Category Archives: Reviews

REVIEWS: ‘Warfare After Ukraine – Battlefield Lessons’ (The Economist)

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The Economist – Special Reports (July 8, 2023): The war shows how technology is changing the battlefield. But mass still counts, argues Shashank Joshi.

Like the first world war, but with high technology

The war shows how technology is changing the battlefield. But mass still counts, argues Shashank Joshi

The latest in the battle of jamming with electronic beams

Jamming is knocking drones and missiles out of the sky

Read full report

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – July 10, 2023

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The New Yorker – July 10 & 17, 2023 issue:

On Killing Charles Dickens

A man with a top hat hovering over London.

I did everything I could to avoid writing my historical novel. When I finally started “The Fraud,” one principle was clear: no Dickens.
By Zadie Smith

For the first thirty years of my life, I lived within a one-mile radius of Willesden Green Tube Station. It’s true I went to college—I even moved to East London for a bit—but such interludes were brief. I soon returned to my little corner of North West London. Then suddenly, quite abruptly, I left not just the city but England itself. First for Rome, then Boston, and then my beloved New York, where I stayed ten years. When friends asked why I’d left the country, I’d sometimes answer with a joke: Because I don’t want to write a historical novel. Perhaps it was an in-joke: only other English novelists really understood what I meant by it. And there were other, more obvious reasons.

The Tyranny of the Tale

Scheherazade behind a colonnade of pens.

We’re told that story will set us free. But what if a narrative frame is also a cage?

By Parul Sehgal

After a millennium, she remains the hardest-working woman in literature. It was not enough to be saddled with a husband who had the nasty habit of marrying and murdering a new virgin every day to assure himself of spousal fidelity. Nor was it enough to produce a series of nested stories under such deadlines (truly, I complain too much), stories so prickly and tantalizing that the king postponed her murder every night to wait for the next installment. That’s to say nothing of the entirely forgotten three children she bore over those thousand and one nights. Who recalls that there was always a new baby in Scheherazade’s arms?

International Art: Apollo Magazine – July/Aug 2023

July/August 2023 | Apollo Magazine

Apollo Magazine – July/August 2023 issue: At the new National Portrait Gallery, The unswerving art of Ellsworth Kelly, A Futurist family home in Rome, and more…

Views: Discover Germany Switzerland & Germany Magazine – July 2023

Fashion Finds: July 2023 | Discover Germany

Discover Germany, Switzerland and Austria – The top three hikes in the Alps; garden season highlights; a special focus on Alta Badia, a cyclist’s paradise; an interview with actor Peter Ketnath; top Riesling wines for long summer evenings; Switzerland’s best agencies and more… 

TOP 3 HIKES IN THE ALPS

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The Alps offer a variety of walks and hikes for every skill level. Some of our favourites can be found in the Swiss Aletsch Arena region which is known for its outstanding natural beauty, its many sunshine hours, and more.

Alta Badia: A CYCLIST’S PARADISE

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In the heart of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage, Alta Badia offers the ideal area to experience the emotions that cyclists, from amateurs to professionals, seek and appreciate every time they saddle up.

In recent years, thanks to the numerous activities and initiatives related to cycling, Alta Badia has become a point of reference for demanding cyclists. In August 2022, Alta Badia was awarded the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) certificate, an internationally recognised reference standard for sustainable tourism. The bicycle, in all its forms, is the ideal means to experience tourism in an environmentally sustainable way, and events such as the Maratona dles Dolomites-Enel and the Bike Days should therefore be a symbol and an important signal in this direction. For this reason, cycling in Alta Badia is in no way inferior to hiking, where clean air, splendid landscapes and spectacular peaks invite you to treat nature with respect.

World Economic Forum: Top Stories- July 1, 2023

World Economic Forum (July 1, 2023) – This week’s top stories of the week include:


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New blood test can detect 50 kinds of cancer – Experts say it could revolutionize cancer care. It’s called the Galleri test and it can identify cancers before symptoms appear. The UK National Health Service is testing it on 142,000 people. If successful, this trial will be extended to 1 million people next year. Doctors hope 5,000 cases could be detected early as a result. The Galleri test works by identifying changes in bits of free-floating DNA that leak from tumours into the bloodstream. #cancer #bloodtest #nhs #dna

1:36 5 exciting emerging technologies – The World Economic Forum has published its Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2023 Report. It draws on the expertise of more than 90 academics, industry leaders and futurists to discover the technologies most likely to impact people and the planet in the next 3-5 years. Which emerging technology are you most excited about?

3:17 This tablet is an innovation for the visually impaired – The Dot Pad lets visually impaired users play games and browse the web on the world’s first smart tactile graphics display. It uses AI to analyse images and split them into segments. Reproducing them on a tactile screen so blind people can read and interact with them.

4:58 Feminist economist dissects gender-neutral policies – Economic policies can either reinforce gender inequality, says Valeria Esquivel or help end it.

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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.

CULTURE: FRANCE-AMÉRIQUE MAGAZINE – JULY/AUG 2023

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France-Amérique Magazine – July/August 2023 –  The issue celebrates Bastille Day, a look at La Marseillaise in New York City; why the 1789 Revolution still carries so much weight in contemporary French culture; a profile of French food design pioneer Anna Polonsky; and learn all about the Great Chartreuse Shortage of 2023…

ANNA POLONSKY – The French Food Design Pioneer

Born in Paris and based in New York City, the founder of the Polonsky & Friends studio combines her passions for design and cuisine by creating visual identities for restaurants and food brands.

LA MARSEILLAISE – A Taste of Free France in Manhattan

Where could you have once danced to accordion music, met fellow French comrades-in-arms, and even bumped into Marlene Dietrich, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Jean Gabin? All the Free French soldiers who passed through New York City during World War II would have pointed you toward La Marseillaise, on Second Avenue.

SARAH BERNHARDT – A Scandalous French Superstar in America

Having completed nine tours of the United States during her career, actress Sarah Bernhardt was probably the most famous French woman in America at the time. An exhibition in Paris is currently celebrating the thespian, who passed away a century ago this year.

Finance Preview: Barron’s Magazine – July 3, 2023

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BARRON’S MAGAZINE – JULY 3, 2023 ISSUE – The Ten Best Income Investments; Time to buy Real Estate Stocks; Automation is the Future, and more…

The Market Hates Real Estate Stocks. It’s Time to Buy.

The Market Hates Real Estate Stocks. It’s Time to Buy.

A steep slide in commercial real estate has put the sector on sale. Where to find 6% yields and growth.

The 10 Best Income Plays for the Second Half of the Year

The 10 Best Income Plays for the Second Half of the Year

The 60/40 portfolio isn’t dead. From utilities to junk bonds and energy pipelines, we offer ways investors can get high yields and appreciation.

There’s a New Way to Watch TV. It’s Already More Popular Than HBO.

There’s a New Way to Watch TV. It’s Already More Popular Than HBO.

FAST channels have brought back old-school TV channel guides—and plenty of advertising. But the shows are free and incredibly varied. Media execs are taking note.

Automation Is the Future. Buy Rockwell Stock.

Automation Is the Future. Buy Rockwell Stock.

Rockwell Automation’s shares should earn a higher valuation as investors begin to consider it for what it really is—a tech company.

The New York Times Book Review — July 2, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW – JULY 2, 2023: The entire issue is devoted to literature in translation – reviews of translated books (by Javier Marías, Seamus Heaney, Natalia Ginzburg…); Daniel Hahn’s essay about translating picture books; Emily Wilson’s look at “Iliad” translations over the years, culminating with her own; a By the Book interview with the translator Jennifer Croft; and lots more.

Exit Hector, Again and Again: How Different Translators Reveal the ‘Iliad’ Anew

An 1878 illustration of the meeting between Hector and Andromache, based on a design by John Flaxman.

Over the years, some 100 people have translated the entire “Iliad” into English. The latest of them, Emily Wilson, explains what different approaches to one key scene say about the original, and the translators.

Jennifer Croft Knows a Good Translation When She Reads One

This illustration shows Jennifer Croft with long, straight blond hair and bangs. She’s wearing a shoulderless top that crosses at her neck, with variously colored stripes.

“There has to be chemistry,” says the writer and prolific translator, whose second book will come out next year. “You don’t need prior knowledge of, say, Iceland or Icelandic in order to appreciate Victoria Cribb’s translation of Sjón.”

Preview: New York Times Magazine – July 2, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (July 2, 2023) –

In this week’s cover story, Lynsey Addario takes us to a Ukrainian town where an 11-year-old is navigating a childhood transformed by war. Plus, a profile of the Christian pop star Marcos Witt and an investigation into how federal law targets thousands of women on anti-addiction medications.

A Boy’s Life on the Front Lines

In a Ukrainian town, an 11-year-old navigates a childhood transformed by war.

In a town near the Eastern front lines of the Donbas region of Ukraine, an 11-year-old boy named Yegor’s days were as predictable as they could be, given the unpredictability of war.

A.I. and TV Ads Were Made for Each Other

A photo collage of frames from AI-generated spoof advertisements, showing people drinking orange juice and beer and eating pizza. Close examination of the images reveal some strange visual distortions.

A string of uncanny videos show what generative A.I. and advertising have in common: They chew up the cultural subconscious and spit it back at us.

By Mac Schwerin

Even if I didn’t work in advertising, I would be a connoisseur of commercials. You’re probably one, too. Think of all the tropes you’ve ingested over the years — the forest-green hatchbacks conquering rugged Western landscapes, the miles of mozzarella stretched by major pizza chains. These are the images that let you know what kind of pitch you’re watching, so you won’t be confused when the brand shows up.

Reviews: ‘The Week In Art’

The Art Newspaper (June 29, 2023): In the final episode of this season, James Goodwin, a specialist on the art market and its history, tells us about what high inflation and interest rates mean for the art market and what lies ahead.

As Spain heads to the polls in July, we talk to Emilio Silva, president of the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory in Madrid. What could the election mean for the controversial Spanish laws of Historical Memory and Democratic Memory relating to the Civil War of 1936 to 1939 and the period of Francisco Franco’s fascist dictatorship?

And this episode’s Work of the Week is a project by the Swedish duo Goldin + Senneby. The work, called Quantitative Melencolia, involves recreating the lost plate for Albrecht Dürer’s famous engraving Melencolia I. It is part of the exhibition Economics: The Blockbuster, which opens this week at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, UK.

Economics the Blockbuster: It’s not Business as Usual, Whitworth Art Gallery, until 22 October. The Manchester International Festival, until 16 July.