Scientific American – January 2024 Preview
Monthly Archives: December 2023
New Zealand Design: Waiheke Island Home Tour
Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Hidden Home 00:43 – Designed for Two Siblings 01:49 – The Form of the Home and its Influence 02:28 – The History of the Gateway Pavilion 03:31 – In Conversation with the Home and the Landscape 04:00 – The Layout of the Home 04:45 – Incorporating A Soulful and Earthy Feeling 05:36 – Proud Moments
A place of restoration and rejuvenation, an architect designs a hidden home that evokes a sense of calm. Built on an expansive plot of land, the Mawhiti House is surrounded by native bushland along with expansive views of the ocean, which can be accessed from the kitchen, bathrooms and living spaces within. Stephens Lawson Architects has designed the form to feel welcoming to the owners and their guests all year round. As seen in the house tour, Mawhiti House combines utility with a deep spiritual atmosphere. Another inspiration for the design was the idea of a rural barn.
Accompanying the Waiheke Island residence is a gateway pavilion, a structural addition that is made out of timber and enhances the living experience. Formed out of raw, natural pieces of wood, the structure offers a unique way to experience the surrounds of Waiheke Island. The house tour also reveals that the home and pine wood gateway are in constant dialogue with each other through the triangular forms and materiality of the timber architecture. Broken into three pavilions, the dwelling is spread across the site and seamlessly blends into the landscape as if it has always been a part of it. Between the pavilions are micro courtyards positioned off the bathrooms. As an architect designs a hidden home, each courtyard is differentiated from one another to enrich the experience of the owners and their visitors alike.
News: Israel-Hezbollah War Fears, Media In U.S., South Africa Elections
Culture/Politics: Harper’s Magazine – January 2024
Behind the New Iron Curtain
Caviar, counterculture, and the cult of Stalin reborn
by Marzio G. Mian,Translated by Elettra Pauletto
Russia has become, to observers in the West, a distant, mysterious, and hostile land once again. It seems implausible, in the age of social media, that so little should be known about the country that has shattered the international order, but the shadows surrounding Russia have only grown since the days of the Soviet Union. Of course, it is one thing to observe the country from the outside; it is another to try to understand how Russians experience the war and react to sanctions from within, and what they hope the future holds. If Russia seems to have become…
The Museum of Broken G.I. Joes
When soldiers come home
by Matt Farwell
The New York Times — Tuesday, December 19, 2023
U.S. Urges Israel to Do More to Spare Civilians in Gaza and Pushes Hostage Talks
The American defense secretary reiterated “unshakable” support for Israeli security, but said protecting Palestinians was a “moral duty and a strategic imperative.”
How Putin Turned a Western Boycott Into a Bonanza
If companies want to leave Russia, the president is setting the terms — in ways that benefit his government, his elites and his war.
Pope Francis Allows Priests to Bless Same-Sex Couples
A church official said the blessings amounted to “a real development” that nevertheless did not amend “the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage.”
Chimps Can Still Remember Faces After a Quarter Century
Long-term memories may have been vital to our own evolution, suggests a new study of chimpanzees and bonobos.
Africa Ecosystems: Life Source Of The Okavango
Paid content for De Beers.
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’.
Boomers Daily 