|
the DON JONES
INDEX
|
|||
|
|
GAINS POSTED in GREEN LOSSES POSTED in RED
12/25/23... 14,930.11
12/18/23... 14,924.65 |
||
|
6/27/13
15,000.00 |
|||
|
(THE DOW JONES INDEX: 12/25/24... 37,385.97; 12/18/23... 37.305.15; 6/27/13
15,000.00) |
|||
LESSON for DECEMBER TWENTY FIFTH,
2023 BUCCANEERS of the YEAR!
And so it is
Christmas. Another year older, the world
(mostly) quiet. (And deeper in
debt.) Holy days and silent nights a
time for reminisces and reflection.
Fortunately, we have the media of the world to remind us of the best and
the worst of the good, the bad and the ugly of 2023... despair amidst tribulations,
hope amidst despair.
Brothers and
sisters, today in Bethlehem, amid the deep shadows covering the land, an
undying flame has been lighted, was Pope Francis Urbi
et Orbi sermon speaking out against war in the
passing of 2023 and anticipation of 2024.
Today the
worlds darkness has been overcome by the light of God, which enlightens every
man and woman (Jn 1:9)... To say yes to the Prince of Peace, then, means
saying no to war, to every war and to do so with courage, to the very mindset
of war, an aimless voyage, a defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly. This
is what war is: an aimless voyage, a defeat without victors, an inexcusable
folly. To say no to war means saying no to weaponry. The human heart is
weak and impulsive; if we find instruments of death in our hands, sooner or
later we will use them. And how can we even speak of peace, when arms
production, sales and trade are on the rise? Today, as at the time of Herod,
the evil that opposes Gods light hatches its plots in the shadows of hypocrisy
and concealment. How much violence and killing takes place amid deafening
silence, unbeknownst to many! People, who desire not weapons but bread, who
struggle to make ends meet and desire only peace, have no idea how many public
funds are being spent on arms. Yet that is something they ought to know! It
should be talked about and written about, so as to bring to light the interests
and the profits that move the puppet-strings of war.
Condemning the
warmakers and criminals as followers of the Prince of the World, Pope Frank
(Attachment One) touched upon the MidEast and Ukraine
as well as other conflicts; espousing a hope for redemption realized in
THE GOOD...
Amidst the clamour
of war and the villainy of Hamas in murdering Israelis and seizing American
hostages, as well as the counter-villainy of Israel in a bombing and shelling
campaign that has killed over 20,000 Gazans to date the brief interstice of
hostage swapping resulted, on Sunday, November 26th, in the return of four (now
five) year old orphan Abi to relatives in the United States.
THE BAD...
Pick your poison. Israel and Gaza, Russia and Ukraine. The ongoing depravity of North Korea, China,
Iran and... according to the World Pop Reviews roster of Dictators
(below). The plague of Covid and the
plague of inflation and the ravaging of the climate as delineated (tho hardly addressed) at Dubai.
THE UGLY...
Ugly sweaters underneath the tree,
ugly letters on the quacking social media.
Ugly sentiments worldwide exploited by self-aggrandizing dictators
everywhere, tossing democratic values and peoples lives into the trash. And the prospect of a November rerun of the
2020 election which up to 75% of Joneses dont want.
So well it is
Christmas... and soon another year over and done. Everyone... from pundits to prophets, sober
and respected schools to off the wall batshit crazy media fools... had their
own favorite things of 2023, and voiced their choice on dozens, if not hundreds
of categories.
Our index (to
be updated next week as 2023 slides into 24 depicts nine sub-indices by which
the progress of Don Jones is weighed and measured. Fifteen objective American and global
political, economic and statistical indicators in five sub-indices; thirteen
more subjective social tollings of the bells in four
sub-indices.
Some of the
most notable, as delineated in the Index as of Christmas Day were...
Numerous media organs (some of the
heart, others of the spleen) compiled their best ofs
(and a few worst ofs) for 2023 pardon the
helter-skelter delineations of attachments; the etymology crashed skulls with
the chronology.
That said, some of these
included...
ALBUMS of the
YEAR... OVERALL
CONSENSUS CHOICE - SZA: SOS
(PITCHFORK)
SOS is an indulgence of
the masochistic instinct to rage and break shit and deal with the consequences
later. We all know this person: Theyre unbearably funny and hot, with
eviscerating comebacks for days; theyre good at trashing their aint-shit ex and quick to tell off a
jealous opp.
FROM ROLLING
STONE If there was ever any doubt that SZA was a
key voice in her generation (which the five years since her 2017
debut, Ctrl, could very well have sown), SOS decimated it. Her second
LP was cunning and full of surprises. She rocks! She raps! She takes rumors and
rumblings about herself head on! But its staying power outshone its shock
value. The album came out in December, 2022, after wed published our 2022
list, but it made its mark in 2023, riding high on the charts all year
(including a record-breaking 10 weeks at Number One.
FROM GUARDIAN UK LANKUM: Wrangling Irish folk into
expansive new territory, the groups stunning harmonies lead us through
delicate beauty and nightmarish cacophony.
See their other top 50 albums
More on the best music of 2023
More on the best culture of 2023
ALBUMS of the YEAR: ROCK
FROM ALBUMOFTHEYEAR.ORG - Corinne Bailey Rae - Black Rainbows
FROM LOUDERSOUND.COM - The Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds (Polydor)
Sprung
upon an unsuspecting public with all the attendant media hoopla that one might
expect, Hackney Diamonds, the Rolling Stones first album of
original material in 18 years doesnt disappoint.
ALBUM of the YEAR: COUNTRY
FROM COUNTRY BILLBOARD Chris Stapleton Higher
Countrys most distinctive and
emotional voice churns out another album that feels full of instant
classics, from its first single, the western, expansive rocker White Horse,
to the opening track, What Am I Gonna Do, where he contemplates how hell
move on from a lost love. A little deeper, youll also fall for the romantic
It Takes a Woman and the swampy South Dakota. Like Stapletons previous
sets, Higher feels at once both timeless and of the moment.
ALBUM of the YEAR: R&B
FROM HIPHOPDX.COM Pink
Pantheress Heaven Knows
On her
anticipated debut album, Heaven knows, PinkPantheress
crafts her own Shakespearean tragedy, but doesnt quite evolve from the themes
or sounds of her past work. She utilizes heaps of avant
garde synths, electronic dance, and percussion beats
that add a sparkly gloss to lyrics which touch on heavier themes of death, love
lost and unrequited, and grief
ALBUM of the YEAR: RAP
FROM HIPHOPDX.COM Danny Brown Quaranta
The
11-part tracklist is essentially a best of taken
from 30 to 40 songs recorded over the pandemic, he recently told Apple Music 1.
Even though his triumphant stint in rehab has afforded him another lifeline,
Browns only been sober for six months,
ALBUM of the YEAR: JAZZ
FROM NPR Meshell Ndegeocello The Omnichord Real Book
ALBUM of the YEAR: CLASSICAL
FROM the NEW YORK TIMES (list alphabetized)
Thomas Adθs:
Dante by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
(Nonesuch) Tracks: Inferno: The Gluttons in slime
ANIMAL of the YEAR
FROM the
CHINESE CALENDAR: RABBIT (2023), DRAGON (BEGINNING 2/10/24)
ARTISTS of the YEAR
AUDIO,
RECORDING and MUSICAL ARTISTS
Taylor Swift
FROM Time:
Taylor Swift
FROM Spotify See more
in (Attachment) Four
ATHLETES of the
YEAR
Gymnastics Bookending
her legendary comeback from a two-year break, seven-time Olympic medalist
Simone Biles is the 2023 Associated
Press Female Athlete of the Year. (Attachment
Eight )
Baseball Shohei Ohtani has put himself in elite, exclusive company
once again. The Dodgers $700
million man was selected as he Associated Press Male Athlete of the
Year. (Attachment Nine)
Soccer Lionel Messi, having relocated from France to Miani, is one of three finalists for the FIFA soccer player
of the year to be chosen in January.
(Wikipedia, Attachment Ten )
Football CBS
The Walter Payton NFL
Man of the Year Award will be announced live at NFL Honors on Thursday,
February 8th at 9PM Eastern on CBS.
Brits: And, from GUK, the Brits have profiled the six finalists in
athletics from golf to snooker to cricket as are finalists in the SPOTY sports
awards, with the winner to be crowned next week. (See Attachment Eleven)
BLOGGER of the YEAR
Kritika Khurana who is famous by her
name That BohoGirl is a lifestyle blogger and won the
lifestyle influencer award female at the Cosmopolitan Blogger Awards 2023.
BOOKS
of the YEAR
FICTION Do You Remember Being Born? by Sean Michaels (WIRED)
NONFICTION Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the
Congo Powers Our Lives by
Siddharth Kara (WIRED)
ALL (From LITERARY HUBs EDITOR and VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS)
This year, I sorted through 62 lists from 48 publications, which
yielded a total of 1,132 books. (I can only say: yikes.) 94 of those books made
it onto 5 or more lists, and I have collated these for you here, in descending
order of frequency. (SEE: LIST COMPILATION)
LEADER (MADE 20 lists):
James McBride, The Heaven
& Earth Grocery Store
RUNNERS UP (MADE19 lists):
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Chain-Gang
All-Stars
David Grann, The Wager
Zadie Smith, The Fraud
FROM ITSNICETHAT.com
Review of the Year 2023: Top 50 Most Read
2023:
the year that saw our new insights reports launch, beverage rebrands take over
the world of branding, and David Hockney draw Harry Styles.
See
Attachment Thirteen
FROM
BARNESANDNOBLE.COM
2023 Barnes & Noble Book of the Year...
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James
McBride
From the author of Deacon King Kong and
National Book Award winner The Good Lord Bird comes the Barnes & Noble 2023
Book of the Year, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, a stunning novel about
a small town and the bonds of community that are formed between marginalized
groups in order to survive.
Learn more about The Heaven & Earth
Grocery Store on Poured Over: The B&N Podcast and read more about James
McBride on B&N Reads.
2023 Barnes & Noble Author of the Year
David Grann
David Grann is the
inaugural recipient of the Author of the Year award from Barnes & Noble in
2023, celebrating his impressive array of achievements that began in 2009 with
The Lost City of Z and extended into 2023 with The Wager and the film
adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon. Granns
writing style, mixing thriller-like stakes and riveting history, solidifies him
as one of the literary worlds essential nonfiction voices.
Learn more about The Wager on Poured Over:
The B&N Podcast and read more about David Grann
on B&N Reads.
More books ranked as Attachment Fifteen.
CANDY of the YEAR
Sep 29,
2023 Top Candy Trends This Year
· M&M's Rivals Reese's Cups for Top Spot · Candy Corn Back in the Top Ten · Hot Tamales Overtakes Skittles ·
CARS of the YEAR From worldcarawards.com
Eighteen vehicles were assessed on six categories. Note: not one of the winners was Made in the
USA!
The Best Car winners were... BMW X1 / iX1 (natch)
and a couple of SoKo cheapies: Hyundai IONIQ 6 and
the Kia Niro.
See all
the winners as Attachment Twenty.
CAT
Zebby - Named National Cat of the Year 2023 after becoming a hearing cat for
his owner despite having no formal training.
Henry IX - Winner of the Cat Colleagues category, who
spends his days providing companionship and humour to
the gardening team at Hampton Court Palace.
COLOR of the YEAR
Magenta
From Pantone, See Attachment Eighteen
DICTATOR of the YEAR
from Young Pioneer Tours
(featuring tours of North Korea)
No its not Joe Biden. According to the YPT index Norway is the freest country on
earth wit the USA coming in at 44th, one below Taiwan, or the Republic (of)
China as you might know it.
WHAT IS THE WORST DICTATORSHIP IN
THE WORLD?
OK, so take a guess and led me guess your guess. Yep you are wrong.
According to the press freedom index Eritrea comes in at last place in 179th,
with North Korea ranking at 178th, although these two have occupied the bottom
spots for many years.
North Korea of course os a
socialist country, while Eritrea also considers itself a revolutionary state,
as well with one party in power and almost in perpetual war with Ethiopia.
To read if North Korea is communist click here.
The bottom 5 worst dictatorships in the world are
duly made up by Turkmenistan, Syria and quite surprisingly, for us at least
Somalia.
from World Population Review: The
Countries with Dictatorships in the Modern World
As of 2020, there are 52 nations with a dictator or
authoritarian regime ruling the country: Three in Latin America and South America, 27 in Asia and the Middle East, and 22 in Africa. That does not
count Russia!
See
list as Attachment Six.
DOG of the YEAR... Sealyham terrier named Stache was named this year's best in show winner on
Thanksgiving at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. Nov
23, 2023.
Stache
the Sealyham terrier wins the National Dog Show
Stache, a Sealyham terrier, has won Best in Show at this
year's National Dog Show.
The cream colored male, with long hair sweeping down from
his broad forehead, beat out six other finalists at the annual canine
competition, hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia and broadcast by NBC on
Thanksgiving Day.
Stache, who is barely as tall as the judge's knees, had to
crane his neck to look at the silver platter he had just won. His handler,
Margery Good, smiled broadly when accepting the award.
"He just gave a wonderful performance," she said.
(See more as Attachment Five)
And see more here:
Meet Stache, the winner of the
2023 National Dog Show
And also...
2023 Farm Dog of the Year...
The winner of the 2023 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the
Year award is Tough, a Border Collie owned by Kansas Farm Bureau members Denny
and Donna Ashcraft.
FAST FOOD of the YEAR...
A SURVEY taken
by USA TODAY
The survey
found that America's favorite fast-food chain is Chick-fil-A, which had a
satisfaction score of 85, a 2% improvement over last year. Here's how your
other favorite and not-so-favorite chains ranked:
·
Chick-fil-A.∘
Score in 2023: 85.∘ Score in 2022: 83.
·
Jimmy Johns.∘
Score in 2023: 84.∘ Score in 2022: 79.
·
KFC.∘
Score in 2023: 81.∘ Score in 2022: 78.
·
Papa Johns.∘
Score in 2023: 80.∘ Score in 2022: 76.
·
Dominos.∘
Score in 2023: 78.∘ Score in 2022: 78.
·
Five Guys.∘
Score in 2023: 78.∘ Score in 2022: 76.
·
Pizza Hut.∘
Score in 2023: 78.∘ Score in 2022: 77.
·
Starbucks.∘
Score in 2023: 78.∘
Score in 2022: 77.
·
Arby's.∘
Score in 2023: 77.∘ Score in 2022: 76.
·
Dunkin'∘
Score in 2023: 77.∘ Score in 2022: 74.
·
Panda Express.∘
Score in 2023: 77.∘ Score in 2022: 75.
·
Burger King.∘
Score in 2023: 76.∘ Score in 2022: 75.
·
Panera Bread.∘
Score in 2023: 76.∘ Score in 2022: 77.
·
Chipotle. ∘
Score in 2023: 75.∘ Score in 2022: 77.
·
Dairy Queen.∘
Score in 2023: 75.∘ Score in 2022: 74.
·
Subway. ∘ Score
in 2023: 75.∘ Score in 2022: 75.
·
Little Caesars. ∘
Score in 2023: 74.∘ Score in 2022: 75.
·
Popeyes.∘
Score in 2023: 74.∘ Score in 2022: 71.
·
Wendy's. ∘
Score in 2023: 74.∘ Score in 2022: 73.
·
Jack in the Box.∘
Score in 2023: 73.∘ Score in 2022: 72.
·
Sonic.∘
Score in 2023: 72.∘ Score in 2022: 74.
·
Taco Bell.∘
Score in 2023: 71.∘ Score in 2022: 72.
·
McDonald's.∘
Score in 2023: 69.∘ Score in 2022: 68.
FILMS of the YEAR...
All of Us
Strangers - It tells the story of
a lonely screenwriter whos played in a quietly gut-wrenching performance by
Andrew Scott
Its a gay love story. Its a drama about parent-child
reconciliation. And its also and this is not a spoiler its a ghost story. (PBS)
Killers of the Flower Moon appeared on
94 of the 158 ballots, a little over 59 percent. The critics who voted last
year only mentioned TΑR on 45 percent of their ballots, and we declared that
a landslide at the time. Scorseses film also received 25 first-place votes
naming it the best film of the year, the most first-place votes in addition to
the most overall mentions. Scorsese himself also topped Best Director
voting. (INDIE WIRE)
Talk to Me (NPR) - Australian twins and directors Danny and Michael Philippous debut contains some of the most memorable
horror sequences in recent memory. A severed, embalmed hand connected to
another realm captivates a group of teens, who host parties where they take
turns holding onto it
FREE SPEECH COLLEGES of the YEAR...
FIRE, the Foundation of
Individual Rights and Expression, provides
data ranking the free speech environments on more than 250 college campuses.
Researchers weigh insights from 55,102 students, the speech policies of each
school, and the free speech cases making it the largest survey ever about
free speech on college campuses. The free-ist
campus in America was that of Michigan Technological University while the worst
was Harvard.
See description as
Attachment Twelve and list here,
HERO of the YEAR...
FICTITIOUS: The
sequel to 2018's Oscar-winning "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" lived up to the hype.
(VARIETY)
"Across
the Spider-Verse" delivered even more impressive visuals than the first
film, seamlessly transitioning between art styles as it blends 3D and 2D
hand-drawn animation. Each on-screen panel is worth pausing on to fully
appreciate its beauty and soak in every Easter egg.
WORST: ANT MAN
REAL LIFE: Dr. Kwane Stewart (CNN)
The San
Diego Foundation Wednesday announced a $90,000 grant for the 2023 CNN Hero of
the Year, San Diego-based veterinarian Dr. Kwane
Stewart.
MEAL of the YEAR...
The New York
Times listed 23 favorites here.
MEDIA of the YEAR...
The
American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) tonight
announced winners of the 2023 National Magazine Awards during a live ceremony
held at Terminal 5 in New York City. The 58th annual awards honored media
organizations, including magazines, websites, newspapers, and audio and video
production companies, for editorial excellence in categories ranging from
Reporting and Feature Writing to Podcasting and Video. See here for honorees.
MEDICAL
ADVANCES of the YEAR...
Two From Science Magazine (see Attachment Sixteen):
1) CRISPR
Green light for CRISPR gene editingOn December 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
approved the world's first CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing therapy (SN: 12/8/23). The
treatment, called Casgevy, targets sickle cell
disease by helping patients produce healthy hemoglobin.Dec
14, 2023. (See Attachment 16A)
2) FAT
Obesity
plays out as a private struggle and a public health crisis. In the United
States, about 70% of adults are affected by excess weight, and in Europe that
number is more than half. The stigma against fat can be crushing; its risks,
life-threatening. Defined as a body mass index of at least 30, obesity is
thought to power type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, fatty liver
disease, and certain cancers. (See more as Attachment B)
And
Five from the AARP:
1)
Pain school for
chronic pain
Chronic pain
affects approximately 37.8 million midlife and older Americans, and nearly a
third have high-impact pain that makes daily life difficult. In 2019, the
Department of Veterans Affairs called on the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering and Medicine to study the potential of the whole health care model
being used at the VA to address chronic pain.
The Salem
Veterans Affairs Health Care Systems (VAHCS) innovative Prevail Center for
Chronic Pain gives veterans basic coping strategies through an online or
face-to-face pain school, after which they meet for an hour with a caregiving
team made up of a psychologist, a pharmacist, a dietitian, a physical
therapist and a physician specializing in pain that creates a personalized,
six-month treatment plan focused on healthy eating, exercise, spirituality and
reducing stress.
Prevails
first group of 280 participants have reported that their pain is no longer
controlling their life, says clinical psychologist Rena Courtney, director and
creator of Prevail.
Find out more
about Prevail and other breakthroughs in chronic pain,
including drug-free help for diabetic nerve pain.
2) A new prostate cancer treatment for men
Ultrasound
and other focal cancer therapies that treat part of the prostate are offering
new hope to men with prostate cancer. TULSA-Pro is an outpatient procedure
cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019 that destroys
cancerous tissue from inside the prostate gland with ultrasound heat. Doctors
use magnetic resonance imaging to guide the robotic procedure while a cooling
catheter inserted in the rectum reduces heat exposure of nearby tissue. Recovery
is generally faster than with surgery or radiation. Its intended mostly for
men with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer that hasnt spread.
In a recent
study where midlife and older men with low- to intermediate-risk prostate
cancer who had their prostate gland completely treated via TULSA-Pro, 96
percent of participants saw their PSA levels fall by 75 percent or more within
a year, 25 percent had new problems with erectile dysfunction (ED) and 11
percent reported some urinary leakage or incontinence.
By three
years after their procedures, 13 percent needed additional prostate cancer
treatment, but none had severe erectile problems, and 99 percent didnt
need pads for managing incontinence.
In contrast,
25 percent to 33 percent of men who undergo standard surgery or radiation
treatment see their cancer return, according to the Prostate Cancer
Foundation.
Learn more
about TULSA-Pro and breakthroughs in mens health.
3) Better cancer screening for
dense breasts
Cancer risk is up to four times higher in dense breasts, possibly because dense tissue has more cells that can
become abnormal, and women with dense breasts may have higher levels of
estrogen, which can increase the risk of cancer. Conventional mammograms may
miss up to 40 to 60 percent of cancers in dense breasts.
A three-dimensional whole-breast ultrasound screening called SoftVue was recently granted premarket approval by the FDA
as an add-on cancer check for dense breasts.
With this 3D whole-breast ultrasound tomography system, the new
technology sends sound waves to create a 360-degree image of the breast that
offers a more comprehensive look at the tissue without compression or
radiation showing tissue changes in detail.
Clinical data has shown that scans with SoftVue,
plus a conventional mammogram, found 20 percent more cancers than mammograms
alone, and were better at weeding out false positives, says Rachel Brem, M.D., director of breast imaging and intervention at
George Washington University in Washington.
Learn about this type of ultrasound screening and read more about breakthroughs in womens
health, including a new drug for menopausal hot flashes.
4) Advances in continuous glucose
monitors for people with diabetes
This year, Medicare expanded its coverage for continuous glucose monitors (CGM), making it significantly easier for millions of
adults to manage their blood sugar levels. Once used mostly for
insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes, CGMs are rising fastest among people with
type 2 who typically take oral medications and may use injectable drugs,
sometimes along with insulin, to control blood sugar.
Compared to finger-stick blood sugar checks, CGM devices help midlife
and older adults lower their blood sugar further and keep it in a healthy range longer.
Find out more about continuous glucose monitors and other breakthroughs in diabetes
care.
5) A new way to bust blood clots
Pulmonary embolisms (PEs) are the third-leading cause of cardiovascular
death in the United States behind heart attack and stroke, hospitalizing 350,000 people per year and causing more
than 100,000 deaths. The clots usually form in deep veins in the legs and
travel upward to the lungs. PEs need aggressive care to prevent heart and lung
damage.
The Bashir Endovascular Catheter is a device thats threaded through
the blood vessels to the lungs, then opens into an expandable infusion basket
in the clot, creating multiple channels to allow for blood flow, while the
catheters arms spray a clot-dissolving drug directly into the blood clot.
The Bashir and Bashir S-B Endovascular catheters, cleared by the FDA in
2023 for pulmonary embolisms, are part of a growing number of treatments for
medium-risk PEs, which affect up to 65 percent of people with the condition.
Discover more breakthroughs in heart
disease, including an experimental tattoo to track heart health.
Here are some of the other
biggest medical advances in 2023
MUSIC VIDEO of the YEAR...
Surprise? Taylor Swift took home the top prize at the
2023 MTV Video Music Awards for her "Anti-Hero"
music video on a night full of surprises. "This is unbelievable. The fact
that this is a fan-voted award means so much to me," Swift said in her
acceptance speech.Sep 13, 2023
NEWS REPORTING of the YEAR...
Grunge cited
the correlation between Donald Ttrump and Hunter
Biden
https://www.grunge.com/1443805/biggest-news-stories-2023/
PHOTOGRAPHY of the YEAR...
If a picture is worth a thousand
words, these are worth a few extra: 2023's best photos
Visuals own a unique and powerful place in modern journalism, having an
outsized ability to engage our audience with impactful storytelling. The images
captured this year by the photojournalists across the USA TODAY Network have
the power to inspire, inform and delight. They capture moments in times of joy,
pain and anguish; the political pomp, posturing and process in Washington;
natures fury and beauty; and the unbridled athletic passions from local high
schools to world championships.
This collection is just a tiny sliver of the thousands of images that
the visual journalists across The USA TODAY Network capture daily in their
communities across the country.
See them as sorted by the month here.
PODCAST of the YEAR...
For the fourth time in a row, The Joe Rogan Experience takes the honor of top podcast of the year globally. (Spotify see more within Attachment Four)
SALES and MERCHING BEST of the YEAR...
BESTSELLING
BOOK: It Ends With Us by Colleen
Hoover
BESTSELLING
SONG: The
top song of the year, Miley Cyruss record-breaking Flowers, had incredible momentum from the day of
its debut through the summer months and now counts more than 1.6 billion
streams globally.
(SPOTIFY)
On her sophomore album SOS,
SZA set out on a fearless sonic voyage, dipping her toes in different genres
from grunge to gospel but one single particularly slayed. Kill Bill paints
a gruesome picture from its title alone, paying homage to Quentin Tarantinos
pair of films about a wronged lover exacting the ultimate revenge on her ex.
(BILLBOARD)
BESTSELLING
ALBUM: Taylor Swift topped the chart for seven weeks with three different
records; one of them, 1989 (Taylor's Version), became the top-selling album of
the year.
BESTSELLING
FILM BOX OFFICE: Uh
its BARBIE. (O-heimer was only #5)
SEARCHES of the
YEAR From Google via CNN (see Attachment Twenty Two)
TRENDS of the YEAR...
Listed by month in SPOTIFY
TV SHOWS of the YEAR (by critics)...
From NPR: (NETWORK SERIES) NPR reported: NOTHING!
(CABLE/STREAMING/VoD) - NPR chose Hijack Idris Elba
finally gets the action-hero project he has always deserved in this thrilling and
occasionally ludicrous miniseries. He plays Sam Nelson, a highly skilled
corporate negotiator who deploys those skills when he finds himself trapped
aboard a flight from Dubai to London overtaken by an eclectic band of
hijackers. (APPLE TV)
From the Guardian U.K.
Bring a British medium, GUKs reader poll
naturally included a preponderance of BBC and other English television
series... but of the American offerings they, like NPR, reported only cable,
streaming and VOD programming. Where
were The Masked Singer and other Yankee network staples? Clearly, there is class warfare in the
offing.
See their choices as Attachment Seven.
Villain of the YEAR...
The Week: called 2023 the year of the billionaire
villain
The
21st-century Dr. Evil is taking over the world in books, TV series and popular
culture.
Since Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the world according to many
sources, bought the social media platform Twitter in
2022, there has been a notable uptick in negative portrayals of the superrich,
often in the ripped-from-the-headlines style that was once practiced
exclusively by "Law & Order." These TV billionaires are shadowy,
self-involved and often in the grip of delusions of grandeur, either frittering
away their money on passion projects like space travel or bent on manipulating
the news environment for their own ends.
Word(s) of the
Year
COMPILED by READERS DIGEST
Cambridge
Dictionarys word of the year
HALLUCINATE
Dictionary.coms word of the
year
HALLUCINATE
Collins
Dictionarys word of the year
AI
Merriam-Websters word of
the year
AUTHENTIC
Oxford
University Presss word of the year
RIZZ
See explanations in
Attachments Eighteen (A through E)
Zeitgeist of the DAY...
FROM: dictionary.com
SUNDAY,
DECEMBER 24, 2023 - Word of the Day
(A modestly descriptive proposal from the DJI dire)
zeitgeist
[ zahyt-gahyst ]
noun
the spirit of
the time. LEARN
MORE
And
just about every mass-, class- (probably even ass-) related medium released its
own Best Of list. Weve noted some of
the more prominent URLs as Attachment Twenty Three.
|
Our
Lesson: December 18th through 24th, 2023 |
|
|
|
Monday, December 18, 2023 Dow:
37,306.02 |
Hamas broadcasts video of three elderly Israeli hostages begging for
their lives. DefSec
Austin goes to Tel Aviv to tell Bibi to make his attacks on Gaza more
focused. The IDF says it will now
invade Lebanon to wipe out Hezbollash. SecState Gates
discusses more hostage swaps with Qataris as Israel buries the three hostages
mistakenly killed by the IDF. Djonald
UnDemocratic quotes from Hitlers Mein Kampf about immigrants poisoning the blood of
America. (Some woo-woo Indians, aka
Native Americans, aka various tribes might agree, going back 400 years.) Chris Christie calls him disgusting. The rest of the diminished Republican field
offer ambiguous replies... Saint Ron calls it a tactical mistake, Haley
resorts to old character counts tropes. U.S. Steel to be sold off to
Nippon Steel. Workers, economists and
patriots are outraged. |
|
|
Tuesday, December 19, 2023 Dow:
37,557.92 |
A weird and wild Christmas week sees 16 inches of rain as a storm
crawls north towards blue, blue states and more stormy West Coast weather
systems move south. Deep freeze bites
Florida. In Texas, Gov. Abbott
authorizes local police and the National Guard (and vigilantes, militias and
angry ranchers) to stop suspicious persons (ie
Mexican-Americans and the such) confine them and deport them (or, if the mood
strikes him, send them to prison for 20 years). Ohio sees and raises on
abortion by prosecuting women who have miscarriages while Utah makes it a
crime to leave the state to have an abortion. Rapper and ex-con Meek Mill
leads protests against wildly differential state parole standards while gay
veterans fight to have their dishonorable discharged changed. Guilty as charged: actor Jonathan Majors...
momfluencer Ruby Franke in the dock. And perverted celebrities are in the dark
and terrified as courts promise to release dead groper Jeffrey Epsteins
dossier on January 14th. |
|
|
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 Dow: 37,082.72 |
The economic recovery comes to a screeching halt as cargo shipping
giants like Maersk refuse to pick up or deliver goods in the Red Sea due to
shelling from pro-Iranian Houthi rebels in Yemen. A Colorado court throws Djonald off the primary ballot, citing the 14th
Amendment and callng him an insurrectionist. Trump fights back, saying hell take the
case to his Supreme Court. Even
Christie balks at what is a patently partisan ploy. Public and private responders
busy rescuing people from floods in New Jersey and California there are
landslides, inundations and tornadoes. But the Weather People say that America
will warm up and there will be no White Chrismases. None.
Nowhere! America and Venezuela swap hostages. We get quantity... ten detainees (some
innocent, some not). Venezuela gets
quality, a buddy of dicator Maduro. And we also get fugitive financier Fat
Leonard! |
|
|
Thursday, December 21, 2023 Dow:
37,404.35 |
Its the first day of winter, and winter is settling over Ukraine,
which the U.S. Republican House refuses to continue aid to. Despite the now-waning bad weather, a
record air and land travelling record is forecast (but what is also forecast
is a return to the torrential storms earlier
in the week. Speaking of places formerly
Soviet, a mass shooter simply described as a student and not a terrorist
kills 14 and wounds three dozen more in Prague. He was probably nespokojenύ
or disgruntled. Still Soviet: ten
American hostages return to their families, Fat Leonard to an American jail. IRS is hunting down tax
cheats from 2020-21 but offering a deal (to some)... surrender and pay and
the penalties are off the table. Might
or might not include Rudy G., but his 2023 filing will show deep losses due
to a courts demand he pay the two Georgia election workers their $140 mil.
now. Oppressed by Oprah? Taraji P. Henson so disgusted by the flimflammery over her pay for doing The Color Purple
that she says shell retire. Other
black women agree. |
|
|
Friday, December 22, 2023 Dow:
37,385.97 |
Its National Cookie Day as bakers prepare to leave treats beneath
their tree and, so far, the trains and planes and automobiles are traveling
smoothly as Santas reindeer and sleigh with mild weather and competent,
co-operative travel bureaucrats.
(Might, probably will change after Christmas, but a record 5M TSA
screenings per day going incredibly smoothly and a TV advisor advises: You
are not stuck in traffic, you are
the traffic. Kalm karma not extended
to water, where a Norweigian cruise ship is blasted
by a rogue wave but none of the passengers are killed. Israel reports that one of
the captive Americans has been executed as the SecState
and his blinken red lights migrate from Kiev to Tel
Aviv to the border at the speed of life.
Republicans rattle their playpens with outrage that ten to twelve
thousand migrants are crossing into America every day. But the welcome mat is out in L.A. for one
as pitcher Yoshimatsu (sp?) Yamamoto joins new
teammate Ohtani with the Dodgers. New Years Rockin Eve will feature Meghan thee Stallion and Jelly
Roll. Dieters are getting sick after
Ozempic and the like are accused of causing nail biting and gambling. (Huh?)
Doctors say so. . |
|
|
Saturday, December 16, 2023 Dow:
Closed |
On the busiest travel day of the year, calm weather and cheap gas
(soon to end as a consequence of attacks on Red Sea oil tankers). On-time air
arrivals up 17% over 2022 and traffic james are a
consequence of last minute shoppers spending (and charging) their Super
Saturday purchases. On a darker note,
the cost of the Twelve Days gifts are up again and the holiday season brings
out an epidemic of Grinches... porch pirates everywhere and, in Charlotte,
NC, robbers loot a warehouse full of boxes of toys for poor children who will
get nothing for Christmas. Its shaping up as a banner
year for lawyers Team Trump warring on multiple fronts, SCOTUS fleeing
Washington in advance of facing key tests on abortion, gerrymandering and
immigration in the New Year and, of course, the usual suspects Rudy, the
Red-Nosed Rascal, Santos, Alec Baldwin (attacked by a pro-Hamas mob), the Momfluencer, the Idaho murder house and the hundreds of
rich and famous perverts sweating out disclosure of the Jeffrey Epstein docdrop. But
Vanilla Ice trumps them all... hes now
accused of socializing with none other than Pablo Escobar! Also fleeing Washington (and
their jobs), Congress (home to raise money for November) and President Joe
(gone to Camp David after a drunk rams his motorcade). |
|
|
Sunday, December 17, 2023 Dow: Closed |
And so its the Night Before Christmas. But not in Bethlehem, where Palestinian
Christians aligned with Hamas against the Jews (who celebrate by killing 76
members of one family in Gaza shelling attack. The Church of the Nativity depicts the baby
Jesus buried under a pile of rubble and bomb debris and tourists find other
places to go. The FBI issues more warnings
of the potentially most dangerous Yuletide since Nine Eleven with hundreds of
threats from terrorists, partisans and lone wolves. But only the latter take action... mass
shooters target malls in Orlando and Colorado Springs. On the Sunday talkshows, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco reports
that the vermin massing and crossing our borders include 7,000 Russians and
24,000 Chinese. Sen. Lindsay Graham
(R-SC) predicts that Democrats plans to invite millions of presumably
liberal migrants in to exploit their votes will fail and Trump will be
re-elected. NORADs Santa tracker is
turned on and discovers that the fat old fellow is presently bringing joy to
the children of New Zealand headed to Australia. |
|
|
The nice enjoyed Christmas,
the naughty were further shamed for their coal. A slow week full of ominous intimations but
no real tragedies (except in the war zones).
Crime and terror were limited (Prague?) and unusually nice weather
boosted that Index, but the payback will come before New Years. Even the disasters were inspirational like
the fun volcano in Iceland (which may turn unfunny if the wind shifts and
blows toxic smoke onto Reykjavic. A calm before the storm? Perhaps. |
|
|
|
CHART of CATEGORIES
w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000 (REFLECTING
approximately
DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013) Negative/harmful indices
in RED.
See a further explanation of categories here
ECONOMIC INDICES (60%)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
SOCIAL
INDICES (40%) |
|||||||||||
|
ACTS of MAN |
12% |
|
|
||||||||
|
World Affairs |
3% |
450 |
12/18/23 |
-0.3% |
1/1/24 |
457.45 |
456.08 |
A looming election is sharpening tensions in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where
decades of conflict and humanitarian crisis have killed and displaced
millions. Chileans vote today
on a new constitution that could pull the country to the right; Argentina,
next door, promises harsh response to protests as South America brings backs
the days of Pinochet and Peron.
Accordingly, the US far right is finding its role model in Spanish
dictator Francisco Franco (still dead). |
|||
|
War and terrorism |
2% |
300 |
12/18/23 |
+0.2% |
1/1/24 |
294.87 |
295.46 |
Ukrainians
celebrate the season by shooting down three Russian fighter jets with
American Patriot missiles (which that Republicans in Congress want to deny
them). Gaza war deaths top the 20,000 mark; Hamas claim that a child is
killed every ten minutes dismissed by IDF as collateral damage. Iranian-backed rebels attack Red Sea shipping,
rusting the supply chain and bringing a return to inflation and naval
escalation. |
|||
|
Politics |
3% |
450 |
12/18/23 |
+0.2% |
1/1/24 |
481.40 |
482.36 |
Terror not
suspected as President Joe motorcade rammed just another drunk driver. Joe and Bibi discuss Gaza by phone and
Israel will delay its invasion of Lebanon.
Djonald UnQuiet
quotes Hitler on poisoning the blood but says he never read Mein Kampf. (He saw
the coloring book?) Colorado throws
him off the primary ballot for insurrection; even Chris Christie calls it too
extreme. |
|||
|
Economics |
3% |
450 |
12/18/23 |
+0.3% |
1/1/24 |
439.15 |
440.17 |
Record
Christmas sales ($125B) mean record retail comfort and joy... and record
credit card debt. Proposed
Disney/Warner/Paramount merger draws monopoly interet. |
|||
|
Crime |
1% |
150 |
12/18/23 |
-0.1% |
1/1/24 |
244.29 |
244.05 |
The Donald
loses Colorado but wins in court as SCOTUS greenlights Trump desire for a
slow trial on his various felonies and slaps back Jack Black... er,
Smith. Christmas porch pirates will
rip off 23% of Americans in 2023. |
|||
|
ACTS of GOD |
(6%) |
|
|
||||||||
|
Environment/Weather |
3% |
450 |
12/18/23 |
+0.7% |
1/1/24 |
393.45 |
396.20 |
Skies are
sunny except in South Carolina where 16 of rain falls, beating the mere ten
inches in California - even less in the Northeast. But a warming trend is coming East so no
White Christmas. |
|||
|
Disasters |
3% |
450 |
12/18/23 |
+0.3% |
1/1/24 |
421.28 |
422.54 |
Philadelphia
news copter crash kills two. Heroic
rescuers rescue families from floods in Maine and in New Jersey. Icelandic volcano erupts with no
casualties, but men with noses warn of toxic smoke. |
|||
|
LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE INDEX |
(15%) |
|
|||||||||
|
Science, Tech, Educ. |
4% |
600 |
12/18/23 |
-0.2% |
1/1/24 |
636.04 |
634.67 |
UPS to use
boats to deliverXmas gifts to flood victims. Gumment backlogs
and computer glitches augur millions of poor people going through Christmas
without SNAP and Medicaid. But theres
always ramen. And garbage. And leeches. |
|||
|
Equality (econ/social) |
4% |
600 |
12/18/23 |
+0.3% |
1/1/24 |
636.19 |
638.10 |
Military
stops giving dishonorable discharges to (most) gay soldiers, allowing them to
access VA benefits and GI Bill. Tex
Gov. Abbott orders local police and the National Guard to cleanse the border
regions and floats 20 year prison sentence for suspected migrants. Ex-con rapper Meek Mill calls for parole
reform Filipino comedian Jo Koy snagged to host Golden Globes. |
|||
|
Health |
4% |
600 |
12/18/23 |
-0.3% |
1/1/24 |
473.87 |
472.45 |
Doctors
argue pros and cons of Ketamine post-Perry... paramedics who gave it to
Elijah McClain and killed him get 16 years in prison but the suspended
knee-on-throat police are reinstated and one gets a bonus of $200K in back
pay. Holiday drug shortages impact
chemo and ADHD patients. Toyota recalls
vehicles with bad airbags. Bottom
dwelling (see survey above) Mickey Ds Chicken McNuggets recalled for plastic
contamination; spinach for listeria.
Popeye is desolate.. |
|||
|
Freedom and Justice |
3% |
450 |
12/18/23 |
-0.2% |
1/1/24 |
471.97 |
471.03 |
Courts
rule Rudy G. must pay slandered election workers now as another case of fraud and intimidation arises in Michigan,
snaring not only The Donaod but RNC chair Ronna
too. Parents of murdered students in
Moscow, Idaho, protest demolition of the kill house which may contain
important evidence. |
|||
|
MISCELLANEOUS and TRANSIENT INDEX |
(7%) |
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
Cultural incidents |
3% |
450 |
12/18/23 |
-0.1% |
1/1/24 |
516.92 |
516.40 |
Megan thee Stallion and Jelly Roll will headline Rockin (& well fed) New Years Eve. Pro-Hamas (anti -Rust?) mob attacks Alec
Baldwin while the authorities finger Vin Diesel for fast and furious sex
crimes. Celine Dion diagnosed with
stiff person syndrome. Creepy celebs
quake in fear as authorities will release all the Jeffrey Epstein dirt in
early 2024. Divorce lawyers stand
ready. RIP: US aid contractor Hani Jnana
in Gaza, ex-Dixie
ex-Chick Laura Lynch in car crash. |
|||
|
Misc. incidents |
4% |
450 |
12/18/23 |
-0.1% |
1/1/24 |
498.95 |
498.45 |
Cruise
ship full of sun-seekers diverted from Bahamas to... Boston? General Mills explains cereal price
inflation as value seeking behaviour. (Don Jones calls it price gouging, switches
to grocer Jacks generics and GM loses more
value!) |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
The Don Jones Index for the week of December 18th through December 24th,
2023 was UP 5.46 points
The Don Jones
Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman
and Independent Presidential candidate Jack Catfish Parnell, Chairman; Brian
Doohan, Administrator. The CNC denies,
emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers
(including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin
Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnells works,
Entropy and Renaissance and The Coming Kill-Off are fictitious or, at best,
mere pawns in the web-serial Black Helicopters and promise swift, effective
legal action against parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.
Comments,
complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or: speak@donjonesindex.com.
ATTACHMENT
ONE From the Holy See
"URBI
ET ORBI" MESSAGE
OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
CHRISTMAS 2023
Monday,
25 December 2023
Dear
Brothers and Sisters, Merry Christmas!
The
eyes and the hearts of Christians throughout the world turn to Bethlehem; in
these days, it is a place of sorrow and silence, yet it was there that the
long-awaited message was first proclaimed: To you is born this day in the city
of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord (Lk 2:11).
Those words spoken by the angel in the heavens above Bethlehem are also spoken
to us. We are full of hope and trust as we realize that the Lord has been born
for us; that the eternal Word of the Father, the infinite God, has made his
home among us. He became flesh; he came to dwell among us (Jn 1:14).
This is the good news that changed the course of history!
The
message of Bethlehem is indeed good news of great joy (Lk 2:10).
What kind of joy? Not the passing happiness of this world, not the glee of
entertainment but a joy that is great because it makes us great.
For today, all of us, with all our shortcomings, embrace the sure promise of an
unprecedented gift: the hope of being born for heaven. Yes, Jesus our brother
has come to make his Father our Father; a small child, he reveals to us the
tender love of God, and much more. He, the Only-Begotten Son of the Father,
gives us power to become children of God (Jn 1:12). This is the
joy that consoles hearts, renews hope and bestows peace. It is the joy of the
Holy Spirit: the joy born of being Gods beloved sons and daughters.
Brothers and sisters, today in
Bethlehem, amid the deep shadows covering the land, an undying flame has been
lighted. Today the worlds darkness has been overcome by the light of God,
which enlightens every man and woman (Jn 1:9). Brothers
and sisters, let us exult in this gift of grace! Rejoice, you who have lost
confidence in your certitudes, for you are not alone: Christ is born for you!
Rejoice, you who have abandoned all hope, for God offers you his outstretched
hand; he does not point a finger at you, but offers you his little baby hand,
in order to set you free from your fears, to relieve you of your burdens and to
show you that, in his eyes, you are more valuable than anything else. Rejoice,
you who find no peace of heart, for the ancient prophecy of Isaiah has been
fulfilled for your sake: a child has been born for us, a son given to us, and
he is named
Prince of Peace (9:6). Scripture reveals that his peace, his
kingdom, will have no end (9:7).
In
the Scriptures, the Prince of Peace is opposed by the Prince of this world (Jn 12:31),
who, by sowing the seeds of death, plots against the Lord, the lover of life
(cf. Wis 11:26). We see this played out in Bethlehem, where
the birth of the Saviour is followed by the slaughter
of the innocents. How many innocents are being slaughtered in our world! In
their mothers wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of
hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhood has been devastated
by war. They are the little Jesuses of today, these little ones whose childhood
has been devastated by war.
To
say yes to the Prince of Peace, then, means saying no to war, to every war
and to do so with courage, to the very mindset of war, an aimless voyage, a
defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly. This is what war is: an aimless
voyage, a defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly. To say no to war
means saying no to weaponry. The human heart is weak and impulsive; if we
find instruments of death in our hands, sooner or later we will use them. And
how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on
the rise? Today, as at the time of Herod, the evil that opposes Gods light
hatches its plots in the shadows of hypocrisy and concealment. How much
violence and killing takes place amid deafening silence, unbeknownst to many!
People, who desire not weapons but bread, who struggle to make ends meet and
desire only peace, have no idea how many public funds are being spent on arms.
Yet that is something they ought to know! It should be talked about and written
about, so as to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the
puppet-strings of war.
Isaiah,
who prophesied the Prince of Peace, looked forward to a day when nation shall
not lift up sword against nation, a day when men will not learn war any
more, but instead beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into
pruning hooks (2:4). With Gods help, let us make every effort to work for the
coming of that day!
May
it come in Israel and Palestine, where war is devastating the lives of those
peoples. I embrace them all, particularly the Christian communities of Gaza,
the parish of Gaza, and the entire Holy Land. My heart grieves for the victims
of the abominable attack of 7 October last, and I reiterate my urgent appeal
for the liberation of those still being held hostage. I plead for an end to the
military operations with their appalling harvest of innocent civilian victims,
and call for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation by an opening
to the provision of humanitarian aid. May there be an end to the fueling of
violence and hatred. And may the Palestinian question come to be resolved
through sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by
strong political will and the support of the international community. Brothers
and sisters, let us pray for peace in Palestine and in Israel.
My
thoughts turn likewise to the people of war-torn Syria, and to those of
long-suffering Yemen. I think too of the beloved Lebanese people, and I pray
that political and social stability will soon be attained.
Contemplating
the Baby Jesus, I implore peace for Ukraine. Let us renew our spiritual and
human closeness to its embattled people, so that through the support of each of
us, they may feel the concrete reality of Gods love.
May
the day of definitive peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan draw near. May it be
advanced by the pursuit of humanitarian initiatives, by the return of refugees
to their homes in legality and security, and by reciprocal respect for
religious traditions and the places of worship of each community.
Let
us not forget the tensions and conflicts that trouble the region of the Sahel,
the Horn of Africa and Sudan, as well as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of
the Congo and South Sudan.
May
the day draw near when fraternal bonds will be consolidated on the Korean
peninsula by undertaking processes of dialogue and reconciliation capable of
creating the conditions for lasting peace.
May
the Son of God, who became a lowly Child, inspire political authorities and all
persons of good will in the Americas to devise suitable ways to resolve social
and political conflicts, to combat forms of poverty that offend the dignity of
persons, to reduce inequality and to address the troubling phenomenon of
migration movements.
From
the manger, the Child Jesus asks us to be the voice of those who have no voice.
The voice of the innocent children who have died for lack of bread and water;
the voice of those who cannot find work or who have lost their jobs; the voice
of those forced to flee their lands in search of a better future, risking their
lives in grueling journeys and prey to unscrupulous traffickers.
Brothers
and sisters, we are approaching the season of grace and hope that is the
Jubilee, due to begin a year from now. May this time of preparation for the
Holy Year be an opportunity for the conversion of hearts, for the rejection of
war and the embrace of peace, and for joyfully responding to the Lords call,
in the words of Isaiahs prophecy, to bring good news to the oppressed, to
bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to
the prisoners (61:1).
Those
words were fulfilled in Jesus (cf. Lk 4:18), who is born today
in Bethlehem. Let us welcome him! Let us open our hearts to him, who is the Saviour, the Prince of Peace!
ATTACHMENT TWO From Time
SHORTLIST: Who Will Be TIMEs Person of the Year for 2023?
Editors are gearing up
for the announcement of TIMEs 2023 Person of the YearTIMEs annual selection
of the individual, group, or concept that has had the most influence on the
world throughout the previous 12 months.
In a tradition that
dates back to 1927, TIMEs Person of the Year is the annual designation for the
person, group or concept that most shaped the headlines, for good or ill.
Previous selections include U.S. President
Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Martin
Luther King Jr., German Chancellor Angela
Merkel, Pope
Francis, and activist Greta
Thunberg.
In
2022, TIMEs Person of the Year was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the spirit of Ukraine.
The
2023 Person of the Year will be announced on Wednesday morning.
Nine
candidates, whose names were revealed Monday morning during NBCs Today show, are in the running for TIMEs annual
selection. Here are the finalists.
Hollywood strikers
Hollywood
screenwriters and actors were on strike throughout the year, putting a pause on
the creation and filming of new and current shows and moviesa rare show of the
power of both labor and the entertainment industry. Both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and
the Screen Actors Guild (SAG)-AFTRA have resumed work; the WGA has already
signed a new contract while SAG has a tentative agreement and has yet to ratify
its new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Xi Jinping
Chinese
President Xi Jinping entered 2023 a few months into his unprecedented third
term, solidifying his role as one of Chinas most powerful modern leaders. Xi has been on the TIME100 list,
which honors the 100 most influential global figures, more than 10 times. He
was also a runner-up for TIMEs 2017 Person of the Year.
Taylor Swift
Grammy-award
winning artist Taylor Swift has had a major year, from re-releasing her albums
with record-setting streams to making one of the most successful concert films in history. Swifts Eras
tour is also on track to become the highest-grossing global tour of all time. The pop star
was previously on the 2017 Person of the Year cover, along with other Silence
Breakers who spoke out against sexual misconduct.
Sam Altman
In
the past few weeks alone, Sam Altman has made countless headlines for his
departure (and swift return) to his position as CEO of OpenAI,
the company that released the groundbreaking ChatGPT,
which has defined todays AI landscape. He was previously on the inaugural TIME100 AI list as well as the 2023 TIME100.
Trump Prosecutors
Donald
Trump became the first U.S. President to be indicted in the nations history, charged in four separate cases
with more than 90 charges. Felony counts have been brought forward by prosecutors
in Florida, Georgia, New York, and Washington, D.C., for election
interference, illegally holding on to classified documents, and
falsifying business records.
Barbie
Fansespecially
women and girlsflocked to the cinema to see the first-ever live-action Barbie movie, the most highly-anticipated film of
the year, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Greta Gerwigs
third feature was the highest-grossing film of 2023, earning $1.4 billion and causing an explosion of
pink fashion, accessories, and other merchandise in stores across the world.
The film made clear the possibility for theatrical success remains even in a
streaming world.
Vladimir Putin
Russian
President Vladimir Putin, who has held the role of President or Prime Minister
of Russia since 1999, continued to wage war in Ukraine, now in its second year
after the full-scale invasion. Putin faced a brief threat to his power in 2023
during the Wagner rebellion, but his influence was only reinforced in the end,
as the mercenary group retreated when a deal was struck by Belarussian
President Alexander Lukashenko. (Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner
group, later died in a plane crash). Putin was TIME's 2007 Person of the Year and
has been on the TIME100 list multiple times, including in 2022.
King Charles III
After
a decades-long wait for the throne, King Charles III took his position as
the head monarch of the United Kingdom, and other territories, this May. At a
moment of change for the monarchy, he signified the power of tradition. His
mother, Queen Elizabeth II,
was named Person of the Year when she ascended the throne in
1952.
Jerome Powell
Jerome
Powell, who has been Chairman of the Federal Reserve since February 2018, has
played a key role managing high inflation in the U.S., trying to architect the
so-called soft landing of reducing inflation by raising interest rates
without causing a recessiona goal felt in the wallets of Americans and
economies across the world. He has been on the TIME100 list twice (in 2019 and 2020).
AND
THE WINNER IS...
ATTACHMENT
THREE Subsequently, From Time
BY SAM
JACOBS DECEMBER 5, 2023 7:40 AM EST
Since 1927, TIME has chosen a Person of the
Year, the editors assessment of the individual who most shaped the headlines
over the previous 12 months, for better or for worse.
As a tradition, Person of the Year springs from the Great Man Theory of history, a belief
that individuals have the power to transform society. The selections over the
years have tended to follow certain patterns. The person chosen has typically
been a ruler over traditional domains of power. Heand yes, usually it has been
a heis very often a politician or a titan of industry. Fourteen U.S.
Presidents, five leaders of Russia or the Soviet Union, and three Popes have
all been recognized.
And yet the person whose singular influence was revealed
throughout 2023 has held none of these rolesor anything remotely similar.
Every year contains light and dark; 2023 was a year with significant shares of
darkness. In a divided world, where too many institutions are failing, Taylor
Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light. No one else on
the planet today can move so many people so well. Achieving this feat is
something we often chalk up to the alignments of planets and fates, but giving
too much credit to the stars ignores her skill and her power.
Swift is the rare person who is both the writer and hero of her
own story. Her path is untraveled, something shes known for some time. I
cant find anyone, really, whos had the same career trajectory as mine, Swift
told us in 2014 when she first appeared on the cover of TIME upon releasing
her fifth album, 1989. So when Im in an optimistic place I
hope that my life wont match anyone elses life trajectory, either.
While her popularity has grown across the decades, this is the
year that Swift, 33, achieved a kind of nuclear fusion: shooting art and commerce together to release an
energy of historic force. She did it by embracing what she does better than
anyone, entertaining and writing songs that connect with people. Now she
becomes the first Person of the Year to be recognized for her success in the
arts, in a year when we were reawakened to questions about who makes and
who owns our cultural expressions. Swift is also a
symbol of generational change: she is only the fourth solo Person of the Year
born in the past half century.
In the 17 years since her debut, Swift has notched more No. 1 albums than any other woman in history. This year
alone she had three. She was everywhere in 2023, filling stadiums and breaking records, which meant we were forced to find
novel ways to measure the magnitude of her reach. Seismograms were deployed to show the
literal impact caused by her fans. As Swift reportedly became a billionaire, countries gross
domestic products became the yardstick for her financial
contributions. University classes to study Swifts lessons in literature,
business, and law were announced. Swift was showered with keys to cities and street signs changed to her name.
Read More: Behind the Scenes of
TIMEs 2023 Person of the Year Issue
In 2023, world leaders and mayors competed to bring her
monumentally successful Eras Tour to their jurisdictions. Swift has become a
feature of American soft power: a U.S. diplomat told me how meaningful it was
to get Swift to agree to play in his host country. And Swift, as we now know,
has had a Midas touch, improving the fortunes of every place she visits and
business she celebrates. Just ask the NFL about its millions of new fans. Or your secretary
of state: tens of thousands of fans registered to vote after she
encouraged them on Instagram, spiking visits to Vote.org. Shes done a
great job of sticking to her guns and being vocal and political in the ways
that she wants to, says the Chicks front woman Natalie Maines.
At the same time, much of what Swift accomplished in 2023 exists
beyond measurement. She mapped her journey and shared the results with the
world: She committed to validating the dreams, feelings, and experiences of
people, especially women, who felt overlooked and regularly underestimated.
They know she respects her audience, and trusts them with her story. She held
up a mirror to her own life, helping people better see themselves. She embraced
her past, foibles and all, and in doing so encouraged others to do the same.
While Swifts success can feel like a counterweight to
traditional forms of power, the secret to her mastery has ancient roots. She is
writing her own myth, informed by her own journey. And it has been an epic. So
many have turned to those tales because theyve been so disappointed by the
storylines that emerge elsewhere in society. Any student of that Great Man
Theory of history knows how deeply intertwined it is with centuries of sexism
and the exclusion of women from power. Indeed, this isnt the first time Swift
has been part of TIME Person of the Year; in 2017, she was among the Silence Breakers we recognized
for standing up and speaking out against discrimination, harassment, and
assault faced by too many women for far too long.
Read More: Taylor Swift Makes
History as Person of the Year. Heres How
Swift has been both avatar and author of shifting narratives,
never more so than in 2023. Where do they take us? It might look something like
what Swift has created, making a space for 70,000 people, night after night, to
experience joy together. What is a higher form of influence, after all, than
giving millions of fans, young and old, the time of their lives, where they can
revel not only in Swifts voice but in finding their own? These moments were
all the more magical for taking place as we exited a pandemic, rediscovering
the communal experiences that were so recently taken from us.
For building a world of her own that made a place for so many,
for spinning her story into a global legend, for bringing joy to a society
desperately in need of it, Taylor Swift is TIMEs 2023 Person of the Year.
ATTACHMENT FOUR From
Spotify
Spotify 2023 Wrapped Global Top
Lists
Most-Streamed Artists
Globally
1.
Taylor Swift
2.
Bad Bunny
3.
The Weeknd
4.
Drake
5.
Peso Pluma
6.
Feid
7.
Travis Scott
8.
SZA
9.
Karol G
10.
Lana Del Rey
Most-Streamed Songs Globally
1.
Flowers
by Miley Cyrus
2.
Kill Bill
by SZA
3.
As It Was
by Harry Styles
4.
Seven (feat. Latto) by Jung Kook
5. Ella
Baila Sola by
Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma
6.
Cruel Summer
by Taylor Swift
7.
Creepin (with The Weeknd & 21 Savage) by Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, 21 Savage
8.
Calm Down (with Selena Gomez) by Rema, Selena Gomez
9.
Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53 by Bizarrap,
Shakira
10.
Anti-Hero
by Taylor Swift
Most-Streamed Albums
Globally
1.
Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny
2.
Midnights by
Taylor Swift
3.
SOS by
SZA
4.
Starboy by
The Weeknd
5. MAΡANA
SERΑ BONITO by KAROL G
6.
One Thing At A Time by Morgan Wallen
7.
Lover by
Taylor Swift
8.
HEROES & VILLAINS by Metro Boomin
9.
GΙNESIS by
Peso Pluma
10.
Harrys House by
Harry Styles
Top Podcasts Globally
3.
Huberman Lab
4.
anything goes with emma chamberlain
6.
Crime Junkie
7.
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
9.
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
10.
TED Talks Daily
12.
Caso 63
13.
Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
14.
The Daily
16.
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
17.
El
Podcast de Marian Rojas Estapι
18.
Gemischtes Hack
19.
The Psychology of your 20s
21.
SmartLess
22.
La Cotorrisa
23.
Se Regalan Dudas
24.
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
Spotify 2023 Wrapped U.S. Top
Lists
U.S. Most-Streamed Artists
1.
Taylor Swift
2.
Drake
4.
The Weeknd
5.
Bad Bunny
6.
21 Savage
7.
SZA
8.
Zach Bryan
9.
Kanye West
10.
Peso Pluma
U.S. Most-Streamed Songs
1.
Last Night
by Morgan Wallen
2.
Kill Bill
by SZA
3.
Flowers
by Miley Cyrus
4. Ella
Baila Sola by
Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma
5.
Boys a liar Pt. 2
by PinkPantheress, Ice Spice
6.
Cruel Summer
by Taylor Swift
7.
Something in the Orange by Zach Bryan
8.
You Proof
by Morgan Wallen
9.
Creepin (with The Weeknd & 21 Savage) by Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, 21 Savage
10.
Anti-Hero
by Taylor Swift
U.S. Most-Streamed Albums
1.
One Thing At A Time by Morgan Wallen
2.
SOS by
SZA
3.
Midnights by
Taylor Swift
4.
HEROES & VILLAINS by Metro Boomin
5.
Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen
6.
Lover by
Taylor Swift
7.
Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny
8.
folklore by
Taylor Swift
9.
GΙNESIS by
Peso Pluma
10.
Starboy by
The Weeknd
Top Podcasts in the U.S.
3.
Crime Junkie
4.
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
5.
The Daily
6.
Huberman Lab
7.
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
8.
SmartLess
9.
Up First
10.
anything goes with emma chamberlain
11.
2 Bears, 1 Cave with Tom Segura & Bert Kreischer
12.
Morbid
13.
The Journal.
15.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
17.
NPR News Now
18.
Serial Killers
19.
New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce
20.
Dateline NBC
22.
Distractible
23.
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
24.
The Psychology of your 20s
25.
Science Vs
ATTACHMENT
FIVE FROM NPR
STACHE THE SEALYHAM TERRIER WINS THE NATIONAL DOG SHOW
By
Jackie Northam, NOVEMBER 23, 20234:42 PM ET
Stache, a Sealyham terrier, has won Best in Show at this
year's National Dog Show.
The cream colored male, with long hair sweeping down from
his broad forehead, beat out six other finalists at the annual canine
competition, hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia and broadcast by NBC on
Thanksgiving Day.
Stache, who is barely as tall as the judge's knees, had
to crane his neck to look at the silver platter he had just won. His handler,
Margery Good, smiled broadly when accepting the award.
"He just gave a wonderful performance," she
said. "He stretched his little short legs and hands and flew around this
ring."
Stache defeated a group that included a German shepherd,
a Great Dane, a Chesapeake Bay retriever, a Shih Tzu and an Azawakh, a hound
originating from West Africa. A Dalmatian named Pumpkin won second place, known
as Reserve Best in Show. Up to 2,000 dogs from across more than 200 breeds and
varieties competed in this year's event. There were only 165 breeds shown at
the first National Dog Show in 2001.
Stache's registered name is GCHP Goodspice
Efbe Money Stache. He lives in Honey Brook,
Pennsylvania, not far from where he picked up today's prestigious award. Ahead
of this win, Stache was the No. 2-ranked Terrier and No. 12-ranked All-Breed show dog in America. He has
won 49 Best in Show prizes.
ATTACHMENT SIX From World Population Review
DICTATORS AROUND THE WORLD
The leaders of dictatorships are
not outwardly identified as dictators when other people are
addressing them. In fact, most dictators adopt common appellations such as
"President" or "Prime Minister", so they must be identified
via their actions and policies rather than their title.
·
President
Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai of Afghanistan
·
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune of Algeria
·
President
Joγo Lourenηo of Angola
·
President
Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan
·
King Hamad
bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain
·
Sheikh Hasina
of Bangladesh
·
President
Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus
·
Sultan Haji Waddaulah of Brunei
·
President Ιvariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi
·
Prime
Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia
·
President
Paul Biya of Cameroon
·
President Faustin Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic
·
President Idriss Deby of Chad
·
President Xi
Jinping of China
·
President
Fιlix Tshilombo Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
·
President
Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo
·
President
Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba
·
President Ismaοl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti
·
President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt
·
President
Teodoro Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea
·
President
Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea
·
Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia
·
President
Albert-Bernard Bongo of Gabon
·
Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei of Iran
·
President
Barham Salih of Iraq
·
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan
·
President Bounnhang Vorachith of Laos
·
President
Nouri Abusahmain of Libya
·
Min Aung
Hlaing of Myanmar
·
President
Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua
·
President Kim
Jong-un of North Korea
·
Sultan Qaboos
bin Said Al-Said of Oman
·
Emir Tamin Al Thani of Qatar
·
President
Vladimir Putin of Russia
·
President
Paul Kagame of Rwanda
·
King Abdullah
Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia
·
President
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of Somalia
·
President
Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan
·
President
Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan of Sudan
·
King Mswati III of Eswatini/Swaziland
·
President
Bashar al-Assad of Syria
·
President Emomalii Rahmon of Tajikistan
·
Chairman Losang Jamcan of Tibet
·
President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey
·
President
Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow of Turkmenistan
·
President
Yoweri Museveni of Uganda
·
King Sheikh
Khalifa Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates
·
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan
·
President
Nicolαs Maduro of Venezuela
·
President Nguyễn Phϊ Trọng of Vietnam
·
President Brahim Ghali of Western Sahara
·
President Abd
Al-Hadi of Yemen
Is China a dictatorship?
Given the degree of censorship and
control China's government leverages over its citizens, most political experts would
call it a dictatorship. China's constitution calls its government a
"people's democratic dictatorship." This may sound like a
contradiction of terms to many people. The premise of the "people's
democratic dictatorship" is that the Chinese Party of China and the state
represent and act on behalf of the people, but possess and may use powers
against reactionary forces. The People's Republic of China is currently ruled
by President Xi Jinping, who also serves as the General Secretary of the
Communist Party of China, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, the
country's Vice President, the President of the Central Party School, and the
1st ranked member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee.
Is Russia a dictatorship?
Russia is a federal semi-presidential
republic and an oligarchy. President Vladimir Putin is
currently serving his fourth term as President of Russia. Despite repeated
promises to leave office in 2024 (when his term limit is reached), Putin
spearheaded a 2020 constitutional amendment enabling him to remain in power
until 2036. Whether or not Putin is a dictator is a matter of some debate.
Those who believe that he is a dictator argue that he imprisons his opponents,
removed freedom of speechthe press can only publish what he allows them toand
has restructured the government to give himself more and longer-lasting power.
In addition to executive authority, Putin also holds judicial and legislative
power, which enables him to change the law to fit his agenda.
Autocracy Countries (The
difference between an Autocracy and a Dictatorship)
The terms "autocrat" and
"autocracy" are often used interchangeably with "dictator"
and "dictatorship". This is understandable, as the terms are very
similar. Just like a dictatorship, an autocracy is a government headed by a
single ruler (the autocrat) whose decisions are not subject to legal restraints
and who exercises unlimited and undisputed power. That said, there are two
important differences between dictatorships and autocracies. First is that an
autocracy nearly always focuses power in a single individual person, whereas
dictatorshipssingle-party dictatorships in particularsometimes spread the
power throughout a small group of people (say, the leaders of the dictator's
political party).
Secondly, while the term
"dictatorship" is widely understood to include inherent abuse of
powerthere is arguably no such thing as a benevolent dictatorhistory offers
several examples of autocrats who tried to do what was best for their people.
Examples might include King Cyrus the Great of Persia, who is thought to have
created the first declaration of human rights, the Biblical King Solomon, Roman
Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yue.
While autocratic countries are not always malevolent, they often still
encounter resistance from citizens who would prefer to have a greater say in
the government's policy-making process.
ATTACHMENT SEVEN From Guardian U.K.
SLOW
HORSES TO GHOSTS: ITS GUARDIAN READERS BEST TV OF 2023
From a raucously analogue spy thriller
to television that made you feel as if you were from another planet, here are
the shows that made your year
From
Guardian readers Fri 22 Dec 2023 05.00 EST
Painkiller (Netflix)
My favourite
was Painkiller. I gave it a try because of a teenage loyalty to Ferris Bueller
and it featured Matthew Broderick, who plays the middle aged CEO of
a failing drug company. I had limited knowledge of prescription drug addictions
in the US and this dramatisation of real events was
such compelling viewing it led me down a rabbit hole of research. Its one of
those shows that you recommend to everyone and cant stop thinking
about. Sharon Giles, 52, Guildford
The Gallows Pole (BBC Two)
Its got to be The Gallows Pole. I
took part in a fell race called Coiners, which started in Mytholmroyd with a
route that visited Cragg Vale and passed the old coiners cottages of Bell
House and Keelam. The history of the coiners who
feature in the TV show was told to me at the race by a fellow runner, so you
can imagine my surprise when a couple of weeks later I came across The Gallows
Pole. It was brilliant. Knowing the area so well, it really brought the history
to life. I have read the book by Benjamin Myers, which is significantly darker,
and Im hoping there is a second series as there is more to be told. Sarah, 60, Harrogate
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
The production was top notch, the
cast was brilliant, and the writing was even better. You could practically
smell the coat of Gary Oldmans character through the telly. Richard Groot, 62, Seattle, Washington, USA
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)
Delightful guest appearances
Ethan Peck as Spock in season two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Photograph:
Michael Gibson/Paramount+
With Star Trek having gone on for
as long as it has, it could easily have lost its shine. However, watching this
series in its second season has been shiny and new, mixed with old familiar
icons such as Captain Pike and Spock. With delightful guest appearances from
Captain Kirk, and a cast of flawed but lovable characters, this series has
reimagined the original vibes of the earliest Star Trek shows. My highlight was
definitely the musical episode, which had stunning songs and incredible singing
that blew me away. Madeleine Heal, 26, Wellington, New Zealand
Happy Valley (BBC One)
Happy Valley was outstanding in every
way. The script-writing must have been every actors dream. The ending left me
with a feeling of complete satisfaction; every loose end was tied up very
cleverly, some threads with only a couple of words. A masterpiece. Nora Boswell, Thornton, Bradford
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
I never imagined that two of my
top TV series of the year would be football-related (Ted Lasso and Welcome to
Wrexham). The third and final season of Ted Lasso was so highly anticipated I
was worried it wouldnt live up to my expectations. I adored the way the series
teased out character development over the three seasons, with redemption arcs
and, in particular, the complex and emotional male relationships. The final
season found the perfect culmination of an underdog story, melding a sports
comedy with a love letter to Britishness. I didnt want it to end, but they
wrapped it up so beautifully that I cant be mad. Eleanor,
26, Wellington, New Zealand
Taskmaster (Channel 4)
Greg and little Alex Horne are a
joyfully dynamic comic duo and the interactions with the talented contestants
are genuine, full of personality and always entertaining. Its so interesting
to observe how they approach a task. I especially loved it when the guests were
clever-clever and beat the task by thinking outside the box. Scott, 60, Chicago, IL, USA
Such Brave Girls (BBC Three)
Such Brave Girls was beautifully written
and directed, and tackled difficult issues with a lot of heart. Theres great
chemistry among the actors, and it struck a wonderful balance between humour and dark subject matter. Antal Wozniak, 41, Irby, Wirral
Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
My winner (just ahead of The Bear)
is Somebody Somewhere, season two. A gem of a series, driven by superb acting
and underpinned by low-key writing and direction. What could have been mundane
and soapy was elevated to a sensitive and deeply touching look at the human
condition. Charles Charalambous, Bristol
The Bear (Disney+)
The best TV since The Wire
Ayo Edebiri in season two of The Bear. Photograph:
Chuck Hodes/Copyright 2023, FX Networks. All rights reserved.
Everything about this show was
perfect: the writing, the performances, the relationships between the
characters, the soundtrack. Like the later seasons of Atlanta, this one took
its time with individual characters, and changed locations. Some episodes had
lots of space in terms of the script, while others, especially the notorious
Christmas flashback episode Fishes, were intense and visceral. The humanity of
the writing and performances created realistic and relatable characters.
Sometimes I was in tears with laughter, sometimes in tears of sadness. In my opinion,
it was the best TV since The Wire. Andrea Osborne, Edinburgh
Race Across the World (BBC One)
As much as I loved Happy Valley
and Succession, I dont want to live in their worlds! Race Across the World, on
the other hand? I lived vicariously through it. I love to see people grow and
challenge themselves. Who wouldnt want to visit Canada after the series this
year? Across the three series, and the celeb one, Im not sure there is
anywhere I havent wanted to go yet. Antony, 48, Staffordshire
The Marvelous Mrs
Maisel (Prime Video)
The final series of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel was beautifully scripted and brilliantly acted.
Rachel Brosnahan was a tour de force as Midge, as was
Alex Borstein as Susie Myerson. I loved to see this period in history, the absolute
upper middle class Jewishness and the nod to reality with Lenny Bruce as a long
term on-off love interest and confidant. The final episodes and the past,
present and future scenes were very cleverly done. Just brilliant Im sad
its over. Cliff Browne, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Blue Lights (BBC One)
I absolutely loved Blue Lights.
Set in Northern Ireland, it focused on three new recruits to the PSNI. The
storyline was fast-paced, interesting and good humoured.
The main character Grace behaved with the sort of guts, empathy, and hope that
Id like to think is core to all police officers, but isnt. Her home life and
the experiences of her son, who is mixed race, added an interesting vein into
the story. There were some likable characters and some you loved to hate. I was
pleased to hear a second series is on the way. Marion Durose, 51, Ketton, Rutland
Lockwood & Co (Netflix)
The first half of the year has
been exceptional for quality TV. Succession, The Bear and Happy Valley were the
best for me and oh, Guardian TV Top 50, how can I forgive you for forgetting
Unforgotten? But my secret favourite was Lockwood
& Co. So many elements great cast, nicely pitched retro-future aesthetic,
darkly gothic London that made for charming entertainment. Joe Cornish and
team created something special with this. Its sad that we wont see more of
it. Mike Paterson, Melbourne, Australia
Doctor Who 2023 specials (BBC One)
The return of Doctor Who under
Russell T Davies had horror, family drama, spaceships, apple crumble, aliens,
joyful endings, old villains and new beginnings. Doctor Who never fails to make
life a bit better. Im not sure what else youd want on your list,
frankly. Chloe, 51, London
Once Upon a Time in Northern
Ireland (BBC Two)
Im 58 and grew up hearing of the
Troubles and the bombings as an English citizen. It was just always there: they
were the bad guys, the Provisional IRA, and there was no context shown in the
media. I watched this as if an alien from another planet even though it
happened in my time. The things that are done in our names
it made me feel
powerless, clueless, and scared that the times we are in now are just as
misrepresented. Astonishing TV. Paul Osmond, 58, Melton Mowbray
For All Mankind (Apple TV+)
Think Mad Men, but for 1960s Nasa
and in space. The overall concept is: what would have happened if the Soviet
Union had landed on the moon before the United States? It was well written and
acted, with nuanced performances and character arcs. Each series takes place a
full 10 years after the last. The graphics were incredible and all the lunar
challenges and politics made for gripping viewing. Alan, 35,
Leeds
Ghosts (BBC One)
It has to be Ghosts. The Horrible
Histories team managed to conjure a series that was heart warming, funny and entertaining.
We remained invested in each ghosts personal story as well as enjoying the
dynamics of how they coped as housemates. The Captain storyline has been
managed superbly, in the sweetest way. A fantastic display of writing and
acting that was an absolute joy to watch. Catherine Armitage, 43,
Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham
The Piano (Channel 4)
The talent shown by so many wonderful
people, the joy of the judges at their work, the generosity of the programme makers to the finalists, and the heartwarming
love given to Lucy, the winning contestant. I was delighted to hear that there
is going to be a further series of this programme
cant wait! Diane Blakeley, 70, Suffolk
The Gilded Age (HBO)
The Gilded Age extended the Julian
Fellowes Downton touch to 19th century, upper east-side New York. Part Henry
James, part Dynasty and Dallas, part Upstairs Downstairs, the show channelled a whole history of soap archetypes we love to
loathe. It was an overcooked escapist fancy thats not unlike gorging on a full
fat supermarket pudding. The costumes were sumptuous and the use of qual
ATTACHMENT EIGHT From Yahoo Sports
SIMONE BILES NAMED
2023 AP FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR, HER 3RD TIME CLAIMING AWARD
By Callie Lawson-Freeman Fri, Dec
22, 2023, 2:22 PM EST
Bookending
her legendary comeback from a two-year break, seven-time Olympic medalist
Simone Biles is the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for 2023.
The
26-year-old earned the title for the third time in her career through a vote by
a panel of sports media professionals. Biles previously claimed the honor in
2016 and 2019. Caitlin Clark, Iowa's basketball star who broke out during the
NCAA tournament last season, followed Biles in votes this year. Ballon dOr winner Aitana Bonmati, who shined en route to
Spain's World Cup victory in August, was third.
Biles
announced her plans to return to gymnastics in July and almost immediately
proceeded to stack up accolades. From winning a historic eighth all-around title
at U.S. championships to
winning her 20th world championship
title, she
seemed unstoppable.
The
path to each impressive accomplishment featured unexpected feats, all
contributing to the advancement of her
legend.
It was fitting for her triumph to culminate at world championships, as the
competition took place in Belgium in the same arena where she won her first
world all-around title a decade earlier.
At
world championships, Biles became the first woman to do the Yurchenko double pike, leading to the vault being named
for her. In winning her sixth all-around title at worlds, she became the most decorated gymnast
in history.
All
of this came after Biles withdrew from multiple finals at the end of the 2020
Tokyo Olympics due to her experience with "the twisties,"
a dangerous condition that prevented her from determining her location in the
air. The decision to prioritize her safety was applauded by some and criticized
by others.
In
the aftermath, she went into what she describes as a protective shell. She
opened up about her hiatus with the Associated Press, describing her experience
with therapy and finding balance during the time away.
As
evidenced by her sharing a photo of her wedding to Green Bay Packers safety
Jonathan Owens on Instagram in response to a prompt of her "best moment of
2023," Biles now views her gymnastics accomplishments as a bonus.
At
the end of the day I did worlds and all that stuff, but I did get married, I
got to support him, she told the AP. Its just like, its kind of nice that
gymnastics isnt the main revolving piece.
While
she has nothing left to prove as the GOAT of gymnastics, Biles has expressed
her desire to participate in the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
ATTACHMENT NINE From MLB.com
OHTANI WINS 2ND AP TOP
MALE ATHLETE HONOR IN 3 YEARS
December
21st, 20234
SECONDS REMAINING
Shohei Ohtani has put himself in elite, exclusive
company once again.
The
Dodgers $700 million man was selected as The
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year on Wednesday.
Ohtani
was previously recognized as the APs Male Athlete of the Year in 2021, so he
is now in a group of 11 male athletes who have received the honor multiple
times. That list contains some of the biggest names in sports history,
including LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Dodgers legend Sandy
Koufax.
Ohtani
received 20 of a possible 87 votes from a panel of sports media professionals
for the honor. Soccer star Lionel Messi and tennis great Novak Djokovic got 16
apiece. NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic received 12 votes.
Its
just the latest award for Ohtani, who was the
unanimous American League MVP for
the second time in 2023 and was feted as the ALs top player at the Players Choice
Awards and
with the Hank Aaron Award.
Ohtani
paced the junior circuit with 44 homers, 78 extra-base hits, 325 total bases
and a 1.066 OPS in his final season with the Angels. On the mound, he held
hitters to an AL-best .184 batting average. He struck out 167 batters and
recorded a 3.14 ERA in 132 innings before being shut down with a right elbow
injury that required surgery in September. The surgery will preclude Ohtani from pitching until 2025.
Before
Ohtani took over MLB once again, he captured a gold
medal with Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He capped the
tournament with a memorable showdown against Team USA captain and
Angels teammate Mike Trout.
Ohtani
is the fourth MLB player within the past decade to be named Associated Press
Male Athlete of the Year, joining the Yankees Aaron Judge (2022), the Astros
Jose Altuve (2017) and former Giants ace Madison Bumgarner (2014).
ATTACHMENT TEN From WIKIPEDIA
THE BEST FIFA MEN'S (SOCCER)
PLAYERS OF 2023
The
winner will be selected on January 15th
in London.
Twelve players were initially shortlisted on 14 September 2023.[3] The three
finalists were revealed on 14 December 2023.
They were
|
Player |
Club(s) played for |
National team |
The selection
criteria for the men's players and coaches will be: respective achievements
during the period from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023.[3]
ATTACHMENT ELEVEN From
GUK
Sports Personality
of the Year 2023: whos who on this years shortlist
The awards will be handed out in
Manchester, but who is going to win the big one and why have they been
nominated?
By
Michael Butler Mon 18 Dec 2023 15.00 EST
Its
the most wonderful time of the year
Spoty season!
Britains sporting hero or heroine of 2023 has been whittled down to six
nominees by a panel of judges including the Euro 2022 winner Ellen White, the
former Olympian Colin Jackson and the Paralympian Ellie Simmons. The winner,
decided by a public vote, will be crowned at Tuesdays ceremony, with Clare
Balding, Gary Lineker, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott presenting live from
Manchester as the award celebrates its 70th anniversary. Here are the six
nominees.
Mary Earps
The bookies favourite
to become just the 15th solo female winner, a win for Earps
would see a second consecutive award for a Lioness, after Beth Mead claimed the 2022
prize.
While personality is not a qualifying factor for Spoty,
Earps has it in spades: she was standout performer to
help England to the World Cup final, where she produced one of
the most iconic sporting moments of the
year,
brilliantly saving a penalty from Spains Jenni Hermoso
before promptly yelling fucking yes, fuck off! as the cameras zoomed in on
her euphoric face. There was uproar when the 30-year-olds England goalkeeping
shirt was not made available by Nike before and during the World
Cup. More than 170,000 people signed a petition in protest, and Nike later reversed its decision, with the £100 jersey selling out
in hours.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroys return to form has been
a welcome one, even if his major drought is now going to be extended to a 10th
year. The Northern Irishman fell agonisingly short at the US Open, one shot behind winner Wyndham
Clark, but has had plenty of on-course success. McIlroy hit arguably the shot
of the year a 2-iron into wind to 10 feet to make birdie and win the Scottish Open on the 72nd
hole,
while his flawless performance in the Ryder Cup led Europe to a tearful victory over the USA. McIlroys return to the No 1
ranking in February has added weight to his off-course comments against LIV and the civil war that has
engulfed golf in 2023, where he has become a leader, talisman and elder
statesman of the game at 34.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson
Is Katarina Johnson-Thompson the
best all-round athlete in the world? The Liverpool-born heptathlete won her second world title in August, a most unlikely comeback after
injury a torn achilles and torn calf blighted the
last few years of her career. But the British public love an underdog story and
Johnson-Thompson delivered lifetime bests in the shot put and javelin to claim
victory. The 30-year-old is now targeting her first Olympic gold next year in
Paris but knows from experience the pitfalls of elite sport, symbolised by her tattoo of a blue shell from the Mario
Kart game over her achilles scar. When life is going
too well, a blue shell can always be hovering around the corner to take you
out, she explained.
Frankie Dettori
Speaking of comebacks, here comes
Frankie, British horse racings adopted son turned father figure. The Italian
jockey is one of only two non-Brits to have scaled the Spoty
podium (with New Zealand speedway star Barry Briggs, who was second twice in
the 1960s). In the past Dettori has never got closer
than his third-place finish in 1996. In 2023, Dettori
has had a wild year to match his persona: a farewell tour, a retirement U-turn, and a victorious and dramatic
final hurrah at Champions Day at Ascot (where his newly-built statue now
stands), prevailing in the Champion Stakes in his final ride on British soil, adding to his wins in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, the Coronation Cup triumph at
Epsom and two Classics victories.
Alfie Hewett
In terms of titles won, Hewett is
the runaway leader here. The wheelchair tennis player is a phenomenon, winning
seven singles tournaments, including two majors, and only narrowly missing out
on a third grand slam title at Wimbledon. Ranked No 1 in singles, he and Gordon
Reid also claimed three of the four doubles majors on offer in Australia,
France and SW19, while Hewett played a pivotal part in Great Britains World
Team Cup glory. Already an OBE at the age of 26, Hewett could become the first
para-athlete to win Spoty Tanni
Grey-Thompson and Jonnie Peacock finished third in 2000 and 2017 respectively.
Stuart Broad
Sporting legacies are not just
constructed by scores, numbers and titles but moments and memories, especially
in cricket: Andrew Flintoff consoling Brett Lee at Edgbaston,
Shane Warnes Ball of the Century, Monty Panesar and Jimmy
Andersons last-wicket stand. Broad cemented his own legacy
with a stunning farewell in the final Ashes Test after the shock announcement
of his retirement. Having scored a six with his last ball as a batter, he took
the final wicket of the match to give England victory, ending with 604 career
Test wickets. Broad did not have a perfect year, but few can doubt his legend
in an England shirt and there were no finer finishes than at the sun-drenched Oval in July.
A spot of bother
Spoty
has always been contentious. Roger Bannister was snubbed in the first-ever
award in 1954 for his pacemaker, Chris Chataway. This
year, similarly, there were some omissions from the main shortlist that caused
a stir. Josh Kerr, Britains remarkable 1500m world champion, told the Guardian last week he was massively
disappointed not to be nominated. The World Athletics president, Seb Coe, was slightly more forthright: Are you having a
laugh, Spoty? he tweeted. Real Madrids Jude
Bellingham has a claim after becoming arguably the best male footballer in the
world, while Ronnie OSullivan celebrated his eighth UK snooker championship
three days before his 48th birthday, making him both the youngest and oldest
winner of the event.
ATTACHMENT TWELVE From
FROM - standtogether
FIRE RELEASES
2024 RANKINGS OF BEST, WORST COLLEGES FOR FREE SPEECH
Students
weigh a lot of factors when deciding where to go to college. Whats the
graduation rate? Do they have a strong liberal arts program? How much is
tuition?
A
universitys commitment to free speech is one of them.
Enter
the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) ,a grantee of Stand Together
Trust. Every year FIRE provides data ranking the free speech environments on
more than 250 college campuses. Researchers weigh insights from 55,102
students, the speech policies of each school, and the free speech cases
making it the largest survey ever about free speech on college campuses.
Students
should know that a college degree at certain schools may come at the expense of
their free speech, says Sean Stevens, Director of Polling and Analytics for
FIRE.
A
campus that fosters an open environment and welcomes civil debate allows
students to discover more about the world around them, test new ideas, and
build the intellectual and emotional muscle that enables them to productively
engage with different people and ideas long after they hang their diploma on
the wall.
The
report is valuable for any student selecting the college they will attend, and
also any higher education leader or free speech advocate looking to address the
specific factors impacting free speech on campuses.
For
example, consider these facts from FIREs report:
·
Students from
schools in the bottom five were more biased toward allowing controversial
liberal speakers on campus over conservative ones and were more accepting of
students using disruptive and violent forms of protest to stop a campus speech.
·
Deplatforming
attempts that occurred at schools ranked in the bottom five had an alarming 81%
success rate.
·
When provided
with a definition of self-censorship, at least a quarter of students said they
self-censor fairly often or very often
during conversations with other students, with professors, and during classroom
discussions, (25%, 27%, and 28%, respectively). A quarter of students also said
that they are more likely to self-censor on campus now at
the time they were surveyed than they were when they first
started college.
·
45% of
students said that blocking other students from attending a speech is
acceptable to some degree, up from 37% last year. And more than a quarter of
students (27%) said that using violence to stop campus speech is acceptable to
some degree, up from 20% last year.
·
Up to 72% of
students oppose allowing a conservative speaker on campus and up to 43% of
students oppose allowing a liberal speaker on campus.
These
findings come from student answers to various questions informing the unique
score FIRE gives colleges to determine the best and worst free speech
climates.
Colleges
with the best free speech rankings are (in order):
·
Michigan Technological
University
·
Auburn
University
·
University of
New Hampshire
·
Oregon State
University
·
Florida State
University
Colleges
with the lowest free speech rankings are:
·
Harvard
University
·
The
University of Pennsylvania
·
The University
of South Carolina
·
Georgetown
University
·
Fordham
University
These
rankings come just a little over a year since FIRE announced it was expanding shifting from focusing
exclusively on higher education to defending the rights of all Americans from
the court of law to the court of public opinion. So, while the countrys
leading free speech organization now protects everyone from K-12 students
expressing themselves with Gadsden Flag backpack patches to drag queens performing at a
Pride parade,
theyre continuing to provide resources to students, scholars, and university
leaders to ensure civil debate, academic freedom, and openness flourishes on
U.S. campuses.
FIREs
complete findings and an interactive dashboard for the rankings can be found
at https://rankings.thefire.org/
ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN From
FROM ITSNICETHAT.com
Review of the Year 2023: Top 50 Most Read
2023: the year that saw our new insights reports
launch, beverage rebrands take over the world of branding, and David Hockney
draw Harry Styles.
2023 has been a big year over here at Its Nice That,
full of change, growth and inspiring creativity of course. We had our first
ever Nicer
Tuesdays in New York, launched a trend-focused new
newsletter, The Index, switched up
our mission, and
kick-started a whole new section of our editorial output, Insights. Luckily, it seems you lot have been loving our new
content as our first two insight reports have taken top spots on our run-down
of the most read articles. The Lazy Report explored whether kicking it back
might be the key to creativity, while the Type Report compiled 100 typography
studios taking the industry by storm.
Staying true to form, you also devoured articles that
investigated the world of branding, especially in the world of food and drink,
with Hanna Karraby and James Paris refreshing cafe
branding and Juri Okitas
inventive restaurant concept taking top spots. Though were not sure anyone
expected 2023 to be the year that would usher in a whole host of beverage
rebrands, with 7Ups simple yet punchy overhaul and Minute Maids friendly,
flat and retro new look quenching your thirst. Big cultural moments also hit
our screens, with Porto Rochas indie-inspired Sundance rebrand, AIGAs round
up of 2022s best book covers, and From Forms photographic flip book for an
Amsterdam-based museum.
Finally, as in most years, stories that whipped up debate
throughout the industry made it onto the list including David Hockneys
portrait of Harry Styles (hilariously reimagined by the one and only Joe
Lycett), and a monstrous cruise ship, complete with a waterpark and dubbed a
human lasagne. Keep scrolling to find out which
other big hitters made the list.
See them here.
ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN From
FROM POLYGON.COM via VOX
Polygons Best of the Year 2023
Only the best of the best from games, TV,
movies, and beyond
2023 has been a remarkable year to be a fan
of good media.
Tears of the Kingdom landed with a splash, and seemed to have the
game of the year race locked up all the way back in May. But a litany of
surprise contenders entered the fray later in the year, led by Baldurs Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2,
rewriting what is possible in their own corners of the medium.
Barbenheimer demonstrated
that The Movies are fully back, bringing audiences back in droves with record box office numbers,
potentially signaling the beginning of the end of Disneys recent box office
dominance. And they were just two of many significant releases in a year full
of cinematic spectacle.
The year was also filled with video game
adaptations of all stripes, as the mainstream entertainment industry continues
to embrace the medium more and more. The Mario movie!
HBOs The Last of Us! Twisted Metal and Gran Turismo!
Mixed results there, to be sure, and plenty more are on the way.
Some of the biggest anime series in the world
had thrilling new seasons, along with new shows that quickly grew their own
dedicated fan bases. And the great books and tabletop games that came out this
year will keep you occupied well into 2024.
Heres our look at the best of the best 2023
had to offer in games and entertainment.
o
The 50
best video games of 2023
o The 50
best TV shows of 2023
o The best
sci-fi and fantasy books of 2023
o The best
tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
o The best
board games we played in 2023
o The best
new tabletop RPG books of 2023
o The best
video game books of 2023
o What the
Polygon staff bought and loved in 2023
ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN From
FROM BARNESANDNOBLE.COM
2023 Barnes & Noble Book of
the Year
The Heaven & Earth Grocery
Store (2023 B&N Book of the Year)
by James McBride
From the author of Deacon King
Kong and National Book Award winner The Good Lord Bird comes the Barnes &
Noble 2023 Book of the Year, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, a stunning
novel about a small town and the bonds of community that are formed between
marginalized groups in order to survive.
Learn more about The Heaven &
Earth Grocery Store on Poured Over: The B&N Podcast and read more about
James McBride on B&N Reads.
2023 Barnes & Noble Author of
the Year
David Grann
David Grann
is the inaugural recipient of the Author of the Year award from Barnes &
Noble in 2023, celebrating his impressive array of achievements that began in
2009 with The Lost City of Z and extended into 2023 with The Wager and the film
adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon. Granns
writing style, mixing thriller-like stakes and riveting history, solidifies him
as one of the literary worlds essential nonfiction voices.
Learn more about The Wager on
Poured Over: The B&N Podcast and read more about David Grann
on B&N Reads.
FINALISTS
The Puppets of Spelhorst (B&N Exclusive Edition)
by Kate DiCamillo, Julie Morstad (Illustrator)
The magical mind of Kate DiCamillo paired with Julie Morstads gorgeous illustrations makes for an unforgettable
narrative about five puppets intent on changing their lot in life.
Read more in B&N Reads.
The
Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (2023 B&N Author of the Year)
by David Grann
This seamless slam-dunk of epic history-telling from the author
of the bestselling Killers of the Flower
Moon is an 18th-century puzzle of high seas intrigue, a fateful
shipwreck, mutiny and a real-life "Lord of the Flies" descent into
mayhem, culminating in a gripping courtroom battle where opposing truths hang
in the balance. Rousing, engrossing and such a ride!
Learn more on Poured Over: The B&N Podcast.
by Katy Hessel
In this long-awaited publication, we finally learn about the
other half. Katy Hessel completely rewrites our understanding of art history,
starting with Plautilla Nelli,
the first known Florentine female Renaissance artist, through basically
yesterday. This is a mind blowing, incredibly important and fantastic read.
Learn more on Poured Over: The B&N Podcast.
Yellowface
(B&N Exclusive Edition)
by R. F. Kuang
From the bestselling author of Babel and The Poppy War trilogy, Yellowface is
a masterful interrogation of white privilege and cultural appropriation within
the publishing industry that will stick with you long after you've finished the
last page.
Learn more on Poured Over: The B&N Podcast.
Zilot
& Other Important Rhymes
by Bob Odenkirk, Erin Odenkirk
(Illustrator), Nate Odenkirk
(Contribution by), Naomi Odenkirk
(Contribution by), Erin Odenkirk
(Contribution by)
Who better to deliver the goofy gospel than Emmy Award-winning
and New York Times bestselling writer and comedian Bob Odenkirk and his
daughter, illustrator Erin Odenkirk. This will delight readers young and old
and anyone who isnt boring
or striving to be less boring.
Chili
Crisp: 50+ Recipes to Satisfy Your Spicy, Crunchy, Garlicky Cravings
by James Park, Heami Lee (Photographer)
The sheer multitude of possibilities that chili crisp presents
as an ingredient have never been as comprehensively explored as they are here.
James Park is a master of said multitude and hes here to spread the joy of
chili crisp to one and all. This is one condiment with so much delicious
potential.
The
Berry Pickers (B&N Discover Prize Winner)
A profoundly moving novel told from the alternating point of
view of two siblings, this is the story of a Mikmaq girl gone missing and the
lasting effect it has on her family. Inspired by family stories and written in
exacting prose, this gorgeous narrative will linger long after you put it down.
by Rebecca Ross
Sweeping and romantic, Divine Rivals is the
explosive kick off to a new series from Rebecca Ross. Pick up this inventive
and harrowing story about two young journalists and a war that has the fate of
mankind hanging in the balance.
The
Creative Act: A Way of Being
by Rick Rubin
The Creative Act sits
at the intersection of self-help and spirituality. With his extraordinary career
in the music business, Rick Rubin has plenty to say about the art of being an
artist and what it takes to be truly creative. We love the gorgeous cover
design.
Let
Us Descend (Oprah's Book Club)
by Jesmyn Ward
Jesmyn Ward is always brilliant, and this is no exception. Equally
devastating and uplifting, this is the story of both slavery and Black American
reclamation of the South. Told with gorgeous, lyrical prose, it will satiate
any literary appetite.
ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN From SCIENCE
Sixteen
A: CRISPR
technology: A decade of genome editing is only the beginning
By
JOY Y. WANG and JENNIFER A. DOUDNA
A
decade of CRISPR
In the decade since the publication of CRISPR-Cas9 as a
genome-editing technology, the CRISPR toolbox and its applications have
profoundly changed basic and applied biological research. Wang and Doudna now review the origins and utility of CRISPR-based
genome editing, the successes and current limitations of the technology, and
where innovation and engineering are needed. The authors describe important
advances in the development of CRISPR genome-editing technology and make
predictions about where the field is headed. They also highlight specific
examples in medicine and agriculture that show how CRISPR is already affecting
society, with exciting opportunities for the future.
See more here.
Sixteen B: Obesity
plays out as a private struggle and a public health crisis. In the United
States, about 70% of adults are affected by excess weight, and in Europe that
number is more than half. The stigma against fat can be crushing; its risks,
life-threatening. Defined as a body mass index of at least 30, obesity is
thought to power type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, fatty liver
disease, and certain cancers.
Yet
drug treatments for obesity have a sorry past, one often intertwined with
social pressure to lose weight and the widespread belief that excess weight
reflects weak willpower. From rainbow diet pills packed with amphetamines and
diuretics that were marketed to women beginning in the 1940s, to the 1990s rise
and fall of fen-phen, which triggered catastrophic heart and lung conditions,
history is beset by failures to find safe, successful weight loss drugs.
But
now, a new class of therapies is breaking the mold, and theres a groundswell
of hope that they may dent rates of obesity and interlinked chronic diseases.
The drugs mimic a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and they
are reshaping medicine, popular culture, and even global stock markets in ways
both electrifying and discomfiting. Originally developed for diabetes, these
GLP-1 receptor agonists induce significant weight loss, with mostly manageable
side effects. This year, clinical trials found that they also cut symptoms of
heart failure and the risk of heart attacks and strokes, the most compelling
evidence yet that the drugs have major benefits beyond weight loss itself. For
these reasons, Science has
named GLP-1 drugs the Breakthrough of the Year.
See
more here.
ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN From READERS DIGEST
THESE ARE THE 2023 WORDS OF THE YEAR, ACCORDING TO
DICTIONARIES
By Kiersten Hickman: Dec. 13, 2023
What
word defined the past year for you? Find out if your guess matches the actual
word of the year from five prominent dictionaries.
If there was one word that described the year
you just had, what would it be? Maybe its one of the 690 new words and
phrases Merriam-Webster just added
to its dictionarylike beast mode for the workout routine
youve kept up with since New Years, or chefs kiss after you
finally figured out how to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Or maybe
its something you heard repeatedly in conversation, like a cultural trend,
food, acronym or even a concept like the Roman
Empire. (Yes, the actual Roman Empire.)
Whatever your personal word of the year may
be, some words tend to be more broadly significant and influential, according
to the worlds most prominent dictionaries.
These are the terms that might refer to a cultural zeitgeist, a controversy or
our larger thoughts (and often anxieties) about the world. Five dictionariesCambridge, Dictionary.com, Collins, Merriam-Webster and Oxford
University Pressrecently revealed their words of the year for 2023, and
they have all these components. Can you guess what they are?
Read on to find out.
Get Readers Digests Read
Up newsletter for more news, humor, cleaning, travel,
tech and fun facts all week long.
Cambridge
Dictionarys word
of the year (17
A)
HALLUCINATE
Cambridge Dictionarys pick for 2023 isdrum roll, pleasehallucinate.
You might be scratching your head right now since this isnt a new word, per
se. Of course, the common definition of hallucinate is to
seem to see, hear, feel or smell something that does not exist, usually because
of a health condition or because you have taken a drug. In 2023, however, to
hallucinate can mean something different, thanks to AI.
According to Cambridges alternate
definition of hallucinating, when an artificial intelligence (= a computer
system that has some of the qualities that the human brain has, such as the
ability to produce language in a way that seems human) hallucinates, it
produces false information. Sure, using AI can be fun for creating dog selfies or
could even help you land a job,
but its prone to producing misleading or made-up factsor hallucinating.
Which means well likely be dealing
with more misinformation, at least in the near future. The
fact that AIs can hallucinate reminds us that humans still need to bring
their critical-thinking skills to the use of these tools, notes Wendalyn Nichols, Cambridge Dictionarys
publishing manager. Translation: Dont believe everything you reador that AI
tells you!
Dictionary.coms word of the year (17 B)
HALLUCINATE
No, youre not hallucinatinghallucinate is
also Dictionary.coms word of the year.
While the definition is slightly different, the intent is the same: to produce
false information contrary to the intent of the user and present it as if true
and factual. Interestingly, this usage dates back to 1971, though search for
this term has skyrocketed by 85% in the past year.
This sense of hallucinate is
not new, but it is newly pertinent to many peoples lives and livelihoods,
said Kory Stamper, senior editor of lexicography at Dictionary.com, in a
press release. The conversations about the capabilities, ethics and limits of
AI touch on nearly every aspect of our daily life: what we read or see on news
websites; whether our refrigerators are vulnerable to hacking; or whether a bot
is going to replace us at work. Its no surprise that people have latched on
to hallucinate as a convenient shorthand for all these
worries.
Collins
Dictionarys word
of the year (17 C)
AI
Those dictionary people are apparently (ahem)
all on the same page. Similar to Cambridge and Dictionary.com, Collins
Dictionarys word of the year is the broader term AI. Collins chose
this term because it is considered to be the next great technological
revolution, has seen rapid development and has been much talked about in
2023.
ChatGPT was released in late 2022, with companies
attempting to use it to cut costs, worrying employees that it would replace
their jobs. AI pioneers and creators began expressing
concerns that AI could be dangerous and manipulated by bad actors.
President Biden even issued an executive order on safe, secure and trustworthy
artificial intelligence.
And then, of course, there were the
months-long writers and actors strikes, much of which hinged on the potential
use of AI. While humans eventually won in both scenarioswith the new contracts
stating that AI is not allowed to write or rewrite content or use an actors
likeness in a way that the actor didnt originally agree tothis is likely the
first battle of many to come, in a variety of industries.
Merriam-Websters word of the year
AUTHENTIC
(17 D)
With Merriam-Websters word, we
have an AI trifecta! This esteemed dictionarys lexicographers chose authentic.
While its core meaning is the samenot false or imitationone reason for its
popularity in 2023 can be attributed to AI, with the rise in deepfake videos,
AI-generated voices on Audible, fake writer profiles on sites like Sports
Illustrated and, as noted above, the potential use of AI in
entertainment.
However, this word choice is even more
nuanced. Being authentic is also about being true to ones own personality,
spirit or character. Are you, your friends and the public figures you look up
to being true to themselves? Are you really getting what you see on that
Instagram profile? Is that dish you got at a restaurant truly authentic?
And heres where it gets extra complicated:
As people search for authenticity, Merriam-Webster notes,
ironically, with authentic content creators
authenticity has become a
performance.
Oxford
University Presss
word of the year (17 Eriz)
RIZZ
Just when we thought it would be an AI
landslide, Oxford slides in at the last minute with a totally
different word of the year for 2023: rizz.
This noun, popular among Gen Z, means style, charm or attractiveness and the
ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner. Its believed to be a
shortened version of the word charisma, and it can also be used as
a verb. To rizz up means to turn on the charm and
attract the person youve always wanted to
wink, wink.
Overall, it also hints at a changing attitude
in 2023. Given that last year goblin mode resonated with so many of us
following the pandemic, notes Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages,
its interesting to see a contrasting word like rizz come
to the forefront, perhaps speaking to a prevailing mood of 2023, where more of
us are opening ourselves after a challenging few years and finding confidence
in who we are.
Hmmm
maybe rizz isnt
all that different from authentic, after all.
Sources:
·
Cambridge Dictionary: The Cambridge Dictionary
Word of the Year 2023 Is
·
Dictionary.com:
The Dictionary.com Word of the Year is hallucinate.
·
Collins Dictionary: The Collins Word
of the Year 2023 Is
·
Merriam-Webster
Dictionary: Word of the Year 2023
·
Oxford University Press: Rizz crowned Oxford Word of the Year 2023
ATTACHMENT EIGHTEEN From Pantone.co
WELCOME TO THE MAGENTAVERSE
What is Viva Magenta?
Pantones Color of the Year, Viva Magenta
18-1750, vibrates with vim and vigor. It is a shade rooted in nature descending
from the red family and expressive of a new signal of strength. Viva Magenta is
brave and fearless, and a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes a joyous
and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative.
This years Color of the Year is powerful and
empowering. It is a new animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging
experimentation and self-expression without restraint, an electrifying, and a
boundaryless shade that is manifesting as a stand-out statement. PANTONE
18-1750 Viva Magenta welcomes anyone and everyone with the same verve for life
and rebellious spirit. It is a color that is audacious, full of wit and
inclusive of all. this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from
nature and what is real. PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red
family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes
belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and
brightest the world has known.
Rooted in the primordial, PANTONE 18-1750
Viva Magenta reconnects us to original matter. Invoking the forces of nature,
PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta galvanizes our spirit, helping us to build our
inner strength.
Leatrice Eiseman
Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute
ATTACHMENT NINETEEN From
PRODUCTOFTHEYEAR.COM
ATTACHMENT TWENTY FROM WORLDCARAWARDS.COM
WORLD CAR AWARDS -
2023 VOTING RESULTS
|
World Car
of the Year
World Luxury Car
World Performance Car
World Electric Vehicle
World Urban Car
World Car Design of the Year
|
ATTACHMENT From
ATTACHMENT TWENTY ONE From
FROM VARIETY
Google Year in Search
2023: Barbie, Oppenheimer Lead Top-Trending Movies, Last of Us Tops TV
Rankings
By Todd Spangler
No surprise here: Barbenheimer led the field on the top-trending Google
searches of the year in movies, while HBOs dystopian video-game adaptation
The Last of Us came out on top on the TV front.
The Google
year-in-review 2023 lists, released Monday, are based on data about the top-trending
searches in the U.S., tracking queries that had the highest spikes in traffic
over a sustained period this year as compared with 2022. Thats why Taylor
Swift and Beyoncι, for example, dont show up on the rankings for music
artists.
In TV, Netflix had a
strong showing, with seven of the top 10 trending searches in the category for
the streamers originals: Ginny & Georgia, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Wednesday, That 90s Show,
Kaleidoscope, Beef and The Fall of the House of Usher.
After Barbie and
Oppenheimer, top-trending movie searches on Google for the year were for
Sound of Freedom, this summers unexpected and controversial box office hit,
and Oscar-winner Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The No. 1 top-trending
actor searched among Google U.S. users was Jeremy Renner, who suffered a
near-fatal snow plow accident in January.
Here are highlights
from Googles 2023 Year in Search report for the U.S.:
Movies
1. Barbie
2. Oppenhiemer
3. Sound
of Freedom
4. Everything
Everywhere All at Once
5. Guardians
of the Galaxy Vol. 3
6. The
Super Mario Bros. Movie
7. Creed
III
8. John
Wick: Chapter 4
9. Five
Nights at Freddys
10. Cocaine Bear
TV Shows
1. The
Last of Us
2. Ginny
& Georgia
3. Queen
Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
4. Daisy
Jones & The Six
5. Wednesday
6. That
90s Show
7. Kaleidoscope
8. Beef
9. The
Idol
10. The Fall of the House of Usher
Actors
1. Jeremy
Renner
2. Jamie
Foxx
3. Danny
Masterson
4. Matt
Rife
5. Pedro
Pascal
6. Jonathan
Majors
7. Sophie
Turner
8. Russell
Brand
9. Ke Huy Quan
10. Josh Hutcherson
Deaths
1. Matthew
Perry
2. Tina
Turner
3. Jerry
Springer
4. Jimmy
Buffett
5. Sinιad OConnor
6. Ken
Block
7. Tyre Nicholas
8. Lisa
Marie Presley
9. Suzanne
Somers
10. Bob Barker
Games
1. Hogwarts
Legacy
2. Connections
3. Baldurs
Gate 3
4. Starfield
5. Diablo
IV
6. The
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
7. Atomic
Heart
8. Dead
Island 2
9. Sons
of the Forest
10. Mortal Kombat 1
Musicians
1. Jason
Aldean
2. Ice
Spice
3. Oliver Anthony
4. Peso Pluma
5. Joe Jonas
6. Sam Smith
7. Matt
Healy
8. Kellie
Pickler
9. Kim
Petras
10. Sexyy Red
People
1. Damar
Hamlin
2. Jeremy
Renner
3. Travis
Kelce
4. Tucker
Carlson
5. Lil
Tay
6. Andrew
Tate
7. Carlee
Russell
8. Jamie
Foxx
9. Danny
Masterson
10. Matt Rife
News
1. War
in Israel and Gaza
2. Titanic
submarine
3. Hurricane
Hilary
4. Hurricane
Idalia
5. Hurricane
Lee
6. Maine
shooting
7. Nashville
shooting
8. Maui
fire
9. Idaho
murder trial
10. Canada wildfires
ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO From CNN
These were the top trending Google searches of 2023
By Harmeet Kaur, CNN Published 4:37 PM EST, Mon December 11, 2023
If you turned to Google these past few
months to make sense of the Israel-Hamas war, you arent alone.
The tech giant released its 2023 Year in Search on
Monday, and the data indicates that people around the world sought out
information around Hamas October 7 attack on Israel and Israels ensuing
military campaign in Gaza.
War in Israel and Gaza topped this years
list of news trends in the US and globally, while what is Hamas, what is
happening in Israel, and why did Hamas attack were among the years top US
search queries beginning with what is or why.
The Titan submersible that
imploded on a voyage to see the wreckage of the Titanic and prompted a massive,
international search was the next top global news trend after the war, followed
by the devastating Turkey-Syria earthquake in
February that killed more than 50,000 people.
Googles annual Year in Search roundup is a
snapshot of the people and phenomena that piqued peoples curiosities and
captivated their attention the lists identify search inquiries that saw high
traffic spikes over a sustained period relative to the previous year. In
addition to major news events such as the war, Damar Hamlins cardiac arrest during
an NFL game, the death of Friends star Matthew Perry and
Barbenheimer
were some of the other stories that had people talking in 2023, according to
the data.
Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety whose
devastating injury in January reignited a debate about safety in the NFL,
topped Googles list of trending people and athletes. Other names that
dominated search trends this year include, respectively: Actor Jeremy Renner, who suffered a near-fatal accident at the
beginning of the year; misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate; French soccer player Kylian Mbappι and
Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce, who has consistently made headlines since
his romance with Taylor Swift became public.
Googles list also highlighted some of the
people we lost this year, as people mourned the deaths of Perry, Tina Turner
and Sinead OConnor.
Barbie and Oppenheimer were the years
top trending movies, followed by Bollywood blockbuster Jawan, crime thriller
Sound of Freedom and John Wick: Chapter 4. HBOs post-apocalyptic drama
The Last of Us, as well as Netflixs Wednesday and Ginny and Georgia,
topped the list of trending TV shows. Meanwhile, Japanese duo Yoasobis track Idol (アイドル) and Jason Aldeans controversial Try That in a Small Town
led search inquiries for songs.
This years search trends also revealed
shifts in language and the ways we communicate. Rizz,
the 2023 Oxford word of year that essentially refers to a persons charisma,
was the top search inquiry for slang definitions a category that also
included its giving, cringe and no printer.
ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE From the Usual Suspects
SOME URLs to MORE STORIES
FROM the
GUARDIAN U.K
Drama magnet Elon Musks biggest
headlines of 2023
2024 culture preview The
best pop and classical music to look out for
The 10
worst things the former president
said this year
More
racist, unhinged, authoritarian comments by the former president?
Our 20 favourite long reads of the year
The 10
biggest stories of 2023 chosen by scientists
Music - Kitty
Empires 10
best albums of 2023
Pigeons! Superheroes! Farts! The best movie moments of 2023
FROM the NEW
YORK TIMES
Best of TV: Episodes
of Australian Survivor and Bobs Burgers made it onto the Timess list
of the best of the year.
Good Tech Awards: The
technological breakthroughs of 2023 that might make the world a better place.
The Times Most
read articles
1. Titan submersible
rescuers detect
underwater noise in
search area and redirect efforts. (June 20)
2. Matthew Perry,
star of Friends, is dead
at 54.
(Oct. 29)
3. Damar Hamlin
of Buffalo Bills in critical condition after collapsing
during N.F.L. game.
(Jan. 2)
4. Trump decries
charges after pleading
not guilty to
34 felony counts. (April 4)
5. House
adjourns again with no
resolution on speaker. (Jan. 5)
6. Agents
search suspects properties as manhunt
continues after
Maine
shootings. (Oct. 25)
7. Lisa Marie Presley,
singer-songwriter and daughter of Elvis, dies
at 54.
(Jan. 12)
8. Paramilitary
chief abruptly ends standoff in Russia. (June 24)
9. Tucker Carlsons
text that alarmed Fox leaders: Its
not how white men fight.
(May 2)
10. Six
killed in Nashville school shooting, including three children. (March 27)
Top
trackers and interactives
1. Spelling Bee Buddy: Personalized Hints That Update as You Play
2. Whos Running for President in 2024?
3. Tracking Air
Quality and Smoke From
Wildfires
4. Tracking
the Attacks in Israel and
Gaza
5. Vote
Count:
McCarthy
Elected House Speaker After 15 Ballots For what it was worth - DJI
(WordleBot also had a huge audience, but doesnt
qualify because it was not originally published in 2023.)
Most
gift-shared
1. Women
have been misled about menopause. (Feb. 1)
2. A conversation
with Bings chatbot left me deeply unsettled. (Feb. 16)
3. Why
did 488 golden retrievers gather in Scotland? (July 19)
4. 52 Places to Go in 2023. (Jan. 12)
5. Five exercises
to keep an aging body strong
and fit.
(March 1)
6. Even
a little alcohol can harm your health. (Jan. 13)
7. Noam
Chomsky: The false
promise of
ChatGPT. (March 8)
8. For
a stable, strong core, forget about crunches. (Feb. 8)
9. How
do you serve a friend in despair? (Feb. 9)
10. Alarmed
by A.I. chatbots, universities start revamping
how they teach.
(Jan. 16)
Most
time spent
1. Nancy Pelosi, liberated
and loving it.
(Jan. 21)
2. Battling
a cartel in a horrifying quest to find her daughter. (Sept. 24)
3. Ghosts
on the glacier:
New clues in an old climbing mystery. (Dec. 9)
4. The mother
who changed:
A story of dementia. (May 9)
5. Mel Brooks isnt done punching up the history of
the world. (March 11)
6. 2023 Met Gala red carpet roundup. (May 1)
7. A homeless
man attacked him. But was there more
to the story?
(Nov. 16)
8. The
Polygon and the Avalanche: How the Gilgo Beach suspect was found. (July 20)
9. America,
China and a crisis of trust. (April 14)
10. Can you survive summer? Take the quiz. (June 2)
FROM the Fox
Fox News top-rated cable channel for
eighth straight year
Capping
off an eventful year: Here are the top 6 political ...
Fox News 2023 Year in Review with Bill Hemmer. 2023 was another turbulent year, marked by political dysfunction at home and two major world wars...
2023's
biggest losers in politics
The top US states people
moved to and from in 2023
Fox News Channel crushes competition in 2023 ... Americans flocked to Fox News Channel in 2023 and it
will finish as cable television's most-watched network for the eighth
consecutive year.
"The
stock price is down": The biggest Fox News fails of
2023. (By Salon) The right-wing network ends a tough year on a
low note with more trouble ahead in 2024.
FROM TIME
13 Ways the
World Got Better in 2023
FROM the WASHINGTON
POST
Our On the Record Year
in Review!
The most bizarre celebrity
apologies of 2023
Did anything good happen in
2023? Actually, yes!
The very worst
sports decisions of 2023