Diary Days from Christmas Past

"With December 25th fast approaching we have put together a little collection of entries for Christmas Day from an eclectic mix of different diaries spanning five centuries, from 1599 to 1918. Amid famed diarists such as the wife-beating Samuel Pepys, the distinctly non-festive John Adams, and the rhapsodic Thoreau, there are a sprinkling of daily jottings from relative unknowns - many speaking apart from loved ones, at war, sea or in foreign climes. All diaries are housed at the Internet Archive - click the link below each extract to take you to the source. ...”

Public Domain Review

In Ukraine, Christmas Lights Defy Darkness of War, and Children Ask for Peace

"KYIV, Ukraine — Hundreds of missiles and drones aimed at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left millions of people without power — and dozens of cities without Christmas lights.It was no accident that the wave of attacks came before the holidays and in the darkest and coldest time of year, said Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s prime minister. ‘It is important for the Russians,’ he said, ‘that Christmas and New Year’s Eve pass in darkness in Ukraine.’ With that in mind, some Ukrainian cities decided to be inventive with their Christmas decorations — finding ways to win back the season while not wasting precious electricity or disappointing children as holiday lights blink out during the attacks. In the usually serene square of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, the capital, the authorities put up what they called the Christmas Tree of Invincibility. It was decorated with papier-mâché white doves and a strip of blue and yellow lights — the colors of the Ukrainian flag — powered by a diesel generator. ...”

NY Times

Guardian - ‘It won’t be like before’: Christmas in Ukraine transformed by war (Video)

A square in Kyiv that is usually filled with entertainment and games for children at Christmastime, but such displays are rare this year.

​Why there are no football matches on Christmas Day

"This Christmas Day, after ingesting uncomfortable amounts of food and medicinal levels of alcohol, people across the USA will be able to flop down on the couch and gorge themselves on sport too.If the three NFL games — including reigning Super Bowl champions the LA Rams hosting the Denver Broncos — don’t grab you, then perhaps the three NBA fixtures might, with the LA Lakers in action, among others. Not so for Premier League fans in England, though. ...”

The Athletic

​The 1959 Project

"... What is The 1959 Project? Most jazz fans find themselves suffering from golden age syndrome at some point or another; for the casual listener it might define their relationship with the music, given that so many of the genre’s seminal (and best-selling) records are now well-worn classics. A fair number of them, in fact, were released or recorded 60 years ago, and thus form the inspiration for this (quite probably foolhardy) endeavor. But for me, and I imagine for others, the best thing about jazz music isn’t the albums. ...” About

The 1959 Project (Video)

March 26, 1959 - John Coltrane in the studio, 1958 (Video)

Christmas Eve missile strike kills at least 8 in Ukraine city of Kherson

"The liberation of Kherson by Kyiv troops more than a month ago hasn’t brought peace of mind nor a feeling of security to residents of the southern Ukrainian city. Moscow launched a missile strike on the city Saturday morning, killing at least eight people and injuring another 58, with 18 of the injured were in serious condition, according to local officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Kyiv officials published graphic pictures of burning cars and people lying in blood on the streets. ... Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, called Saturday’s assault ‘another brutal attack by Russia on recently-liberated Kherson. Truly horrific, especially on Christmas Eve’. Kherson, which had a pre-war population of about 300,000, became a target for Russian troops after their withdrawal from the city and other settlements on the western bank of the Dnipro River to the eastern bank in November in an attempt to avoid being cut off by the artillery of advancing Ukrainian troops. ...”

POLITCO

Guardian: Russian artillery barrages kill civilians in southern and eastern Ukraine

BBC: Russia-supporting Wagner Group mercenary numbers soar

Intensified daily strikes force civilians to choose between risking their lives staying in Kherson or leaving the city for safer Kyiv-controlled areas of the country

Clarence Carter - “Back Door Santa” (1968)

"A slice of greasy blues soul that draws from the Willie Dixon classic ‘Back Door Man,’ Clarence Carter’s ‘Back Door Santa,’ co-written with Marcus Daniel for the 1968 compilation Soul Christmas, adds a touch of raunch to the holiday celebrations. ‘I ain’t like old Saint Nick,’ Carter barks over a bleating horn section and chopping funk guitar, ‘he don’t come but once a year. I come runnin’ with my presents every time you call me dear.’ ...”

The BMI Holiday Countdown: Clarence Carter, “Back Door Santa” (Video)

W - Clarence Carter

YouTube: Back Door Santa (1968), Duane Allman (With Clarence Carter) - The Road Of Love, Making Love (At The Dark End Of The Street), Slip Away, Too Weak to Fight

***YouTube: Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Phil Spector , Cheech & Chong - Santa Claus and his Old Lady

​Jan. 6 Panel Issues Final Report, Placing Blame for Capitol Riot on ‘One Man’

"Declaring that the central cause of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was ‘one man,’ the House committee investigating the assault delivered its final report on Thursday, describing in extensive detail how former President Donald J. Trump had carried out what it called ‘a multipart plan to overturn the 2020 presidential election’ and offering recommendations for steps to assure nothing like it could happen again.It revealed new evidence about Mr. Trump’s conduct, and recommended that Congress consider whether to bar Mr. Trump and his allies from holding office in the future under the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists. ...”

NY Times

NY Times: Inside the Jan. 6 Committee (Audio) 56:35

NY Times: The Most Sought After Manuscript in Publishing? The Jan. 6 Report.

Caught on Camera, Traced by Phone: The Russian Military Unit That Killed Dozens in Bucha

"They were mothers, fathers, children and grandparents. Their lives became intertwined by a tragic fate: For weeks in March, their bodies would lie along a single street in Bucha. The photographs of these victims, published widely after Bucha was liberated, became emblematic of the indiscriminate way Russia would wage war in towns and cities across the country. Russian officials denied that their soldiers killed civilians in Bucha. They claimed that the images of the bodies were ‘fake’. Our visual investigation identifies the Russian military unit responsible for many of the killings along Yablunska Street. Watch the video here.The New York Times has identified 36 of the victims along Yablunska Street. We spoke to dozens of family members, friends and colleagues in Bucha to identify the people in the photographs — and used satellite imagery, cellphone videos, social media posts and text messages to retrace their final moments. ...”

NY Times

NY Times - Caught on Camera, Traced by Phone: The Russian Military Unit That Killed Dozens in Bucha (Video) 28:50

New York: 1962-1964

"A historical exhibition aims to show us past life, but sometimes the retrospective becomes reflective, a two-way mirror seeing through to the present. So it is with New York 1962–1964 at The Jewish Museum, certainly at the moment our fair city’s most enveloping visual and aural museum experience. With more than 150 works spanning vanguard fine art, outré fashion, cult film, political periodicals, and documentary videos of radical dance and news, the real stars of the show are its wranglers. ...”

Brooklyn Rail

NY Times: When ‘New Art’ Made New York the Culture Capital

The Jewish Museum (Video)

amazon

YouTube: Exhibition Tour | New York: 1962 – 1964

​Kafka’s Diaries, 1911

"The following is drawn from Franz Kafka’s 1911 notebooks, to be published by Schocken Books in a new translation by Ross Benjamin in January 2023. Benjamin’s translation preserves the diaries’ distinctive writing, inconsistencies and all. Between March 19 and 28, 1911, Franz Kafka (1883-1924) attended several lectures given by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) at the invitation of the Prague chapter of the Theosophical Society. After the end of his lecture series, Steiner remained in Prague for two more days, which were reserved for personal conversations at the Hotel Victoria, where he was staying. The audience that Kafka describes in the following diary entry probably took place on March 29. ...”

The Paris Review

The Paris Review - Category Archives: Diaries

​Zelenskyy delivers impassioned plea to Congress, asking for more

"In an emotional speech to Congress Wednesday night that party leaders compared to the wartime pleas of World War II, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged lawmakers to continue providing weapons and aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia through the winter and beyond. ‘You can speed up our victory. I know it,’ Zelenskyy said in the address, dressed in his battle fatigues and combat boots on the dais in the House chamber. ‘Let the world see that the United States are here.’ Throughout his roughly 20-minute speech delivered entirely in English, the Ukrainian president relayed his case for continual support, underscoring his gratefulness for that which has been provided — while saying that it’s not nearly enough. ... And judging by the sound of thunderous applause echoing throughout the House chamber, that message was mostly received. Hundreds of lawmakers packed the aisles with all the pomp and circumstance, and even the selfies, of a State of the Union address, many decked in royal blue and yellow blazers and scarves to honor Ukraine. ...”

POLITICO (Video)

NY Times: U.S. Aid Is ‘Not Charity,’ Zelensky Tells Congress as a Lengthy War Looms

Putin’s Useful Idiots: Right Wingers Lose It Over Zelensky Visit (Video)

Aljazeera: Ukraine expects key offensive as Russia plans to expand army (Video)

​Joe Strummer's 10 greatest songs

"Joe Strummer will always be remembered as one of the leading voices of the burning punk movement. Not only as he fronted the only band that matters, The Clash, but because he took his ethics off the stage and into every single thing he ever did. That said, his musical influence stretches far further than the confines of a single genre, band or movement. For many, Strummer embodied the mythical spirit of punk that we’ve all tried to ignite in ourselves once in a while, but Joe, as he was lovably known by thousands of friends met at Glastonbury’s stone circle, did it with grace, poise, humanity and, above all else, a sense of self that few could fuck with. ...”

FAR OUT (Video)

Repertory Movie Theaters of New York City: Havens for Revivals, Indies and the Avant-Garde, 1960-1994

"Ben Davis’ excellent new book thoroughly explores the history, culture and importance of the repertory movie theaters that influenced the art film scene in New York City from the 1960s into the 1990s. In this well organized and impressively researched monograph, the author explains and analyzes the ways that the major repertory film theaters contributed to the film scene and to the creation of a cinephilic community – both casual and extreme- among a diverse group of filmgoers in New York City. ...”

The Fading World of Cinema: Review

NYBooks: The Heroic Age of New York Movie Theaters

Another One Bites The Dust

amazon: Repertory Movie Theaters of New York City: Havens for Revivals, Indies and the Avant-Garde, 1960-1994

​As Ukraine Readies for a Second Year at War, Prospect of Stalemate Looms

"As the war in Ukraine soon enters its second year, Ukrainian troops will find it much more challenging to reclaim territory from Russian forces who are focused on defending their remaining land gains rather than making a deeper push into the country, American officials say. Over the course of the first 10 months of the war, the Ukrainian military has — with significant American support — outmaneuvered an incompetent Russian military, fought it to a standstill and then retaken hundreds of square miles and the only regional capital that Russia had captured. Despite relentless Russian attacks on civilian power supplies, Ukraine has still kept up the momentum on the front lines since September. But the tide of the war is likely to change in the coming months, as Russia improves its defenses and pushes more soldiers to the front lines, making it more difficult for Ukraine to retake the huge swaths of territory it lost this year, according to U.S. government assessments. ...”

NY Times

Aljazeera: US confirms Patriot system for Ukraine, Zelenskyy arrives in DC (Video)

POLITICO - Christmas comes early: Ukrainian church allows December 25 celebrations for first time  (Audio)

The Ukrainian military has been reliant on American intelligence reports that pinpoint where the Russian army is at its weakest.

​Patti Smith at Bowery Ballroom (12-30-2001)

"On December 31st, 2001, Patti Smith and her band played at the Bowery Ballroom! This was the second of a two-night stint at the venue and the show contains a nice mix of Smith’s poetry readings and emotional performances of classic songs like ‘Summer Cannibals,’ ‘Frederick’, and ‘Redondo Beach.’ Patti started the show with a very powerful poem reflecting on the events of 9/11 and the immediate aftermath. The band rings in the new year at around the 10-minute mark of Part 3, right after a rousing rendition of ‘Be My Baby.’ ...”

The McKenzie Tapes (Audio)

African Origins and Adaptations in African American Music

"Africans brought their own cultures and way of life to the Americas. As enslaved Africans they participated in African rituals and music-making events. They told stories, sang, danced, played African and African-derived instruments, and more broadly, celebrated life as they had done in Africa. In North America their introduction to European culture and music came from participating in or witnessing the religious and social activities of slaveholders, which they reinterpreted to conform to their own cultural practices and musical values through processes of adaption and resistance. ...”

Carnegie Hall (Audio)

The Old Plantation: Slave Dance and Music,ca. 1785-1795. Watercolor on paper, attributed to John Rose, Beaufort County, SC.

A Culture in the Cross Hairs

"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has taken the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and unleashed the most severe humanitarian and refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. It has also dealt a grievous blow to Ukrainian culture: to its museums and monuments, its grand universities and rural libraries, its historic churches and contemporary mosaics. Since the invasion in February, The New York Times’s Visual Investigations team has been tracking evidence of cultural destruction across Ukraine. By assessing hundreds of photos and videos from social media and Ukrainian government databases, analyzing satellite imagery and speaking to witnesses, we have identified and independently verified 339 sites nationwide that sustained substantial damage. ... These documented cases represent only a partial picture of the devastation, with much of what is still unaccounted for believed lost. Libraries, architectural treasures, statues, churches, houses of culture, museums, cinemas, sports facilities, theaters and archaeological sites have been damaged or destroyed. ...”

NY Times

​A newspaper magnate builds a soundproof, Venetian-style mansion steps from Fifth Avenue

"The year 1900 wasn’t a good one for Joseph Pulitzer—the rich and influential owner of the New York World, one of Gilded Age Gotham’s most popular and sensational newspapers. His elegant mansion at 10 East 55th Street, designed by Stanford White, had been destroyed by a fire earlier that year. Two household servants died in the blaze, according to architectural historian Andrew Alpern, author of Luxury Apartment Houses in Manhattan: an Illustrated History. His health was in bad shape as well. ...”

Ephemeral New York

The Pagan School

"‘The Pagan School‘ is an essay by the French writer Charles Baudelaire. First published in 1852, it is critical of the neopaganism of its time, which existed in explicit form among supporters of the French Revolution of 1848. From this starting point, Baudelaire criticised a broader trend of striving for material beauty and sensory pleasure, which he said would leave people unsatisfied and make it hard to maintain relationships. ... ‘The Pagan School’ is in line with Baudelaire's aversion to pantheistic views and contains a specifically modern rejection of classicism. It addresses the modern idea of the god Pan as an embodiment of revolutionary momentum, which Baudelaire viewed as artificial. ...”

Wikipedia

2009 February: Charles Baudelaire, 2012 December: Impressionism and Fashion, 2017 January: How Baudelaire Revolutionized Modern Literature

Baudelaire preferred Honoré Daumier's comical visions of ancient history and described Sappho (pictured here by Daumier) as a "patroness of hysterical women".

​Argentina, caught in economic depression, gets something to cheer in World Cup win

"BUENOS AIRES — An incredibly tense World Cup final, if not the best of all time. An extraordinary victory for Argentina that crowns the career of superstar Lionel Messi. A new hope for a country in deep crisis. Argentina beat France in a penalty shoot-out after the match ended tied 3-3, causing hundreds of thousands of citizens to pour into the streets of Buenos Aires to celebrate, chant and dance. The obelisk, the landmark monument of the South American capital that houses over 17 million people in its broader agglomeration, was quickly covered in a sea of people. ...”

POLITICO

Argentina will hold general elections in October next year

Ukraine war: How pathologists identify victims of Russia's invasion

"Oleh Podorozhnyy leads the way through the dimly lit corridors of his morgue, past windows covered with sandbags, to a large white container in the back yard. As soon as its heavy metal door is cracked open, the cloying smell of death rushes out. Piled inside in white bags are the remains of civilians killed when the town of Izyum was occupied by Russian troops. Many have been dead for months. The body bags are marked with numbers and the barest of details, scrawled in black pen. Weeks after Izyum was liberated, the remains of 146 people found there have still not been identified. They're here because the main morgue is overwhelmed with more unidentified bodies from Russian missile strikes and mass graves across the Kharkiv region. ...”

BBC

GRID - World in Photos: In Ukraine, a Russian missile barrage sends people in search of shelter, water and power

Guardian: I helped one man in this picture escape the horrors of Kharkiv. The other man? I may never know

Guardian - ‘Our weapons are computers’: Ukrainian coders aim to gain battlefield edge

"God teaches us to forgive, but I will never forgive the murderers," Olena Ihnatenko said at the funeral for her murdered son

Argentina beat France on penalties to win World Cup: Messi’s legacy, Mbappe’s hat-trick

"One of the most exciting World Cup finals of all time was won on penalties by Argentina after Kylian Mbappe had scored a hat-trick to force the shootout. Argentina were coasting to victory with an hour gone with the score at 2-0 thanks to goals by Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria. But when Di Maria came off in the 64th minute the game changed, and France and Mbappe’s confidence grew and grew. … Argentina went ahead through Messi’s close-range finish but Gonzalo Montiel’s handball gave Mbappe the chance to complete his hat-trick. He went the same way with his second penalty, hard to Emiliano Martinez’s right. Martinez was Argentina’s hero in the shootout, saving a spot kick from Kingsley Coman before Aurelien Tchouameni put his effort wide. Montiel, who had given away the penalty in the 117th minute, scored the one that sealed the victory. …”  

The Athletic (Video)  

The Athletic: Argentina are the most tactically flexible World Cup winners we have ever seen – Michael Cox  

The Analyst – Argentina 3-3 France: Debate Over as Lionel Messi Finally Wins The World Cup 

SI: Argentina, Messi Win Epic World Cup Final in PKs, Overcoming Mbappe’s Hat-Trick Heroics (Video)  

Guardian – Argentina 3-3 France (aet, 4-2 on pens): World Cup final player ratings 

CNN: Stepping out of Maradona’s shadow. How Lionel Messi won over the hearts of all of Argentina  

The Athletic: Lionel Messi doesn’t need the ball to hurt you (Video)

​Qatar 2022: Shifting sands where the real and almost-real collide

"1 - Fake Qatar fans. It is one of the strangest minor stories of the strangest of World Cups. Shortly before the opening game, Qatar versus Ecuador, a group of men in uniform Qatari team-coloured T-shirts emerged en masse into a vacant area behind the goal and started making noise, doing choreographed dances and leaping about with apparently genuine excitement, something they kept up through the game irrespective of what was happening on the pitch. … 4 - Fake Venice shopping centre. The motorised gondolas at the Villaggio Mall, a Qatari classic. This is a place that loves a bit of urban mimesis. Doha and its surrounds also have a fake Place Vendôme, a fake Champs-Élysées, even a fake Hackney in the guise of Stadium 974, with its billionaire-hipster aesthetic, the pretence of being built out of glossily reclaimed shipping containers. …”

Guardian

1 – Qatar fans enjoy the pre match atmosphere prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group A match between Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Al Khor, Qatar.

 

​Special report: Qatar, the World Cup and the war on truth

"For a brief few moments it looked like the World Cup was being rigged in real time, amplifying an explosive conspiracy theory seen by millions around the world. In the days running up to the tournament opener between hosts Qatar and Ecuador on November 20, a viral tweet suggested the South Americans had been bribed to deliver a 1-0 defeat. The claim mutated from the Twitter feed of someone named Amjad Taha to other social media sites and news outlets around the world. …”
The Athletic (Video)
Guardian – As Qatar’s World Cup ends it is time for truth: Fifa chose death and suffering
Guardian – Qatar 2022: this World Cup has taken place in a crime scene
World Corrupt (Audio)

Putin’s War: The Inside Story of a Catastrophe

"They never had a chance. Fumbling blindly through cratered farms, the troops from Russia’s 155th Naval Infantry Brigade had no maps, medical kits or working walkie-talkies, they said. Just a few weeks earlier, they had been factory workers and truck drivers, watching an endless showcase of supposed Russian military victories at home on state television before being drafted in September. One medic was a former barista who had never had any medical training. Now, they were piled onto the tops of overcrowded armored vehicles, lumbering through fallow autumn fields with Kalashnikov rifles from half a century ago and virtually nothing to eat, they said. Russia had been at war most of the year, yet its army seemed less prepared than ever. ...”

NY Times (Video)

They plod through Ukraine with old maps like this one from the 1960s, recovered from the battlefield, or no maps at all.

Italian Journey - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1786 to 1788)

"Italian Journey ... is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's report on his travels to Italy from 1786 to 1788 that was published in 1816 & 1817. The book is based on Goethe's diaries and is smoothed in style, lacks the spontaneity of his diary report and is augmented with the addition of afterthoughts and reminiscences. ... By May 1788 he had travelled to Italy via Innsbruck and the Brenner Pass and visited Lake Garda, Verona, Vicenza, Venice, Bologna, Rome and Alban Hills, Naples and Sicily. He wrote many letters to a number of friends in Germany, which he later used as the basis for Italian Journey. ...”

Wikipedia

NY Times: Goethe Italian Journey

amazon

YouTube: Goethe's Italian Journey Itinerary

Invader “4000” Opens in Paris with Exhibition and Mosaic Encyclopedia

"Infusing meaning into numbers is one way to identify benchmarks, recognizing that time takes us forward regardless of our intentions. For street artist Space Invader, the act of recording and cataloging his two-decade Space Invaders project ‘is very much an ongoing meta-work, constantly expanding and transforming.’ Marking that passage of time and his seemingly indefatigable dedication to it around the world, the artist releases ‘4000′, his new book – and accompanying exhibition – that celebrates the completion of 4,000 installed mosaics. ...”

Brooklyn Street Art

Manhattan, NY

What happened in the Russia-Ukraine war this week? Catch up with the must-read news and analysis

"... Senior Ukrainian officials say Vladimir Putin is preparing for a major new offensive in the new year, Isobel Koshiw and Peter Beaumont reported, despite a series of humiliating battlefield setbacks for Russia in recent months. In an interview with the Guardian, Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said that while Ukraine was now able to successfully defend itself against Russia’s missile attacks targeting key infrastructure, including the energy grid, evidence was emerging that the Kremlin was preparing a broad new offensive. Reznikov’s comments echoed similar remarks made to the Economist this week – including from the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the head of the armed forces, Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and the chief of ground forces, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskii. ...”

Guardian

NY Times: Paintbrush in Hand, a Russian Muralist Wages His Own War

Russia launches another major missile attack on Ukraine

People rest in a subway station, being used as a bomb shelter during a rocket attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. Ukrainian authorities reported explosions in at least three cities Friday, saying Russia has launched a major missile attack on energy facilities and infrastructure. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported explosions in at least four districts, urging residents to go to shelters.

​Inside Mar-a-Lago, Where Thousands Partied Near Secret Files

"Mar-a-Lago is the primary home of former President Donald J. Trump. It is also a private club reserved for 500 members and a venue for parties and fund-raisers that are frequently attended by hundreds of people at a time. ... A New York Times investigation reveals how easily accessible classified documents may have been to the thousands of guests who visited Mar-a-Lago in the months after Mr. Trump left office. The Times created a 3-D model of Mar-a-Lago and reviewed images from social media and other sources to show how people were, at times, within feet of the materials. ...”              

NY Times

*****NY Times: Jan. 6 Panel Plans Vote on Referring Trump for Insurrection, Other Criminal Charges 

​Afrofuturism in Black Music

"The term Afrofuturism invokes writers such as Octavia E. Butler, Samuel Delany, Ytasha L. Womack, Ishmael Reed, and Mark Dery who coined the term in 1992. Even the great Zora Neale Hurston has been described as an Afrofuturist. And when the focus shifts to Black music, the following names often appear: Sun Ra, Parliament-Funkadelic, Grace Jones, OutKast, Erykah Badu, Flying Lotus, and Janelle Monáe. But While Afrofuturism has been characterized as a philosophy, a movement, and a cultural aesthetic, among other things, there has been little discussion of the spiritual principles that essentially comprise the conceptual foundation of Afrofuturism in music. ...”

Carnegie Hall (Video)

Sun Ra

​The Infrared Hunt for Russian Troops in the Battle for Bakhmut

"BAKHMUT, Ukraine — Wind howled through leafless trees and through the windows of the blown-out apartment building as the surveillance team marched up flights of stairs covered with broken glass. The cold numbed their fingers as they set up their equipment: a laptop-size thermal imaging sight, its tripod and a Starlink satellite dish and battery. The job was straightforward: The small team of several men, led by an American known as Wolf, would be Ukraine’s eyes on their battle for Bakhmut that night, huddling in the Soviet-style apartment and staring at the white-and-black glow of infrared images as it tried to identify Russian positions.In front of them was a panoramic view of Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine’s east, mostly without power and devastated by six months of concerted shelling. ...”

NY Times

NY Times - An Alternate Reality: How Russia’s State TV Spins the Ukraine War

Guardian: Why Crimea is Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s greatest bargaining chip

NY Times: Opinion | Are We in the West Weaker Than Ukrainians?

An explosion lighted up the sky as a small surveillance team for the Ukrainian Army scanned the horizon over Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine.

​France beat Morocco to reach final: Mbappe v Messi, Amrabat’s tackle and a rare fast start

W – Antoine Griezmann “France withstood an impressive Morocco display to set up a World Cup final with Argentina on Sunday that pits Kylian Mbappe against his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Lionel Messi. Theo Hernandez, who came into the France side in the first game when his brother Lucas suffered a tournament-ending knee injury, scored the opening goal after just five minutes, acrobatically steering the ball past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. …”
The Athletic
NY Times: Why Antoine Griezmann Is France’s Most Important Player
Guardian: France bring Morocco’s adventure to an end and reach World Cup final
Guardian: Antoine Griezmann’s devilment gives France the edge when it matters
The Analyst: France 2-0 Morocco: France Through to Fourth Final in Last Seven World Cups

“Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi starred for Argentina as they swept past Croatia to seal a place in the World Cup final. Messi opened the scoring from the spot after Alvarez was fouled by the Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. Then Alvarez bundled his way through a scrambling Croatia defence to make it two before the break, and the two players combined for a brilliant third goal in the 69th minute. …”
The Athletic:Argentina beat Croatia to reach final: Alvarez stars, magical Messi assist, goodbye Modric
Guardian: Inspired Lionel Messi takes Argentina past Croatia and into World Cup final
The Analyst – Argentina 3-0 Croatia: Lionel Messi is One Game From Immortality
NY Times: Lionel Messi’s World Cup Magic Continues in Argentina’s Romp Over Croatia (Video)

 

​The Best Experimental Music of 2022

"Welcome to the year-end edition of Best Experimental Music on Bandcamp, in which we’ve picked 12 of our favorites from 2022. There was so much great experimental music on the site this year that no list could truly represent the breadth and depth of it all, but we are sure that these releases below are worthy of your time. Presented in alphabetical order by artist, our selections include ground-shaking drones, songs sung by artificial intelligence, a moving musical elegy, an homage to the VHS tape, and a 71-minute magnum opus. ...”

Bandcamp (Audio)

Defenses Carved Into the Earth

"Trenches are not new to Ukraine. Trench warfare has long been a feature of the battle in eastern Ukraine for the Donbas region. Ukrainians fight from their own trenches on their side of the line near Popasna, where Russians are waging an intense campaign to dislodge Ukrainian troops from the city of Bakhmut. But the pace and the scale of Russian construction over the last couple of months is unmatched. All of the structures in the image above appeared within six days. The fortifications show how Russia’s military is trying to set up more robust, defensible positions against Ukrainian pressure, often with the help of natural obstacles like rivers. ...”

NY Times

​The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood, Mapped

"New data shared with The New York Times reveals stark disparities in how different U.S. households contribute to climate change. Looking at America’s cities, a pattern emerges. Households in denser neighborhoods close to city centers tend to be responsible for fewer planet-warming greenhouse gases, on average, than households in the rest of the country. Residents in these areas typically drive less because jobs and stores are nearby and they can more easily walk, bike or take public transit. And they’re more likely to live in smaller homes or apartments that require less energy to heat and cool. ...”

NY Times