‘Editor’s Picks’ Podcast (July 10, 2023) – Three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: how the war in Ukraine will affect the future of combat, the new Asian family (10:36) and why a lab-monkey shortage in America is encouraging smuggling (19:07).
Category Archives: Reviews
Interview: British Fashion Designer Sir Paul Smith On His ‘Picasso Celebration’
Christie’s (July 10, 2023) – Iconic British fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, in his legendary chock-full studio, talks about bringing out “Picasso’s playful side” in a stylish new exhibition at the Musée National Picasso-Paris: Picasso Celebration: The Collection in a New Light.

It is fifty years since Pablo Picasso died, on 8 April 1973 at Notre-Dame-de-Vie, his home in Mougins. The body of work that he left behind had a profound impact on the entire 20th century.
For this anniversary year, the Musée National Picasso-Paris has invited the British designer Sir Paul Smith, known for his work with colour, tailoring and unexpected details, to lead the artistic direction of an exceptional exhibition showcasing the museum’s collection.

Louisiana View: History Of The Tabasco Sauce Brand
Insider Business (July 9, 2023) – The McIlhenny Company has made Tabasco sauce using the same recipe since 1868: red peppers, vinegar, and salt. Since the hot sauce is aged in bourbon barrels, it takes five years to fill just one bottle.
And most of this process still happens where it all began: Avery Island, Louisiana. Six generations of McIlhennys have lived on the island. But with disappearing marshes and more intense storms along the coast, the family is fighting to protect their, and the hot sauce’s, home.
Views: Bamboo Villages Of The Adi In Arunachal Pradech, Northeast India
TRACKS – Travel Documentaries (July 8, 2023) – A journey to the small village of Ponging in the state of Arunachal Pradech, a region in northeast India that is also spread over Bhutan, Burma, and Tibet. The Adi people, called the men of the hills, have learned to both survive and thrive off of bamboo, which is what their homes are made of in beautifully intricate patterns.
World Economic Forum: Top Stories- July 8, 2023
World Economic Forum (July 8, 2023) – This week’s top stories of the week include:
0:15 This is what CO2 emissions look like from space – This graphic shows CO2 emissions over Asia and Australia during 2021. It was developed by NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. The orange ‘clouds’ represent CO2 from fossil fuel emissions. While the red clouds show CO2 emitted by burning biomass from wildfires, for example. As the year progresses, the fossil fuel emissions drift southwards, obscuring Australia.
1:25 India’s renewable energy revolution – The scale of economic growth in India is stunning. Its GDP grew by 7.2% in 2022-23, while electricity demand shot up by 8%. In the next few decades, its energy demand is set to grow more than in any other country. India has pledged to meet 50% of its electricity needs from low-carbon sources by 2030 and reduce energy intensity by 45% from 2005 levels.
3:00 This company is using lasers to beam internet to remote areas – Using chips and mirrors, laser signals are beamed over a distance of up to 20km. “This is as simple as a digital camera with a laser pointer. So you’re using a laser pointer to kind of transmit the data from one end to the other end. And then on the other end, think of the same digital camera, which is receiving the same laser beams and is able to decode it and then convert it into bytes.”
4:40 China will meet it’s renewable energy targets 5 years early – China is on track to hit its renewable energy target 5 years early. This rapid progress could limit global emissions faster than forecast. China is already a global leader in renewable energy, and its planned additions will increase global wind and solar capacity by almost 50% and 85%, respectively.
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The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
The New York Times Book Review — July 9, 2023

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW – JULY 9, 2023: In Too Deep – Laura Trethewey’s “The Deepest Map” plumbs the new world of oceanic exploration, and its dangers; “Fancy Bear Goes Phishing”; Lorrie Moore’s New Novel; Read your way through L.A., and more…
In Too Deep

Laura Trethewey’s “The Deepest Map” explores the new world of oceanic exploration — and its dangers.
By Simon Winchester
In the past days, the world has been riveted by the story of the Titan submersible, which we now know imploded some 1,600 feet from the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all aboard. Beyond the human tragedy — and the macabre fact that James Cameron’s blockbuster is trending online — comes an opportunity for serious reflection.
From ‘Front-Page Girls’ to Newsroom Leaders
“Undaunted,” Brooke Kroeger’s new history of women in journalism, tracks the victories, setbacks and pathbreaking careers that have marked the decades-long fight for gender parity in the field.

By Jane Kamensky
Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Anne O’Hare McCormick. I hadn’t, and as the director of Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, which holds peerless collections documenting pioneers in print journalism, I could have, and definitely should have. Brooke Kroeger’s compendious and lively “Undaunted: How Women Changed American Journalism” introduced me to her.
If We Are What We Eat, We Don’t Know Who We Are
In “Ultra-Processed People,” Chris van Tulleken takes a close look at the franken-snacks that barely resemble what they’re imitating.
Finance Preview: Barron’s Magazine – July 10, 2023

BARRON’S MAGAZINE – JULY 10, 2023 ISSUE –
Walmart Is Quietly Growing Into a Retail Tech Titan
The world’s biggest retailer stumbled in the early innings of the e-commerce revolution. Now that Walmart has found its footing, it’s poised for big profits.
Americans Have the Travel Bug, and They’re Going Abroad. What Stocks to Play.
Pent-up demand is fueling a surge in international travel. Cruise lines, select air carriers, and Hyatt Hotels offer ways to play the trend.3 min
Growth Is Back. Where to Invest Now.
Can the AI-driven rally in growth stock funds continue? Large-cap growth funds are already up 24% this year, but so are valuations.
Preview: New York Times Magazine – July 9, 2023

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (July 9, 2023) – In this week’s cover story, Sarah A. Topol reports on how the U.S. military continues to build up Guam and other Pacific territories — placing the burdens of imperial power on the nation’s most ignored and underrepresented citizens. Plus, an interview with the British writer-actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, a profile of the winemaker Maggie Harrison and inside the D.N.C.’s primary problem.
The America That Americans Forget

As tensions with China mount, the U.S. military continues to build up Guam and other Pacific territories — placing the burdens of imperial power on the nation’s most ignored and underrepresented citizens.
Talk June 29, 2023
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Great ‘Indiana Jones’ Adventure

Waller-Bridge, 37, is co-starring in the just-released “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” (This is after previously contributing to the screenplay for a film about another iconic character: the 2021 James Bond effort, “No Time to Die.”) Further out on the horizon, Waller-Bridge, who also created the spy-thriller series “Killing Eve,” is working on a show based on the “Tomb Raider” video game for Amazon Studios. (At the time of publication, though, that show’s progress is currently on hold because of the W.G.A. writers’ strike.)
Maggie Harrison’s War on Wine

Her painstaking blends are dazzling diners and critics — and upending long-held notions about how winemaking is supposed to work.
Research Preview: Science Magazine – July 7, 2023
Science Magazine – July 7, 2023 issue:
The star watcher
Amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki is one of the most prolific supernova hunters of all time
Rare fossil implies deep roots for vertebrates
Half-billion-year-old tunicate from western Utah “looks like it died yesterday”
English Country Estates: A Tour Of Denham Place
Architectural Digest (July 6, 2023) – A tour of Denham Place, a 17th-century country estate situated just 30 minutes from central London. Built in 1688, this historic property is on the market for £75,000,000 and has just completed an extensive 8-year restoration.
An incredible 12 reception rooms, 12 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, and grounds inspired by Versailles, make this stately home palatial–and with past residents including the Bonaparte Imperial family, it is a house truly fit for royalty.
The house was constructed in 1688–1701 for Sir Roger Hill, and the architect was probably William Stanton.