Journal 147 — George Soros, planet number nine, China’s space programme, the business of kidnapping & Robert A. Caro’s research on Lyndon Johnson
Image By Sasquatch — Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
This week — the campaign against George Soros, the hunt for planet number nine, China’s space programme, and the business of kidnapping.
If you only read one thing — Robert A. Caro about his research process on the trail of President Lyndon B. Johnson is worth the time.
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Robert A. Caro on the Secrets of Lyndon Johnson’s Archives | The New Yorker | Books
One of the great biographers writes about his discovery process, writing, and his experience researching the subject of his magnum opus, President Lyndon B. Johnson. Unsurprisingly, it’s a mesmerisingly well-told story.
The Unbelievable Story Of The Plot Against George Soros | BuzzFeed News | Politics
The story of two American political consultants who helped create attack-based campaign strategies whilst working for Netanyahu, Nixon and others. The piece focuses on how this led them to conceive an anti-George Soros campaign whilst working for Viktor Orbán in Hungary. This definitive ad hominem campaign has since been taken up in numerous other countries and adopted an increasingly virulent anti-Semitic tone.
The Hunt for Planet Nine | Longreads | Science
A pair of jovial scientists seeking to prove the existence of a ninth planet make for a great double act as they scale a mountain in Hawaii to access one of the world’s most powerful telescopes and search the night sky. The author does well to draw out the nobility in their potentially unachievable quest, which could seem quixotic were it not built on such extraordinarily advanced mathematical and astronomical theory.
The epic tale of China’s out of this world plan for space domination | Wired | Politics
Contrary to expectations set by the somewhat sensationalist title, this piece offers an insightful unpicking of the geo-political landscape of space exploration, in light of China’s work to catch up with Russian and American capabilities at breakneck speed.
The business of kidnapping: inside the secret world of hostage negotiation | The Guardian | Crime
Behind the scenes on the different approaches to hostage negotiations undertaken by governments and private firms around the world.
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