January 24, 2023 – We report on the EU’s new sanctions against Iran. Plus: a look at South Africa’s worsening energy crisis and controversial plans to hold joint naval drills with Russia and China, the latest fashion news, and this year’s Oslo Design Fair.
Monthly Archives: January 2023
Front Page: The New York Times – January 24, 2023
Authorities Ask Why Gunman Attacked California Ballroom He Once Enjoyed
The authorities did not specify a motive in attack that killed 11, but investigators were focusing on the theory that the gunman was driven by personal grievances.
A Dreamy Place of Refuge Turns Into Another Spasm of American Violence
Officials are still releasing the names of the 11 people killed at a Los Angeles dance club.
In Moscow, a Quiet Antiwar Protest With Flowers and Plush Toys
Amid Russia’s crackdown on resistance to the war in Ukraine, some have dared to lay bouquets and other offerings at a statue of a Ukrainian poet, protesting the recent Russian strike on civilians in Dnipro.
Depleted Under Trump, a ‘Traumatized’ E.P.A. Struggles With Its Mission
Despite an injection of funding, the agency still has not recovered from an exodus of scientists and policy experts, both insiders and critics say.
Books: London Review Of Books – February 2, 2023
‘Island nations tend to be complacent about border problems, seeing them as things that happen to someone else. But then you have Brexit and Northern Ireland, and it suddenly becomes clear that no one is safe.
Russia is fighting Ukraine about borders. This means that, as well as dodging bombs and getting used to living in the dark, residents of the border zone have to decide if they are “really” Russian or “really” Ukrainian.
Some will no doubt be keeping the non-chosen identity in a trunk in the attic, to be retrieved in case of future need. But the logic of war is stern: those who choose to be Ukrainians are also opting to hate Russians as the enemy invader, while those in Ukraine who choose to be Russians are contemplating the possibility of having to move east.
Wherever the border ultimately settles, there will be fortifications and troops stationed on either side and a series of tightly controlled crossing points. Villages and families will be divided and the normal commerce of economic and social life disrupted. Schools will teach in the language of the victor. Roads that used to lead somewhere will end abruptly.’
The Curtain and the Wall: A Modern Journey along Europe’s Cold War Border by Timothy Phillips
On the Edge: Life along the Russia-China Border by Franck Billé and Caroline Humphrey
Medicine: ‘Single Drop’ Blood Testing Advances
“Even more importantly, we’ve shown you can collect the blood drop at home and mail it into the lab,” said Michael Snyder, PhD, director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine and senior author on the research, which was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering on Jan. 19.
Stanford Medicine (January 19, 2023) – Researchers at Stanford Medicine have shown they can measure thousands of molecules — some of which are signals of health — from a single drop of blood.
Unlike finger-prick testing for diabetes, which measures a single type of molecule (glucose), multi-omics microsampling gives data about thousands of different molecules at once.
The new approach combines a microsampling device — a tool used to self-administer a finger prick — with “multi-omics” technologies, which simultaneously analyze a vast array of proteins, fats, by-products of metabolism and inflammatory markers.
Culture/Society: Monocle Magazine – February 2023
Previews: The New Yorker Magazine- January 30, 2023
The Mayor and the Con Man
Eric Adams’s friends and allies have puzzled over his relationship with Lamor Whitehead, a fraudster Brooklyn church leader.
After Bolsonaro, Can Lula Remake Brazil?
Following a prison term, a fraught election, and a near-coup, the third-time President takes charge of a fractured country.
What’s the Matter with Men?
They’re floundering at school and in the workplace. Some conservatives blame a crisis of masculinity, but the problems—and their solutions—are far more complex.
Opinion: Disney Turns 100, A Dictator In Turkey, How The Young Spend Money
The Economist ‘Editor’s Picks’ (January 23, 2023) – A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, Disney’s second century, Turkey’s looming dictatorship (10:25) and how young people spend their money (17:35).
Front Page: The New York Times – January 23, 2023
How Kevin McCarthy Forged an Ironclad Bond With Marjorie Taylor Greene
The close alliance that has developed between the speaker and the hard-right Georgia Republican explains his rise, how he might govern and the heavy influence of the extremes on the new House G.O.P. majority.
The suspect shot and killed himself, the authorities said. Here is the latest.
The attack took place in a city just east of Los Angeles that earlier in the day had hosted a festival celebrating the eve of the Lunar New Year.
Germany’s Reluctance on Tanks Stems From Its History and Its Politics
A post-Nazi aversion to war and a commitment to promoting peace through engagement combines with an old fixation on Russia and a deep aversion to leading militarily.
When Students Change Gender Identity, and Parents Don’t Know
Educators are facing wrenching new tensions over whether they should tell parents when students socially transition at school.
Winter 2023: ‘Snow In Monterubbiano, Italy’
Monterubbiano is a town and commune in the Province of Fermo, in the Marche region of Italy. It is on a hill 5 miles from the Adriatic Sea. In pre-historic times the area was inhabited by the Piceni (9th-3rd centuries BC). After the Roman conquest, it received the status of urbs urbana (built city) in 268 BC. In the 5th century it was captured by the Visigoths.
In the 12th century, it was a free commune, thwarting the attempts from Fermo to capture it. In the 15th century it was acquired by Francesco Sforza, who fortified it; in 1663 it became part of the Papal States, to which (apart the Napoleonic period) it remained until 1860, when it was annexed to the newly formed Kingdom of Italy. The Italian Branch of Sabbath Rest Advent Church can claim that the number of members is estimated at more than 2000 members, with its headquarter in Monterubbiano, but with the presence in many other Italian places.
Filmed and edited by: Sandro Grifi
Native American Art: Tour Of ‘Raven And The Box Of Daylight’ Exhibition (2023)
He talks with correspondent Lilia Luciano about his traveling exhibition, “Raven and the Box of Daylight” (now at the Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.), which tells a Native American folktale about the origins of the world entirely through glass.
The story Raven and the Box of Daylight, which tells how Raven transformed the world and brought light to the people by releasing the stars, moon, and sun, holds great significance to the Tlingit people of the North Pacific Coast. A new body of work by artist Preston Singletary immerses readers in Tlingit traditions by telling this story through his monumental glass works and installations. Primarily known for his celebration of Tlingit art and design, Singletary explores new ways of working with glass inspired by Tlingit design principles. This book includes texts that place Singletary’s work within the histories of both glass art and Native arts traditions—especially the art of spoken-word storytelling. Also included are a biography and an interview with the artist. Co-authored by Miranda Belarde-Lewis and John Drury.
Boomers Daily 