The New York Times — Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024

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Ukraine Fired U.S.-Made Missiles Into Russia for First Time, Officials Say

The attack came just days after President Biden gave Ukraine permission to use the weapons to strike targets inside Russia.

For Russia, Nuclear Weapons Are the Ultimate Bargaining Chip

The Ukraine war has not only shattered millions of lives and shaken Europe. It also has inured Washington to the use of nuclear threats as leverage.

Trump Defies the #MeToo Movement With Cabinet Picks Facing Accusations

Donald J. Trump, who was found liable for sexual abuse last year, appears determined to force a fight over the role of such allegations in society.

Hacker Is Said to Have Gained Access to File With Damaging Testimony About Gaetz

The computer file is said to contain testimony from the woman who said she had sex with Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be attorney general, when she was 17.

Magazines, Photography, Travel, Views, Wilderness

National Geographic Magazine – December 2024

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National Geographic Magazine (December 19, 2024) – The new issue features

Pictures of the Year 2024

National Geographic photographers ventured to places far and wide to capture the year’s most fascinating images.

Taking the Plunge

Atka Bay, Antarctica

A young emperor penguin jumps off a 50-foot cliff for its first swim. The species normally breeds on low-lying sea ice, but some colonies have been found on higher and more permanent ice shelves, behavior likely to become increasingly common with climate change. Left by their parents a month earlier, the chicks must fend for themselves and find food by hunting in the sea.

Photograph by Bertie Gregory

Bertie’s incredible footage from Antarctica appears in Secrets of the Penguins, premiering April 2025 on National Geographic and Disney+.

Culture, Essays, Magazines, Media, Opinion, Politics, Previews, Reviews

Culture/Politics: Harper’s Magazine – December 2024

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HARPER’S MAGAZINE – November 18, 2024: The latest issue features ‘The Painted Protest’ – How politics destroyed contemporary art…

The Painted Protest

How politics destroyed contemporary art by Dean Kissick

In the Rockets’ Red Glare

The past and future of hot-rodding in America by Rachel Kushner

After the Deluge

A small town faces down climate disaster by Gary Greenberg

Arts & Literature, Culture, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Reviews

Preview: The New Yorker Magazine – Nov. 18, 2024

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A view of the Manhattan Bridge seen through a window above a desk in Brooklyn.

The New Yorker (November 18, 2024): The latest issue features Javier Mariscal’s “Desk with a View” – Sudden glimpses of urban artistry.

Javier Mariscal’s “Desk with a View”

Sudden glimpses of urban artistry. By Françoise MoulyArt by Javier Mariscal

Why N.S.A. Rules Say No to Smartphones, No to Texting, Yes to Podcasts

The agency, known for listening, is getting into the (extremely vetted) talking game, with “No Such Podcast.”

News, Podcasts, Politics, Stories

News: World Diplomacy At Apec Before G20 Summit In Brazil, Dutch Protests

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Monocle Radio Podcast (November 18, 2024): Xi Jinping, Joe Biden and other world leaders hold bilaterals as Apec comes to an end in Lima and the G20 gets under way in Brazil.

Plus: Amsterdam protests affect the Dutch government, how the Philippines is surviving an onslaught of typhoons and the new French dictionary.

News, Newspapers, Views

The Wall Street Journal – Monday, November 18, 2024

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Biden Lets Ukraine Strike Russia With Long-Range U.S. Weapons

Jockeying To Lead Treasury Spills Out In Public

Investors Are Betting On Market Melt-Up

Art, Art Galleries, Arts & Literature, History, Reviews, Videos

Art: Picasso’s ‘Masterful Contradictions’ (1925)

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Sotheby’s (November 17, 2024):In late September of 1925, Pablo Picasso, his wife Olga and their young son Paolo returned to Paris from their annual summer holiday in the South of France.

The summers were beginning to blend together for Picasso, who was tiring of the swell set he and Olga socialized with. The home they returned to at 23 rue la Boetie was a changed one. After lengthy negotiations, Picasso had acquired an additional floor of the building to be used as his studio.

He set about immediately modifying the space: removing doors from their hinges, bringing in his copious art supplies (and a limited amount of furniture) and stripping back most of the existing wallpaper. After years of jostling with his elegant and socially aspirational wife for space in their apartment on the floor below he relished a place to colonize as his own.

History, Tours, Travel, Videos

Travel Tour: Heidelberg – “Instagram Vs. Reality”

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DW Travel (November 17, 2024): Even the artists of Romanticism loved the city of Heidelberg on the Neckar and painted the ruins of Heidelberg Castle.

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:24 Heidelberg Castle 02:32 Philosopher’s Way 03:26 The Old Bridge

Today, it is tourists who post stunning photos of Heidelberg on social media. But are the castle and the city really as romantic as they appear? We conduct a reality check.

#heidelberg #germany #dwtravel #castle

Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

The New York Times Book Review – November 17, 2024

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (November 17, 2024): The latest issue features ‘Who’s Johnny?’…

‘Carson the Magnific: Where’s Johnny? The Biography of a TV Host Whose Life Was a Closed Book.

Johnny Carson dominated late-night television for decades, but closely guarded his privacy. Bill Zehme’s biography, “Carson the Magnificent,” tries to break through.ent,’ by Bill Zehme

Combined Print & E-Book Fiction – Best Sellers

Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending November 2, 2024.

Innovations, Magazines, Previews, Research, Reviews, Technology

MIT Technology Review – The Top Stories (11.17.24)

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Ai gaping maw with teeth and two clawed hands swallows artworks which tiny artists have put poison symbols on the reverse side. One carries a flag with Ben Zhao's face — Ben Zhao remembers well the moment he officially jumped into the fight between artists and generative AI: when one artist asked for AI bananas.

MIT Technology Review (Novemer 17, 2024): This week’s round up includes Generative AI taught a robot dog to scramble around a new environment; The AI lab waging a guerrilla war over exploitative AI; Life-seeking, ice-melting robots could punch through and Europa’s icy shell.

The AI lab waging a guerrilla war over exploitative AI

The tools Glaze and Nightshade are giving artists hope that they can fight back against AI that hoovers internet data to train. Are they enough?

Generative AI taught a robot dog to scramble around a new environment

A new system could help train robots entirely in generated worlds.

Why AI could eat quantum computing’s lunch

Rapid advances in applying artificial intelligence to simulations in physics and chemistry have some people questioning whether we will even need quantum computers at all.