Monocle on Saturday, October 14, 2023: A look at the week’s news and culture with Georgina Godwin. Also in the programme: David Bodanis reviews the morning’s papers and Meryl Halls, managing director at the Booksellers Association, tells us about Bookshop Day.
All posts by She Seeks Serene
The New York Times — Saturday, October 14, 2023
Israel Sticks to Call for Gaza Evacuation and Readies a Possible Invasion

The United Nations and others condemned the call for more than a million people to leave northern Gaza, and Israel softened its initial 24-hour timetable.
For Jewish New Yorkers, Shared Grief Puts Divisions on Hold

Usually lively and often fractious, political conversations are set aside among the large community of Jews in the city.
Thousands Flee Northern Gaza as Israeli Evacuation Order Stirs Panic
Some residents fear a start of another permanent displacement. Gaza authorities said at least 40 people were killed when Israeli airstrikes hit some vehicles heading south.
Across U.S., Chinese Bitcoin Mines Draw National Security Scrutiny
Microsoft reported one site in Wyoming because of its proximity to a data center and nuclear missile base. Records show other cryptocurrency facilities have ties to the Chinese state.
Finance Preview: Barron’s Magazine – Oct 16, 2023

BARRON’S MAGAZINE – October 16, 2023 ISSUE:
Why Apple Wants Its Chips Made in a Desert
Oil Prices Could Spike Above $100 if the Israel-Hamas War Widens
So far, the fighting has affected oil prices only modestly, in contrast to past wars in the Middle East. That could change, depending on Iran’s role.
Insurance Stocks Have Been Hammered. 6 Picks for the Rebound.
Insurers have been hit by a one-two punch of natural disasters and lackluster financial markets. But there’s a silver lining: the profits and surpluses that come with rising premiums.
Don’t Make This Common Medicare Open Enrollment Mistake
Enrolling in the wrong plan can cost you hundreds of dollars a year.
Where We Would Invest $100,000 Right Now
Walmart, Moderna, Tesla, and IBM are among our favorite ideas for the current market.
Analysis: How Powerful Is Hamas? (The Economist)
The Economist (October 13, 2023) – On October 7th Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel and slaughtered more than 1,300 people, mostly civilians. What is Hamas and how powerful is it?
Video timeline: 00:00 – What is Hamas? 00:55 – Hamas’s control of Gaza 01:18 – Growth of Hamas military capacity 01:32 – The latest attack on Israel
Travel: Aerial Tour Of The Faroe Islands In Denmark
Drone Snap Films (October 13, 2023) – The Faroe Islands is a self-governing archipelago, part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It comprises 18 rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean, connected by road tunnels, ferries, causeways and bridges.
Places visited include the Múlafossur waterfall, the Suðuroy Island and its mind-blowing cliffs and rock formations, Ásmundarstakkur Observation deck, the beautiful village Tjørnuvík, Mylingur Cliffs, Fossá Waterfall, Kalsoy Island and the Kallur Lighthouse, Tindhólmur Island, Drangarnir Island, the beautiful fjords and so much more
Space: NASA’s $1 Billion Metal Asteroid Mission
Wall Street Journal (October 13, 2023) – NASA launched a spacecraft on Friday to study the Psyche asteroid, which is believed to be made out of metal.
Video timeline: 0:00 NASA’s mission 0:46 The psyche asteroid 1:45 Why metal matters 3:04 What we can learn from the mission
The rocky inner planets of our solar system are thought to have mostly metallic cores. WSJ breaks down why this mission matters and what it could tell us about Earth’s origins.
Travel In Belgium: An Evening Walk Of Bruges
The Flying Dutchman (October 13, 2023) – An evening tour of Bruges, the capital of West Flanders in northwest Belgium. It is distinguished by its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings.
Its port, Zeebrugge, is an important center for fishing and European trade. In the city center’s Burg square, the 14th-century Stadhuis (City Hall) has an ornate carved ceiling. Nearby, Markt square features a 13th-century belfry with a 47-bell carillon and 83m tower with panoramic views.
Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Winners (2023)
New Scientist (October 13, 2023) – From an up-close image of an ancient horseshoe crab to the chilling documentation of predator-killing contests in Texas, these incredible photos are some of the 2023 winners in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
New Scientist spoke to the winning photographers, alongside broadcaster Chris Packham, about the stories behind the images and how they hope their work will inspire change. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.
Reviews: ‘The Week In Art’
The Week In Art Podcast (October 13, 2023): The Frieze art fair has turned 20 this week, and is only growing in its ambitions, having acquired the Armory Show fair in New York and Expo Chicago.
So what should we make of Frieze’s continuing expansion and what’s the mood at Frieze London and Frieze Masters this year? We talk to Tim Schneider, The Art Newspaper’s acting art market editor, who is over from New York for the fairs. In Reykjavik in Iceland, the artist-run Sequences Biennial opens on Friday. A former curator of the event is Hildigunnur Birgisdóttir, who will represent Iceland at the Venice Biennale in 2024. Tom Seymour went to the Icelandic capital to talk to her about Venice, Sequences and the Icelandic scene.
And this episode’s Work of the Week is Open Window, Collioure (1905) by Henri Matisse. The painting is a highlight of the exhibition Vertigo of Colour: Matisse, Derain, and the Origins of Fauvism at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. We speak to Dita Amory, co-curator of the show, about this landmark painting in Matisse’s career.
Frieze London and Frieze Masters, Regent’s Park, London, until 15 October.
The Sequences Biennial, entitled Can’t See, begins on 13 October and continues until 22 October 2023.
Vertigo of Color: Matisse, Derain, and the Origins of Fauvism, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 13 October-21 January 2024; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 25 February-27 May 2024.
Cinematic Travel: Spirits of Yakushima Island, Japan
Aeon Video (October 2023) – A hike through a Japanese forest is a love letter to Hayao Miyazaki’s classic film ‘Princess Mononoke.’ The Spirits of Yakushima forms a gentle argument for the transportive, perhaps even spiritual power of film to pull viewers into new worlds.
Directed by Steve Atkins (https://www.steveatkins.co/)
Music by Rob Martland (http://www.robmartland.com/)