Notebooks

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Goodbye, Bella Ciao

Bella Ciao has been co-opted by activists and corporations the world over. Does Italy's most famous protest song deserve a beautiful goodbye?

Tobias Jones August 3, 2021

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In praise of Rembrandt’s ruffs

In Rembrandt's ruffs, past and present are woven into linen and lace.

John Phipps July 23, 2021

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More than a bandstand

Derelict bandstands are a symbol of a lost age of Victorian optimism. It's time to recapture their zeal in improving civic life.

James Hardie July 22, 2021

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Cubans are losing their fear

The digital revolution has given pressed Cuban protesters confidence to shake off complacency. That ought to make the regime afraid for its survival.

Anthony DePalma July 15, 2021

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Jane the Virgin: Metafictional telenovela par excellence

Netflix show Jane the Virgin's deep engagement with Latin American and Spanish literature and the telenovela form makes it one of the most intellectually interesting TV series in r..

Josh Mcloughlin July 15, 2021

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Chamonix’s Sea of Ice — warning to a warming world

Chamonix's Sea of Ice, deep in the Alpes profondes, once a magnificent spectacle, has become a mere torrent of greyish stones and detritus.

Agnès Poirier July 13, 2021

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The ancient art of sycophancy

Sycophancy, like most political diseases, is not new. The ancient Egyptians developed it to a fine art and its aura persists to this day.

Maria Golia July 9, 2021

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The new Right Stuff

Space entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk are recapturing the bold and individualistic spirit of America's first astronauts, the Mercury Seven.

Edward Thicknesse July 7, 2021

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In defence of The Matrix: Revolutions

Unfairly maligned by critics, the third edition of the Matrix series is the true heir to cyberpunk and a tonic to the cold sheen of Holywood Sci-Fi.

Lamorna Ash July 5, 2021