The Guardian Weekly (August 4, 2023)– Israel in turmoil: Netanyahu’s judicial coup; Stormzy’s scholarship graduates; International fiction found in translation, and more…
Foreign Affairs (August 2, 2023) – As 2022 came to an end, hopes were rising that China’s economy—and, consequently, the global economy—was poised for a surge. After three years of stringent restrictions on movement, mandatory mass testing, and interminable lockdowns, the Chinese government had suddenly decided to abandon its “zero COVID” policy, which had suppressed demand, hampered manufacturing, roiled supply lines, and produced the most significant slowdown that the country’s economy had seen since pro-market reforms began in the late 1970s.
Economic long COVID will likely plague the Chinese economy for years.
In the weeks following the policy change, global prices of oil, copper, and other commodities rose on expectations that Chinese demand would surge. In March, then Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced a target for real GDP growth of around five percent, and many external analysts predicted it would go far higher.
Times Literary Supplement (August 4, 2023): The twilight zone – Joyce Carol Oates on the novellas of Rachel Ingalls; J.L Austin, philosopher-spy; Adam Thirlwell’s historical fantasy; Hollywood blockbusters; Poverty in the U.S. and more…
Literary Review – August 2023 Issue: How Sugar Became King; Oil, Resin, Vinegar & Paint – “Albrecht Dürer: Art and Autobiography” By David Ekserdjian; Shopping & Plucking – “How to Be a Renaissance Woman: The Untold History of Beauty and Female Creativity” By Jill Burke and more…
Albrecht Dürer: Art and Autobiography By David Ekserdjian
Dürer’s Lost Masterpiece: Art and Society at the Dawn of a Global World By Ulinka Rublack
The German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) was fortunate in his initials. The stylised ‘AD’ that he routinely inserted into his paintings and engravings, and even the preparatory drawings, seemed to imbue his productions with an almost divine stamp of approval. Most German painters of the era did not sign their work, but Dürer was eager to assert creative ownership of his productions, obtaining legal protection of his sole right to the trademark monogram.
The World of Sugar: How the Sweet Stuff Transformed Our Politics, Health, and Environment over 2,000 Years By Ulbe Bosma
There was a time when commodity histories were everywhere. They tended to focus on consumption and trade over very long distances. Ulbe Bosma’s TheWorld of Sugar is much more than this sort of book. It is one of the most accomplished longue durée case studies in the history of capitalism that we have, concerned not just with trade and consumption but with production also. At every turn it subverts both critiques and celebrations of capitalism, and our understanding of much else besides. It is an extraordinary achievement.
The Globalist Podcast, Wednesday, August 2 2023: Former President Trump was criminally indicted with three conspiracy charges and a count of attempting to obstruct an official proceeding in his campaign to use the levers of government power to remain in office after 2020 Election. Also, violent protests erupt in Senegal.
The former president faces three conspiracy charges and a count of attempting to obstruct an official proceeding in his campaign to use the levers of government power to remain in office.
The third indictment of the former president is the first to get to the heart of the matter: Can a sitting leader of the country spread lies to hold onto power even after voters reject him?
A Craigslist for Guns, With No Background Checks
A federal gun law passed last year gave the Biden administration a powerful new tool to increase background checks on “private” firearms sales. Will the administration use it?
Putin’s Crackdown Leaves Transgender Russians Bracing for Worse
A new law underscores how Vladimir V. Putin is increasingly using the war in Ukraine as justification for greater restrictions on L.G.B.T.Q. life, portraying it as a consequence of deviant Western values.
The Local Project (August 1, 2023) – Nestled into the southern Tasmanian landscape sits Room11’s floating home Triptych project – three unique buildings spanning across a pristine Tasman Peninsula locale.
Video timeline:00:00 – Engaging Concrete To Create The Floating Home 00:55 – Introduction to 01:55 – The Client’s Vision 02:20 – The Process Of Arrival 02:47 – Playful Interventions Throughout The Home 03:36 – Utilising Mirrors In The Interior Design 04:09 – Landscaping Inspired By The Journey 04:35 – Bespoke Ventilation System 05:09 – The 4th Built Element 05:36 – Manifesting The Original Idea
One of the buildings is Koonya, a home with an experience that extends all the way to the horizon. The outdoor sculptural piece (the Pulmonum), main house and Glass House offer a retreat as well as a raw and direct connection to place that is potent and memorable. As such, Room11 establishes a strong and unwavering approach to creating a floating home.
Concrete is abundantly used across the three projects, with Room11 drawing on its solidity to create a standalone floating home in a broad landscape that offers an immense, modern art-like structure whilst still feeling comfortable and providing a sense of sanctuary. The key to establishing architecture in such a remote location is considering and highlighting the qualities of the site.
The large window looking out towards the horizon acts as a piece of art, marking the endpoint of a journey as one descends into the building before being projected into the landscape. The somewhat brutal approach to creating this floating home allowed Room11 to make playful interventions off the main spaces. For example, one of the bedrooms has a low, horizontal window that offers views of the landscape beyond when one lies down. Additionally, the master bedroom has a sheepskin cupboard, providing a playful and enjoyable element that also exudes a feeling of warmth.
The Booker Prize (August 1, 2023) – The longlist has been announced! It features work from four continents, four Irish writers, four debut novelists – and ten authors who are recognized by the Booker Prize for the first time.
Tourister Films (August 1, 2023) – Ibiza is one of the Balearic islands, an archipelago of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. It’s well known for the lively nightlife in Ibiza Town and Sant Antoni, where major European nightclubs have summer outposts.
It’s also home to quiet villages, yoga retreats and beaches, from Platja d’en Bossa, lined with hotels, bars and shops, to quieter sandy coves backed by pine-clad hills found all around the coast.
The Globalist Podcast, Tuesday, August1, 2023: Italy is the latest European country to rethink ties with China. Also, Israel proposes a new rail line to Saudi Arabia, and the latest theatre news.
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