Times Literary Supplement @TheTLS (March 31, 2023) – This week’s @TheTLS features @Skye_Cleary on the Good Life; @David_Goodhart on the Tories post-Brexit; @PeterKGeoghegan on the UK’s finances; @DrCLaoutaris on Shakespeare’s lodger; @KatyaTaylor on L. M. Montgomery; @MirandaFrance1 on Javier Marías’s final novel – and more.
March 29, 2023: We give you the latest from Ukraine as expectations of a counteroffensive against Russian positions mount.
Also in the program: Taiwan’s former president Ma Ying-jeou claims, “We are all Chinese,” during a historic visit to China. Plus: Russia’s plan to place nuclear weapons in its submarines in the Pacific and the second Summit for Democracy, an initiative launched by Joe Biden.
Mississippi is one of 10 states, all with Republican-led legislatures, that continue to reject federal funding to expand health insurance for the poor, intensifying financial pressure on hospitals.
The fatal blaze comes as border cities across Mexico have been flooded with migrants turned back from the United States and more arriving from other countries.
Artificial intelligence is confronting white-collar professionals more directly than ever. It could make them more productive — or obsolete.
Long overshadowed by other royal look-alikes, Charles imitators are experiencing newfound popularity ahead of the king’s coronation in May.
Video timeline: 0:00 The typical family’s 401k and IRA account balance 1:05 How retirement funds should depend on lifestyle choices 1:51 How retirees who save less than $1 million are getting by 3:53 Steps to take to ensure you have enough retirement savings
Many Americans dream of saving $1 million for retirement. Most fall far short of that.
The typical family’s 401(k) and IRA-type accounts come to less than half that goal in the years approaching retirement age, according to the nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute. Total household balances in retirement accounts for those 55 to 64 years old are $413,814 on average, according to its estimates based on 2019 data, the most recent available.
LitHub (March 28, 2023): Literary Hub is very pleased to reveal the cover for Nobel Prize winner J. M. Coetzee’s new novel The Pole, which will be published by Liveright this September. Here’s more about the book from the publisher:
Exacting yet maddeningly unpredictable, J. M. Coetzee’s The Pole tells the story of Wittold Walccyzkiecz, a vigorous, “extravagantly white-haired” Polish pianist who becomes infatuated with Beatriz, a stylish patron of the arts, after she helps organize his Barcelona concert. Although Beatriz, a married woman, is initially unimpressed by Wittold, she soon finds herself pursued and ineluctably swept into the world of the journeyman performer. As he sends her letters, extends countless invitations to travel, and even visits her husband’s summer home in Mallorca, their unlikely relationship blossoms, though, it seems, only on her terms. The power struggle between them intensifies—Is it Beatriz who limits their passion by controlling her emotions? Or is it Wittold, trying to force into life his dream of love?
Video timeline: 0:00 Why do trains derail and how can they be prevented? 0:37 One of the biggest causes of derailments are track issues 3:04 Other derailments stem from human errors or equipment failures 5:01 Why most derailments are not severe and could be prevented
The Dublin Literary Award is presented annually for a novel written or translated into English. Books are nominated for the award by invited public libraries in cities throughout the world, making the award unique in its coverage of international fiction.
Scientists say global heating is already making major tropical cyclones like those that hit Vanuatu more frequent. Under moderate and worst-case climate scenarios, the country is expected to lose around 20-25 per cent of its GDP from natural disasters each year, according to a recent UN report. Later this month Vanuatu’s proposal for a top international court to clarify the obligations of states to tackle climate change and the consequences of not doing so under international law will be put to a vote at the United Nations.
Vanuatu is a South Pacific Ocean nation made up of roughly 80 islands that stretch 1,300 kilometers. The islands offer scuba diving at coral reefs, underwater caverns and wrecks such as the WWII-era troopship SS President Coolidge. Harborside Port Vila, the nation’s capital and economic center, is on the island of Efate. The city is home to the Vanuatu National Museum, which explores the nation’s Melanesian culture.
Video timeline: 00:00 In the studio 01:10 Elliot’s still life series 01:45 Design inspiration from the V&A collection 03:03 Hot workshop: gathering molten glass with a blowpipe 03:30 Building up layers of clear and coloured glass 03:56 Spiralling the coloured glass 04:15 Shaping the glass with different tools 04:50 ‘Swedish’ or bubble overlay technique 05:57 Creating the fish shape 06:41 Adding surface texture, fins and a metallic finish 08:14 Cold workshop: cutting and polishing 09:17 The finished piece
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