I first encountered the Guardian Weekly in Nepal, where my British and Australian colleagues were generous about lending it out. I don’t remember when I decided to stop freeloading and get my own subscription, but it must have been around 1989-1990. Then, it was delivered by a mail runner who went by bus to the market town three times a week and brought back a mail bag from Kathmandu. We had no TV, and of course no internet, so the GW was the only news of the world I got. Since then, I have kept my subscription and have received the Weekly in various corners of the world, now in the Philippines.
As an American, I always appreciate the Guardian correspondents in the US, interpreting the news for people like me who are bewildered by the happenings in that strange place. Many of the correspondents give helpful insights, and in recent years, Gary Younge’s profound analyses have helped immeasurably in my understanding of my native land.
Nowadays, my Guardian Weekly copies arrive sporadically. Since I now have the internet, I already know what the news is, so I start at the back with my favourite: the book reviews.
The Guardian has introduced me to both Sudoku and Futoshiki, and I gratefully do each of those every week. But I have never guessed a Cryptic Crossword clue.
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