Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – Dec 25, 2023

A colorless New York City street exists above a psychedelic alternate reality.

The New Yorker – December25, 2023 issue: The new issue‘s cover features “The Flip Side” – The annual Cartoons & Puzzles Issue, inhabitants of a colorless New York coexist with their doppelgängers in a topsy-turvy reality.

Can Crosswords Be More Inclusive?

Drawing of a man with a crossword head.

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

A Bugatti Chiron Super Sport near the companys factory in Molsheim France.

“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

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

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Israel’s Allies Urge Restraint as Netanyahu Vows ‘Fight to the End’

Dark smoke rises from Gaza, seen from southern Israel.

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.

Travel: A Christmas Tour Of Wrocław In Poland

DW Travel (December 17, 2023) – Wrocław is the hometown of famous YouTuber @evazubeck. For her, it’s also one of Poland’s most beautiful cities. Eva takes us on a tour through the medieval Old Town, up the tower of St. Elizabeth’s Church, and to Ostrów Tumski.

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:43 Wrocław’s Gnomes 02:32 St. Mary Magdalene Church 04:17 Hala Targowa 06:00 Traditional Food at Wrocławska 10:12 Ostrów Tumski 11:38 Christmas Market, Old Town 13:00 Neon Side Gallery

Wroclaw’s famous gnomes also make an appearance! She shows us typical regional dishes and some hidden gems, including a visit to the unmissable, magical Christmas market in the Old Town! What’s your favorite of Eva’s tips for Wrocław?

Essays & Reviews: The Point Magazine – Winter 2024

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The Point Magazine (December 17, 2023) – The latest issue features ‘Entering History’ – Leave it to Zadie Smith to include a political Rorschach test in her latest novel; ‘Within the Pretense of No Pretense’ – Technology was the wonder of our age. It seemed to promise us power, and we took this power for our own; Venice Architecture Biennale – The city of Venice may very well be, as the architecture theorist Manfredo Tafuri once claimed, “an unbearable challenge to the world of modernity,”, and more….

Entering History

Leave it to Zadie Smith to include a political Rorschach test in her latest novel. In one of The Fraud’s pivotal encounters, set in 1875, […]

Within the Pretense of No Pretense

Technology was the wonder of our age. It seemed to promise us power, and we took this power for our own

Reviews: Best Books On Foreign Affairs For 2023

Foreign Affairs Magazine (December 17, 2023) – The Best of Books 2023 – This Year’s Top Picks From Foreign Affairs’ Reviewers

Against the World: Anti-Globalism and Mass Politics Between the World War

by Tara Zahra

In a timely and thought-provoking book, Zahra delves into the tumultuous years between World War I and World War II to argue that it was resistance to globalism and globalization that ended up weakening Europe’s then-fragile democracies, eventually contributing to the continent’s slide into dictatorship. READ THE REVIEW

Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia

Amazon.com: Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern  Asia eBook : Bass, Gary J.: Kindle Store

by Gary Bass

Bass’s magnificent book, an account of the post–World War II Tokyo war-crimes trial, encourages a deeper understanding of the Asian experience of war and occupation. His work also sheds light on an enduring debate about liberalism and international politics, showing how the trial played formative roles both in postwar Asian politics and in the making of the postwar global human rights regime. READ THE REVIEW

The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism

The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism: Martin Wolf: 9780241303412:  Amazon.com: Books

by Martin Wolf

In a sophisticated and expansive account, Wolf, a veteran economics commentator, suggests that the root cause of today’s political and economic malaise lies in the breakdown of the relationship between capitalism and liberal democracy—and the failure of institutions to counter poverty and marginalization. READ THE REVIEW

Human Rights for Pragmatists: Social Power in Modern Times

Human Rights for Pragmatists: Social Power... by Snyder, Jack

by Jack Snyder

In this masterful work, Snyder offers a bold explanation for why, how, and when societies make progress in expanding political rights and freedoms, arguing that breakthroughs occur when human rights serve the interests of a country’s dominant political coalition .READ THE REVIEW

Geopolitics and Democracy: The Western Liberal Order From Foundation to Fracture

by Peter Trubowitz and Brian Burgoon

Trubowitz and Burgoon argue in this groundbreaking study that the current backlash against the Western-led liberal international order can be traced to the 1990s, when the United States and European governments encouraged globalization at the expense of social and economic protections at home. READ THE REVIEW

The Project-State and Its Rivals: A New History of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries

by Charles S. Maier

Moving beyond the standard account of the twentieth century as an epic struggle between democracy and autocracy, Maier examines how a wide range of actors tried to harness industrial modernity in the pursuit of power and material interests, weaving an alternative narrative about the explosive interplay of economic privilege and political grievance. READ THE REVIEW

Sunday Morning: Stories From Zürich, Helsinki, London, Paris & Belgrade

Monocle on Sunday, December 17, 2023 – Monocle’s editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, is joined by Florian Egli and Marcus Schögel to discuss the weekend’s biggest talking points.

Also, a check-ins with our friends and correspondents in London, Helsinki, Paris and Belgrade.

The New York Times — Sunday, December 17, 2023

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Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off.

Running to a reinforced concrete shelter in Ashkelon, Israel, moments after a rocket siren was sounded on Oct. 7.

Agents worried as millions poured in. Hamas bought weapons and plotted an attack. The authorities now say the money helped lay the groundwork for the Oct. 7 assault on Israel.

Israel Says 3 Hostages Bore White Flag Before Being Killed by Troops

Families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas attending a rally calling for their return in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

The military said the mistaken killing of the three men, who had been shirtless, was a violation of its rules of engagement.

Behind the Scenes at the Dismantling of Roe v. Wade

This is the inside story of how the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion — shooting down compromise and testing the boundaries of how the law is decided.

The Overlooked Crisis in Congo: ‘We Live in War’

Six million have died, and more than six million are displaced after decades of fighting and the ensuing humanitarian crisis in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, drawing in neighbors, mercenaries and militias. An upcoming election is inflaming tempers.

Reviews: How The Best Of Technology Works (WSJ)

The Wall Street Journal (December 16, 2023) – How does Google Maps use satellites, GPS and more to get you from point A to point B? What is the tech that powers Spotify’s recommendation algorithm?

Video timeline: 0:00 Google Maps 9:07 LED wristbands 14:30 Spotify’s algorithm 21:30 Tap-to-Pay 28:18 Noise-canceling headphones 34:33 MSG Sphere 41:30 Shazam

From the unique tech that works in seconds to power tap-to-pay to how Shazam identifies 23,000 songs each minute, WSJ explores the engineering and science of technology that catches our eye. Chapters:

Views: The Zen Beauty Of Japanese Gardens In Kyoto

Yurara Sarara Films (December 15, 2023) – Collections of the beauty of Japanese gardens in Kyoto. There are many types of Japanese gardens, from the karesansui dry rock gardens that replicate the flow of water with rocks, to the strolling gardens that are built around a pond. Because of the relation these gardens have with Zen and the Japanese concept of wabi and sabi, they are most often found at temples, so this, of course, means there are many Japanese gardens in Kyoto.

Saturday Morning: News And Stories From London

Monocle on Saturday, December 18, 2023: Terry Stiastny joins Georgina Godwin for a look through the week’s news and culture. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, fails to secure long-term financial aid from the US and the EU, Rishi Sunak attends a hard-right-wing political festival in Italy and we learn about Finland’s festive TV genre – reindeer noir. Plus: Grace Charlton discusses Monocle’s Christmas gift-giving guide.