Daily Archives: January 2, 2024

Arts & Literature, Culture, Homes, Magazines, Previews, Reviews

Previews: Country Life Magazine – January 3, 2024

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Country Life Magazine – January 2, 2024: The latest issue features ‘The Very Best Of Britain’; Marylands, a Surrey country house with a Spanish influence; artist Anne Wright’s miniature Daffodils and snowdrops at her small nursery in North Yorkshire; and how January weather can set the tone for the year to come…

The foul-mouthed Miller and the prim Princess

Geoffrey Chaucer created his Canterbury pilgrims more than 600 years ago, yet his band of travellers speaks across the ages, finds Matthew Dennison

Let’s hear it for Britain

Carla Passino bangs the drum for the British Isles with 50 things to make the nation proud, from code-cracking to clever dogs — and everything in between

Snow magic

Mary Keen is mesmerised by the array of rare and highly collectable snowdrops that artist Anne Wright is breeding at her small nursery in North Yorkshire

Keith Halstead’s favourite painting

The chief executive of the Royal Countryside Fund chooses a work that sparks memories of his childhood in rural Norfolk

Thought for the year 2024

Carla Carlisle enters the new year with a determination to remain positive, fortified by the sentiments of W. H. Auden

A fairy house

The glamour and glitz of 1920s stage and screen is rekindled as Clive Aslet puts the spotlight on Marylands, a Surrey country house with a Spanish influence

Baby, it’s cold outside

In the first of a new series on weather lore, Lia Leendertz reveals how January can set the tone for the year to come

Interiors

The bathroom of a Somerset house is restored with a nod to its historic roots, finds Arabella Youens, and Amelia Thorpe shares ideas for creating your own luxury bathing sanctuary

London Life

Start the year with an exhibition, says Charlotte Mullins, while Carla Passino assesses architect Richard Rogers’s contribution to the London skyline and Gilly Hopper looks ahead to the year’s big events in the capital

Kitchen garden cook

Melanie Johnson on sweet and nutty Jerusalem artichokes

Travel

Mary Lussiana stays at a land-mark luxury hotel in Marrakech while Luke Abrahams explores Athens in the snow and James Fisher dons his skis and discovers the Dolomites

New series: Arts & Antiques

Carla Passino investigates the centuries-long British passion for collecting antiquities and finds that all roads lead to Rome

Interviews, Military, Politics, Reviews, Videos

2024 Interview: President Zelensky’s Goals And Why No Comprising With Putin

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The Economist (January 2, 2024) - As 2024 begins President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to The Economist’s Editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, about his political and military goals for the coming year and why he won’t compromise with Vladimir Putin.

Video timeline: 00:00 – 2024 military goals 01:35 – Why he won’t negotiate

Volodymyr Zelensky is angry; not about the successes of his enemies (he sees none) nor even about his own army’s lack of progress on the battlefield. Instead, Ukraine’s president is exasperated by the wobbles of some of his allies as well as the detachment among some of his compatriots. And he wants you to know it.

Hardened by the pressures of war, a year of negative headlines and the failure of a counter-offensive that promised so much at the start of 2023, he has shed the lightness and humour that characterised our earlier meetings with him. Seated in his situation room and speaking to The Economist via Zoom (you can watch the video here), he punches out his message as if trying to break through the computer screen.

A New Year’s interview with Volodymyr Zelensky: https://econ.st/48A4Nim

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

San Francisco Bay Design: Sausalito Houseboat Tour

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The Local Project (January 2, 2024) – A house boat with rounded windows that frame the bay, Sausalito Houseboat by Craig Steely Architecture evokes a deep appreciation of the surrounds.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the World’s Best House Boat 00:40 – The House Boat Community and its History 01:02 – A Spacious Brief 02:03 – A Walkthrough of the House Boat 02:46 – The Layered Design Approach 03:23 – A Simplistic Material Palette 03:50 – Accounting for the Climate 04:23 – Satisfying and Favourite Aspects

Located just north of San Francisco, the home is situated in a small house boat community of Sausalito. In World War II, Liberty ships were once predominantly built in the area, however, after the war, it was abandoned for residential use. As such, a community was established and house boats were built, creating a truly memorable location for a home. Working closely with the client – who wanted something spacious – Craig Steely Architecture took to designing a house boat that went against the typical aesthetic and design of others.

Additionally, the house boat is clad in décor that will accommodate the weather and surrounds, using materials such as old red wood from another project that does not have any finish but remains sturdy. Thinking about the dock, the ocean, the views and the Sausalito Bay surrounds, Craig Steely Architecture created a home that was reactive and connected the interior space to the outdoors. However, when the client and architect discovered the lot, they found a sinking barge but, deeply interested with the history of the space, they took to designing a house boat that referenced the bohemian history.

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Tuesday, January 2, 2024

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Israel’s Top Court Strikes Down Move to Curb Its Powers

Israelis watching a broadcast of the Supreme Court considering a challenge in September to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul.

The Supreme Court, by the narrowest of margins, rejected a law pushed by Netanyahu allies that limited its authority to review government decisions.

Can He Condemn the Killings Without Causing More Pain?

Chris George, the leader of Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, has struggled with whether and how the organization should issue a statement about the violence in Israel and Gaza.

Chris George has lived in Israel and Gaza, where he was once held hostage. As his employees ask him to speak out on the latest war, he is torn.

Powerful Earthquake Hits Japan, and Officials Warn of Aftershocks

There were reports of collapsed buildings and people being trapped underneath them. The quake disrupted electricity and phone service, and initially raised fears of a tsunami.

Police Officers Are Charged With Crimes, but Are Juries Convicting?

Since the death of George Floyd, a national movement promised sweeping justice reform. So far, police prosecutions have resulted in a mixed bag of convictions, acquittals and a mistrial.