Literary Review Magazine – February 2025 Preview

A Quiet Evening: The Travels of Norman Lewis by John Hatt (ed) - review by  Nicholas Rankin

LITERARY REVIEW (February 1, 2025): The latest issue features ‘Sebald’s Critical Eye’…

A Quiet Evening

The Travels of Norman Lewis by John Hatt (ed) – review by Nicholas Rankin

Hitler’s Royal Welcome

The Hohenzollerns and the Nazis: A History of Collaboration By Stephan Malinowski (Translated from German by Jefferson Chase)

Number-Cruncher of Nineveh

The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History By Selena Wisnom

Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History By Moudhy Al-Rashid

Barron’s Magazine – February 3, 2025 Preview

Magazine - Latest Issue - Barron's

BARRON’S MAGAZINE (February 1, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The AI Reset’ ….

After DeepSeek, Tech Stocks Still Win. Here’s How AI Is Getting Reset.

DeepSeek could spark a shift from hardware to software, similar to what happened to traditional computing beginning in the 1990s.

After DeepSeek: The Mag 7 Will Bend, Not Break

News of a cheaper AI model exposes vulnerabilities for Nvidia, Amazon.com, Alphabet, and other hot-shot companies. Here’s why Wall Street’s concerns might be overblown.

The LA Fires Burned Thousands of Homes. Insurers Saw the Risks Coming.

What made the wildfires devastating was their path through the Palisades, where home values hover around $3.4 million and aging structures were tightly packed in a recognized high-risk fire zone.

New Rules Take Effect for Inherited IRAs. It’s Still a Mess.

Heirs may be able to avoid a big tax hit by following certain withdrawal strategies.

The New York Times – Saturday, February 1, 2025

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Washington Crash Renews Concerns About Air Safety Lapses

Clues emerging from the moments before an Army helicopter collided with a passenger jet suggest breakdowns in the system meant to help aircraft land safely at the busy Reagan National Airport.

Trump Will Hit Mexico, Canada and China With Tariffs

The White House said it would move forward with levies on America’s largest trading partners on Saturday.

Immigrant Communities in Hiding: ‘People Think ICE Is Everywhere’

Schools, churches and shops are feeling the chilling effect of the fear of deportation. One minister said fewer congregants were showing up for services.

Trump Officials Fire Jan. 6 Prosecutors and Plan Possible F.B.I. Purge

The prosecutor firings and a move to scrutinize thousands of F.B.I. agents were a powerful indication that the president has few qualms deploying federal law enforcement to punish perceived enemies.

Tours: ‘Te Arai Beach House’ In New Zealand

THE LOCAL PROJECT (January 31, 2025): Nestled between the forest and the ocean on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, Te Arai Beach House manifests as a contemporary cabin in the woods. “The power of the site when we first visited was in the ocean, the forest and the sand dunes.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the cabin in the woods 01:27 – The early design discussions 02:12 – Interior designers own home 03:27 – The layout of the home 04:30 – A warm material palette 06:56 – Collaborating with artists 07:38 – Rewarding Aspects 08:08 – Proud Moments

So we wanted to provide a building that doesn’t challenge or reduce the sense of beauty that’s already there,” says Tim Hay, design director and co-founder at Fearon Hay. “We instantly looked, in terms of the architecture, to references that related to those different thresholds – the ability to emerge from the forest, discover the ocean, but still have a sense of protection,” notes Hay. “So this idea of the cabin in the woods was an idea that stuck from very early on.”

From afar, Te Arai Beach House appears to be a series of simple, unambiguous silhouettes. However, as one moves closer, complexity is revealed through blurred thresholds, operable screens and considered openings. The first building is a cabin that contains a garage and guest occupation. “This sits between an open space that frames a courtyard and the main building, which is set to the ocean, and is fundamentally a pair of open suites that capture an open plan living space between them,” explains Hay.

Harvard Business Review – January/February 2025

January–February 2025

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW (January 31, 2025): The latest issue features How AI Can Transform Your Organization: Streamline operations, spur innovation, and win over skeptical employees.

The CEO of e.l.f. Beauty on Maintaining a Startup Culture While Scaling

How Generative AI Improves Supply Chain Management

Leaders Shouldn’t Try to Do It All

Philosophy Now Magazine – February/March 2025

PHILOSOPHY NOW MAGAZINE (January 31, 2025): The latest issue features ‘Political Philosophy For Our Times’ – Was Machiavelli really so bad?…

Too Late To Awaken by Slavoj Žižek

T.W.J Moxham reads Slavoj Žižek’s little book of Hegelian horrors.

Exploring Atheism

Amrit Pathak gives us a run-down of the foundations of modern atheism.

London Review Of Books – February 6, 2025 Preview

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LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS (January 31, 2025): The latest issue features David Runciman on President $Trump; Versions of Hamas and Toril Mok on Vigdis Hjorth…

Tom Stevenson: Hamas: The Quest for Power by Beverley Milton-Edwards and Stephen Farrell

Jessie Childs: The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad: A True Story of Science and Sacrifice in a City under Siege by Simon Parkin

Michael Wood: At the Movies: ‘The Brutalist’

Alex de Waal: How to Measure Famine

Michael Dobson:

White People in Shakespeare: Essays in Race, Culture and the Elite edited by Arthur LittleShakespeare’s White Others by David Sterling BrownThe Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare while Talking about Race by Farah Karim-Cooper

Katherine Rundell: Why children’s books?

The Economist Magazine – February 1, 2025 Preview

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE (January 30, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The Revolt Against Regulation’….

Milei, Modi, Trump: an anti-red-tape revolution is under way

Done right, deregulation could kick-start economic growth

By cutting off assistance to foreigners, America hurts itself

Donald Trump’s chaotic aid freeze makes his country weaker

The real meaning of the DeepSeek drama

The Chinese model-maker has panicked investors. But it is good for the users of AI

News: New Syria President, Myanmar Junta Extends Its State Of Emergency

MONOCLE RADIO (January 31, 2025): Ahmed al-Sharaa has been tapped to be Syria’s transitional president. What does his consolidation of power mean for the country? Plus: Myanmar’s junta prepares for elections and we head to Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. Then: Andrew Mueller tells us what he learned this week.

News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious