Faragism and Starmerism are fronts in a global struggle between insurgent nationalism and cautious defenders of the old political order. For British democracy to triumph, the prime minister must find his voice
The press lobby is going feral—ignore it
Given the pressures of 24-hour news, lobby journalists cannot plausibly understand policy detail. Their skillset is to nose around and cause trouble
Inside the supply chain: my week on a container ship
Vessels like the Timca are the unnoticed worker ants of our global economy, bringing us the cheap food, clothes and household items we
THE PROGRESSIVE MAGAZINE (January 29, 2025): The latest issue features ‘Defending Immigrants’; The Colony Problem; Indigenous Behind Bars and Universal Basic Income….
Right now, only eight states have laws explicitly requiring safe storage for guns. If we want to save lives, we need an immediate prevention plan. Read more
MONOCLE RADIO (January 29, 2025); We assess president Donald Trump’s attempted halt of federal funding, pop into the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø and assess Thailand’s image crisis as large numbers of tourists from mainland China cancel trips for this week’s Chinese New Year. Then: Pew’s latest survey on religion and politics across 36 countries. Plus: Monocle’s chairman, Tyler Brûlé, joins the show.
Federal health researchers, nonprofits and programs for early childhood education reported that their access to federal funds had gone down, raising alarms about access to jobs, health care services, reduced-price meals and more.
Ten children talked about losing their homes, their schools and their neighborhoods in the Los Angeles fires. They discussed what they’re worried about and what’s cheering them up.
The non-stop English springer is still our number one working spaniel, reveals Matthew Dennison, as he delves into this enthusiastic, energetic breed
Snake, rattle and roll
Rob Crossan investigates the deeply spiritual origins of that enduring family board-game favourite Snakes and Ladders
Heard it on the radio
The wireless broke new ground as the first form of home-based mass entertainment and is still going strong in the age of the smart speaker, finds Ben Lerwill
Friends with benefits
Nematodes are a natural way to halt the march of all manner of garden pests and Charles Quest-Ritson is a convert
Mould and behold
Josiah Wedgwood was a brilliant businessman with a remarkable social conscience. Tristram Hunt assesses his life and legacy
Catch us if you can
Owain Jones sizes up six of the best as he picks out the players to watch in this year’s Guinness Six Nations rugby extravaganza
Roger Morgan-Grenville’s favourite painting
The conservation campaigner selects a work that inspired his lifelong obsession with seabirds
A Palladian premonition
Richard Hewlings offers a fresh analysis of the architecture at Bramham Park, a highly original West Yorkshire country house
The legacy
Kate Green remembers Robert FitzRoy, the founder of the Met Office whose name lives on in the BBC’s Shipping Forecast
Dear country diary
Paul Fleckney flicks through The Guardian’s Country Diary, which has offered a snapshot of rural life for more than 120 years
Interiors
The best stoves and fireplaces picked by Amelia Thorpe, plus the alternatives to burning logs
Luxury
Hetty Lintell’s top timepieces and James Haskell’s favourite things
Magnificent mahonias
Charles Quest-Ritson makes the case for mahonias, arguing that their pleasantly scented flowers are a seasonal delight
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson pairs peppery horseradish with salmon fillets
Ring-dove beauteous!
John Lewis-Stempel coos over the much-maligned wood pigeon, that canny, keen-eyed and fast-flying stalwart of our countryside
This exhibition will present, for the first time in the United States, the Bodleian Library’s extraordinary holdings of literary manuscripts, correspondence, diaries, and photographs related to Kafka, including the original manuscript of his novella The Metamorphosis.
Other highlights include the manuscripts of his novels Amerika and The Castle; letters and postcards addressed to his favorite sister, Ottla; his personal diaries, in which he also composed fiction, including his literary breakthrough, the 1912 story “The Judgment”; and unique items such as his drawings, the notebooks he used when studying Hebrew, and family photographs. In addition to presenting unique literary and biographical material, the exhibition examines Kafka’s afterlife, from the complex journeys of his manuscripts, to the posthumous creation of a literary icon whose very name has become an adjective, to his immense influence on the worlds of literature, theater, dance, film, and the visual arts.
Drawing on institutional holdings and private collections in the United States and Europe, the Morgan will show a selection of key works, among them Andy Warhol’s portrait of Kafka, part of his 1980 series Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century.
“Franz Kafka” is open to the public November 22, 2024 through April 13, 2025.
MONOCLE RADIO (January 28, 2025): As the world marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, Sudha David-Wilp and Stuart Dowell join Emma Nelson to discuss the Polish and German perspectives. Plus, Israel moves to shut down Unrwa, Ukraine’s drone-only military ops and highlights from the Jeddah Islamic Art Biennale.
The president made good on promises to seek revenge against enemies during his first week back in power, signaling in the process that anyone who crosses him in the future could also suffer.
There were no Situation Room meetings and no quiet calls to de-escalate a dispute with an ally. Just threats, counterthreats, surrender and an indication of the president’s approach to Greenland and Panama.
World leaders and a dwindling group of survivors joined in a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp by the Red Army.
As Trump and Putin Circle Each Other, an Agenda Beyond Ukraine Emerges
President Trump jabs at the Russian leader with threats; Vladimir Putin responds with flattery. But there are notable signals in their jousting, including a revived discussion about nuclear arms control.
Practicing mindfulness may have heart-healthy benefits.
This Valentine’s Day, savor a bite of good chocolate, linger over a meal with a loved one, close your eyes and breathe in the scent of those flowers, or focus on the beauty of your surroundings as you take a peaceful nature walk. These activities are examples of ways you can practice mindfulness.
Most of the promises made about these products lack proof.
About 25 percent of adults over 50 take a supplement that promises to improve cognition or cognitive health. As long as these products don’t say they improve or treat diseases like Alzheimer’s or other dementias, they are allowed to make any claims they want—without having to prove they work. So, which marketing claims should you believe?
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
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