Tag Archives: February 2023

Science Reviews: Nature Magazine – Feb 16, 2023

Volume 614 Issue 7948

nature – February 16, 2023 issue:

Solar geoengineering is scary — that’s why we should research it

Research on blocking sunlight needs a dose of realpolitik.

How a tiny genetic change inflicts old age on young kids

Scientists identify a molecule key to the development of progeria, a lethal disease that causes hyper-accelerated ageing.

Noise shatters deep sleep thanks to dedicated brain circuit

Neurons that help to rouse you from sound slumber are connected to those that receive signals from the spinal cord.

Reviews: ‘The Week In Art’

February 17, 2023: Turkey and Syria. As the countries reel from the devastation of the 6 February earthquake, how can communities and agencies protect damaged heritage?

We talk to Aparna Tandon from Iccrom, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property about culture’s significance in the humanitarian response to the crisis. As Alice Neel: Hot off the Griddle arrives at the Barbican Art Gallery in London, we take a tour of the show’s key moments with its curator, Eleanor Nairne.

And this episode’s Work of the Week is a Germantown “eye-dazzler” blanket, made between 1895 and 1905 by a Diné weaver from the Navajo Nation. It’s part of a new show at the Bard Graduate Center in New York,

Shaped by the Loom: Weaving Worlds in the American Southwest. Hadley Jensen, the curator of the exhibition, tells us more.Disasters Emergency Committee’s Turkey-Syria Earthquake: dec.org.uk; a PDF of Aparna Tandon’s handbook First Aid To Cultural Heritage In Times Of Crisis is available for free at iccrom.org.Alice Neel: Hot off the Griddle, Barbican Art Gallery, London, until 21 May.

The book accompanying the exhibition is published by Prestel, priced £24.99 or $29.95.Shaped by the Loom: Weaving Worlds in the American Southwest, Bard Graduate Center, New York, until 9 July. An online exhibition featuring an interactive catalogue has approximately 250 items from the American Museum of Natural History’s collection of Navajo textiles will be available later this month at bgc.bard.edu.

Culture: New York Times Magazine – Feb 19, 2023

Image

The New York Times Magazine – February 19, 2023:

Spirited Away to Miyazaki Land

What happens when the surreal imagination of the world’s greatest living animator, Hayao Miyazaki, is turned into a theme park?

Remaking Country’s Gender Politics, One Barroom Weeper at a Time

The Nashville songwriter Shane McAnally is behind many of country music’s No. 1 hits, which aren’t as straight as they seem.

Why Is Affirmative Action in Peril? One Man’s Decision.

How the landmark 1978 Supreme Court decision that upheld the practice may ultimately have set it on a path to being outlawed.

Front Page: The New York Times – February 17, 2023

New York Times Front Page, New York Edition

A New Goal for Abortion Bills: Punish or Protect Doctors

The legislative calendar is packed with 300 abortion bills. “You can’t go to jail for screwing up an appendectomy,” one lawmaker said.

Federal Officials Send Help After Ohio Derailment, but Residents’ Frustrations Persist

A visit to East Palestine from the head of the E.P.A. and a White House pledge to lend more support were met with skepticism in the community.

Behind China’s Balloons, a Push for Business to Serve the Military

The Chinese government has tried to meld its military and civilian innovation, prompting a backlash from the United States.

A Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled

A very strange conversation with the chatbot built into Microsoft’s search engine led to it declaring its love for me.

Previews: The Economist Magazine- Feb 18, 2023

Image

The Economist Magazine- February 18, 2023:

Inflation will be harder to bring down than markets think

Investors are betting on good times. The likelier prospect is turbulence

Israel’s proposed legal reforms are a dreadful answer to a real problem

They will damage the country at home and abroad

The World Bank’s embattled chief steps down

David Malpass’s record is better than his many critics will credit

News: Xi Jinping Pledges Support For Iran, Finland-NATO, Museum Openings

February 16, 2023: China’s president, Xi Jinping, has promised to give support to Iran. How will that affect relations between the two countries and the West? Also in the programme, we discuss whether Finland will join Nato before Sweden and look at India’s first new museum opening in a decade.

Front Page: The New York Times – February 16, 2023

New York Times Front Page, New York Edition

U.S. on Track to Add $19 Trillion in New Debt Over 10 Years

Congressional Budget Office projections released on Wednesday suggested rising interest rates and bipartisan spending bills are adding to deficits.

As Lawmakers Spar Over Social Security, Its Costs Are Rising Fast

New budget projections show that the program’s spending is outpacing tax revenues as an aging population claims benefits.

As Taliban Settle In, Kabul’s Green Zone Comes Back to Life

Walking down its streets a year ago was like wandering into the modern ruins of another empire come and gone from Afghanistan. Now, the Taliban have adopted the former diplomatic enclave as their own.

Before the Gunfire, It Was Their Glittering ‘Dancing Star’

The mass shooting in Monterey Park threatened a community of ballroom dancers who share a rich history. They hope to find a way to carry on.

Books: TLS/Times Literary Supplement – Feb 17, 2023

Image

Times Literary Supplement (February 17, 2023) – This week’s @TheTLS , featuring @jamesamarcus on Mailer at 100; Tom Seymour Evans on James Ellroy; @SPlokhy on Putin’s war in Ukraine; @nclarke14 on Blake Morrison; @CamilleRalphs_on Sylvia Plath; @natsegnit on Salman Rushdie; @rinireg on balloons – and more.

Front Page: The New York Times – February 15, 2023

New York Times Front Page, New York Edition

Under the Rubble: Gasps of Air, Protein Powder and Miraculous Rescues

Nine people were rescued in Turkey over a week after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated the region. The rescues were rare bright spots in one of the bleakest periods in memory for Turkey.

Earthquakes Destroy. People Rebuild.

Cities are a form of life and they need constant care to stay strong. They didn’t get that care in Turkey.

Inflation Cooled Just Slightly, With Worrying Details

Consumer Price Index inflation has been slowing compared with a year ago, but evidence is mounting that it could be a long road back to normal.

Elementary School. High School. Now College. Michigan State Students Are No Strangers to Mass Shootings.

The gunfire on Monday night left three dead and five critically injured. For some students, the familiar rituals of sorrow, anger and disbelief were playing out again.