The Globalist Podcast (December 22, 2023) – A pacy round-up of the day’s main news stories, anchored from London by Emma Nelson.
Also, Chris Cermak reports on ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Ford’s Theatre in Washington.
Tag Archives: December 2023
The New York Times — Friday, December 22, 2023
U.S. Says It’s Ready to Back U.N. Resolution to Allow More Aid Into Gaza
The timing for a vote on the Security Council resolution was unclear. Diplomats were focused on who would oversee the inspection of aid entering the enclave.
Key Hamas Plotters of Oct. 7 Elude Israel’s Grip on Gaza
Israel has battered Gaza in its quest to destroy Hamas, without finding the commanders it has named as its most important targets.
Live from the Jungle: Migrants Become Influencers on Social Media
TikTok, Facebook and YouTube are transforming global migration, becoming tools of migrants and smugglers alike.
Democrats Keep Hoping It’s Curtains for Trump. He’s Still Center Stage.
As Donald Trump faces a new threat to his political future, this time over the question of ballot eligibility, Democrats again find themselves looking toward American institutions to stop him.
2023: Top Discoveries In Biology & Neuroscience
Video timeline: 00:05 The Investigation of Consciousness – Our minds are constantly taking in new external information while also creating their own internal imagery and narratives. How do we distinguish reality from fantasy? This year, researchers discovered that the brain has a “reality threshold” against which it constantly evaluates processed signals. Original paper: “Subjective signal strength distinguishes reality from imagination”
04:30 Microbiomes Evolve With Us – This year, scientists provided clear evidence that the organisms in our microbiome —the collection of bacteria and other cells that live in our guts and elsewhere on our body — spread between people, especially those with whom we spend the most time. This raises the intriguing possibility that some illnesses that aren’t usually considered communicable might be.
08:43 How Life Keeps Time – The rate at which an embryo develops and the timing of when its tissues mature vary dramatically between species. What controls the ticking of this developmental clock that determines an animal’s final form? This year, a series of careful experiments suggest that mitochondria may very well serve dual roles as both the timekeeper and power source for complex cells.
Research Preview: Science Magazine – Dec 22, 2023
The quantum phantom
A ghostly quasiparticle rooted in a century-old Italian mystery could unlock quantum computing’s potential—if only it could be pinned down
Are cryptocurrencies currencies? Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador
Preference for cash and privacy fears deterred bitcoin adoption in El Salvador.
Mimicking polar bear hairs in aerogel fibers
Encapsulated aerogel fibers offer thermal insulation, breathability, and strength
News: France Political Crisis Over Immigration, Japan-U.S. Patriot Missiles
The Globalist Podcast (December 21, 2023) – French president Emmanuel Macron faces a political crisis over a hardline immigration bill and Japan looks to formalise a policy change that will enable it to export several dozen Patriot missiles to the US.
Plus: the day’s newspapers, the latest headlines in the UAE and a review of the Christmas films that you need to see this year.
The New York Times — Thursday, Dec 21, 2023
Gaza Truce Talks Bog Down Over Disputes on Aid Inspections
In Cairo and at the U.N., negotiators struggled to come up with plans for pausing the fighting, freeing hostages and speeding up help for Gazans.
Amid Gaza War and Red Sea Attacks, Yemen’s Houthis Refuse to Back Down
The militia, which has targeted ships it says are connected to Israel, has vowed not to stop until the siege in Gaza ends and claims that a new U.S.-led maritime task force cannot deter the attacks.
Trump Cases Crashing Into Supreme Court Could Reshape 2024 Election
The ruling that Donald Trump is not eligible for the ballot in Colorado is the latest election-related issue likely to land before the justices. The implications for 2024 could be profound.
Inside the Booming Business of Cutting Babies’ Tongues
Dentists and lactation consultants around the country are pushing “tongue-tie releases” on new mothers struggling to breastfeed.
The Economist Magazine – December 23, 2023 Preview
The US Navy confronts a new Suez crisis
Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping threaten global trade
For the world to prosper, ships must reach their ports. They are most vulnerable when passing through narrow passages, such as the Strait of Malacca or the Panama Canal. So a recent surge of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, the only southern conduit into the Suez Canal, poses a grave threat to global trade. The Houthis, militants in Yemen backed by Iran, have fired over 100 drones and missiles at ships linked to more than 35 countries, ostensibly in support of the Palestinians. Their campaign is an affront to the principle of freedom of navigation, which is already at risk from the Black Sea to the South China Sea. America and its allies must deal firmly with it—without escalating the conflict in the Middle East.
Economists had a dreadful 2023
Mistaken recession calls were just part of it
Spare a thought for economists. Last Christmas they were an unusually pessimistic lot: the growth they expected in America over the next calendar year was the fourth-lowest in 55 years of fourth-quarter surveys. Many expected recession; The Economist added to the prognostications of doom and gloom. This year economists must swap figgy pudding for humble pie, because America has probably grown by an above-trend 3%—about the same as in boomy 2005. Adding to the impression of befuddlement, most analysts were caught out on December 13th by a doveish turn by the Federal Reserve, which sent them scrambling to rewrite their outlooks for the new year.
Research Preview: Nature Magazine Dec 21, 2023
From Einstein to AI: how 100 years have shaped science
Looking back a century reveals how much the research landscape has changed
Earth is warming but Mount Everest is getting chillier
Winds triggered by climate change sweep cold air down from the summit of Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks, leading to a cooling trend.
ChatGPT and science: the AI system was a force in 2023 — for good and bad
The poster child for generative AI software is a startling human mimic. It represents a potential new era in research, but brings risks.
Politics: The Guardian Weekly – December 22, 2023
The Guardian Weekly (December 20, 2023) – The new issue features Two wars and a growing divide between the global west and south. Plus: Best culture of 2023.
World risks new age of empires where might makes right, warns Estonian foreign minister
International institutions seem powerless in face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, writes Margus Tsahkna, arguing they ‘cannot survive unchanged’
The international rules-based system needs urgent and fundamental change if it is not to collapse, the Estonian foreign minister has said, calling for “a new global conversation” to begin on how to reform the UN and the international criminal court.
Writing in the Guardian on Wednesday, Margus Tsahkna says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has highlighted flaws in the system that risk fatally undermining people’s faith in it.
_______________________________
Elsewhere, we shouldn’t forget there are plenty of reasons for hope. Having been expected to deliver little, the Cop28 climate summit turned out to be full of surprises – but was the final deal on fossil fuels just a ruse, asks environment editor Fiona Harvey.
Writers from the Guardian’s global development team reflect on the inspirational figures they met in 2023, from leaders to dancers to dads, who proved that humanity still has much to give. And leading conservationists and scientists tell us about the mysteries of the planet they wish they better understood.
The review of 2023 continues with the Observer’s selection of those we lost, recalled with affection by their friends. There’s also a dazzling range of images courtesy of the Guardian agency photographers of the year.
Last but not least, the Guardian critics’ top 10 rundowns of the best film and music of 2023, topped off with the Guardian Weekly team’s now-legendary television selections of the year.
France Culture: Périgord Castles & Gastronomy
The young Parisian left everything behind to protect this 12th-century monument. Gastronomy is also a key part of life in the Périgord. In this region that cherishes quality produce, chef Pierre Corre cooks black truffles like no one else.
Read more: https://f24.my/A0gb.y
Boomers Daily 