thanhtoong0

thanhtoong0

  • Joined: June 24, 2025
  • Articles: 19205

Green Dot author Madeleine Gray: ‘Chosen family is big in the queer community’

Madeleine Gray has followed her hit debut with a sharp take on complicated parenting. She discusses love, sex and famous fans

Madeleine Gray remembers the first time she had an inkling that her debut novel might become a big deal. When she received news of her advance from her agent, she was “expecting a pittance”; the number was in the six figures. “I thought: holy fuck, there’s been a mistake,” the 31-year-old author laughs. “By the time Green Dot was published last autumn, it had already been hailed as one of the most anticipated novels of the year, and was quickly beloved, drawing comparisons with Bridget Jones, Fleabag and Annie Ernaux. Nigella Lawson and Gillian Anderson posted praise for the book.

Were those celebrity endorsements exciting, I ask her. “I’m gay,” she replies, her enthusiasm leaping through the screen; “are you kidding?! I follow Gillian on Instagram, obviously.” When she saw Anderson post a selfie with the book, “the scream that came out of me was primal”.

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Should we sell our kidneys?

Allowing payments to organ donors would undoubtedly save lives. So what are the psychological – and political – impediments?

Right now, about 7,000 people are awaiting a kidney transplant in the UK. According to NHS figures, in 2024/25 only 3,302 adult kidney transplants were performed. The charity Kidney Research UK states that “just 32% of patients receive a transplant within a year of joining the waiting list and six people die every week while waiting.”

People who experience kidney failure need either lifelong dialysis or a transplant to survive. Yet even for those lucky enough to get a transplant, that is by no means the end of the story. Kidneys from deceased donors last an average of 10 to 15 years, those from a living person 20 to 25. If (or rather, when) a transplant fails, the affected patient once again needs dialysis or a donated organ.

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Europa’s Hidden Ocean Could Be ‘Fed’ by Sinking Salted Ice; New Study Boosts Hopes for Alien Life

Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons, may have a more habitable ocean than once thought. New simulations show that dense, salt-rich ice on the surface can slowly sink through the moon’s thick ice shell and drip into the hidden ocean below. This process would deliver nutrients and oxidants over geological timescales, potentially sustaining conditions favourable for e...

Passport Appointment Online: How to Book, Documents Required, Track Status, and More

A passport is an important government-issued document that not only comes in handy while travelling abroad, but also when you are required to produce a photo identity card. You can get a passport issued via the Passport Seva online portal after filling out an application form. However, you also need to visit a Passport Seva Kendra, which is allotted based on your curr...