Category Archives: Opinion

The New York Times Magazine – Jan. 12, 2025

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THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (January 10, 2025): The 1.12.25 Issue features Camille Bromley on the “talking buttons” craze for dogs on social media; Pamela Colloff on the controversial medical diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome; Yudhijit Bhattacharjee on the spy in New York’s Chinese dissident community; and more.

Do Our Dogs Have Something to Tell the World?

Many owners think so, thanks to the “talking buttons” craze on TikTok and Instagram. Scientists are less convinced. By Camille Bromley

The Republican Superstars Eager to Wish You Happy Birthday

Matt Gaetz, George Santos, Roger Stone — the celebrity-video app Cameo has become a key stop for embattled or notorious political figures. By Sophie Haigney

The Interview: Antony Blinken Insists He and Biden Made the Right Calls

Read this issue

News: Foreign Ministers Meet On Syria Relations, Venezuela Inauguration

MONOCLE RADIO (January 10, 2025): Foreign ministers descend on Rome to align on the bloc’s future relations with Syria. Plus, Nicolás Maduro is inaugurated in Venezuela for the third time despite a widespread belief that he stole the election. Then: how to save the rave.

The New York Times —- Friday, January 10, 2025

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In the Palisades, an Evacuation Disaster Was Years in the Making

Some Pacific Palisades residents said the community had long asked for more detailed fire preparation plans. When a fire raged through the community this week, gridlock ensued.

‘It Was Biblical’: Ash and Flame Upend Life in Southern California

Wind-whipped wildfire blew through communities of every socioeconomic status and stripe, merging, psychically if not physically, into a kind of mega-catastrophe.

Carole Wilbourn, Who Put Cats on the Couch, Dies at 84

When cats bite or scratch, they’re trying to tell you something. Ms. Wilbourn, a cat therapist, was a pioneer in the art of listening to them.

The New Statesman Magazine – Jan 11, 2025

THE NEW STATESMAN (Janaury 9, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The Great Power Gap’ – Why the decline of China, Russia and the U.S. will unleash a new age of anarchy…

The edge of anarchy

Donald Trump’s second term will hasten American decline, at a time when Russia and China are also in crisis. By Robert D Kaplan

The year ahead: Russia is on course to win the war in Ukraine

How did we get here? By Wolfgang Münchau

The year ahead: Will the Musk-Trump bromance endure?

Now the common enemy, the Democratic Party, has been vanquished, their interests may diverge.By Katie Stallard

The Economist Magazine – January 11, 2025 Preview

Donald the Deporter

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE (January 9, 2025): The latest issue features ‘Donald the Deporter‘….

Donald the Deporter

Could a man who makes ugly promises of mass expulsion actually fix America’s immigration system?

The capitalist revolution Africa needs

The world’s poorest continent should embrace its least fashionable idea

How Labour is failing England’s schools

It is fiddling with what works and not yet dealing with what doesn’t

Get tough with Russian sabotage

Russian-linked attacks on undersea infrastructure are rising

Plastic surgery a go-go

Young customers in developing countries propel a boom in plastic surgery

Oldies behaving badly

Why people over the age of 55 are the new problem generation

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News: Future U.S. Military Aid To Ukraine, Lebanon President Election Crisis

MONOCLE RADIO (January 9, 2025): As US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin heads to Ramstein Air Base for the final time, Emma Nelson explores what the future of the country’s support for Ukraine will be.

Plus: can Lebanon overcome its presidential crisis? And are Parisian police really putting on their sirens to get home for their aperitifs?

The New York Times —- Thursday, January 9, 2025

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California Wildfires Threaten Insurers Already Teetering From Climate Shocks

Companies started pulling back from the state as earlier fires made it harder to turn a profit. Experts warn the exodus could grow.

‘Here We Go Again’: Trump’s Territorial Ambitions Rattle a Weary World

A distant era of global politics, when nations scrambled to grab territory, suddenly seems less distant.

A Legacy From Carter That Democrats Would Prefer to Escape

For decades, Republicans have reveled in invoking Jimmy Carter’s name to deride Democrats as weak — mockery that has influenced the way Democrats present themselves to voters.

A ‘Business-Friendly’ Lawyer’s Rise From Lobbyist to Attorney General Pick

Pam Bondi, whom President-elect Donald J. Trump intends to nominate as attorney general, received trips and donations funded by those seeking favors from her Florida office.

News: U.S. Eases Relations With Syria, UAE’s Foreign Investments In Africa

MONOCLE RADIO (January 8, 2025): As the US begins to ease restrictions on Syria, is this the start of a softer approach by the West?

Plus: the UAE becomes the largest foreign investor in Africa and London sees the biggest annual increase of luxury hotel room openings in more than a decade. Then: are portable cabanas going against Australia’s “spirit of equality”?

The New York Times – Wednesday, January 8, 2025

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Washington Kicks Off a Pomp-Filled Farewell to Carter, a Man of Humility

Former President Jimmy Carter, who once banned the playing of “Hail to the Chief,” will lie in state at the Capitol as part of three days of elaborate ceremonies.

Meta to End Fact-Checking Program in Shift Ahead of Trump Term

The social networking giant will stop using third-party fact checkers and instead rely on users to add notes to posts. President-elect Trump and his conservative allies said they were pleased.

Carter Never Took to Washington. The Feeling Was Mutual.

Jimmy Carter was a genuine Washington outsider when he won the White House in 1976. And he remained proudly so, for better or worse.

What if ICE Agents Show Up? Schools Prepare Teachers and Parents.

Across the country, educators described widespread anxiety about President-elect Donald J. Trump’s promises to deport immigrants and what it could mean for their students.

Foreign Affairs Magazine – January/February 2025

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS MAGAZINE (January 7, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The Strange Triumph of a Broken America’…

Stress TestCan a Troubled Order Survive a Disruptive Leader?

By Margaret MacMillan

Trump’s Antiliberal Order

How America First Undercuts America’s Advantage By Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon

How to Win the New Cold War

To Compete With China, Trump Should Learn From Reagan By Niall Ferguson

Who’s Afraid of America First?

What Asia Can Teach the World About Adapting to Trump by Bilahari Kausikan