Category Archives: Reviews

Aging: 78-Year Old Author Paul Theroux Traveled To Mexico To “Feel Young”

From a BBC Travel online article:

Paul TherouxI think of myself in the Mexican way, not as an old man but as most Mexicans regard a senior, an hombre de juicio, a man of judgment; not ruco, worn out, beneath notice, someone to be patronised, but owed the respect traditionally accorded to an elder, someone (in the Mexican euphemism) of La Tercera Edad, the Third Age, who might be called Don Pablo or tío (uncle) in deference. Mexican youths are required by custom to surrender their seat to anyone older. They know the saying: Más sabe el diablo por viejo, que por diablo – The devil is wise because he’s old, not because he’s the devil.Paul Theroux's On The Plain of Snakes A Mexican Journey

But “Stand aside, old man, and make way for the young” is the American way.

I was that old gringo. I was driving south in my own car in Mexican sunshine along the straight sloping road through the thinly populated valleys of the Sierra Madre Oriental – the whole craggy spine of Mexico is mountainous. Valleys, spacious and austere, were forested with thousands of single yucca trees, the so-called dragon yucca (Yucca filifera) that Mexicans call palma china. I pulled off the road to look closely at them and wrote in my notebook: I cannot explain why, on the empty miles of these roads, I feel young.

To read more: http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20191203-is-travel-the-secret-to-a-long-life

Top 2019 Restaurants: “Konbi” In Los Angeles .(Bon Appétit Magazine)

From a Bon Appétit online article:

Bon Appetit Restaurant of the Year Konbi Los Angeles…Nick Montgomery, who opened Konbi with Akira Akuto; both are alums of David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants in New York. American chefs talk about opening “odes” to little spots they stumbled upon in Tokyo, and while this 10-seat space is indeed Montgomery and Akuto’s ode to Japan’s konbini (24-hour convenience stores), there is a palpable intensity to their level of study that makes Konbi entirely its own.

Konbi Menu

Konbi is a daytime restaurant in Echo Park. We serve Japanese style sandwiches, seasonal vegetable dishes, French pastries, as well as a selection of coffee & tea.

Website: https://konbila.com/

To read more: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/hot-10-best-new-restaurants-2019

 

Music Criticism Podcasts: “The Music And Morality Of Beethoven’s Mighty Ninth” (Marin Alsop, NPR)

Marin Alsop ConductorEver since Beethoven‘s iconic Ninth Symphony premiered May 7, 1824 at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna, it has remained arguably the most popular composition in the classical music canon, thanks largely to its final movement, the “Ode to Joy,” with a text by poet Friedrich Schiller.

But Beethoven’s music has become something much more than popular. With its expansive length, mold-busting design, and the inclusion of solo singers and chorus, he was proposing nothing less than a philosophy for humanity.

Beethoven, the composer-philosopher, was a man who suffered more than we can imagine and yet he retained optimism and a sense of hope that we can admire and even envy. He believed wholeheartedly in the goodness of humanity, the power of love, joy, unity, tolerance and peace to overcome and endure.

Website: https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2019/12/07/785098204/the-music-and-morality-of-beethovens-mighty-ninth?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=storiesfromnpr

New Innovative Products: Portable “LaserPecker Pro” Engraves Almost Anything Automatically

LaserPecker Pro is upgraded with an auto-adjusting support stand that sets up and focuses in seconds. All you have to do is put the engraving target on the spot. The built-in 98ab50716ef1fc675eb017acccf35336_originalsensors of the stand will measure the distance between the laser generator and the target and automatically adjust the height to make sure the focal point is the correct distance from the surface of the object.

Before engraving, LaserPecker Pro will first show the planned trajectory of the pattern by projecting a guide laser on the target surface. Users can easily adjust the size, position, and the rotation angle of the pattern based on the preview trajectory. Once satisfied with the pattern, just press the button to burn it in!

To read more and purchase: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/laserpecker-pro/laserpecker-pro

Top Restaurants: Sydney’s “Firedoor” Leads Fiery “Australian BBQ” Trend

From a New York Times online review:

Lennox Hastie Chef of Firedoor Photo by Con Poulos New York Times“Australian barbecue” is not, however, what Lennox Hastie, the chef at Firedoor, would use to describe his own cooking. Nor is it a term that’s been used much by anyone to describe any type of cooking. Here, the word “barbecue” is generally synonymous with the American term “cookout,” and, much like the cookout, it remains an integral part of Australia’s national identity.

Firedoor, which opened in 2015, is a prime example. Wagyu with Onion at Firedoor Photo by Con Poulos New York TimesThe kitchen is powered entirely by wood — there are no electric or gas ovens, burners or microwaves. Mr. Hastie came to this style after working five years at Asador Etxebarri in the Basque Country, where the chef Victor Arguinzoniz cooks local ingredients over fire using multiple types of wood. Mr. Hastie takes a similar approach, but with pointedly Australian ingredients.

One of the restaurant’s most thrilling dishes is a whole marron — a large freshwater crayfish native to Western Australia. The marron is grilled, split open and smothered in sea blite, a coastal plant related to samphire, and sunrise lime, a hybrid citrus created by crossing the native Australian finger lime with a calamondin (itself a cross between a mandarin and a kumquat). There are plenty of smoky, charred meats on the menu as well: pork chops, duck hearts and Wagyu all get their turn on one of the many grills.

To read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/dining/australian-barbecue.html

Top New Sci-Fi Shows: “The Expanse – Season 4” Is “Real World Space Physics” (Science Magazine)

From a Science Magazine online article:

Science MagazineOn 13 December, Amazon Prime will air the fourth season of The Expanse, a hardboiled space drama renowned for its working-class characters and real-world space physics. Showrunner Naren Shankar is part of the reason the science checks out. The veteran writer and producer for programs such as Star Trek: The Next GenerationFarscape, and the police procedural CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, has a doctorate in applied physics and electrical engineering.

 When I got the script for the The Expanse, the pilot, I was, like, “Wow, this is a very different kind of a show.” Because they embraced all of the things that most science fiction shows run away from: the fact that you don’t have weight unless your ship is accelerating, the fact that communication in space is not instantaneous.

Shankar chatted with Science about why he feels it’s important to have a realistic sci-fi show, and how television work is like the scientific peer-review process.

To read full interview: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/12/how-real-world-science-sets-expanse-apart-other-sci-fi-shows?utm_campaign=news_weekly_2019-12-06&et_rid=600792821&et_cid=3113276

History & Politics: “Why Some Nations Prosper And Others Fail” (Big Brains Podcast, James Robinson)

From the University of Chicago:

Big Brains PodcastIt’s a simple question to ask, but seems impossible to answer: What causes one nation to succeed and another to fail? What exactly are the origins of global inequality?

The Narrow Corridor James RobinsonThere are few people who have spent more time trying to answer this question than Prof. James Robinson. Robinson’ first book, Why Nations Fail, was an international best-seller. It laid out in clear and stark terms what the origins of prosperity and poverty really are. Now, he’s written a sequel, The Narrow Corridor, which further explains what ingredients you need to create a prosperous nation.

To read more: https://news.uchicago.edu/big-brains-podcast-why-some-nations-prosper-and-others-fail-james-robinson?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UChicago_News_Dec_5_2019

Automobile Nostalgia: “1971 Jaguar E-Type SIII Roadster” (Classic Driver)

From a Classic Driver online article:

1971 Jaguar E-Type SIII Roadster interiorThe Type E Series III had the privilege of launching the new Jaguar V12 engine in 1971. This superb 5.3L engine with two overhead cams, derived from a prototype for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was powered by four carburettors. and developed 272CV DIN upon its release, it will give up to 700CV in competition versions.

The car shown is in Cotswolds blue with a light gray leather and a marine mohair top. It’s a rare combination of colors that gives it exclusivity and distinction. It was delivered new to Vancouver in Canada and was imported to France by its second owner in 1990. Its third and last owner, a well-known collector and driver emeritus has kept it nearly twenty years.

To read more: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/jaguar/e-type-siii/1971/693936?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Classic%20Driver%20Daily%203402019&utm_content=Classic%20Driver%20Daily%203402019+CID_1858f011dbd95046af2a263d8ecb86da&utm_source=newsletter

European Food Review: Italian Restaurant Movement In Paris Has “Exploded” In Last 3 Years

From a New York Times online article:

Bijou Paris restaurant NY Times“There’s really an Italian movement that has exploded over the last three years,” Mr. Imbroisi said.

Thanks to that explosion, Paris might now be the best city outside of Italy for Italian eating and drinking. With a few Metro tickets, you can journey from Venetian aperitivo culture (Hostaria Urbana), then south to Sicilian home cooking (Pane e Olio), disembarking occasionally at cozy wine bars (Tappo), massive indoor food halls (La Felicità) and new Italian restaurants from French celebrity chefs (for example, Piero TT, by Pierre Gagnaire). Racines Paris restaurant Joann Pai NY TimesIn April, the Right Bank welcomed an outlet of Eataly with a glittery gala, and the Left Bank should soon see a luxury hotel from the Italian JK brand. The marquee attraction will be a restaurant by Miky Grendene, the Italian creator of the exclusive Casa Tua members’ club in Miami.

From experimental aperitivo bars to pizza labs to Michelin-starred bistros, cool Italian establishments are filling the French capital, and Parisians are flocking to them.

To read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/04/travel/Italian-food-in-Paris.html

New Architecture Books: “Lair – Radical Homes And Hideouts Of Movie Villains” (Tra Publishing)

From Atlantis in The Spy Who Loved Me to Nathan Bateman’s ultra-modern abode in Ex Machina, big-screen villains tend to live in architectural splendor. The villain’s lair, as popularized in many of our favorite movies, is much more than where the megalomaniac goes to get some rest.

Lair Radical Home and Hideouts of Movie VillainsInstead, the homes of the villains are places where evil is plotted and where, often, the hero is tested and must prove him/herself. Like evil itself, the abodes of movie villains are frequently compelling and seductive. From a design standpoint, they tend to be stunning, sophisticated, envy-inducing expressions of the warped drives and desires of their occupants.

Lair, the first title in Tra Publishing’s Design + Film series, celebrates and considers several iconic villain’s lairs from recent film history. The book, strikingly designed in silver ink on black paper, explores the architectural design of these structures through architectural illustrations and renderings, photographs, essays, film analyses, interviews, and more.

To read more and purchase: https://trapublishing.com/products/lair