Sunday Morning: Stories From Zürich & Marseille

June 11, 2023 – Monocle’s editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, discusses the weekend’s biggest news stories with Juliet Linley and Christof Münger.

We also speak to Mary Fitzgerald in Marseille and hear the latest from the Zürich Art Weekend.

The New York Times – Sunday, June 11, 2023

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With Probes of Russian Lines, Ukraine’s Counteroffensive Takes Shape

Ukraine is using its new arsenal of Western tanks and armored vehicles in what is expected to be one of the largest military operations in Europe since World War II.

Trump’s Case Puts the Justice System on Trial, in a Test of Public Credibility

Polls suggest that former President Donald J. Trump has made headway in persuading his supporters — and perhaps others — that any allegations against him are just political.

The former president’s efforts to defend against multiple felony counts by discrediting law enforcement pose a grave challenge to democracy.

The Failed Affirmative Action Campaign That Shook Democrats

Voters outside the Alameda County Courthouse casting their ballots in the 2020 election in Oakland, Calif.

The Supreme Court will soon rule on race-conscious college admissions, a core Democratic issue. But an analysis of a California referendum points to a divide between the party and voters.

Ted Kaczynski, ‘Unabomber’ Who Attacked Modern Life, Dies at 81

Alone in a shack in the Montana wilderness, he fashioned homemade bombs and launched a violent one-man campaign to destroy industrial society.

Design: Kellogg Doolittle Residence In California

Architectural Digest (June 10, 2023) – A visit to Joshua Tree in California to tour the awe-inspiring Kellogg Doolittle Residence. The sensational build was designed by organic architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg and his protegee John Vugrin in the 1980s taking over 20 years to complete.

Upon first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking this property was a living creature; the magnificent structure appears skeletal with 26 cast-concrete pieces fanning out in resemblance of vertebrae. An art piece in and of itself, it is no wonder this unique space is considered one of Kellogg’s greatest masterpieces.

Director: Meg Sutton Director of Photography: AJ Young Editor: Daniel Finn Guest: John Vugrin

Travel: A Tour Of Ghent In Northwestern Belgium

The Flying Dutchman (June 10, 2023) – Ghent, in the Flanders  Region, northwestern Belgium. Ghent lies at the junction of the canalized Lys and Scheldt and is the centre of an urban complex that includes Ledeberg, Gentbrugge, and Sint-Amandsberg.

One of Belgium’s oldest cities and the historic capital of Flanders, Ghent was powerful, well-organized in its wealthy trade guilds, and virtually independent until 1584. Within its walls was signed the Pacification of Ghent (1576), an attempt to unite the Lowlands provinces against Spain. The Treaty of Ghent (December 24, 1814) marked the end of the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain.

Along with Brugge (Bruges) and Ypres, Ghent was one of the chief towns of the medieval county of Flanders. It owes its origin to the economic developments that occurred in Flanders in the 10th century, and the town sprang up on the banks of the Lys River at a spot under the protection of a nearby castle built by the counts of Flanders. Ghent grew rapidly in the 12th century, and by the 13th century it was one of the largest towns in northern Europe. Its astonishing prosperity was based on the manufacture of cloth; Ghent’s luxury cloths made from English wool were famous throughout Europe until the 15th century. 

Business Analysis: Electric Vehicle Conversions Rise

CNBC (June 10, 2023) – Interest in electric vehicles is at an all time high, with sales of new EVs up 55 percent in 2022 compared to the year prior. But there are still a lot of gas cars on the road today and there will be for a long time. EV conversions are becoming a bigger trend that could help.

Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction 02:40 — EV conversions 04:12 — Conversion shops 06:45 — DIY community 11:16 — Challenges

Both the shops and aftermarket community are growing substantially to meet the new demand. CNBC explores what it takes to convert a gas-powered car to an electric vehicle and whether it could go mainstream.

Arts & Culture: Sisyphus Magazine – Spring 2023

Democracy Issue Cover

SISYPHUS MAGAZINE (SPRING 2023) – This issue explores the theories in society that subjectify truth, the influence of social media, philosophical pragmatism, the generational representations of societal ideals, the environmental impact of governmental and private sector choices, the factions of progressive arguments, and the evolution of Sisyphus. 

In modern society, it’s difficult to discern what’s real and what’s not in news media’s contemporary platforms and discussions.

Truth is difficult to define but having a correct theory or definition is not the problem. We all know many truths and untruths, without knowing what philosophers have said, and without knowing that many still disagree with each other. 

The Principles of Quantum Mechanics

by Jaime Woolery

 
Once lost, the laws might be derived again 
When necessary, or so you’ve been told. 
You’re half asleep in January sun. 
Just out of sight, someone starts bugging you 
And Steller’s jays. Green hills, blue weather, — noon 
To bring out Panpipes, but it’s too damn cold.

The Progressive Impasse

by Demian Entrekin

Why the progressive movement has stalled.

I. Nominal and Material Progressivism 

Both Adam Smith and Karl Marx believed in progress.

The question, therefore, is what do we mean by progress? How do we understand it? How does it operate? How does progress correspond with progressivism? These questions have become important because progressivism has encountered an internal impasse. It has become mired in internal conflict.

Travel: A Guided Tour Of Accra, Capital Of Ghana

DW Travel (June 10, 2023) – TV-host KMJ guides you through his city, Accra — from the old fishing district of Jamestown to the hip Osu Oxford Street. Of course, KMJ also shares tips on where to eat delicious food and shows you the best place in Accra for chilling by the sea.

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:25 Labadi Beach Hotel 01:25 Legon Botanical Gardens 02:23 Azmera restaurant 03:50 Jamestown with the arts center 04:22 Osu Oxford Street

Accra is the capital of Ghana, on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park honors Ghana’s first president, who helped lead the country to independence. The park contains Nkrumah’s mausoleum and a museum charting his life. Makola Market is the city’s vast, colorful bazaar. Popular seafront spots Labadi Beach and Kokrobite Beach offer golden sand and high-energy nightlife. 

World Economic Forum: Top Stories- June 10, 2023

World Economic Forum (June 10, 2023) – This week’s top stories of the week include:

0:15 Finland’s electricity fell below €0 – It happened twice during one week in May caused by a glut of hydroelectric capacity as a result of heavier-than-usual spring meltwater. This meant the supply of electricity exceeded demand and this, in turn, led to a negative price for electricity.

1:30 NYC gives new mothers $1000 – The no-strings cash payments last for 18 months. Then for the following 18 months, low-income mothers receive $500 a month, covering the first 3 years of their baby’s life. The scheme – known as the Bridge Project – aims to fight child poverty in New York as well as reducing inequality and stress for new parents.

3:19 NASA will send your name to space – It’s asking people to sign a poem written by Ada Limón, the US Poet Laureate. Limón’s poem will be engraved on NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft. While signatories’ names will be etched on microchips mounted on the craft.

5:11 Implants help this paralysed man walk – It creates a ‘digital bridge’ between his brain and his spinal cord, Bypassing sections that were damaged in an accident. The implant lets him stand, walk and even climb stairs.

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The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

Watercolor Views: British Painter Annie Tempest’s “Mediterranean Cruise”

Country Life Magazine (June 10 , 2023) – Annie Tempest, the brains and hands behind Country Life’s beloved Tottering-by-Gently cartoon, shares her pictorial diary of a recent Empires of the Mediterranean cruise, aboard Viking’s ‘Sky’ ship, with us.

Piraeus 1.0  – We boarded Viking Sky at Piraeus port in Athens, so were in harbour over night. I began to notice the blueness and the ‘dome-i-ness’ of my surroundings. Acclimatising my eyes to the change in architecture from North Norfolk.

Still painting late into the night watching the the buildings turn into silhouettes and the blue mountains in the distance fade to smudges.

Koper, Slovenia – Tito Square in Koper has a strong Italian influence and even the language spoken here is part Italian and part Slovene. It was a capital city under the Venetian Republic. I couldn’t paint this journey without including a tourist photographing the magnificent architecture.

This was the sight that greeted us as we  approached the Greek island of Santorini. Beautiful coloured buildings above what looked like cave entrances. The town sits on the top of what appears to be a giant rock and is reached by cable car, or donkey for the more intrepid.

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Saturday Morning: News And Stories From London

Monocle on Saturday, June 10, 2023: Updates on the weekend’s culture news and current affairs with Georgina Godwin.

Historian, broadcaster and screenwriter Alex von Tunzelmann reviews the papers and Monocle’s Monica Lillis visits Poland’s award-winning pavilion at the London Design Biennale.