The Globalist Podcast (February 5, 2024) – We discuss Antony Blinken’s fifth Middle East trip since the 7 October attacks and how US strikes in the region are affecting talks.
Plus: Pakistan’s elections, Liz Truss’s comeback bid and the headlines in Southeast Asia.
The top U.S. diplomat spoke with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler as he sought to broker a pause in the fighting. His visit came the same day a drone struck a Syrian base used by U.S. forces and their allies.
The president said a “reset” was needed to revive the struggling war effort, adding that his plans were “about the direction of the country’s leadership” and not just about replacing his top general.
‘They Come in Waves’: Ukraine Goes on Defense Against a Relentless Foe
At the hot spots of the eastern front line, Ukrainian troops are outmanned, outgunned and digging in.
TRACKS – Travel Documentaries (February 4, 2024) – For decades Albania has been completely sealed off from the outside world. Hardly anywhere else are bias and reality as far apart as here. Albania is poor, but it is also rich. Rich in mountains and a diversity of landscapes.
A country with warm-hearted people and a Mediterranean lifestyle. Lying on the western edge of the Balkan Peninsula, only a couple of hours from most of Europe the first part of our journey takes us to the north of the country to the Albanian Alps, near the border of Montenegro.
Nature on PBS (February 5, 2024) – All around the world, seabirds provide a critical link between land and sea. On Hawai’i, ecologists are working to protect two vital shearwater species that helped life first take hold across these islands.
While seabirds predominantly reside at sea, they return to land to breed and raise their young. In this process, they deposit mineral-rich nutrients that sustain the whole island ecosystem. But the arrival of human settlers introduced non-native predators and extensive development. Together, these compromised many seabird habitats — and decimated their populations. Several species are now teetering on the brink of extinction.
The Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project engages a multifaceted approach to protect these crucial birds: eliminating invasive predators, restoring native plants, and monitoring burrows for fledgling success. In one instance, they have established a dedicated sanctuary complete with artificial burrows, bird-shaped decoys, and audio speakers to attract one highly endangered shearwater species.
Through their efforts, the team gives seabirds a chance to raise the next generation on the very islands they helped bring to life.
We’ve become increasingly alienated from one another. It’s time we get back in touch with each other, get out of our heads, and reconnect with our common humanity, writes Ruth Conniff.
The New Yorker (February 5, 2024): The new issue‘s cover featuresNicholas Konrad’s “Online Profile” – The magazine celebrates its ninety-ninth anniversary..
When Golden was a young curator in the nineties, her shows, centering Black artists, were unprecedented. Today, those artists are the stars of the art market.
Baruch Spinoza and the Art of Thinking in Dangerous Times
The philosopher was a champion of political and intellectual freedom, but he had no interest in being a martyr. Instead, he shows us how prudence and boldness can go hand in hand.
The Globalist Podcast (February 5, 2024) – The latest on the US response to the drone attacks in Jordan, assess how Azerbaijan’s presidential election will impact the wider region and review the day’s papers.
Plus: we meet designer Camille Jaillant of Olistic The Label and look at last night’s Grammy Awards.
As libraries become battlegrounds in the nation’s culture wars, their allies are fighting to preserve access to their collections and keep themselves out of jail, or worse.
In the year since earthquakes devastated southern Turkey, the Karapirli family has struggled to heal, find a home and cope with a bottomless sense of loss.
Anxiety, Mood Swings and Sleepless Nights: Life Near a Bitcoin Mine
Pushed by an advocacy group, Arkansas became the first state to shield noisy cryptocurrency operators from unhappy neighbors. A furious backlash has some lawmakers considering a statewide ban.
DW Classical Music (February 4, 2024): Robert Schumann’s “Kinderszenen” (“Scenes from Childhood”) is one of the most popular piano works of the Romantic period. The highlight of the 13-part piano cycle is the “Träumerei” (Dreaming). The work is considered the epitome of romantic piano compositions.
New York pianist, Tiffany Poon, played Robert Schumann’s “Kinderszenen”, Op. 15 at the Dresden Music Festival 2023. The concert took place on June 17, 2023, at the Palais im Großen Garten.
Video timeline: (00:00) Coming on stage (00:21) 1. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (Of Foreign Lands and Peoples) (02:02) 2. Kuriose Geschichte (A Curious Story) (03:07) 3. Hasche-Mann (Blind Man’s Buff) (03:39) 4. Bittendes Kind (Pleading Child) (04:39) 5. Glückes genug (Happy Enough) (05:17) 6. Wichtige Begebenheit (An Important Event) (06:09) 7. Träumerei (Dreaming) (08:51) 8. Am Kamin (At the Fireside) (09:47) 9. Schumann Ritter vom Steckenpferd (Knight of the Hobbyhorse) (10:32) 10. Fast zu ernst (Almost Too Serious) (12:40) 11. Fürchtenmachen (Frightening) (14:13) 12. Kind im Einschlummern (Child Falling Asleep) (16:16) 13. Der Dichter spricht (The Poet Speaks)
Robert Schumann’s “Kinderszenen” was composed in 1838 and published the following year without a dedication and with the misleading subtitle “Easy Pieces for the Pianoforte.” Unlike the “Album for the Young,” which Schumann had composed for “younger children” in his own words, he did not write the “Kinderszenen” for children, but for adults reflecting on their own childhood.
At first, the cycle was to be titled “Children’s Stories” and preceded or appended to the “Novelettes,” Op. 21. However, Schumann later refrained from doing so. He wanted to have the “Kinderszenen” published as a separate opus. Although the work was not very successful during the composer’s lifetime, it eventually evolved independently and was highly regarded. It had a significant influence on the Romantic program miniature for piano.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious