The New Yorker – December 4, 2023 issue: The new issue‘s cover features Sergio García Sánchez’s “Ready to Soar” – The artist discusses rhythm, rigor, and the linguistic capabilities of art.
The revelation that ChatGPT, the astonishing artificial-intelligence chatbot, had been trained on an Nvidia supercomputer spurred one of the largest single-day gains in stock-market history. When the Nasdaq opened on May 25, 2023, Nvidia’s value increased by about two hundred billion dollars. A few months earlier, Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s C.E.O., had informed investors that Nvidia had sold similar supercomputers to fifty of America’s hundred largest companies. By the close of trading, Nvidia was the sixth most valuable corporation on earth, worth more than Walmart and ExxonMobil combined. Huang’s business position can be compared to that of Samuel Brannan, the celebrated vender of prospecting supplies in San Francisco in the late eighteen-forties. “There’s a war going on out there in A.I., and Nvidia is the only arms dealer,” one Wall Street analyst said.
On November 6th, Donald Trump emerged from a New York City courtroom, where he had testified in a civil trial alleging that he and others in the Trump Organization had committed fraud, and gave himself a great review. “I think it went very well,” he told reporters. “If you were there, and you listened, you’d see what a scam this is.” He meant that the case was a scam and not that his company was. “Everybody saw what happened today,” he went on. “And it was very conclusive.”
The German actress Sandra Hüller probes characters with unusual depth. But to portray a Fascist wife, in “The Zone of Interest,” she reversed her usual approach—and withheld her empathy.
In “Anatomy of a Fall,” Hüller stars as a successful novelist accused of murdering her husband. The camera often lingers on her face as it shifts like quicksilver between playfulness, defiance, and evasion.Photograph by Mark Peckmezian for The New Yorker
The New Yorker – November 27, 2023 issue: The new issue‘s cover features Chris Ware’s “Harvest” – The artist discusses the rituals of gathering and building memories.
hen Joyce Carol Oates was thirty-four, she started a journal. “Query,” she wrote on the first page. “Does the individual exist?” She felt that she knew little about herself—for instance, whether she was honest or a hypocrite. “I don’t know the answer to the simplest of questions,” she wrote. “What is my personal nature?”
Seventy years ago, before she was galactically famous, before she dropped an “a” from her first name, before she was a Broadway ingénue, before her nose bump was aspirational, before she changed the way people hear the word “butter,” before she was a macher or a mogul or a decorated matron of the arts, Barbra Streisand was, by her own admission, “very annoying to be around.” She was born impatient and convinced of her potential—the basic ingredients of celebrity, and of an exquisitely obnoxious child. When Streisand was growing up in Brooklyn, in the nineteen-forties, she used to crawl onto the fire escape of her shabby apartment building and conduct philosophical debates with her best friend, Rosyln Arenstein, who was a staunch atheist.
NEW HUMANIST MAGAZINE – WINTER 2023 ISSUE: The new issue features Pavan Amara on the new technologies revolutionising reproduction, Gabriele Di Donfrancesco on Europe’s battle over “family values” and Rachael Lennon on a decade of same-sex marriage, and a new column from Shaparak Khorsandi…
The Atlantic Magazine – December 2023 issue: For the first time since the publication of our first series of stories on Reconstruction, in 1901, The Atlantic is examining “the enduring consequences of Reconstruction’s tragic fall at a moment—yet another moment—when the cause of racial progress faces sustained pressure”…
MICHELIN Guide (November 14, 2023) – A local product par excellence, Maltese honey represents the country’s history and culinary riches – and no mention can be made of Maltese cuisine without it being referenced.
In this video, beekeepers Ray Sciberras and Jorge Spiteri take us back to the time of the Romans and tell us all about the Apis Mellifera Ruttneri – the Maltese honeybee. We also see how the honey they produce plays a key role at the Camilleri & Sons Bakery, where among the many delicacies, you’ll find delicate Zeppoli Ta’ San Guzepp pastries drizzled with honey.
But it doesn’t stop at pastry, as chef Robert Cassar of the MICHELIN-recommended restaurant Root 81 makes clear. “Honey, in my eyes, is like butter – you can use it with everything,” he says.
FRANCE 24 Films (November 13, 2023) – Nestled at an altitude of 400 metres in the heart of the Alps, France’s Lake Annecy is considered the purest lake in Europe. On its shores, the medieval old town of Annecy is nicknamed the “Venice of the Alps” for its picturesque canals.
Out on the lake, fishermen catch féra, a delicate fish that Michelin-starred chef Jean Sulpice is particularly fond of working with. The forests that surround the lake are also a source of inspiration for the chef, who never misses an opportunity to stroll through them in search of new flavours.
The New Yorker – November 20, 2023 issue: The new issue features The A.I. Issue – Joshua Rothman on the godfather of A.I., Eyal Press on facial-recognition technology, Anna Wiener on Holly Herndon, and more…
In your brain, neurons are arranged in networks big and small. With every action, with every thought, the networks change: neurons are included or excluded, and the connections between them strengthen or fade. This process goes on all the time—it’s happening now, as you read these words—and its scale is beyond imagining. You have some eighty billion neurons sharing a hundred trillion connections or more. Your skull contains a galaxy’s worth of constellations, always shifting.
On March 26, 2022, at around 8:20 a.m., a man in light-blue Nike sweatpants boarded a bus near a shopping plaza in Timonium, outside Baltimore. After the bus driver ordered him to observe a rule requiring passengers to wear face masks, he approached the fare box and began arguing with her. “I hit bitches,” he said, leaning over a plastic shield that the driver was sitting behind. When she pulled out her iPhone to call the police, he reached around the shield, snatched the device, and raced off. The bus driver followed the man outside, where he punched her in the face repeatedly. He then stood by the curb, laughing, as his victim wiped blood from her nose.
DISCOVER BRITAIN MAGAZINE (OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2023 – The latest issue features Eastern delights – From punting in Cambridge to crabbing in Norfolk; Bloody Mary – Where England’s first Queen was proclaimed; London pubs – Perfectly pulled pints; Holkham Hall – Behind the scenes on the vast estate, and more…
France.fr Explore France (November 8, 2023) – With a projected 80 million visitors in 2023, France continues to be a popular destination for American and other travelers. In keeping with President Macron’s goal to make France the leading sustainable destination by 2030, travelers in 2024 will find eco-friendly innovation during their trip. Below are a few key reasons to head to the Hexagon next year.
France will be the ultimate Sporting Arena in 2024 with the Paris Olympics from Friday, July 26 – Sunday, August 11, 2024 and a few weeks later, the Paralympics Games which will be held, Wednesday, August 28 – Sunday, September 8, 2024. For the first time, the opening ceremony won’t take place in a stadium but rather in the heart of Paris along the Seine River. The objective is to cut by half the carbon footprint of the Olympics. 95% of the games will take place in existing sports venues or in heritage sites throughout the Greater Paris Region and other parts of France. Think skateboarding in Place de la Concorde or beach volleyball at the Champs de Mars at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and equestrian events at the Château de Versailles. Plus, the upcoming Olympics will introduce a totally new discipline: breaking. It will complement the previous game’s inclusion of sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing, which for France will take place on one of the beautiful Tahitian islands of French Polynesia. Be sure to follow the festive Olympic torch relay. The torch will arrive May 8 in Marseille from Greece aboard the tall ship Le Belem, for a 68-day whirlwind tour in mainland France and its overseas regions. Coincidentally, Toulon in Le Var will be the second city after Marseille to host the torch on May 10.
The New York – Vendée Sables d’Olonne is another major sporting event that will take place on May 29, 2024. It is the last qualifier race before the Vendée Globe—and is the only transatlantic race to leave from the Big Apple. Before embarking on a 3,200-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean, the sailors will entertain the public with a spectacular show at the Statue of Liberty’s base, along with other pre-race celebrations on May 24. Then, on November 10, 2024, the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe, a.k.a the Everest of Seas–a solo, non-stop, and, unassisted race around the world, will set sail from the Vendee’s Sables d’Olonne. About 40 skippers will depart this seaside town which boasts magnificent beaches and one of the most beautiful bays in the world.
Cultural Happenings
In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition, the 2024 Normandy Impressionist Festival, scheduled from March 22 to September 22, 2024, promises to be truly exceptional with an unexpected American influence. This 5th edition will showcase a major Whistler exhibit in Rouen, and the 12th edition of Rouen Cathedral’s summer sound & light show will be curated by American theatre and multidisciplinary artist Robert Wilson. Normandy has also partnered with the Paris Region for this anniversary celebration, featuring a grand exhibit titled ‘Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment’ at the Musée d’Orsay from late March to mid-July. Following that, the show will travel to the National Gallery in D.C. for a late summer to winter exhibition, showcasing around 130 paintings, works on paper, prints, sculptures, and photographs.
Since 1965 Les Floralies de Nantes, a prestigious international horticultural event, will move to the nearby Vendée from May 17 to May 26, 2024. It will take place at the Domaine de La Chabotterie—an 18th-century estate spread over 118 acres of lush forest and meadows. Anticipating over 200,000 visitors, the event will showcase the imaginative creations of 200 participants hailing from France, the United States, and other countries. Aptly named ‘Flower Games’ for the 2024 edition, a nod to the Summer Olympics will feature five thematic areas: water, childhood, intellectual, physical, and garden games.
Anniversaries
These festivities and achievements would not be possible if it wasn’t for the bravery of Allied soldiers and veterans who took part in the historic D-Day Landings in Normandy. They will be honored during the 80th anniversary of this critical chapter of WWII in 2024. In addition to the June 6th landings in Normandy, it’s also the 80th anniversary of Operation Dragoon, a crucial Franco-American landing that occurred on August 15, 1944. The primary landing sites were located in Le Var County of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. After these landings, Allied forces advanced up the Rhone Valley, executing a coordinated pincer movement to cut off and engage retreating German troops. This strategic maneuver culminated in a historic meeting with D-Day veterans in Dijon on September 12, 1944.
Starting on October 30, Air France will operate three weekly flights from Charles-de-Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Raleigh Durham. Additionally, in the summer of 2024, American Airlines will offer seasonal and non-stop flights from Philly to Nice.
In 2024, the French National Railroads (SNCF) will introduce—starting on the Southeastern corridor of its network—a new high-speed train called the TGV M built by Alstom. The M stands for modular (number of cars.) The new train will offer 20% more seats, a compact, aerodynamic & energy saving locomotive (20% energy savings & 32% less carbon emissions.) & new high-tech lounge car. Explore France:
The Road Less Traveled
Provence’s Le Var county is famed for Saint-Tropez but also home to France’s Grand Canyon—the spectacular Gorges du Verdon, which is worth visiting year-round. Other breathtaking spots include the red rock mountains of the Estérel Massif and the must-see Porquerolles and Port-Cros islands. An Olympic torch stop on May 17, Toulouse, known as the Pink City, is notable for architectural heritage & museums and also the world capital of aeronautics. The unsung Vendée, and Charente-Maritime house the lush & biodiverse Marais Poitevin, France’s second largest wetland. Fittingly, Nouvelle Aquitaine’s Cognac region comprised of both the Charente and Charente Maritime welcomes visitors who wish to discover that there’s more to Cognac then just the drink.
If you think Dijon is all about mustard, prepare to be surprised. Not only will Dijon host the Olympic torch on July 12, but it is also home to the captivating Cité de la Gastronomie et du Vin. It serves as the perfect starting point for exploring the three new wine centers in Beaune, Macon, and Chablis.
Finally, check out two recent additions to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Roman-era Maison Carrée in Nîmes and the Volcanoes and lush forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Le Carbet on the island of Martinique.
The New Yorker – November 13, 2023 issue: The new issue‘s cover features Kadir Nelson’s “Dumbo” – The artist discusses the seasonal energy of the city, and his sources of inspiration.
On the morning of the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was full of catastrophic confidence. His seventy-three thousand troops were camped on a ridge near a tavern called La Belle Alliance. His nemesis, the Duke of Wellington, occupied a slope across the fields, with a mere sixty-seven thousand troops. Over breakfast, Napoleon predicted, “If my orders are well executed, we will sleep in Brussels this evening.” When his chief of staff offered a word of caution, Napoleon snapped, “Wellington is a bad general and the English are bad troops. The whole affair will not be more serious than swallowing one’s breakfast.”
Some people think that we can’t be held responsible for what we do, given that our actions are the inevitable consequence of the laws of nature. They’re only half right.
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