Tag Archives: Israel

The New York Times Magazine-February 4, 2024

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THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (February 2, 2024): The new issue features ‘The Long Shadow of 1948’ – How the decisions that led to the founding of Israel left the region in a state of eternal conflict…

The Road to 1948

How the decisions that led to the founding of Israel left the region in a state of eternal conflict.

A discussion moderated by Emily Bazelon

One year matters more than any other for understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 1948, Jews realized their wildly improbable dream of a state, and Palestinians experienced the mass flight and expulsion called the Nakba, or catastrophe. The events are burned into the collective memories of these two peoples — often in diametrically opposed ways — and continue to shape their trajectories.

John Malkovich on (Really) Being John Malkovich

An illustration of John Malkovich.

By David Marchese 

There’s a scene in that modern classic of screwball existentialism, “Being John Malkovich,” from 1999, in which John Malkovich, playing a version of himself, enters a portal that others have been using to climb inside his mind. Suddenly, Malkovich is in a world populated solely by variations on himself: Malkovich as a flirtatious sexpot, a genteel waiter, a jazz chanteuse, a bemused child, everyone speaking only the word “Malkovich.” In a way, that scene is a microcosm of the actor’s decades-long, always-interesting career. 

The New York Times — Friday, February 2, 2024

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How a Game of Good Cop-Bad Cop Sealed the E.U. Ukraine Fund Deal

Top European leaders coordinated to get the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, to agree to the 50-billion-euro plan aimed at keeping Ukraine’s economy afloat during the war with Russia.

When the Storm Online Is Worse Than the One Outside

Meteorologists and climate scientists are increasingly having to combat misinformation cycles on social media.

Biden Orders Sanctions on 4 Israelis Over West Bank Violence

The order served as both a sharp-edged diplomatic notice to Israel and a message to Arab Americans, a key part of the political coalition the president needs to be re-elected.

The Economist Magazine – February 3, 2024 Preview

Business | Feb 3rd 2024 Edition

The Economist Magazine (February 1, 2024): The latest issue features How To End The Middle East’s Agony’…

The end of the social network

As Facebook turns 20, politics is out; impersonal video feeds are in

Britain’s armed forces: losing muscle

Britain’s armed forces are stretched perilously thin

Bidenomics in a second term

What four more years of Joe Biden would mean for America’s economy

Inside the Zelensky v Zaluzhny feud

The feud between Ukraine’s president and army chief boils over

London Review Of Books – February 8, 2024 Preview

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London Review of Books (LRB) – February 1, 2024: The latest issue features Origins of the Gay Novel; Protest, what is it good for?; Poems of Enheduana; Caspar David Friedrich, Israel’s War and more….

A Circular Motion

By James Butler

If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution 
by Vincent Bevins.

The Populist Moment: The Left after the Great Recession 
by Anton Jäger and Arthur Borriello.

Wreckage of Ellipses

By Anna Della Subin

Enheduana: The Complete Poems of the World’s First Author 
by Sophus Helle.

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – February 2, 2024

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The Guardian Weekly (February 1, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Party Crasher’ – Is Trump more vulnerable than he seems?; Israel, the ICJ ruling and The West; Europe’s Big Bad Wolves and more….

It had all seemed like business as usual for Donald Trump in the aftermath of last week’s New Hampshire Republican primaries, where he scored a comfortable victory over his only remaining challenger, Nikki Haley. And yet … was there something in his subsequent outburst towards Haley that suggested all was not well in Trumpworld?

Barring the mother of all reversals, Trump will soon be confirmed as the Republican presidential nominee. But, as David Smith and Jonathan Freedland outline in this week’s big story, Trump remains a deeply polarising figure in American politics, not least within his own party.

And his petulant irritation at Haley over her refusal to concede the race was a visible reminder to American floating voters of the unhinged personality that lurks beneath the orange veneer, something his campaign team will be desperate to avoid more of.

“The shadow of Trump is long, and his return seems closer than ever,” explains illustrator Alberto Miranda on his cover art for this week’s Guardian Weekly. “He is a controversial figure with a dangerous side and, at the same time, has an utterly comical aspect. That’s why we wanted to portray his influence in the Republican party in an almost grotesque manner.”

The New York Times — Thursday, February 1, 2024

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‘Your Product Is Killing People’: Tech Leaders Denounced Over Child Safety

Senators criticized the chief executives of Meta, TikTok, Snap, X and Discord for not doing enough to prevent child sexual abuse online, amid rising fears over how the platforms affect youths.

With Fate of Ukraine’s Top General in Question, All Eyes Turn to Zelensky

Portraits of Gen. Valery Zaluzhny hang in coffee shops and bars inside Ukraine, but his strained relationship with President Volodymyr Zelensky may cost him his post.

One Big Reason Migrants Are Coming in Droves: They Believe They Can Stay

Seeking asylum has become the surest way for migrants to stay in the U.S. The underfunded immigration system can’t keep up, so cases languish for years.

Platoonmates Killed in Jordan Saw Army Service as a Life Ladder

Two of the American troops killed on Sunday were, like many young Black women, drawn to the military for the opportunities and level playing field it offered.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Jan 31, 2024

How the Border Crisis Shattered Biden’s Immigration Hopes

An examination of President Biden’s record reveals how he failed to overcome a surge in new arrivals and political obstacles in both parties.

French Government Vows Rapid Aid for Farmers but Blockades Persist

Protesters blocking roads in and out of Paris, who say farms are squeezed by low prices and excessive regulation, seemed unmoved by promises from Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

The War the World Can’t See

From outside Gaza, the scale of death and destruction is impossible to grasp, shrouded by communications blackouts, restrictions barring international reporters and extreme challenges facing local journalists.

Mayor Adams Loses Showdown Over 2 Criminal Justice Bills

The New York City Council overrode the mayor’s veto of two bills that would expand documentation of police stops and end solitary confinement.

The New York Times — Tuesday, January 30, 2024

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Mix-Up Preceded Deadly Drone Strike in Jordan, U.S. Officials Say

The attack on Sunday killed three Army reservists, the first known American military deaths from hostile fire in the turmoil spilling over from Israel’s war with Hamas.

As Buses of Migrants Arrive in Chicago Suburbs, Residents Debate the Role of Their Towns

In recent weeks, buses have been bypassing the city for its smaller outlying communities, where people are unaccustomed to the flow of newcomers.

U.N. Agency for Palestinians Imperiled by Terrorism Charges

Donors have pulled funds for the main aid agency in Gaza after allegations that some employees took part in the Oct. 7 attack, but it is not clear who would fill the vacuum if it ran out of money.

Voting Is Bewildering This Primary Season. That Worries Experts.

New Hampshire’s ballot didn’t include President Biden. South Carolina has two primaries. Nevada has a primary and a caucus. A morass of dates and formats could keep some voters away.

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine- February 5, 2024

A family shares a meal to celebrate Lunar New Year.

The New Yorker (January 29, 2024): The new issue‘s cover features Sarula Bao’s “Lunar New Year” – The artist depicts the joys of gathering with loved ones, around a table of good food

The Rural Ski Slope Caught Up in an International Scam

When the scheme became public Vermonts governor said “We all feel betrayed.”

A federal program promised to bring foreign investment to remote parts of the country. It soon became rife with fraud.

By Sheelah Kolhatkar

As the general manager of the Jay Peak ski resort, Bill Stenger rose most days around 6 a.m. and arrived at the slopes before seven. He’d check in with his head snowmaker and the ski-patrol staff, visit the two hotels on the property, and chat with the maintenance workers, the lift operators, the food-and-beverage manager, and the ski-school instructors—a kind of management through constant motion. Stenger is seventy-five, with white hair, wire-rimmed reading glasses, and a sturdy physique that makes him look built for fuzzy sweaters. 

The Perverse Policies That Fuel Wildfires

We thought we could master nature, but we were playing with fire.

By Elizabeth Kolbert

Ukraine’s Democracy in Darkness

A photo-illustration of Zelensky and the Ukrainian parliament.

With elections postponed and no end to the war with Russia in sight, Volodymyr Zelensky and his political allies are becoming like the officials they once promised to root out: entrenched.

By Masha Gessen

The New York Times — Monday, January 29, 2024

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The White House blames an Iran-backed militia for a deadly strike on U.S. forces.

The first-known American military fatalities from hostile fire in the Middle East crisis will almost certainly increase pressure on President Biden to respond.

After Two Years of Bloody Fighting, Ukraine Wrestles With Conscription

A proposed bill on mobilization has become the focus of a debate as more men dodge the draft and calls rise to demobilize exhausted soldiers.

Details Emerge on U.N. Workers Accused of Aiding Hamas Raid

Israeli officials have presented evidence they say ties workers at a Palestinian aid agency in Gaza to violence during the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

The Man in Room 117

Andrey Shevelyov would rather live on the street than take antipsychotic medication. Should it be his decision to make?