate. The responsibility for evacuations is split among the Office of Emergency Management, the Sheriff’s Department and the Fire Department, and none have taken responsibility for the evacuation blunders. The county also failed to consistently issue evacuation warnings to neighborhoods next to ones that were under an evacuation order, the report found.

The pushback by supervisors is notable because they commissioned the report in January and vowed it would get to the bottom of what went wrong. When it was unveiled last week, top county officials hailed it as a blueprint for improvements. But it almost immediately faced criticism from residents and others.

Despite the shortcomings, the supervisors said they were eager to implement the report’s recommendations, which included making it clear who was responsible for issuing evacuations and beefing up staffing for the Office of Emergency Management. The supervisors unanimously approved a motion Tuesday, to start the process of implementing some of the report’s recommendations.

One of the report’s problems, Barger said, is that so many noncounty agencies declined to participate in the report. Several California fire agencies including the Pasadena Fire Department, the state’s Office of Emergency Services and the Los Angeles Fire Department declined to provide information, according to the report.

“It is inexcusable and I would challenge any one of those departments, or any one of those chiefs, to look the survivors in the eye and explain why they were compelled not to cooperate, because that does lead to ‘What are you hiding?’” said Barger, who said she was “incredibly frustrated and disappointed.”

“We have very one-sided information,” acknowledged Erin Sutton, a partner with McChrystal Group. “It is the county information.”

Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said the consultants had been “unable to compel” other agencies to share their automatic vehicle locator data. The Times used county vehicle locator data earlier this year to reveal that most county fire trucks didn’t shift into west Altadena until long after it was ravaged by fire. The Times was not able to obtain vehicle locator data from any of the other fire agencies that were dispatched to the Eaton fire that night.

“We were out of L.A. County Fire trucks. We were relying on our mutual aid partners that were there,” Marrone said. “We just don’t have their data.”

The Sheriff’s Department has also yet to release vehicle locator data on where deputies were that evening. Sheriff Robert Luna said Tuesday that the department had dozens of deputies assisting with evacuations that night.

“We can absolutely do better, and we’re already putting systems in place so that we can do better,” Luna told the supervisors Tuesday. “They weren’t waiting for warnings.”

A spokesperson for the Pasadena Fire Department said the agency didn’t participate beyond providing written information because the “scope of the review was the response by Los Angeles County.” The L.A. Fire Department said it didn’t participate because it was outside the agency’s jurisdiction. The state’s Office of Emergency Services noted it was already conducting its own review.

“I too am frustrated by what I feel are areas of incompleteness,” said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose district was scarred by the Palisades fire.

The 133-page report makes only one mention of deaths from the fire. Horvath said she felt the report failed to include the “very painful” accounts from survivors and should have delved into the issue of rogue alerts that urged many to get ready to evacuate even though they were miles away from fire.

Supervisor Holly Mitchell said she wanted to highlight the racial disparity of outcomes in Altadena, an issue she called the “elephant in the room” and one that was not mentioned in the report. Black residents of Altadena were more likely to have their homes damaged or destroyed by the Eaton fire, according to research by UCLA.

Residents feel deeply that their experience — receiving later alerts and fewer fire resources than their neighbors — is not reflected in the report, she said. “We have to figure out how to acknowledge that disconnect, not diminish it,” she said

Congresswoman Judy Chu, whose district includes Altadena, said in a letter to the board that the report left “unresolved questions” around evacuation failures.

“The report does not explain why officials concluded it was safe to wait until 3:25 a.m. to issue the order, or who was responsible for that decision,” she wrote.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors reviewed the McChrystal report on the January fires at a meeting Tuesday.

(Terry Castleman / Los Angeles Times)

Standing on a vacant lot in west Altadena, hundreds of residents said they were frustrated with the report.

“Officials have responded with unconscionable ineptitude,” said Kara Vallow, who said she believed the document “goes out of its way to avoid accountability.”

Speakers called for Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to investigate separately, questioning the independence of the report. Survivors held signs with victims’ names, while others questioned why alerts came so late for west Altadena.

Lauren Randolph, a west Altadena resident, asked why, if flames were near her home in Farnsworth Park at 2:20 a.m., her family nearby didn’t receive an evacuation alert until almost 3:25 a.m.

“I ask again — who was in charge?” she said.

She said she felt the report failed to look into west Altadena, where she alleged that 911 calls were ignored and evacuation notices came late, noting that the area was home to most of Altadena’s Black and brown families.

The report emphasized that the “fire front” had not crossed into west Altadena, where nearly all the deaths took place, until around 5 a.m., nearly two hours after the evacuation orders came for the area. But many west Altadenans decried the description, saying their homes started to burn long before then.

“That is not true,” Sylvie Andrews said, the crowd around her laughing at the assertion.

Shawn Tyrie, a partner with McChrystal Group, acknowledged Tuesday that the satellite images they used don’t provide a “definitive picture,” particularly in cases with extreme wind, ember cast and smoke.

“Those images are severely degraded in smoke conditions like that,” he said, leaving open the possibility that the fire was in west Altadena well before 5 a.m., as residents previously reported to The Times.

Altadena residents voice their displeasure with the McChrystal report shortly before the Board of Supervisors met to review the report.

(Terry Castleman / Los Angeles Times)

Many of the residents’ questions were echoed Tuesday at the Hall of Administration by Barger, who drilled down on the difference between the fire front, which didn’t cross into west Altadena until 5 a.m, and the ember cast, which started dangerous spot fires in the neighborhood long before then.

“For people I’ve talked to who lost their homes, fire front versus ember cast mean nothing other than there was fire in their community, in their neighborhood, burning down homes,” she said.

Marrone said he believed they should have taken the ember cast into account.

“With hindsight being 2020, we do understand now that we must evacuate well ahead of not only the fire front … but we also need to take into account the massive ember cast,” he said.

Marrone said repeatedly that his firefighters were overwhelmed responding to multiple fires that day. Firefighters battled the Eaton fire as hurricane-force winds scattered embers for two miles. Unlike the Palisades fire, the most difficult stretch of the Eaton fire was fought in the dark with winds requiring all aircraft grounded by 6:45 p.m as the fire was just beginning. This left first responders without an aerial view of the flames, reducing their awareness of the fire direction.

Marrone said they’ve made a National Guard satellite program available to incident command, so fire officials can see the path of a fire on nights when they have no aerial support.

“Like I said before, and this is not an excuse, this was a massive, unprecedented disaster that presented severe challenges,” he said.

Barger also questioned why there was such a delay between when fire officials first noticed the fire was moving west and when the evacuation orders were issued. According to the report, a county fire official in the field in Altadena said they suggested to incident command staff a little before midnight that, due to high winds, evacuation orders should go out for the foothills of Altadena, all the way west to La Cañada Flintridge. About two hours later, at 2:18 a.m., a fire official radioed that they saw fire north of Farnsworth Park moving west along the foothills.

The first evacuation order for west Altadena came at 3:25 a.m.

Marrone said incident command needed to validate the report before requesting the order be sent out.

“That took time — probably too much time in retrospect,” Marrone said.

A lot of people work really hard to build up a retirement nest egg. If you’re approaching your senior years with a large balance in an IRA or 401(k), you probably gave up a lot to accumulate that wealth. So now, it should buy you the dream retirement you deserve.

But saving for retirement is only half the battle. It’s important to make sure your investment portfolio is working for you once your career comes to an end and the time comes to start living off your savings. Here are some of the biggest mistakes retirees make with their portfolios — and how you can avoid them.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Investing too conservatively

Workers are often told to load their portfolios with stocks to generate strong returns while they’re in the process of building savings. Once you retire, you may be inclined to scale back on stocks to unload some of your risk.

That’s definitely not a bad idea. But one thing you don’t want to do is maintain too conservative a portfolio during retirement, either. Limiting yourself to, say, 10% stocks could mean minimizing risk, but also minimizing the returns your portfolio continues to generate.

You need your savings to be able to keep up with and, ideally, outpace inflation during your retirement years. This is especially important given that Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustments often do a poor job of helping retirees maintain their buying power from one year to the next.

So to that end, don’t be so quick to ditch stocks once you’re retired. Instead, make sure the stock portion of your portfolio is well balanced. Also, you may want to favor dividend stocks over growth stocks, since they tend to be less volatile and generate steady income that could help offset other potential portfolio losses.

2. Tapping investments early on when they’re down

Some retirees have the unfortunate luck of seeing the stock market decline just as they’re getting ready to tap their portfolios. If that happens to you, and you withdraw from a declining portfolio, you could end up with an income shortfall throughout retirement.

When stock values are down, you need to sell more shares of the ones you own to get the income you’re after. That means you’ll be left with fewer shares by the time the market recovers.

The solution? Have about two years’ worth of living expenses in cash. That way, if the market tanks at the start of your retirement, or at any point during your retirement, for that matter, you may not have to sell investments at a loss to generate the income you need.

3. Forgetting about real estate

One of the most important things you can do in retirement is maintain a diversified portfolio. And to that end, one corner of the market you don’t want to neglect is real estate.

Property values don’t always rise and fall with stock values. So real estate can serve as a great hedge at a time when you’re reliant on your portfolio for income.

That said, you don’t need to own physical real estate, like a rental property, to benefit from this strategy. Instead, you could invest in residential REITs, or real estate investment trusts.

Residential REITs are companies that own residential properties. These could include apartment buildings or student housing complexes.

While investing in any type of REIT might allow you to diversify nicely, one positive thing about residential properties is that they’re somewhat recession-proof, since people will always need a place to live, regardless of the economy. That makes residential REITs a particularly compelling choice for a retirement portfolio.

After working hard to build your nest egg, you deserve to enjoy retirement to the fullest. Avoiding these investment mistakes could help you do just that.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The loose ball tumbled through the end zone, slipping through one set of fingertips, then another, blue-and-orange bodies clawing desperately aside cardinal-and-gold ones. So much had gone wrong for USC all afternoon, from its struggling secondary to its stifled pass rush to its inconsistent quarterback, but at the most critical moment in its season thus far, here was a particularly fortunate twist of fate, as linebacker Eric Gentry punched out a fumble and, somehow, some way, Christian Pierce had recovered it.

After a seamless 4-0 start to its season, the deck had seemed stacked against the Trojans all afternoon. Their starting left tackle was out. Their starting center soon joined him. Their top red-zone target was limited, and their defensive leader, Kamari Ramsey, was up all night puking.

For a while, that seemed to be the least of the problems facing USC on Saturday. The rushing attack couldn’t find room. Both lines were being blown off the ball, and the secondary was struggling to stop the bleeding. Then there were the self-inflicted mistakes, the very same ones that had marred the season to date.

All that, however, would be washed away with that loose ball in the end zone, the second fumble Illinois had coughed up that close to the end zone. A sliver of hope immediately turned to ecstasy as quarterback Jayden Maiava launched a rope to the corner of the end zone that found Makai Lemon for a go-ahead score with under less than two minutes remaining in the game.

But that hope was erased just as quickly, fading once again into the frustration, as Illinois drove the field for a game-winning field goal as time expired, beating USC, 34-32.

Illinois (4-1, 1-1 in Big Ten) gave the Trojans (4-1, 2-1) opportunities to take over the game. It fumbled on the goal line the first time just before halftime, and struggled to move the ball to start the third quarter.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) rushes for a touchdown during the first half in a win over USC.

(Craig Pessman / Associated Press)

But back-breaking mistakes continued to mar the Trojans on both sides of the ball. Driving with a chance to tie the score in the third quarter, Maiava threw an ill-advised pass over the middle that was intercepted.

USC’s defense forced a rare three-and-out on the next drive, only for its own offense to go three-and-out in response.

Illinois wouldn’t waste its opportunity after that, as Kaedin Feagin caught a swing pass, shook one USC defender, turned the corner and saw nothing but open field in front of him. His 66-yard touchdown would secure Illinois’ lead until that late fumble gave USC life.

The Trojans might have been in better shape before that if it weren’t for their defense, which struggled mightily throughout Saturday. USC gave up 502 yards and was generally picked apart by Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer, who had 331 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The Trojans also struggled again with penalties, committing eight for 69 yards. The most crucial came on the final drive when cornerback DJ Harvey was called for a critical pass interference penalty.

USC’s quarterback was not exactly at his best on Saturday. Under more pressure than he’d faced all season, Maiava sailed several passes and missed multiple open receivers. He also threw his first interception of the season.

But he did make his share of eye-popping passes downfield, including hitting Lemon in the corner of the end zone for that 19-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown. Maiava finished with 364 yards and two touchdowns.

Lemon did his best to carry USC on his own, especially with Ja’Kobi Lane out because of an injury. He caught 11 passes for 151 yards.

From the start, it was a difficult day for the Trojans.

Just as USC started to find its stride early, Waymond Jordan burst through a hole on second down and lost control of the ball. The fumble, his second on an opening drive in three weeks, bounced right into the arms of Illinois defensive back Jaheim Clarke, and the Illini mounted a 10-play touchdown drive from there, striking with a 10-yard touchdown run from Altmyer.

In spite of the fumble, USC went right back on the ensuing possession to the rushing attack and Jordan, who punched in a one-yard score. But Illinois punched back with an even longer drive, capped by a trick-play touchdown from Altmyer.

USC pulled out a trick play of its own a few minutes later, as Jordan, running toward the sideline, tossed the ball to Maiava for a perimeter flea flicker. He immediately launched a pass downfield to Lemon, who juked two defenders out of their shoes on his way into the end zone.

But the 75-yard score was ultimately called back on account of backup center J’Onre Reed being too far downfield.

The penalty was nearly a devastating one. USC’s 13-play drive stalled just past midfield, as Maiava threw three consecutive incompletions, and the Trojans turned the ball over on downs. Illinois proceeded to march down the field, all the way to the USC two-yard line.

In desperate need of a break just before halftime, USC got a gift at the goal line. As Feagin tried to force his way through traffic, the ball came loose, and USC recovered.

The sequence was significant. Without enough evidence to overturn the call, the Trojans charged down the field in time to secure a field goal. What perhaps should have been a two-score lead for the Illini coming out of the half was instead just four.

Still, it proved too much for USC to overcome.

Like that one friend who repeatedly promises to quit drinking after just one last round, the American government is staggering toward another shutdown. It’s starting to seem inevitable — because it looks as though neither side is going to swerve in this game of chicken.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Senate minority leader who somehow manages to perpetually look both tired and smug, can’t afford another political retreat. He’s refusing to give Republicans another blank check, aiming instead to wring out some key concessions in exchange for a few Democratic votes to get a funding bill through the upper chamber.

The problem? President Trump, who runs the show for Republicans, views a shutdown the same way Hans Gruber viewed the FBI in “Die Hard”: as a feature, not a bug. Shuttered agencies and mass firings of federal workers aren’t obstacles; they’re leverage (and sometimes the goal itself).

Schumer can’t back down, and Trump doesn’t want to back down. That’s why the shutdown feels more imminent than the last time we flirted with one, back in March, when Schumer and Democrats folded.

In fairness, their reasoning wasn’t crazy. Trump and Elon Musk were running roughshod with their Department of Government Efficiency, and a shutdown would have only given Republicans more discretion to decide which services (Space Force, a new White House ballroom and, I don’t know, a National Strategic Spray Tan Reserve) were “essential.”

Democrats also had a plausible reason to believe that Trump’s steep “reciprocal” tariffs would wreck the economy. They reasoned that if they just kept their heads down, the president would take all the blame for the crash — a reasonable idea that fell apart when Trump pumped the brakes before careening the economy off a cliff.

Since then, Trump has engaged in a campaign of authoritarian-tinged vengeance at such an impressive pace that the Democrats’ strategy of “playing possum” seems laughably passive and utterly naive — like assuming a hurricane will just get tired and stop.

So now Democrats are thinking, “Well, things can’t get any worse if we fight back.”

(Spoiler alert: Things can always get worse.)

Still, you can’t blame Dems for drawing a line in the sand, consequences be damned. Blocking government funding is one of the only mechanisms at the disposal of a minority party to demonstrate their opposition. Moral outrage and pride practically demand it.

Why help bankroll a government led by a man who doesn’t negotiate in good faith and seems intent on bulldozing democracy itself?

Why be complicit in normalizing — and funding! — Trump’s abnormal behavior?

Unfortunately, most voters don’t care about democracy in the abstract, and even fewer care about the inner workings of Congress. They care about kitchen-table issues.

So Democrats are trying to marry their righteous fury with something more practical and concrete — casting the shutdown as a battle to extend Obamacare subsidies and undo GOP Medicaid cuts.

If you’re keeping score, the opposition party is now trying to portray this looming shutdown as being about multiple things. And anyone who’s ever cracked a marketing textbook knows, that’s a fraught strategy. Dare I say “doomed”? If you can’t stay on one message, your opponent will control the narrative — meaning Republicans will blame the fallout on obstructionist Democrats.

Republicans have a simpler pitch that could almost fit on a bumper sticker: “We just want to keep things funded at the current level, plus toss in a little extra security for lawmakers.”

Which message will prevail? Who will take the blame if the government shuts down and Americans are suffering in myriad ways? Democrats say that Republicans control everything, so the buck stops with them. Republicans will say the Senate requires 60 votes and Democrats are withholding support to score political points. It’s not a slam dunk for either party. The American people just want the government to function, and neither side is making that easy.

You really have to squint to imagine a scenario where Dems could honestly declare “mission accomplished” when this is all over. Still, there is a growing sense that it’s better to go down fighting, even if you’re destined to lose (which they might be).

But make no mistake, a shutdown is very likely happening. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives isn’t even set to return to Washington until Wednesday (the day the government could be shuttered).

Meanwhile, Trump abruptly canceled negotiations with Democratic leaders, citing “the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats.”

The good news: We’re not talking about the debt ceiling or a possible government default; it’s just a government shutdown (something that has happened many times already). Social Security checks will still arrive. Federal workers will eventually get paid. Parks will close. Life will stagger on.

And so, barring some deus ex machina, we slouch toward another shutdown: a bureaucratic farce that everyone can see coming a mile away. It accomplishes nothing productive, yet feels destined to happen — like the “Austin Powers” slow-motion steamroller gag, except stretched out over weeks, costing billions of dollars and hurting millions of lives.

We’ve seen this movie before. We’re the ones being flattened.

Matt K. Lewis is the author of “Filthy Rich Politicians” and “Too Dumb to Fail.”

The San Diego Padres’ performance on Saturday could probably be put in a tutorial video.

Suggested title: How NOT to play a baseball game.

On a night the surging Padres were trying to bounce back from the Dodgers’ opening win in this weekend’s pivotal three-game series, one that tied the two Southern California rivals atop the National League West standings, the club instead put on an exhibition of poor, sloppy and outright comical execution.

While the once-slumping Dodgers have raised their level of play the last two nights, the Padres have made mistakes even Little League coaches would be reprimanding.

Except in their case, even the coaching appeared to be part of the problem.

In the Dodgers’ 6-0 win — a victory that restored their solo lead in the division, and clinched their head-to-head season series against the Padres in case of a tiebreaker at the end of the year — San Diego did all it could to give the game away from the start.

In the top of the first, three of the Padres’ first four batters recorded a hit against Blake Snell, the ex-Padre left-hander making his first start against the team since leaving in free agency at the end of 2023. But twice, Dodgers catcher Will Smith caught a runner trying to steal second, gunning down Fernando Tatis Jr. after his leadoff single before getting Manny Machado on the back end of an attempted double-steal to retire the side.

“We had a plan,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “And they made some plays.”

Lo and behold, the plan backfired again in the second, with Smith throwing out yet another runner, Xander Bogaerts, with yet another strike to second.

“Through two innings,” Snell joked, “he had three outs and I had three outs.”

Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell delivers against the Padres at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

It was the Dodgers’ first game with three caught stealings since 2021, and it made Smith the first Dodgers catcher with three individually since Russell Martin in 2010.

“Obviously we feel that Will is the best catcher in baseball in totality,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Tonight, he showed it with his arm.”

And, just as importantly, Roberts quickly added: “Essentially, they played 24 outs.”

Somehow, the Padres’ pitching and defense found a way to be even worse.

Starting pitcher Dylan Cease began his outing with three-straight walks in the bottom of the first, spraying the ball around the plate while visibly frustrated.

After a one-out sacrifice fly from Teoscar Hernández, Cease reloaded the bases with another free pass to Andy Pages, and followed that with a hanging curveball to Michael Conforto in a 3-and-0 count that had run full. Conforto was ready for it, ripping a two-run single into right. Seven batters in, the Dodgers had a 3-0 lead.

“Definitely you don’t want to help him out in that situation,” Conforto said. “But he fell behind 3-0, and came back into the zone, and showed that he was going to throw strikes. He wasn’t going to put me on. So, being ready to hit 3-1, and then being ready to hit 3-2, was obviously the plan.”

Dodgers second base Miguel Rojas tags out San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts on a stolen-base attempt in the second inning. Catcher Will Smith threw out three Padres baserunners Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Walks continued to abound in the second, with Cease putting Shohei Ohtani and Smith aboard to create more traffic. This time, the right-hander had appeared to work his way out of it, after Freddie Freeman hit a deep fly ball that died at the warning track in right-center. But on this night, even routine outs were no sure thing.

Sensing Tatis converging from right field, center fielder Jackson Merrill briefly hesitated while pursuing the drive, before awkwardly reaching for it with an underhanded attempt. Predictably, he couldn’t hold on, the ball hitting the heel of his mitt before falling to the ground for a two-run error.

The Dodgers, who went on to get six shutout innings from Snell and a second home run in as many nights from Hernández, would never be threatened again.

“It’s certainly good to be on the other side of things,” Roberts said, after his club had for so long had been the one shooting itself in the foot. “We’ve caught some breaks … but for us to take advantage of them is huge.”

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani scores on a sacrifice fly in the first inning Saturday against the Padres.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

To recap the first two innings one more time:

The Dodgers (70-53) had just one hit, and saw their starting pitcher retire only one of the first five batters he faced — but drew six walks, were gifted a dropped ball and somehow led 5-0.

The Padres (69-54) had four hits — but apparently forgot how to throw up a stop sign, committed the costliest of imaginable errors defensively, and watched their starting pitcher throw 31 balls to only 27 strikes.

That, kids, is decidedly not how it’s done.

“It just got out of hand a little early,” Bogaerts said. “Obviously a little, couple of mistakes.”

Not that the Dodgers seemed all too much to mind.

Over the last couple months, as Roberts eluded to, they had been the team on the wrong end of sloppy fundamentals. What was once a nine-game division lead evaporated in the space of six weeks, thanks to un-clutch offense, unreliable relief pitching and one maddening close loss after another.

But in Friday’s series opener, they had finally played clean baseball, and even more importantly, grinded out a one-run win.

“If you win the close games, that’s how you build,” Freeman theorized last week. “Then you’ll score nine, 10 runs. Then you’ll start putting some things together. But just need to find a way to win those close ones.”

So far in this series, that prediction has come true.

Not that he, or anyone else with the Dodgers, could have expected the Padres to offer so much self-destructive help.

“I’m just happy that we’re playing better baseball,” Roberts said. “We’re playing clean baseball. We’re minimizing the walks, taking walks. Not making outs on the bases, and converting outs when we need to. When you have the talent that we do, you just gotta kind of play good baseball. … So this is a good time to go for the jugular [with a potential series sweep Sunday].”

Nobody wants to experience turbulence on a plane but according to one pilot there’s a key mistake that people make which could make the experience even scarier

Turbulence during a flight can be quite scary for passengers, but one pilot has revealed that there are three key mistakes flyers make on planes that can actually make it a lot worse.

Although it can feel stomach-churning, in the majority of cases, turbulence isn’t actually dangerous and usually just means you’ll have a few spilled drinks or dropped belongings. However, according to one pilot, passengers who ignore one warning could actually be putting themselves in harm’s way.

Retired commercial airline pilot Richard Wells, 54, revealed that people often unbuckle their seatbelt just because the ‘fasten seatbelt’ sign is off. He told Ski Vertigo: “Just because the light’s off doesn’t mean it’s smooth flying. I’ve seen passengers thrown upwards during sudden drops because they weren’t strapped in.”

Turbulence occurs when the aircraft hits strong wind currents that can push or pull the plane. Most of the time it can be detected by radars, but there is also ‘clear air turbulence’ that isn’t picked up, and therefore can occur without warning even when skies appear fine. So if you don’t have your seatbelt buckled, you may get thrown around more than your fellow travellers.

READ MORE: Easy trick can help your bag be one of the first on the carousel and it’s free

This is why most pilots recommend keeping your seatbelt loosely fastened at all times when seated, not just during turbulence or announcements. In fact, data shows that the majority of turbulence-related injuries involve passengers or crew who weren’t secured.

Unsurprisingly, getting out of your seat during turbulence is not recommended, but some people still choose to ignore the warnings to go to the toilet, or get something out from the overheard lockers.

Richard warned: “If the seatbelt sign is on, don’t get up—no matter how quick you think it’ll be. We’ve had people lose their balance, fall into others, or get hit by objects falling from the compartments.” If you need to move, for example for a medical reasons, he recommends waiting for the crew’s guidance.

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Of course when turbulence does happen it can be terrifying, but panicking won’t help. In fact, it could make the experience that little bit worse for you. “Turbulence feels dramatic, but planes are built to handle it. It’s no more than a bump in the road, structurally,” Richard explained.

“When passengers scream or panic, it creates unnecessary tension throughout the cabin.” He suggests breathing deeply, relaxing your posture, and distracting yourself with music, a book or light conversation. In more severe turbulence, brace gently against the seat in front if advised, and always follow crew instructions.

Ultimately, if you’ve got your seatbelt fastened and you listen to the crew, it can keep any stress to a minimum. If you do face a bumpy ride, it doesn’t mean you need to instantly worry. “Planes are engineered for far worse than the turbulence most passengers experience,” Richard reassured. “It’s not dangerous, it’s discomforting. The key is staying buckled and level-headed.”

Have you experienced scary turbulence on a flight? Email us at [email protected]

If only! On June 18, 2014, the airwaves and the internet lit up in collective awe at one of the greatest athletic feats in modern history. Clayton Kershaw recorded 15 strikeouts in a 107-pitch no-hitter that many consider the best single-game pitching performance of all time. The asterisk of this epic Dodgers game was the one error in the seventh inning that prevented its official recognition as a “perfect game”: When the Rockies’ Corey Dickerson tapped the ball toward the mound, Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez botched a throw to first base, and Dickerson made it to second.

If only Ramirez had made the play at first! If only coach Don Mattingly hadn’t substituted the ailing Ramirez one inning prior! Los Angeles was one bruised right finger away from celebrating perfection.

Baseball has a celebrated history of quantifying value. No professional sport embraces numbers and statistics in the way baseball does. Statisticians are as much a part of the game as the dirt, chalk and grass. Although baseball has been collecting data since the late 1800s, the empiric statistical analysis that is part of our game today dates back to 1977 with the introduction of sabermetrics.

It’s critical to the game: How else are we to determine success when the majority of what we see is failure? The best hitters in baseball are those who only fail less than 70% of the time; in other words, have a batting average over .300. These perennial all-stars will experience the dissatisfaction and humility of an out in 7 out of every 10 plate appearances. In what other profession can you fail 70% of the time and be considered one of the greats? Consider the mental strength required to accept failure as part of the game and the focus to view each at-bat as an opportunity to fail a little bit less.

We need a similar kind of thinking in life to quantify value in our failure rates.

A “perfect game” is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a team pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. It’s so rare because failure — by pitchers as well as batters — is expected as a matter of course. Francis Thomas Vincent Jr., the eighth commissioner of MLB, is quoted as saying: “Baseball teaches us, or has taught most of us, how to deal with failure. We learn at a very young age that failure is the norm in baseball and, precisely because we have failed, we hold in high regard those who fail less often — those who hit safely in one out of three chances and become star players. I also find it fascinating that baseball, alone in sport, considers errors to be part of the game, part of its rigorous truth.”

On June 19, 2014, the fans and commentators of baseball praised in dramatic fashion Kershaw’s dominant no-hitter, but with a subtle tone of confusion and denial of the ugly blemish recorded across the team’s box score: 0-0-1. Zero runs. Zero hits. One error. One base runner. An imperfect game. If only!

The collective hope for perfection is understandable. Most people are afraid to fail.

Parades aren’t held for the runner-up. Grades aren’t given just for trying. Job promotions aren’t offered for making mistakes. Placing perfection on a pedestal relieves the collective anxiety — but prohibits the opportunity — of accepting failure as an integral part of life. For an individual, failure is an opportunity to grow and become a better person. For a business, failure is an opportunity to pivot and redefine success. The opposite of perfection is not failure. It is accepting the opportunity to learn from transgressions. Winston Churchill once quipped, “The maxim, ‘Nothing prevails but perfection,’ may be spelled P-A-R-A-L-Y-S-I-S.”

Almost to the day, 75 years before Kershaw’s no-hitter, the world of sports witnessed the catastrophic reality of paralysis. In June 1939, after a week of extensive testing at the Mayo Clinic, Lou Gehrig announced to the world that he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This announcement happened to fall on his 36th birthday. This represented the end of Gehrig’s illustrious baseball career. But 75 years later, what is remembered about this man is not his career batting average of .340, seven-time All-Star appearances, six-time World Series championships, winning of the Triple Crown or two-time league MVP. Sabermetrics could not possibly explain Gehrig’s value to the sport. What endures is what no statistic can capture: his grace. His humility. His courage in the face of loss. What is remembered and honored is his response to the ultimate “failure”: a failure of upper and lower motor neurons to make necessary connections that ultimately leads to rapidly progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. In defiance to an illness that is uniformly fatal, Gehrig paid homage to his teammates, professional members of the MLB and its fans by proclaiming himself “the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

Similarly, sabermetrics misses the true greatness of Kershaw’s no-hitter. What could never be displayed in statistics or numbers was Kershaw’s response to the error. After Ramirez’s throwing error, his hat lay at the base of Kershaw’s pitching mound. As I watched from the stands, I could not hear what Kershaw said to Ramirez as he picked it up, dusted off and handed the hat back to his humiliated teammate. But his body language appeared unbelievably humble, accepting and supportive, as if to recognize the lesson of baseball, which is that errors are a celebrated part of the game. To dwell on errors and think “if only” leads to disappointment and blame, but to accept and embrace imperfections with a positive and optimistic attitude defines the ultimate success.

If only we could all be that perfect.

Josh Diamond is a physician in private practice in Los Angeles and a lifelong Dodgers fan. Some of his earliest memories are of attending games with his father; he now shares his love of the Dodgers with his son.

EVEN on a bad headliner year, Glastonbury is the best music festival in the world.

The mix of music and other activities… and general vibe of the place makes it like no other place on earth.

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But it’s also very large and very busy – it covers 1,100 aces (around 500 football pitches) and has a capacity of 210,000 people – more than twice the population of nearby Bath.

It’s also famously temperamental weatherwise – in my eight Glastonbury festivals, I’ve had everything from torrential rain and mud baths to scorching heatwaves.

So failing to come prepared has the power to make or break you weekend, which is why we’ve compiled a list of all our favourite Do’s and Don’ts for Glastonbury… to make sure you have the best time.

Caroline McGuire, Head Of Travel – Digital (pictured bottom right, above)

Beg whoever you know who owns a camping trolley (from £20 at Decathlon) to borrow it for the weekend – the site is enormous and you’ll be carrying all your belongings a long way before you set up camp.

Make sure to experience some of the unique areas that make Glastonbury so special – the theatre and circus fields, the Healing Fields, the Lost Horizon Nomadic Spa (aka secret nudist area with sauna, massage parlour and plunge pool).

Speaking of which, don’t just buy your food from the nearest vendor – make sure to make a pilgrimage to Permaculture, a shaded haven near the middle of the site that serves delicious food made from produce grown in their own garden on the site.

Finding your tent can be tricky, especially when it’s dark and you’ve had a few drinks – memorise some notable things near your pitch, like a flag or a gazebo.

It’s possible they’re placebo, but my friends and I swear by Happy Tuesdays – vitamins that support your body’s natural recovery while they sleep. We’re convinced they help us deal with the post-festival blues far easier.

Finally, stick a plastic bag or bin bag in your bumbag, so you always have something to sit on when it’s a muddy and rainy weekend.

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Howell Davies, Associate Bizarre Editor (pictured right)

Don’t over-pack your schedule. You won’t be able to see half of one set and half of another – and you’ll spend the whole time walking, only to get nowhere near the stage.

Don’t wear uncomfortable shoes, even if they do look trendy. You should expect to walk a minimum of 25,000 steps a day and the last thing you want is blisters.

Do plan individual outfits for each day, and pack them separately so that you’re organised and not scrambling for pants or matching shorts.

Do go off the beaten track to explore the activity away from the Pyramid Stage. That’s where the maddest memories will be made.

Ellie Henman, Bizarre Editor (pictured centre, above)

Do scope out the best food places. You don’t want to be stuck eating burger and chips every day, and there are genuinely amazing places to eat when you’re there.

Don’t put up your tent near a path, at the bottom of a hill, or next to the loos – you won’t get a wink of sleep with the banging of the doors, let alone the stench.

Do pack an eye mask and ear plugs. You don’t want to be woken up by the sun streaming in through your tent at the crack of dawn, having only just gone to sleep.

Do walk up to the Glastonbury sign at least once. As well as spectacular views, there is a bar near the top.

Jack Hardwick, Senior Showbiz Reporter (pictured left, above)

Do make sure to carry spare toilet roll with you. Getting caught short miles from a toilet is no fun.

Do take a refillable water bottle – there are loads of water points around the site These camping water pouches come with hooks so you can clip them onto your bag – fill some with water and two with booze.

Don’t leave it until mid-morning to leave on Monday. Getting off the site will take hours, so either get up early, or have a long lay-in and lunch before going.

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Vanessa Chalmers, Assistant Head of Health, The Sun

Take a flag. They are incredibly useful for finding friends in a sea of people – or for them finding you – as there is rarely phone service. Most flag poles bought online can be shortened, so you can easily carry it around with you when moving between stages.

Drop any expectation at all that you will see who you want to see, especially if you are in a large group as it’s hard to find your group again once you are split up. Choose one or maybe two acts you simply must see, and stick to your guns.

Make something in the healing fields, or buy a souvenir, to take home! There is so much on offer. My friends and I have made a silver ring each year we have been. It takes about two hours.

Follow @secretglasto on X, formerly known as Twitter, and turn on notifications. If you are lucky to get service, you might just be in the right place at the right time for a surprise set. We saw Fatboy Slim at Greenpeace completely randomly one Sunday afternoon, standing right underneath him in ‘the tree’.

There is no shade at Glastonbury. Well, certainly not enough for the number of people – there are so many crammed under the singular tree at Pyramid stage. So wear a hat! But if you are desperate, there is a hammock area in Park stage – near lots of camping – which is quite shaded.

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Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun

Definitely use Vodafone’s new Glastonbury Festival app, as this will help you keep all the acts and locations organised – allow the notifications as well, as they’ll let you know about surprise acts.

This year they’ve added a handy feature to find your friends on the map if you lose each other.

A power bank is a must but if you forget, you can buy a fully charged battery pack from the Vodafone tent.

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Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor

You’ll save cash and time queuing by bringing your own booze. There’s a no glass rule and cans take up too much space. So fill a cool bag with boxed wine (ditch the box and take just the pouch). Or decant your favourite spirits into plastic bottles with a bit of mixer.

I always pack a collapsible sink from The Range that costs a few quid.
It‘s the most-used item among my pals at Glasto – when a pal fell in the mud, when I got sticky ketchup in my hair, and for clean hands when removing contact lenses.

Pack a small bag, so you don;t have to venutre back to the tent for more supplies. Cram it with everything you need for the day: water, a portable charger, sunglasses, SPF, a jumper for when the sun goes down.

Food for £6. It used to be ‘food for a fiver’ but this is nearly as good.
Many food vendors commit to selling meal deals and dishes for £6.
The scheme ran last year and although they haven’t announced anything yet for this year, keep your eyes peeled on the blog posts.

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Will Hagerty, Associate Editor at The Sun

If you intend going to Shangri-La on Friday or Saturday night, skip a headliner and head up there early, or you might not get in for hours. It’s a long walk and they often close the area because it gets so crowded.

Take something to sit on if it’s likely to be muddy. I take a genius umbrella which doubles as a shooting stick stool.

Go up to the Crows Nest, high above the Park Stage, for the best view of the site and the odd secret gig

A poll of 2,000 travellers found three in 10 felt they have often paid more for something on holiday because they were a tourist

Holidaymakers have shared some of the priciest purchases they have unintentionally made while abroad. A survey of 2,000 travellers revealed that three in 10 felt they had often been charged more for items on holiday due to their tourist status. One unlucky holidaymaker shelled out £30 for a single glass of Coca-Cola in Rome, while another unsuspectingly bought a T-shirt for £80, believing it was only £10.

Other surprising expenses reported by respondents included paying a staggering £48 for a single shot of whiskey. Another person spent £25 on a taxi ride in Amsterdam, only to discover their destination was less than a mile away.

The study, conducted by the Post Office, indicated that travellers frequently struggle with ‘currency confusion’ – becoming muddled about the value of money ‘in pounds’ when they are away. This has resulted in a quarter of people paying more than they anticipated for an item.

The most common currency conversion for Brits, changing to euros, also baffled respondents, with nearly a third unsure of how much £5 would equate to in Euros. Moreover, 40% were in the dark about the conversion rate for dollars.

According to the survey, four out of ten try to calculate local currency rates in their heads, while 6% will ask someone nearby and then take their word for it.

Laura Plunkett, head of travel money at Post Office, commented: “Our research reveals many travellers overestimate their ability to mentally convert currencies on the go, and that can lead to overspending. We wanted to highlight how easily confusion around exchange rates can impact holiday budgets – no one wants to waste time abroad worrying about money. “

The study was commissioned to promote the Post Office’s Travel Money Card, as well as their Travel App which allows holidaymakers to check exchange rates and monitor spending in real time.

Currently, 17% rely on conversion apps to work out how much they are spending. “It’s surprising that only 19% of travellers use a prepaid travel card for their spending abroad when it can allow travellers to lock in a good rate before travelling,” Laura said.

Meanwhile, 49% utilise a separate card not connected to their primary bank account for overseas spending in an effort to safeguard their ‘main funds’ from fraudsters or thieves.

Laura further stated: “Nothing disrupts a holiday like a financial mishap. Keeping your travel money separate from your main account is a smart move to give you greater control, clearer visibility of what you’re spending.

“Whether you’re budgeting carefully or just want to avoid mixing travel purchases with everyday costs, this small step can make a big difference to your trip.”

HYDRANGEAS are beautiful when they bloom, but are yours looking rather brown and crispy?

Well, if yours could do with some TLC and you aren’t sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place as we’ve got all the handy tips and tricks you’ll need. 

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Hydrangeas are known for their big, beautiful cluster flower heads, but it appears that many gardeners often do not know how to care for them properly, which can prevent them from flowering. 

With May in full swing, hydrangeas are just beginning to grow again, and gardeners often fertilise or prune them now to help encourage bigger blooms in the future. 

However, a gardening pro has revealed the big mistake people must avoid if they want their hydrangeas to bloom this month.

Not only this, but Heather Stoven from Oregon State University, also shared the real reason why hydrangeas can sometimes look a bit worse for wear. 

Heather revealed the two gardening jobs that must be avoided, as she recommended: “Avoid pruning; the resulting lush new growth will be sensitive to further damage from heat waves later in the summer.

“Also avoid fertilising as excess fertiliser can attract pests to the plant.”

It may seem obvious to fertilise plants to get more flowers, but according to Heather, now that we’re in May, it is far too early to feed hydrangeas. 

Fertilising hydrangeas now will result in weak growth that is unlikely to survive in the heat.

Not only this, but it will also attract insects who look for softener foliage that is easier for them to eat. 

Many hydrangeas have already formed their flower buds and pruning them now will risk cutting off the blooms, meaning you will not get any flowers at all. 

Doing so will stress out the plant when it is actually growing, further causing damage. 

However, according to the pro, hydrangeas are thirsty plants due to their big leaves which can quickly lose water.

As a result, the biggest mistake many gardeners make is not watering them enough in May.

Gardening tips and hacks

It is crucial to water hydrangeas properly to help establish strong roots so they can retain more water once summer arrives. 

If hydrangeas do not get enough water while they are growing new roots, then the plant will not be strong enough to grow flowers and can even die if under too much stress. 

Heather acknowledged: “If not enough water is available in the soil, or it is lost to the atmosphere faster than it can be replaced, then the plant tissue where the water can’t reach will die. 

Water plants deeply prior to the heat event so that the root zone is well hydrated

Heather

“This is why we see so many brown, crispy leaf edges. It is also possible for high heat itself to cause tissue death.”

According to Heather, the best way to help hydrangeas at the moment is to water them deeply and keep the soil hydrated.

Having said that, you will need to make sure you are watering at the right time. 

It is better to water hydrangeas in the morning as the hotter weather later on in the day will cause water evaporation, meaning a large proportion of moisture will not make it to the soil. 

Watering hydrangeas in the morning allows them to absorb water more efficiently and ensures roots are hydrated throughout the day, which in turn will help them grow stronger and healthier. 

Heather advised: “Water plants deeply prior to the heat event so that the root zone is well hydrated.”

If you choose the right time to water hydrangeas and do it consistently, this will ensure you help these beautiful plants grow to their full potential so you get lots of lovely big blooms once summer arrives.

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