July 27-28
- Israel’s “war of extermination”
- Venice Film Festival lineup
- Bicycle saddle soreness solution
- … and much more!
⬇️ STARTER
Nicolas Maduro: The eternal fear of a dictator before his people
Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro joins a long line of dictators whose fall from grace is marked by a period of incessant corruption, isolation, and a disconnection from reality, writes Miguel Henrique Otero in Nicaraguan weekly newspaper Confidencial.
The decline of men in power is directly related to their time spent in office. We know it well: the longer they remain at the top, the worse and more twisted the material expressions of corruption become.
One only needs to read a biography of Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, or Teodoro Obiang Nguema, written by rigorous historians, to observe the astonishing similarities among the final decline of dictators, regardless of country or era.
The decline I speak of manifests in a repertoire of behaviors. Based on variations of these behaviors, great novelists like Miguel Ángel Asturias in El señor Presidente, Mario Vargas Llosa in his masterful La fiesta de El Chivo, or Gabriel García Márquez in El otoño del patriarca, have constructed characters perverted during the exercise of power that, in addition to being extraordinary works of fiction, provide us with tools to understand the Putins, Ortegas, or Maduros of our time.
The first phenomenon to note, inevitably, is the fear that begins to penetrate the psyche of dictators. The greater the number of years in power, a deepening feeling of illegitimacy grows inside the dictator. And with that, a state of constant fear of imaginary or real enemies also sets in. [...]
— Read the full article by Miguel Henrique Otero for Confidencial, translated into English by Worldcrunch.
🎲 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ
What do you remember from the news this week?
1. Kamala Harris organized her first campaign rally for the 2024 White House race in which midwestern U.S. state?
2. In what country did Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, sign an agreement for a joint governance of post-war Gaza?
3. What French transportation system was targeted by saboteurs before the Olympic opening ceremony?
4. What was found in high levels in sharks off the coast of Brazil? Plastic / cocaine / petrol / antidepressants
[Answers at the bottom of this newsletter]
#️⃣ TRENDING
Following Hot Girl Summer and Rat Girl Summer, this year is inescapably a Brat Girl Summer, thanks to British pop star Charli XCX chart topping studio album “Brat,” associated with a specific green shade. To be Brat means breaking from societal norms and fully embracing both your community and your unique identity. #BratSummer has exploded across social media, amassing more than 40,000 TikTok videos and 12,000 Instagram posts. Google Trends data reveals that “brat” is rapidly gaining popularity worldwide. Even Vice President Kamala Harris hasn’t escaped Brat-mania; Charli XCX tweeted, “kamala IS brat” shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Harris rapidly rebranded her campaign account on X, KamalaHQ, adopting a Brat-themed banner at the top of the profile.
🎭 5 CULTURE THINGS TO KNOW
• In memoriam: Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving member of U.S. Motown quartet The Four Tops, died on Monday at age 88; it was announced on Tuesday that Noriko Ohara, a Japanese voice actress best known the role of Nobita on the animated children’s show Doraemon, had passed away on July 12, at 88; British blues pioneer John Mayall, whose 1960s music collective the Bluesbreakers acted as springboard for stars including Eric Clapton, died at 90 on Monday.
• Stolen antiquities brought back to Cyprus. The island’s authorities have formally received 60 artifacts that had been looted after the 1974 Turkish invasion and sold across the world. These include bronze age antiquities and priceless examples of early Christian art. This is part of an ongoing global effort from various countries to trace and repatriate ancient artifacts.
• Eminem ends Taylor Swift’s Billboard reign. Eminem's latest album “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)” has knocked Taylor Swift's “The Tortured Poets Department” from No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after spending 12 weeks at the top of the chart. The record is still held by Stevie Wonder’s 1976 “Songs in the Key of Life,” which spent 13 weeks at No. 1 after debuting in the top spot.
• Colombian artist Botero celebrated with Rome exhibition. The Italian capital city’s streets and piazzas feature eight of the late Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s famously voluminous sculptures in a tribute open-air exhibition. The artist, who died on Sept. 15, 2023 in Monaco, lived several years in the Italian town of Pietrasanta in the Tuscany region, where he was buried. The sculptures will be visible until Oct. 1.
• Venice Film Festival unveils starry 2024 lineup. The 81st Venice International Film Festival will see Todd Phillips’s comic-book sequel Joker: Folie à Deux starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, and Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature The Room Next Door compete for the Golden Lion. Also in the competition will be Pablo Larraín’s Maria, a biopic of the opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie. In total, 21 movies will try to snatch the top prize at the event, which is scheduled to run Aug. 28 through Sept. 7.
💥 Gaza: “This war is not one of attrition but of extermination”
Some Palestinians believe the Israel-Hamas in Gaza war has turned into a war of attrition. But it is, in reality, one of extermination, writes Palestinian rights activist Moustafa Ibrahim in an op-ed for Arabic-language independent digital media Daraj. People in Gaza are now no longer hiding their criticism and frustration with the international community, who for nine months has failed to stop the war.
Read the full story: Israel's "War Of Extermination" Keeps Burning — Why Has International Outrage Gone Quiet?
😄 Harris’ laughter vs Trump’s scowls: a change in political communication?
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have starkly different communication styles, starting with laughter vs scowls. Would a Harris victory in November usher in a new era of more feminine form of political communication, asks Italian writer Nicoletta Verna. Laughter “ is one of the clearest signals of reassurance, agreement and complicity available to humankind. A trait that is, again, strongly feminine,” she writes in an analysis for Turin-based daily La Stampa.
Read the full story: How Kamala Harris Could Crush The Machismo Of Political Communication — With A Laugh
🔍 AI surveillance system at Paris Olympics: a new form a collective control?
The Olympic Games in Paris will be the first in history with a video surveillance system linked to massive databases, algorithms developed by artificial intelligence and facial recognition. Although the French Interior ministry maintains that the entire system’s only purpose is security and that fundamental rights will be respected, at least 38 civil society organizations in France have warned that the measures to be implemented are contrary to international law, reports Alberto Senante in Spanish monthly La Marea.
Read the full story: Paris Is First Olympics With AI Surveillance, A New Civil Liberties Threat To Us All
🚴 BRIGHT IDEA
Bicycles can be a fun and sustainable means of transportation but they can also be painful for your butt. Australian engineer Robin Macan may have found a more comfortable solution: a split saddle that follows the movement of your legs and butt. VabsRider, as the product is called, is compatible with all bicycles, and while no price has been communicated yet, it will probably be sold for around €600 ($650).
🛏️🤸 SMILE OF THE WEEK
The cardboard beds are back for the 2024 Paris Olympics. First introduced at the 2020 Tokyo Games, the debunked “anti-sex” beds are made in France, sustainable and will be recycled after the competition. Athletes are sharing their experience on social media, with Irish artistic gymnast Rhys McClenaghan going viral for putting the bed's sturdiness to the test with somersaults and handstands.
👓 WORLDCRUNCH MAGAZINE
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⏩ LOOKING AHEAD
• Israel will send a delegation to Gaza as part of efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage release deal next week, an Israel official said.
• Venezuelans will cast their ballots on Sunday in a presidential election that will see incumbent President Nicolas Maduro face opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. While Gonzalez has built a strong following, Maduro’s government has long been accused of rigging votes.
• Italy’s Via dell'Amore (Path of Love) is reopening on Saturday, 12 years after a landslide injured four Australian tourists and highlighted the area's dire need for renovations. The 800-meter footpath located in the Cinque Terre is popular for its multi-colored “vertical” villages perched on majestic rocks.
News quiz answers:
1. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris held her first campaign rally in the battleground state of Wisconsin, after jumping in the presidential race with Joe Biden’s endorsement.
2. Palestinian factions, including Hamas, Fatah and 12 other smaller Palestinian groups, signed a “national unity” declaration in Beijing, China, agreeing to set up an “interim national reconciliation government” to govern post-war Gaza.
3. France's high-speed rail network was hit by “malicious acts” including arson attacks, disrupting travel for hundreds of thousands of people just hours before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
4. Scientists found high levels of cocaine in the muscles and livers of 13 sharpnose sharks from the shores near Rio de Janeiro. Researchers believe the drug probably originated in drainage from illicit labs where cocaine is manufactured.
✍️ Newsletter by Worldcrunch
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*Photo: BAM! Eventi D’Arte/IG