Front Page: The New York Times – December 31, 2022

Image

The Year the Long Stock Market Rally Ended

How fast inflation and high interest rates upended markets across the globe.

Trump Tax Returns Undermine His Image as a Successful Entrepreneur

The release of former President Donald J. Trump’s private tax documents by the House Ways and Means Committee shows heavy losses from his own ventures as he continued to cash in on inherited assets.

The ‘Red Wave’ Washout: How Skewed Polls Fed a False Election Narrative

The errant surveys spooked some candidates into spending more money than necessary, and diverted help from others who otherwise had a fighting chance of winning.

Barbara Walters, a First Among TV Newswomen, Is Dead at 93

She broke barriers for women as a co-host of the “Today” show, a network evening news anchor and a creator of “The View,” all while gaining her own kind of celebrity.

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Jan 1, 2023

The New York Times Book Review – January 1, 2023:

What a 1985 Novel Can Tell Us About Life in the 2020s: Almost Everything

Don DeLillo’s book “White Noise,” newly adapted for the screen by Noah Baumbach, precisely diagnosed the modern condition, Dana Spiotta writes.

Read Your Way Through Tangier

Tangier’s many facets have long inspired writers. Here, the Moroccan-born novelist Laila Lalami introduces readers to the books and writers that, to her, best capture the city.

The Sound of Sonny

Aidan Levy has written a revealing, comprehensive biography of the improviser-hero Sonny Rollins.

Culture: The New Review Magazine – January 1, 2023

Image

The New Review Magazine – January 1, 2023 issue:

Director Sam Mendes answers questions from readers and famous fans including @Aiannucci, @DMiliband, olivia colman, judi dench…..

+ Classical music diet – By @FionaMaddocks + Arts & books for 2023 + Q&S Actor Siobhan Finneran @michaelhogan

Previews: New York Times Magazine – January 1, 2023

Photograph by Rafael Pavarotti for The New York Times.

The New York Times Magazine – January 1, 2023 Issue:

Inside the Jan. 6 Committee

Power struggles, resignations and made-for-TV moments — the untold story of the most important congressional investigation in generations.

What Does It Take to Become the No. 1 Lumberjack?

For Jason Lentz, being a world-class competitive lumberjack was fated in his family tree.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s Power Was Contingent on Belief

Operating in shadows, he was a hero; in the light, he quickly became a villain.

The Swiss Alps: A Winter Walk In Village Of Wengen

Wengen, the car-free village at the foot of the Jungfrau, is located on a sunny plateau and presents you with a breathtaking panorama of the surrounding peaks. A train trip to the Jungfraujoch -Top of Europe is the top! The Lauberhorn Race and the Jungfrau Marathon are two of the many big events on the calendar in Wengen.

The village is located on a sunny, wind-protected terrace at the foot of the Jungfrau, 400 meters above the Lauterbrunnen valley at 1274 m above sea level. The car-free village, steeped in tradition, offers a family-friendly skiing and hiking area all around the Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg.

Tourist Channel – Filmed in November 2022

Tours: Waiheke House In Auckland, New Zealand

The Local Project – Through natural material selections, Cheshire Architects has unveiled Waiheke House, a home that embraces its surrounds to become the best modern house in the world. Operating under the rule that grandeur does not need to be shown through scale but rather quality, Waiheke House is a place of respite for its owners with only one and a half bedrooms and a focus on entertaining areas.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Best Modern House in the World 00:45 – An Island Location 01:05 – The Aspect of the House 01:35 – Tasked with Entertaining 02:01 – The House Plan and its Materials 03:39 – Hidden Openings and Passages 04:22 – Bathing Rituals 05:27 – The Goal Behind the Home 05:43 – Creating a Centred Feeling 06:09 – Becoming One with the Environment 06:33 – A Vessel for Experience 06:53 – A Home Made with Real Materials 07:20 – A Love for the Layered Experience

While the views of Waiheke House are only part of what establishes it as the best modern house in the world, it is how the structure inserts itself into the landscape that is awe-inspiring. Focused on evoking the numerous meanings of ‘shelter,’ Waiheke House acts as a platform that can open or close for the watching of the weather as it changes. Comprised of two pavilions, which are slightly offset from one another,

Cheshire Architects have separated the living spaces to designate a place of reprieve and a place to entertain. The larger of the two pavilions, known as the seaward pavilion, is framed by landscaping. Shaped by the stone wall that curves around and holds the home, the idea of anchoring the seaward pavilion is seen through the home’s distinct architectural theme. To make the best modern house in the world feel warm and comfortable, the use of stone, wood and brass help the house insert itself into the surrounding nature. Created for entertaining, the seaward pavilion is intentionally designed to be small, with only a kitchen, large dining section and lounge.

Framed by glass on three sides, doors butterfly open so that the living areas can connect seamlessly with the lawn. Conceptually thought of as a canopy atop a mouth of a cave, Cheshire Architects has formed the best modern house in the world to navigate a spatial dialect that speaks to both broad ocean views and small, contained spaces. Throughout the house tour, it is evident that the selected surfaces and materials are chosen to act as a vessel for experience – an idea that Cheshire Architects hopes will still be embodied in 100 years as the home ages in place.

Seen in the stacked stone of the wall to the layered floor, Cheshire Architects avoids using crisp whites or laminates and instead imbues the home with richness from natural materials. Throughout the second pavilion, the adaption of narrower halls, lower ceilings and darker tones have been employed to create a dynamic internal contrast. Intended as a retreat for the owners, Waiheke House is a place to align and connect with the natural surroundings. By focusing on simple, high-quality design choices over scale, Cheshire Architects has created the best modern house in the world so that it may amplify what already exists.

Front Page: The New York Times – December 30, 2022

Image

Russian Missile Barrage Staggers Ukraine’s Air Defenses

Cruise missiles and exploding drones from Iran swept across the skies of Ukraine, wreaking havoc and once again knocking out power.

How Bad Is China’s Covid Outbreak? It’s a Scientific Guessing Game.

In the absence of credible information from the Chinese government, researchers around the world are looking for any clues to determine the size and severity of the surge.

Israel’s Hard-Line Government Takes Office, Testing Bonds With Allies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition will likely test ties with the United States and Europe, amid fears that it will undermine the country’s democracy and stability.

Pelé, the Global Face of Soccer, Dies at 82

Pelé, who was declared a national treasure in his native Brazil, achieved worldwide celebrity and helped popularize the sport in the United States.

Books: New York Review Of Books – Jan 19, 2023

January 19, 2023 issue cover

The New York Review of Books – January 19, 2023 issue:

Alphabet Politics

What prompted the development of systems of writing?

The Greatest Invention: A History of the World in Nine Mysterious Scripts by Silvia Ferrara, translated from the Italian by Todd Portnowitz

Inventing the Alphabet: The Origins of Letters from Antiquity to the Present by Johanna Drucker


The Instrumentalist

At the heart of Todd Field’s new film is a conductor who cannot see beyond her generation’s field of vision.

Tár a film written and directed by Todd Field


Dress Rehearsal

Trump’s attempt almost two years ago to undermine the 2020 election reads today like a blueprint drawn for a future autocrat.

Feinting Spells

The thesis of an exhibition on the inspiration a subset of Cubism took from trompe l’oeil is convincingly built with objects made across four centuries.

Cubism and the Trompe l’Oeil Tradition – an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, October 20, 2022–January 22, 2023


Ukraine’s Volunteers

Even more impressive than Ukraine’s will to fight is the vast network of citizens who are supporting the armed forces and helping those in need of food and supplies.


Previews: New Scientist Magazine – Dec 31, 2022

ISSUE 3419 | MAGAZINE COVER DATE: 28 December 2022 | New Scientist

New Scientist Magazine – December 31, 2022:

Largest ever animal may have been Triassic ichthyosaur super-predator

New fossil discoveries show predatory marine reptiles from 200 million years ago may have been bigger than today’s blue whales – and that they evolved astonishingly rapidly

In 2023, we have many opportunities to build a better future

The coming year will be a turning point for the Amazon rainforest, artificial intelligence and even our diets. Let’s choose a more hopeful direction for humanity

Achieving nuclear fusion would be building on the shoulders of giants

It took generations of work by engineers and scientists to reach this month’s nuclear fusion milestone, but there are big challenges ahead

News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious