Tag Archives: Culture

Culture, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Reviews

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY —- JULY 17, 2026 PREVIEW

July 15, 2026 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘Andy Burnham’s path to No 10″…

Andy Burnham is to become Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, having secured the Labour leadership with the landslide support of his party’s MPs.

The former Manchester mayor is now set to replace Starmer as Labour leader on Friday before walking through the doors of No 10 and becoming prime minister next Monday.

For our big story this week, Daniel Boffey looks at how Burnham charted the route from school politics to No 10, while Jessica Elgot runs through the bulging in-tray awaiting him when he steps into the new role. And Gaby Hinsliff examines how the PM-in-waiting might fare on the global stage, asking whether, unlike Keir Starmer, he has the skills to deal with Donald Trump.

Spotlight | A revolution in ruins
Discontent with Venezuela’s Trump-backed government is mounting as Chávez heirs struggle to respond to the earthquake disaster, writes Tom Phillips

Science | We’re going on a water bear hunt
Scientists hope DNA sequencing tardigrades – tiny yet virtually indestructible creatures – could help us understand the secrets of their superpowers. Patrick Barkham reports

Feature | The battle of the Bell hotel
Tim Burrows visits the town of Epping in Essex to hear from local people about the impact of last year’s far-right protests that centred on a hotel housing asylum seekers

Opinion | The real source of Trump’s power exposed
The Nato summit showed the US president’s willingness to violate all norms, rules and laws – and leave everyone else to pick up the pieces, argues Robert Reich

Culture | Never-ending story
With Christopher Nolan’s take on the Odyssey set to break box office records, Charlotte Higgins asks why a poem from 600BC holds a vice-like grip on pop culture

Culture, History, Homes, Magazines, Reviews, Travel

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE – JULY 15, 2026 PREVIEW

July 15, 2026 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features the magic, power and beauty of water, pays tribute to the king of British powerboating and enjoys the Victorian splendour of Scarborough.

Why our water is going down the drain

Investment, organisation and effort can guarantee secure water supplies for everyone in Britain, argues Lord Deben

The power of water

Kate Green surveys the surging strength of the Severn Bore, the haunting beauty of the flooded Somerset Levels, life on the edge at Dawlish and the capital’s mighty Thames Barrier.

Why every drop counts

People who work with water tell Kate Green and Mary Skipwith why we need to reconnect with our most precious resource

Up with the gulls, to bed with the owl

Patrick Galbraith experiences an eventful day in the life of the ever-changing, but enduringly beautiful Cley estuary in Norfolk

On peak form

Artists such as Turner, Bierstadt and Wolf took painting to new heights with their depictions of mountains, finds Michael Prodger

Let all the world sing

The 2026 BBC Proms promises to be a truly global spectacle, as Henrietta Bredin discovers

The queen of spas

Scarborough in North Yorkshire is the original Victorian seaside resort. Kathryn Ferry charts the development of its spa complex

The Revd Sam Wells’s favourite painting

The St Martin-in-the-Fields vicar chooses a painting where ‘magnificent humanity’ is laid bare

Country-house treasure

John Goodall unearths evidence of Bowood in Wiltshire’s wartime role as a ‘beacon of recovery’

Pooling assets

George Plumptre is charmed by the Anglo-Italian landscape at Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire

The legacy

Agnes Stamp pays tribute to speed merchant Sir Max Aitken, the king of British powerboating

Winging it

Mark Cocker assesses the anti-social antics of the herring gull

Luxury

Jonathan Self ponders the power of fine jewellery and Amie Elizabeth White finds coral for all

Interiors

Arabella Youens visits a kitchen giving a nod to history, and reveals that chequerboard floors are back

Travel

Rosie Paterson is looking for a New England in Nantucket

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino investigates the intriguing tale of ‘Mad Madge’, a pioneer of science-fiction

Truth, lies and somewhere in between

Michael Billington delves into a world of deceit and infidelity

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

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE – JULY 20, 2026 PREVIEW

July 13, 2026 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

For the World Cup finals soccer players on the field with a city skyline in the background.

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE: The latest issue cover features Jonathan Blitzer on ICE’s biggest detention center, Zach Helfand on steroids, Jessica Contreras on a family intertwined with A.I., and more.

An O.M.B. Plan to Defund Science—and Anything Trump Doesn’t Like

Under a new proposal, Administration officials could deny government grants to any group or project on the ground that it didn’t fit the President’s agenda. By Elizabeth Kolbert

When A.I. Is a Member of the Family

A single mom, her two daughters, and the chatbots that fill in the gaps. By Jessica Contrera

Inside ICE’s Largest Detention Center

On a military base in West Texas, where the government has built a sprawling tent complex to hold thousands of immigrants, deprivation and dire conditions are part of the design. By Jonathan Blitze

The Lost Art of the Bromance

New books, articles, and shows lament a crisis of connection among American men. But the picture of friendship that emerges can feel romanticized and brittle. By Katy Waldman

Arts & Literature, Culture, History, Magazines, Reviews, Science

The American Scholar Magazine – SUMMER 2026

July 11, 2026 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR: The latest issue features ‘Forget Me Not’ – Some people remember their pasts with eerie clarity, for others, there’s only a void…

You Must Remember This

On the nature of autobiographical memory By Jonathan Weiner

Twain Town, U.S.A.

Samuel Clemens is everywhere in Hannibal, Missouri, but is the story the town tells about its favorite son grounded in reality or myth? By Ruth Franklin

Found in Translation

The act of rendering plays from Romanian to English has allowed me to discover my family’s past—and myself By Amanda L. Andrei

Thanatos Rising

A 1930s correspondence between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud laid out each man’s views on war and peace By George Makari

Culture, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Reviews

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE- JULY 12, 2026

July 11, 2026 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: The 7.12.26 Issue features Pamela Colloff on the death penalty in Florida; Madelein Schwartz on positive parenting in France; Helen Ouyang on A.I. writing summaries of patient exams for doctors; and more.

Why Is Florida Executing So Many Prisoners?

In most of the country, executions are a thing of the past. But one state has been carrying them out at a record pace.

Did American-Style ‘Gentle Parenting’ Spoil French Children?

As positive parenting takes over France, one psychologist’s call for a return to discipline has set off a furious debate. By Madeleine Schwartz

How A.I. Might Change the Way Doctors Think

For generations, writing up a summary of a patient exam was a vital step for physicians trying to make an accurate diagnosis. What happens when A.I. does it for them? By Helen Ouyang

Has the MAHA Movement Given Up?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his allies promised public-health libertarianism. The idea couldn’t survive once they took power. By David Wallace-Wells

Culture, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Reviews

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY —- JULY 10, 2026 PREVIEW

July 8, 2026 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘A Load of Hot Air’ – Trump and America at 250….

In case you missed Donald Trump’s triumphalist address marking America’s 250th anniversary, you weren’t alone. Lightning storms caused by an extreme heatwave sent the Washington crowds scattering and delayed the US president’s address by four hours – but it was still a trademark piece of Trumpian dystopia, a highly politicised polemic that followed on from a white nationalist march on the streets of the capital.

David Smith’s brilliant feature essay this week reveals how the US president has hijacked the country’s milestone anniversary and turned it into a joyless, farcical series of largely self-serving events. And from Moscow to Mexico City, there’s a terrific reported feature from our correspondents around the globe on how the world views America at 250 in the age of Trump.

Spotlight | At the ayatollah’s funeral, Iranians call for revenge
Crowds swelled through Tehran as mourners dressed in black carried flags proclaiming: ‘We will rise’, reports diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour

Environment | The changing symphony of Britain’s dawn chorus
The country has lost an estimated 73 million wild birds from its landscape over the last 50 years, but a new project aims to recreate their sound. By Sandra Laville and Madeleine Finlay

Feature | Morality and the machine
Since 2017, philosopher Iason Gabriel has worked at Google DeepMind, trying to anticipate – and think through – the impact of AI. But as commercial and geopolitical pressures escalate, can ethicists make any difference, asks Robert P Baird

Opinion | Thank heavens for the pope
In a political wasteland dominated by billionaires, war criminals and mega-corporations, the head of the Catholic church is a rare figure of moral leadership, argues Simon Tisdall

Culture | An invitation you can’t refuse
Director Olivia Wilde and co-star Edward Norton talk to Catherine Shoard about The Invite, their new movie about marital bed death that is the season’s buzziest, funniest release

Culture, History, Homes, Magazines, Reviews, Travel

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE – JULY 8, 2026 PREVIEW

July 7, 2026 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘The Experts’ Experts’ – Country Life asks architects, designers and specialists on its Top 100 list to delve into their little black books to reveal the talented craftspeople and suppliers they turn to for inspiration on their own projects…

Magazine spread from Country Life 8 July 2026

Why haste creates waste

Hold off on that online-shopping impulse buy — there’s no substitute for carefully crafted quality

It’s getting hot in here

Ben Lerwill sets his tastebuds a-tingling as he meets the British chilli-sauce makers adding to the spice of life

Luxury

If you only buy one suitcase, make it a classic GlobeTrotter, suggests Amie Elizabeth White

Winging it

Mark Cocker looks beyond the raven’s grim reputation to seek the truth about our largest corvid

Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s favourite painting

The Speaker of the House of Commons is captivated by the Westminster riverfront in a work with a photographic quality

On top of the world

Kirsty Fergusson applauds the stamina of the hardy souls who tend the spectacular clifftop gardens at Chygurno, Cornwall

Country-house treasure

John Goodall stands in the stead of William Tyndale behind a preacher’s pulpit at Bucklebury House in Berkshire

The legacy

Agnes Stamp salutes Agnes Marshall, the Queen of Ices

While the cat’s away…

David Glasper lifts the lid on the cat flap, the means by which the regal feline can come and go precisely as it pleases

An architectural evolution

Jeremy Musson charts the rise of Selwyn College, Cambridge, from its origins as a memorial to a 19th-century missionary

The raw deal

Tom Parker Bowles savours the lip-smacking summer freshness of that Peruvian classic ceviche

Travel

Rosie Paterson unpacks the latest in luxury-yacht looks and follows in Frida Kahlo’s footsteps

Arts & antiques

Beauty and function were fused in the form of the sedan chair, the conveyance of choice for the upper echelons of Georgian society, reveals Carla Passino

Art to dine for

Intriguing art can be a meal-time conversation starter in country-house dining rooms, as Melanie Cable-Alexander discovers

Catch of the day

Collector Paul Martin shares his tips on amassing a school of exquisite antiquarian fish prints

Culture, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Reviews

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE- JUNE 28, 2026

June 28, 2026 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: The 6.28.6 issue features Charles Homans, Steve Eder, Jan Ransom and Michael Rothfeld on the untold story of Jeffrey Epstein’s death; Katie Engelhart on the pain of caring for a parent who abused you; Dan Brookes on kickboxing in Thailand; and more.

Robby Hoffman Will Always Feel Poor, No Matter How Rich She Gets

The comedian Robby Hoffman seems to be everywhere these days, including her scene-stealing role in “Hacks” as a former Hasidic Jew from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, who becomes a Hollywood assistant and her part in the HBO comedy “Rooster” as the blunt, protective roommate of a student having an affair with a professor.

Visions of America: The Revolution as You’ve Never Seen It Before

For the 250th anniversary, The Times Magazine asked leading historians to profile founding-era Americans whose roles in the drama have been often overlooked.

Is There a Founding Story That Can Unify Left and Right?

There has never been agreement over the meaning of America’s creation 250 years ago. Maybe there shouldn’t be. By Jia Lynn Yang

Culture, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Reviews

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY —- JUNE 26, 2026 PREVIEW

June 24, 2026 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘Britain’s Lost Decade After Brexit’…

It’s neatly ironic that the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote should have been marked this week by yet another prime ministerial resignation.

The two things aren’t directly related – the intense pressure put on Keir Starmer to step down was partly down to his own political flaws. But the rise in the polls of Reform UK, Nigel Farage’s populist rightwing party that morphed out of the Brexit-obsessed Ukip, was a key factor.

The fact that the country is now set for its seventh prime minister in the decade since Brexit speaks volumes. The vote in 2016 to leave the European Union deeply fractured Britain, a country that remains volatile and impatient for change to this day.

Change has come to the UK as a result of Brexit – only not for the better, as senior economics correspondent Richard Partington explains for our special report this week. We revisit the buildup to the vote as key figures at the time recall how it shook the country’s politics. And there’s even a quiz to test your memory of the more arcane sideshows of it all.

Spotlight | Iran’s regime survived the war. Will it make peace with its people?
If the conflict with the US and Israel triggered a rare moment of solidarity in the divided country, many doubt it will be used for reform, reports Saeed Shah

Spotlight | Why did Somali children become targets of US drone strikes?
Six months ago, at least 12 people, including eight children, died during a US attack. The US has never admitted the civilian deaths. Mark Townsend pieces together what happened that day

Environment | The online archive sharing scientific knowledge with everyone
The Biodiversity Heritage Library is an invaluable online archive of historic texts on species living and lost supplied by the world’s leading museums and universities. Now its future is in doubt. Donna Ferguson reports

Opinion | There is still hope for international law
Even in this age of global rupture, do not despair: developments in Ukraine and Iran show that the military superpowers are not getting it all their own way, argues Nathalie Tocci

Culture | Why time is still on Keith Richards’ side
At 82, the Rolling Stones guitarist is still hale and hearty, enjoying life as a great-grandad and jousting with Mick Jagger like old times. Ahead of a new Stones album launch, Alexis Petridis caught up with him

Culture, Magazines, Nature, Science, Wildlife

ORION MAGAZINE ——– SUMMER 2026 PREVIEW

June 23, 2026 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

ORION MAGAZINE: Orion’s Summer 2026 issue, The Deep Dive, explores humanity’s enduring relationship with cetaceans. From the violence of the whaling industry to the nuances of whale song, contributors trace our evolving entanglement with the world’s largest mammals—how we have been a threat to them in the past, our intertwined struggles in the present, and what we might do to ensure their continued survival. Rich with wonder and delight, the issue asks not only how we have shaped whales’ existence, but how they have indelibly left their mark on ours. This issue is also slightly longer than a standard issue of Orion—an invitation to dive into summer reading. Inside: