All posts by Intellicurious

News, Views and Reviews for the Intellectually Curious

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – January 26, 2024

The Guardian Weekly (January 25, 2024) – The new issue features ‘True Colours’ – What the AFD really wants for Germany; The fading hopes for Middle East Peace; Trump’s victory and DeSantis’s doomed campaign…

Events in the Middle East continue to unfold at a bewildering pace, with pockets of conflict opening up across the region. Diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour rounds up a week of flashpoints and assesses increasingly slim hopes for controlling the situation. And Oliver Holmes provides a revealing profile of Yemen, one of the most unchanging and least visited countries in the Middle East.

The Weekly went to press before news of Donald Trump’s victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary on Tuesday night, but you can catch up with all the latest Guardian coverage and reaction here. In the magazine, David Smith delivers a postmortem on Ron DeSantis’s doomed campaign, while Jonathan Freedland argues that Trump’s march to the White House can still be stopped.

Our long-read features take somewhat divergent paths this week. First, Charlotte Edwardes meets Gary Lineker, the former England footballer turned TV presenter whose penchant for regularly airing his liberal worldviews has made him public enemy No 1 for Britain’s anti-woke brigade.

Then, Chananya Groner unearths a remarkable story of factionalism and messianic fervour within New York’s Hasidic Jewish community, stretching back 30 years, which led to secret tunnels recently being discovered beneath a Brooklyn synagogue.

And in Culture, Charlotte Higgins meets the classical musicians Dalia Stasevska and Joshua Bell, who are resurrecting a long-forgotten Ukrainian concerto as a gesture of defiance to Russia.

Finally, we’re on the lookout for your best photographs of the world around us. For a chance for your picture to feature in the magazine, send us your best shot, telling us where you were in the world when you took it and why the scene resonated with you at that particular time.

News: Far Right Stokes Europe Farmer Protests, Independents Shun Trump

The Globalist Podcast (January 25, 2024) – Farmers across Europe take to the streets. Do their protests link with the far-right movement in the EU?

Then: the Philippines refuses to help the ICC’s drug-war probe, we assess the Red Sea disruption’s effect on global trade and look at the women serving in Ukraine’s armed forces. Plus: the diplomacy of alcohol as Saudi Arabia prepares to open its first liquor store – serving diplomats only.

The New York Times — Thursday, January 25, 2024

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New Hampshire and Iowa Reveal Broader Weaknesses for Trump

Donald Trump seen walking out from behind a blue curtain.

As Donald J. Trump pivots to a general election, early results point at the rough road ahead with critical independent voters.

Modi Opens a Giant Temple in a Triumph for India’s Hindu Nationalists

The temple inaugurated by the prime minister is on the disputed site of a centuries-old mosque destroyed in a Hindu mob attack that set a precedent of impunity in cases of violence against Muslims.

After Early Primary Victories, Republicans in Congress Fall in Line Behind Trump

The former president’s win in New Hampshire has melted away much of the remaining opposition to him among Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Biden Receives Endorsement from United Automobile Workers Union

The group, which endorsed President Biden in the 2020 election, made the self-described most “pro-union president in history” work for its official approval.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine- January 25, 2024

Volume 625 Issue 7996

Nature Magazine – January 24, 2024: The latest issue cover features ‘Brain Drain’ – A hub for the outflow of Cerebrospinal Fluid…

A quantum fix makes e-commerce more tamper-resistant

Light pulses with specific quantum properties could be harnessed to send digital ‘contracts’ between buyer and seller.

How an exercise habit paves the way for injured muscles to heal

Mice that work out regularly have higher levels of a molecule that promotes muscle regeneration than sedentary mice do.

Flexible geothermal power makes it easier to harness Earth’s inner heat

Next-generation plants that respond to demand could be key to making a low-carbon energy source more economically appealing.

Residential Design: The Onze22 Towers In Brazil

Dezeen (January 24, 2024) – French-Brazilian studio Triptyque has completed an 85-metre-high residential development in São Paulo that offers its occupants indoor-outdoor living.

Onze22 consists of two towers, with the largest containing 24 storeys. Balconies wrap the building on three sides, allowing apartments to extend outdoors.

Read more on Dezeen: https://www.dezeen.com/?p=2022497

Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – Jan 26, 2024

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Times Literary Supplement (January 24, 2024): The latest issue features ‘The Rich Are Always With Us’ – Ferdinand Mount on taming the plutocrats; Empire’s balance sheet; Who is Charles III?; Silvia Townsend Warner’s revival and ChatGPT goes to college…

News: Trump Wins New Hampshire Vote, Turkey Votes Sweden Into NATO

The Globalist Podcast (January 24, 2024) – The latest from the all-important face-off between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley in the New Hampshire primary.

Plus: the Turkish parliament votes on Swedish accession to Nato, Germany’s six-day train strike begins and the latest business news.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Jan 24, 2024

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Trump’s Win Adds to Air of Inevitability as Haley Sharpens Edge

The former president’s victories in Iowa last week and in New Hampshire on Tuesday leave his main Republican rival, Nikki Haley, with an uphill battle.

Stripped, Beaten or Vanished: Israel’s Treatment of Gaza Detainees Raises Alarm

A U.N. office said Israel’s detention and treatment of detainees might amount to torture. It estimated thousands had been detained and held in “horrific” conditions. Some were freed wearing only diapers.

Israeli Soldiers Clearing Buffer Zone in Gaza Die in Blast

On the deadliest day for Israelis since the ground invasion against Hamas began, about 20 soldiers were killed as they prepared to level buildings near the border.

Travel Tours: Zhangjiajie National Park In China

Walk East Films (January 23, 2024) – Zhangjiajie is a city, region, and national park. It is located in Central China, about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Hong Kong. Are you impressed by the Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar? The real ones are in Zhangjiajie.

There are 243 peaks and more than 3,000 pinnacles and spires in the national park. Scenes in Avatar come to mind when the peaks are caught in the right light or when the early morning mountain mist rolls in around them. In 1982, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park became China’s first national forest park.

San Francisco Design: A Tour Of Redwood House

The Local Project (January 23, 2024) – Redwood House sits on a hillside in San Francisco’s charming Noe Valley. Originally designed in the 1970s by prominent local architect Albert Lanier, the house has undergone an extensive yet sympathetic renovation by Studio Terpeluk, ushering the home into a new epoch with integrity and vigour.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Art-Filled Oasis 00:46 – The History of the Home 01:43 – A Unique Layout 03:36 – The Textured Material Palette 04:25 – Favourite Moments 05:06 – The Sustainability Practices

“When I first walked into the space several years ago, I was completely enamoured with the scale, geometry and volume of it,” says architect Brett Terpeluk in this house tour. “There was something so peaceful, calming and embracing about the space that I felt immediately connected to the architecture.” Retaining this essence was essential to Brett and the clients, and, as such, the scope focused on “leaning up” the decor and interior design, enhancing the existing volumes and increasing the square footage, as documented in this house tour. As the architect says, the home’s unusual footprint and layout provided intriguing foundations from which to work.

“This house is very unique in that instead of having a monolithic house with a street presence and large backyard, it’s broken down into a series of courtyards and volumes.” This stacked approach to architecture results in a combination of moments enlivened by views of the cityscape and landscaping at the house’s edges. As well as sightlines, texture plays an important role in animating the architecture and interior design, which was an intentional move from the architect. The redwood remains a prominent feature and the staircase, which is profiled in the house tour, is one of Brett’s favourite moments for the “haptic feedback” it provides upon touching the handrail. The clients’ love of colour can be seen in the furniture and art, as well as in the tones throughout, notably the kitchen cabinetry.

sertions but also to original architect Albert Lanier’s design.