Times Literary Supplement (December 20, 2023): The latest issue features ‘A nice little earner’ – On Dicken’s Christmas Carol; Jane Austen’s Truth Universally Acknowledged; Between God and Jingle Bells; and ‘Revoltingly Cute’…
The decision, the first by a court to find that Donald Trump is ineligible to hold office again because he engaged in insurrection, is likely to put a monumental case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Already hampered by problems at the Panama Canal, shipping companies are now steering clear of the Suez Canal to avoid being attacked in the Red Sea.
A man was abducted by a Chinese gang and forced to work in a scam operation. He gathered financial information, photos and videos and shared the material with The New York Times.
Icelanders had been girding for an eruption. When it happened, they wanted to see it.
Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Hidden Home 00:43 – Designed for Two Siblings 01:49 – The Form of the Home and its Influence 02:28 – The History of the Gateway Pavilion 03:31 – In Conversation with the Home and the Landscape 04:00 – The Layout of the Home 04:45 – Incorporating A Soulful and Earthy Feeling 05:36 – Proud Moments
A place of restoration and rejuvenation, an architect designs a hidden home that evokes a sense of calm. Built on an expansive plot of land, the Mawhiti House is surrounded by native bushland along with expansive views of the ocean, which can be accessed from the kitchen, bathrooms and living spaces within. Stephens Lawson Architects has designed the form to feel welcoming to the owners and their guests all year round. As seen in the house tour, Mawhiti House combines utility with a deep spiritual atmosphere. Another inspiration for the design was the idea of a rural barn.
Accompanying the Waiheke Island residence is a gateway pavilion, a structural addition that is made out of timber and enhances the living experience. Formed out of raw, natural pieces of wood, the structure offers a unique way to experience the surrounds of Waiheke Island. The house tour also reveals that the home and pine wood gateway are in constant dialogue with each other through the triangular forms and materiality of the timber architecture. Broken into three pavilions, the dwelling is spread across the site and seamlessly blends into the landscape as if it has always been a part of it. Between the pavilions are micro courtyards positioned off the bathrooms. As an architect designs a hidden home, each courtyard is differentiated from one another to enrich the experience of the owners and their visitors alike.
Caviar, counterculture, and the cult of Stalin reborn
by Marzio G. Mian,Translated by Elettra Pauletto
Russia has become, to observers in the West, a distant, mysterious, and hostile land once again. It seems implausible, in the age of social media, that so little should be known about the country that has shattered the international order, but the shadows surrounding Russia have only grown since the days of the Soviet Union. Of course, it is one thing to observe the country from the outside; it is another to try to understand how Russians experience the war and react to sanctions from within, and what they hope the future holds. If Russia seems to have become…
When soldiers come home
by Matt Farwell
The American defense secretary reiterated “unshakable” support for Israeli security, but said protecting Palestinians was a “moral duty and a strategic imperative.”
If companies want to leave Russia, the president is setting the terms — in ways that benefit his government, his elites and his war.
A church official said the blessings amounted to “a real development” that nevertheless did not amend “the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage.”
Long-term memories may have been vital to our own evolution, suggests a new study of chimpanzees and bonobos.
Paid content for De Beers.
This sprawling hilltop fortress complex encompasses royal palaces, serene patios, and reflecting pools from the Nasrid dynasty, as well as the fountains and orchards of the Generalife gardens.
Trade was conducted on an unprecedented scale, banks were established, and coinage proliferated like never before. The widespread use of money in everyday life transformed every aspect of European society, including its values and culture. Bringing together some of the most acclaimed manuscripts in the Morgan’s collection and other exceptional objects including a renaissance purse, a brass alms box, and a hoard of coins, this exhibition will explore the fate of the avaricious, attitudes towards the poor, contentious lending practices, and money management.
The famous Hours of Catherine of Cleves, the Hours of Henry VIII, and the Prayer Book of Queen Claude de France will be presented from a decidedly new angle, combining economic and art history to consider the early history of capitalism and the crisis in values that it sparked. These will feature alongside lesser known treasures, including an Italian account book in its original binding and a stunning leaf from a register of creditors made in Bologna, Italy, in 1394–95. As people today reflect on fluctuating markets, disparities in wealth, personal values, and morality, the themes addressed in this exhibition are as relevant as ever.
Boomers Daily 