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Other livesMusicObituaryLarry Jon Wilson obituaryMy friend, the musician Larry Jon Wilson, who has died aged 71, was that rarest of things: an honest man in a profession built on glamour. A favourite of Nashville's leading singer-songwriters, from Willie Nelson to Kris Kristofferson and Will Oldham, he never achieved their commercial success. One of the first things he told me, in his sandpaper southern drawl, was: "Every time a record company comes calling, the buzzards start circling the house.

The ObserverMad Men This article is more than 13 years oldMad Men's Lyle Evans Google bomb dupes viewersThis article is more than 13 years oldDr Lyle Evans reference on cult US drama sends viewers on an online goose chaseSo much cultural clout; so few viewers – Mad Men was at it again last week, with the very conspicuous mention of a certain Dr Lyle Evans in Wednesday's episode. The name, thrown out as a threat by silver-haired sleaze Roger Sterling – as he threatened to disrupt a pitch to new Japanese car makers Honda – resulted in what is known as a "

Nuclear LeaksEnergy industry This article is more than 1 month oldRevealed: Sellafield nuclear site has leak that could pose risk to publicThis article is more than 1 month oldSafety concerns at Europe’s most hazardous plant have caused diplomatic tensions with US, Norway and Ireland ‘Dirty 30’ and its toxic siblings: the most dangerous parts of the Sellafield site Sellafield hacked by groups linked to Russia and China Sellafield, Europe’s most hazardous nuclear site, has a worsening leak from a huge silo of radioactive waste that could pose a risk to the public, the Guardian can reveal.

CultureTest your knowledge of F Scott Fitzgerald - quizCelebrate Fitzgerald's birthday by finding out how much you know about his life and work Robert McCrum's 100 best novels: The Great Gatsby ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaJqfpLi0e9CuoLNnYmV%2BdXvSnqdoamRkvra12WadoqyqnLKzrcudZJuhoqm1pa3YZqiuoao%3D

ShortcutsHistory booksIn a universe where anything can happen, most things sooner or later do'Coincidence?" as an old friend of mine liked to say whenever one of her enemies fell down an open manhole. "I think not." We have a strange relationship with chance. Ever since the astronomer Fred Hoyle compared the likelihood of life evolving spontaneously to the chances of a tornado assembling a 747 from a junkyard, we've tended to see extreme improbability as a sign that Something Is Messing With Us.

ExperienceLife and styleFour people offered me shoes in a week during the last cold spell It all started about three years ago, when I met up with my son in a park. He’s very outdoorsy and it was the first time I’d seen him barefoot – he likes the way it feels on grass, but doesn’t do it all the time. I found it funny, so I took my shoes off to give it a go.

Venice film festival 2014ReviewMohsen Makhmalbaf’s despot-on-the-run satire gestures to eastern Europe and the fallout of the Arab spring. It’s a gutsy and vivid parable, says Peter Bradshaw Xan Brooks reviews festival opener, Birdman More from the 2014 Venice film festival Perhaps even Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s most devoted admirers weren’t expecting his latest film - here opening the Festival’s Orrizonti sidebar section - to be quite so absorbing and gripping. But that’s what it is, and the director discloses a unsuspected gift for satire and suspense, along with some old-fashioned storytelling gusto.

World newsUS microwave bomb to make debut in most hi-tech battlefield campaign everClaims that smart device wipes out circuitry of tanks and missile systems without harming troopsIn the opening hours of the assault on Iraq, the US is likely to unleash a new and devastatingly effective breed of weapon against Saddam Hussein's forces. Launched in a cruise missile, it will fire a massive pulse of microwave energy. This lightning surge of power will last only a fraction of a second, but, travelling at the speed of light, it will wipe out any enemy weapons systems over a radius of several hundred metres.

Virginia This article is more than 1 year oldVirginia teacher who was shot by six-year-old tried to confiscate gun – reportThis article is more than 1 year oldAbby Zwerner, 25, had life-threatening injuries but is now continuing to improve in hospital The Virginia school teacher shot by her six-year-old student was injured after she sought to confiscate the weapon from the child who had revealed the gun in class, a parent of another child in the class has said.