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Daily Archives: December 18, 2023
Cinematic Travel: Tour Of Granada, Andalusia, Spain
This sprawling hilltop fortress complex encompasses royal palaces, serene patios, and reflecting pools from the Nasrid dynasty, as well as the fountains and orchards of the Generalife gardens.
Exhibits: ‘Medieval Money, Merchants, And Morality’ At The Morgan Library NYC
“Medieval Money, Merchants, and Morality” is open to the public November 10, 2023 through March 10, 2024.
Trade was conducted on an unprecedented scale, banks were established, and coinage proliferated like never before. The widespread use of money in everyday life transformed every aspect of European society, including its values and culture. Bringing together some of the most acclaimed manuscripts in the Morgan’s collection and other exceptional objects including a renaissance purse, a brass alms box, and a hoard of coins, this exhibition will explore the fate of the avaricious, attitudes towards the poor, contentious lending practices, and money management.
The famous Hours of Catherine of Cleves, the Hours of Henry VIII, and the Prayer Book of Queen Claude de France will be presented from a decidedly new angle, combining economic and art history to consider the early history of capitalism and the crisis in values that it sparked. These will feature alongside lesser known treasures, including an Italian account book in its original binding and a stunning leaf from a register of creditors made in Bologna, Italy, in 1394–95. As people today reflect on fluctuating markets, disparities in wealth, personal values, and morality, the themes addressed in this exhibition are as relevant as ever.
Current Affairs: Prospect Magazine – January 2024
America’s undoing
Triumphant at the end of the Cold War, the United States pledged to lead humanity in a new world order. Two conflicts—in Gaza and in Ukraine—have exposed that it has never been weaker
By Samuel Moyn
The date of 7th October 2023 will go down in history as a turning point for the global role of the United States. The country’s promise both to defend and model democracy on the world stage has taken a huge hit, from which it is doubtful that it can recover. When the Ukraine War began in 2022, and the US responded with enormous military aid, the credibility of that promise had been briefly revived after the nightmare of Donald Trump’s presidency. Now it is smashed once again, joining the rubble of Gaza’s streets.
The World’s Top Thinkers 2024: ideas for a world on the brink
As a planet and a civilisation we are approaching tipping points—some frightening, others freeing—that will transform life as we know it. Here, we present our annual list of intellectuals—from priests and strategists to neuroscientists and historians—who will help us navigate the world in the year ahead
News: Israel-Gaza War Cease-Fire Calls Mount, Egypt Election Results
The Globalist Podcast (December 18, 2023) – Yossi Mekelberg discusses the weekend developments in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Plus: the latest on Egypt’s presidential election results, the Wagner group’s gold trade operations in Africa, a flip through the papers with Vincent McAviney and theatre news with Matt Wolf, a critic at ‘The New York Times’.
Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – Dec 25, 2023
Can Crosswords Be More Inclusive?
The puzzles spread from the United States across the globe, but the American crossword today doesn’t always reflect the linguistic changes that immigration brings.
By Natan Last
Root around in the alphanumeric soup of the U.S. visa system for long enough and you’ll discover the EB-1A, sometimes known as the Einstein visa. Among the hardest permanent-resident visas to obtain, it is reserved for noncitizens with“extraordinary ability.” John Lennon got a forerunner of it, in 1976, after a deportation scare that could have sent him back to Britain. (His case, which spotlighted prosecutorial discretion in immigration law, forms the legal basis for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or daca.) Modern-day recipients include the tennis star Monica Seles and—in a tasteless bit of irony—the Slovenian model Melania Knauss, in 2001, four years before she became Melania Trump.
The World’s Fastest Road Cars—and the People Who Drive Them
“Hypercars” can approach or even exceed 300 m.p.h. Often costing millions of dollars, they’re ostentatious trophies—and sublime engines of innovation.
By Ed Caesar
A Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, near the company’s factory, in Molsheim, France. The car, which has lusciously curved side panels, has been produced in a limited run of five hundred. Although its engine is as big as a Shetland pony, the interior is eerily quiet.
Return to New York City
Revisiting old haunts leads to revelations about “real life.”
By Julia Wertz
The New York Times — Monday, December 18, 2023
Israel’s Allies Urge Restraint as Netanyahu Vows ‘Fight to the End’
The U.S. defense secretary was headed to the Middle East as two top European officials called for a scaled-back war against Hamas.
Why Democracy Hasn’t Settled the Abortion Question
Post-Roe voting might bring America to a new consensus — but only if the voters keep getting their say.
Campus Crackdowns Have Chilling Effect on Pro-Palestinian Speech
Universities are under tremendous pressure to stamp out antisemitism, but some say that is causing fear and curbing free expression.
More Than 100 Members of This Gaza Clan Have Been Killed in War
Family trees have been dismembered, and whole branches obliterated, since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on Oct. 7.
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