A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, are sanctions on Russia working? Plus, Joe Biden’s sweeping debt-forgiveness plan (10:00) and in defence of commuting (15:10).
Daily Archives: August 29, 2022
Mozambique Views: Will Ruby Mining Improve Lives?
Rubies are increasingly prized on the international gemstone market. The world’s largest ruby mine is in northern Mozambique, where thousands of people are fleeing extremist militias. Can the lucrative business improve the lives of the people there?
The mine’s executives have a clear-cut position: They say they pay the taxes they owe, and Mozambique’s government should use the money to build schools in the region, ensure security and fight poverty. They say the mine alone can’t provide a livelihood to the entire region. Meanwhile, some residents regularly attempt to enter and mine rubies themselves. In the past, there have been reports of violent confrontations with the mine’s security personnel. Are the rubies a blessing or a curse? A report by Adrian Kriesch.
Technology: How Google Maps Changed Navigating
Google Maps has transformed the way that we navigate the world, make decisions, and think about our privacy in the 17 years since its launch. Here’s an inside look at how it works and what’s next.
Preview: Nature Season 41
Get a sneak peek at a brand new season of NATURE on PBS, starting in October 2022. More than one million wildebeest, along with zebra, gazelle and elands, journey in a quest to find fresh grass as they migrate through Kenya’s Mara ecosystem.
International Art: Apollo Magazine – September 2022
• Jil Sander refashions the English garden in Hamburg
• Annette Messager on the art of making the strange familiar
• A dazzling Medici table-top in focus
• On Jeju Island, the Hawaii of South Korea
Plus: the restored Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, Inigo Jones’s Banqueting House, Joseph Wright of Derby’s brush with the divine, and reviews of Cézanne in Chicago, Milton Avery in London and a history of fancy dress
Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – Sept 5, 2022
J. J. Sempé’s “Morning Music”
The French artist’s widow describes Sempé’s decades-long relationship with the magazine and his deep appreciation for its spirit, its staff, and its readers. By Françoise Mouly, Art by J. J. Sempé
Justice Alito’s Crusade Against a Secular America Isn’t Over
He’s had win after win—including overturning Roe v. Wade—yet seems more and more aggrieved. What drives his anger?
Aerial Views: Coastlines & Landscapes Of Scotland
Scotland, most northerly of the four parts of the United Kingdom, occupying about one-third of the island of Great Britain. The name Scotland derives from the Latin Scotia, land of the Scots, a Celtic people from Ireland who settled on the west coast of Great Britain about the 5th century CE. The name Caledonia has often been applied to Scotland, especially in poetry. It is derived from Caledonii, the Roman name of a tribe in the northern part of what is now Scotland.
News Stories: Drought And Famine In Somalia, Hollywood Fights Back
Our correspondent reports from Somalia, which stands on the brink of famine thanks to a drought, soaring food costs and infrastructure destroyed by decades of fighting.
Old Hollywood studios are waging an epic battle against their upstart streaming rivals. And why London’s cemeteries are selling used graves.
Front Page: Wall Street Journal – August 29, 2022
U.N. Inspectors Head to Ukraine Nuclear Plant as Safety Fears Grow
The International Atomic Energy Agency said a team was heading to the facility to assess damage, check safety and security systems and evaluate staff conditions. The inspection will begin on Wednesday and last until
U.S. Warships Sail Through Taiwan Strait for First Time Since Pelosi Visit
The move comes amid deteriorating ties between Beijing and Washington, and as tensions rise between Taiwan and China after the U.S. House speaker’s trip earlier this month.
Boomers Daily 