Sport and leisure booksReviewRichard Moore on an illuminating book that challenges the notion that in sport, practice matters more than innate talent"The more I practise, the luckier I get," said the golfer Gary Player, giving birth to one of sport's most famous aphorisms, one that is cherished by the world's most driven athletes, their coaches and, perhaps dangerously in some cases, their parents. It is easy to see why it is so appealing.

CitiesYears of gang warfare has turned the spring-breaker destination into a Gotham-style nightmare. Now some of its remaining residents are taking to the streets in a desperate call for peace Thousands of people dressed in white, carrying white balloons and waving white handkerchiefs, have been parading down the main streets of Tampico, Mexico, recently. But these people weren’t part of a local carnival, art event or other joyous celebration. They have taken to the streets in a desperate call for help.

The ObserverArt This article is more than 10 years old'I never made money from the Green Lady,' says Tretchikoff's modelThis article is more than 10 years oldAs the original goes to auction for the first time, Monika Pon, the woman in the 1950s classic, says it brought her neither fame nor fortuneIt was the face that launched a thousand drab sitting rooms into kitsch popular culture. Chinese Girl, with her otherworldly glow and decorative gold tunic, is one of the most reproduced fine art prints in the world.

MediaObituaryAlan CorenA humorist and wry commentator, he made his name as editor of PunchAlan Coren, who has died of cancer aged 69, was an extremely funny man. Dubbed a national treasure of wit by one critic, in the New Yorker he was even called the natural successor to SJ Perelman - high and unusual praise for a man who had once been criticised as a mere imitator of that magazine's great comic writer.

Blooming marvellous … Adrian Chiles and the skyscraping century plant. Photograph: Courtesy of Adrian ChilesBlooming marvellous … Adrian Chiles and the skyscraping century plant. Photograph: Courtesy of Adrian ChilesOpinionPlants This article is more than 2 years oldMy towering agave plant is in full bloom – but it’s a bittersweet bonanzaThis article is more than 2 years oldAdrian ChilesThe century plant outside my flat grew a monstrous stalk this summer. I have since learned this means its days are numbered – which has painted it in a whole new light