Using electromagnetic waves to flummox and follow smarter weapons has become a critical part of the cat-and-mouse game between Ukraine and Russia. The United States, China and others have taken note.
A 30-Year Trap: The Problem With America’s Weird Mortgages
One big reason the U.S. housing market is broken: Owners don’t want to give up their cushy old loans.
For Years, Two Men Shuttled Messages Between Israel and Hamas. No Longer.
Since 2006, Gershon Baskin, an Israeli peace activist, and Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas official, maintained a secret back channel between Gaza and Israel. Then Oct. 7 happened.
The Local Project (November 19, 2023) – In a stark juxtaposition from the materiality and pace of New York City, Brooklyn Mass Timber is an architects own home that steps away from the steel and concrete that dominates the architecture of the area.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the Architect’s Own Home 01:03 – The Original Property and its History 01:31 – A Specific Type of Building 02:00 – The Layout and Walkthrough of the Home 02:57 – Making An Example of Utilising Timber 03:40 – Designed to Be Dissassembled with Zero Waste 03:52 – Pursuing Passive House Principles 04:18 – A Curated and Integrated Approach 06:07 – Focusing on Connecting to Context 06:58 – Favourite Aspects of the Home
Schiller Projects creates an oasis made of timber, contained within one of the city’s coveted 1800s carriage houses. Not only does it test the bounds of adaptive re-use, but it sets an important precedence for housing in urban environments. The project is an architects own home – the residence of Aaron Schiller, Founder of Schiller Projects, his wife Anna and their two young children.
Located in Brooklyn just ten minutes from downtown Manhattan, it feels secluded while still being within easy reach of the city. As one enters an architects own home, they are met with a view directly to the backyard, a three-storey wood staircase with a garden at its foot and the kitchen. As one ascends the stairs, the second level holds two bedrooms and a laundry room, bathroom and living room that looks out towards the cathedral, and the top level contains the main suite.
Monocle on Sunday, November 19, 2023– Monocle’s editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, unpacks the weekend’s hottest topics with Juliet Linley and Christof Münger. We speak to Monocle’s Asia editor, James Chambers, and Christoph Amend, editorial director of ‘Zeit Magazin’.
Thousands of children have been killed in the enclave since the Israeli assault began, officials in Gaza say. The Israeli military says it takes “all feasible precautions” to avoid civilian deaths.
0:15 Kiel is Germany’s first zero-waste city –Kiel has put 107 waste-reducing measures in place. They include practical changes, such as ‘pay-to-throw’, a scheme in which households pay a fee for the amount of landfill waste they generate. Other measures include recycling collection ‘islands’ around the city, discounts for shoppers who bring their own containers and banning disposable products at all city events.
1:33 Gender balanced companies outperform others – According to a BlackRock study of 1,250 of the world’s biggest companies. Over the past decade, the companies with the most equal gender balance achieved a 7.7% average annual return on assets (RoA). Those with the highest share of men delivered a 5.6% RoA, while those with the highest share of women returned a 6.1% RoA. The study concluded it was ‘diversity that counts’ rather than the dominance of a single gender.
3:08 US wants to convert empty offices into homes – The government will offer funding and technical support to help cities turn unused workspaces into affordable apartments. US office vacancy rates have hit a 30-year peak as more staff clock in to work remotely. Meanwhile, rents in the country remain at historic highs after a surge during the pandemic converting offices to apartments can be challenging.
4:48 Rwanda and Kenya open borders to other Africans – Rwanda and Kenya have made significant strides in promoting African unity by opening their borders to other Africans, enabling visa-free travel for all citizens of the continent. This move positions Rwanda as the fourth African nation to remove such restrictions, following Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles. Kenya is set to join them on December 31, 2023.
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VIRTUAL JAPAN Films (November 17, 2023) – “Autumn Night Walk” was started with the idea of utilizing the assets of Showa Kinen Park to convey the charm of the park at night. The “Katarai Ginkgo Trees” shine in golden light, and the “Japanese Garden” reflects the night scenery on the water surface.
Monocle on Saturday, November 18, 2023:Sian Bayley, news editor at ‘The Bookseller’, joins Georgina Godwin to look at the week’s global news and culture.
Plus, the two discuss the winner of this year’s Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. John Vaillant’s winning book, ‘Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World’, delves into the devastating wildfires that struck Fort McMurray, Alberta – the hub of Canada’s oil industry – in May 2016. It examines the conflicting priorities of the oil industry and climate science, the immense destruction caused by modern wildfires, and the lasting impacts of these disasters on the lives of those affected.
Economic despair dominates social media as young people fret about the cost of living. It offers a snapshot of the challenges facing Democrats ahead of the 2024 election.
The resolution from Representative Michael Guest, a Republican, sets the stage for a vote shortly after Thanksgiving.
Facing Financial Ruin as Costs Soar for Elder Care
The United States has no coherent system for providing long-term care, leading many who are aging to struggle to stay independent or to rely on a patchwork of solutions.
A Journey Into Northern Gaza: Ruins, Wreckage and Darkness
New York Times journalists traveled with an Israeli military convoy to catch a rare glimpse of conditions inside wartime Gaza. They saw houses flattened like playing cards, and a city utterly disfigured.
A resilient labor market and healthy household finances should keep a recession at bay, even if the postpandemic spending boom loses a bit of its vigor.
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (November 19, 2023): This week’s issue featuresFuchsia Dunlop’s seductive new exploration of Chinese cuisine, “Invitation to a Banquet”; Michael Lewis Tells His Own Story of Sam Bankman-Fried; He Carried the Bags (and the Secrets) for the Beatles – A new biography resuscitates the colorful, tragic life of Mal Evans: roadie, confidant, procurer, cowbell player…
INVITATION TO A BANQUET: The Story of Chinese Food, by Fuchsia Dunlop
“A really good cookbook,” Jan Morris wrote, “is intellectually more adventurous than the Kama Sutra.” Fuchsia Dunlop’s masterly new book, “Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food,” is not a cookbook per se. But it has an earthiness that calls to mind Morris’s comment.
AUDIOBOOKS
Listen to a Wellness-Culture Satire That Delves a Few Levels Deeper
In Jessie Gaynor’s debut novel, “The Glow,” read by Gabra Zackman, a P.R. rep immerses herself in the woo-woo world of a cultlike “spiritual retreat,” and its enigmatic leader.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
Boomers Daily 