Brigadoon Daily | Jan. 21

TOP FIVE:

1. Putin loves to roll the dice. Ukraine is his biggest gamble yet. WSJ reports the former spy chief’s tolerance for risk is tested as he threatens a ground war unseen in Europe since the 1940s.

2. Most NFTs are more like baseball cards than fine art: Scott Duke Kominers writes collectors aren’t just paying crazy prices for blockchain entries. They’re also buying affordable access to communities and the opportunities that come with it.

3. NYC Mayor Adams will convert his city paycheck to cryptocurrency via Coinbase: The Verge reports he can’t get paid directly in cryptocurrency under US labor law.

4. The eerie, lunar nothingness of Namibia’s Skeleton Coast: NYT writes the stretch of coastline in southwest Africa is a strange and beautiful reminder that, in the end, we are powerless against nature and time.

5. Football, the ultimate team sport, has been distilled to a single position: WP reports these playoffs are a quarterbacking fantasy, thanks to the design of the modern NFL.

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Brigadoon Daily | Jan. 20

TOP FIVE:

1. Why Germany refuses weapons deliveries to Ukraine: DW reports Germany has declined to join allies such as the US and UK in shipping weapons to Ukraine. The country faces an unpredictable buildup of Russian troops on its borders — and there is precedent for armed aggression.

2. What if Web3 isn’t all it is cracked up to be? NYT reports Andreessen Horowitz’s representatives in Washington are telling policymakers that a crypto-based internet can fix the problems of the current web, helping Americans “win the future” by giving them greater stakes in the tools they use.

3. Exodus of House Democrats points to daunting US midterms challenge: FT reports retirements by lawmakers from Joe Biden’s party puts razor-thin majority at risk.

4. André Leon Talley’s deep Southern roots: Garden + Gun writes the acclaimed fashion editor has served as confidant and adviser to Oscar de la Renta, dressed first ladies, and sat front row at every couture show that mattered. But his famous eye for style traces back to his grandmother’s house in Durham, North Carolina.

5. Choreographer helps UCLA gymnasts showcase their break-the-internet individuality: LAT reports in her first two years as UCLA’s choreographer, Bijoya “BJ” Das has set the internet aflame with three viral floor routines. Two of the star-making performances were choreographed during a pandemic that limited the assistant coach’s ability to interact with the gymnasts she was coaching.

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Brigadoon Daily | Jan. 19

TOP FIVE:

1. Russia, China, and US squabble over spheres of influence: Nikkei reports Ukraine and Kazakhstan become test cases for an old idea as a new reality.

2. Electric vehicle sales in Europe outpace diesels: NYT reports more than 20 percent of all cars sold in Europe and Britain last month were electric, as diesel — once the most popular engine option there — declines in popularity. The best-selling brand of electric car was Tesla, which is opening a factory in Germany this year.

3. US political ideology steady; conservatives, moderates tie: Gallup reports the way Americans identify themselves ideologically was unchanged in 2021, continuing the close division that has persisted in recent years between those describing themselves as either conservative or moderate, while a smaller share identifies as liberal. On average last year, 37% of Americans described their political views as moderate, 36% as conservative and 25% as liberal.

+ Conservatives and moderates still tied as largest ideological groups

+ Liberals remain the smallest group at 25%

+ Republicans' and Democrats' ideological identification unchanged

4. Why is it still considered OK to be ageist? Lucy Kellaway on an unspoken prejudice — and a puzzling discrimination against our future selves.

5. 'The world would take Africa more seriously': Egypt is aiming to host the 2036 Summer Olympics and become the first African country to host the Games. Sports scientist Kamilla Swart-Arries speaks to DW about why awarding the Games to Africa would be a good idea.

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