Opinion: Technology Of Babymaking, Overly-Rosy Economics, Barbenheimer

‘Editor’s Picks’ Podcast (July 24, 2023) Three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week:  a report on the technology behind babymaking, why optimism about the world economy might be premature (10:30), and what the hype over Barbenheimer says about the movie industry (16:17).

Tilt-Shift Timelapse Views: Summer In Bavarian Alps

Little Big World (July 24, 2023) – Schloss Elmau is a five-star hotel and national monument, situated between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Mittenwald in a sanctuary of the Bavarian Alps, Germany.

It lies at the foot of the Wetterstein mountains. It’s the only venu, that has hosted the G7 Summit twice. I was lucky enough to be invided by them to shoot footage from the summer activities in the valley sourrounding the hotel. Thanks to Naomi Jödicke for making this episode happen.

Filmed and edited by Joerg Daiber

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – July 31, 2023

A series of images of the Earth inside a microwave getting redder with each year.
“Recipe for Disaster,” by Christoph Niemann.

The New Yorker – July 31, 2023 issue: The ‘rich and famous’ above the law, a small-town newspaper lands ‘Big Stories’, how Larry Gagosian reshaped the art world, and more…

How Alex Spiro Keeps the Rich and Famous Above the Law

Alex Spiro stands holding a folder under one arm and points at something out of the frame.

With a common touch that appeals to juries and a client list that includes Elon Musk, Jay-Z, and Megan Thee Stallion, he’s on a winning streak that makes his rivals seethe.

By Sheelah Kolhatkar

From the issue of July 31, 2023

In the summer of 2018, four years before he bought Twitter, the entrepreneur Elon Musk was facing legal consequences for two of his more reckless forays on the social-media platform. A boys’ soccer team in Thailand had been trapped in a flooded cave for more than two weeks, and a caver involved in the rescue said on CNN that a bespoke submarine Musk had sent to save the children was a “PR stunt.” Infuriated, Musk told his twenty-two million Twitter followers, without basis in fact, that the caver, Vernon Unsworth, was a “pedo guy.” The tweet went viral, and Unsworth’s attorney threatened to sue Musk for defamation.

How Larry Gagosian Reshaped the Art World

Larry Gagosian stands in front of art by Richard Prince.

The dealer has been so successful selling art to masters of the universe that he has become one of them.

By Patrick Radden Keefe

It was the Friday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend on Further Lane, the best street in Amagansett, the best town in the Hamptons, and the art dealer Larry Gagosian was bumming around his eleven-thousand-square-foot modernist beach mansion, looking pretty relaxed for a man who, the next day, would host a party for a hundred and forty people. A pair of French bulldogs, Baby and Humphrey, waddled about, and Gagosian’s butler, Eddie, a slim man with a ponytail and an air of informal professionalism, handed him a sparkling water. 

News: Election In Spain, Russian Culture Ban In Kyiv, Protests In Kenya

The Globalist Podcast, Monday, July 24, 2023: We react to Spain’s snap election on Sunday and the Kyiv City Council’s temporary ban on the public use of Russian-language art and culture.

Plus, Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, presses ahead with his contentious judicial overhaul today and Dutch politicians officially bar cruise ships from docking in Amsterdam’s city centre.

The New York Times — Monday, July 24, 2023

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Israel’s Identity Hangs in Balance Ahead of Key Vote on New Law

Protesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to limit judicial power in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Lawmakers are set to vote Monday on whether to limit the Supreme Court’s power as one element of a government plan to overhaul judicial authority. It is part of a profound rift over Israel’s nature and future.

U.S. Confronts Tight but Turbulent Relationship With Israel

President Isaac Herzog of Israel met with President Biden in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

President Biden has cautioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against pursuing a proposal to rein in Israel’s judiciary, a plan that has deeply divided Israeli society.

How a Drugmaker Profited by Slow-Walking a Promising H.I.V. Therapy

Gilead delayed a new version of a drug, allowing it to extend the patent life of a blockbuster line of medications, internal documents show.

As Inquiries Compound, Justice System Pours Resources Into Scrutinizing Trump

For all their complexity, the Trump-related prosecutions have not significantly constrained the ability of prosecutors to carry out their regular duties, officials have said.