Shishan Joshi, Defense Editor for The Economist, discusses the complexities surrounding women in combat roles, addressing misconceptions and emphasizing their contributions. Catherine Nixie, Culture Correspondent, dives into the dark origins of children's literature, questioning the appropriateness of sanitizing classic tales like Cinderella. They also explore how California's fires expose insurers' pricing challenges amidst climate change, reflecting on broader urban planning and regulatory issues.
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LA Fires Devastation
The Los Angeles fires devastated neighborhoods like Altadena, leaving homes destroyed and families displaced.
One couple, Laurie and Robert Bellotta, narrowly escaped their home as an ember burned their backyard.
insights INSIGHT
Financial Impact of Fires
The fires will have lasting financial impacts, increasing already high insurance costs for residents like the Bellotas.
The scale of the devastation raises concerns about insurance companies' ability to cover the immense losses.
insights INSIGHT
California's Faulty Insurance Market
California's insurance market is faulty, preventing insurers from accurately pricing wildfire risk.
Regulations based on historical data instead of climate change models have led some companies to stop selling policies in the state.
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Drawing on deep archival research and decades of scholarship, Ann Schmiesing tells the affecting story of how the Grimms’ ambitious projects gave the brothers a sense of self-preservation through the atrocities of the Napoleonic Wars and a series of personal losses. They produced a vast corpus of work on mythology and medieval literature, embarked on a monumental German dictionary project, and broke scholarly ground with Jacob’s linguistic discovery known as Grimm’s Law. Setting their story against a rich historical backdrop, Schmiesing offers a fresh consideration of the profound and yet complicated legacy of the Brothers Grimm.
Guess How Much I Love You
Guess How Much I Love You
Sam McBratney
This classic children's book follows the conversation between Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare as they try to outdo each other in expressing their love. The story uses simple, direct language and is beautifully illustrated by Anita Jeram. It has become a beloved bedtime tale, celebrating the depth and width of parental love, and has been translated into 57 languages and sold over 50 million copies worldwide.
Fart That Changed the World
Anita Mangan
Stephen Mangan
On the most important day of the year, King Fabian hosts all the neighboring rulers but things go awry when he farts and blames the butler, who is actually the brains behind the kingdom. With the butler in the dungeons, King Fabian must manage the high-pressure event alone. Frank, a kitchen boy with a big imagination, is drafted as an emergency butler. As the banquet descends into a food fight and processions go out of control, Frank must save the day. The book is packed with pictures by Anita Mangan and emphasizes that small events can trigger big changes and that children can be heroes.
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
The book narrates the journey of an unnamed protagonist, representing the reader, as he leaves town and travels through various landscapes and places. The story includes encounters with successes, setbacks, and places like 'The Waiting Place,' where everyone is waiting for something to happen. The narrative emphasizes the importance of resilience and adaptability, concluding on a positive note with the protagonist confidently moving forward.
Harry Potter
J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling, follows the journey of Harry Potter, an orphan boy who discovers he is a wizard. The series spans seven novels, each corresponding to one year of Harry's life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry, along with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, navigates the magical world, confronts various challenges, and ultimately faces off against the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who murdered Harry's parents and seeks to dominate the wizarding world. The series explores themes of friendship, love, and the struggle between good and evil.
Among the lessons emerging from California’s devastating fires is the idea that insurers cannot price risk on past data: the climate-change future is already here. Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for defence secretary, has some misguided notions about women on the battlefield (10:10). And examining children’s literature: should it be all sugar and spice—or more real-world, where not everything’s nice (19:28)?
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