Ara abrahamian biography of william shakespeare
A globe shows the world we think we know: neatly delineated sovereign nations that grant or restrict their citizens’ rights. Beneath, above, and tucked inside their borders, however, another universe has been engineered into existence. It consists of thousands of extraterritorial zones that operate largely autonomously, and increasingly for the benefit of the wealthiest individuals and corporations.
Atossa Abrahamian traces the rise of this hidden globe to thirteenth-century Switzerland, where poor cantons marketed their only commodity: bodies, in the form of mercenary fighters. Over time, economists, theorists, statesmen, and consultants evolved ever more sophisticated ways of exporting and exploiting statelessness, in the form of free trade zones, flags of convenience, offshore detention centers, charter cities controlled by foreign corporations, and even into outer space. By mapping this countergeography, which decides who wins and who loses in the new global order—and helping us to see how it might be otherwise—The Hidden Globe fascinates, enrages, and inspires.
This Island Life
ABC’s James Longman on Family, Trauma, and Reporting from the Frontlines (Part 2) Having reported from over sixty countries, from the front lines of wars in Ukraine and Syria to the wilds of the Antarctic, ABC News Chief International Correspondent James Longman has witnessed the extremes of human existence firsthand. But the story that has stayed with him the longest is closer to home. In his new memoir, The Inherited Mind, James applies his journalistic skills to explore a family legacy marked by mental illness, and the science and people that shape us. James was just a preteen at boarding school when his father, who struggled with depression and schizophrenia, died by suicide. His uncle was also diagnosed with schizophrenia, and his grandfather also ended his life. As James grew older, his own battles with depression led him to examine how his father’s mental health might have influenced his own. Drawing on conversations with leading experts, he delves into the science of inheritance, the impact of environment on genetic predispositions, and how one can overcome a familial history of mental illness and trauma. On January 30, James was joined in conversation with longtime friend, barrister and broadcaster Rob Rinder for a powerful discussion on family, resilience, and frontline reporting, live at the Kiln Theatre in London. --------- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, .
In Spring, just as we were defining this issue’s themes of digital-era politics and emerging new ideas about building and changing societies, fashion brand Diesel announced the imminent existence of its island. We didn’t quite understand what it might be, just that it would appear at the end of March, “passports” would be obtained in person at Diesel’s stores or online via Facebook, and that it was accompanied by teaser images of beautiful people exploring a deserted island in designer clothes, and setting up a new way of life there. Long renowned for its risqué, smart magazine advertisements and billboards, Diesel was launching an internet idea that would, in theory, become a sort of society, where laws were proposed and made official by an equal network of “citizens”. According to Diesel founder and head Renzo Rosso, “The idea of creating an unconventional society is very strong for a lifestyle brand. This is a political statement in a world that is messed up by economic crisis and major social issues.” It was also a branding exercise par excellence, of course, but not a one-trick one – over the month of May, a series of workshops and lectures dubbed “The Diesel Island School of Life” and featuring musicians, writers, publishers, food foragers and others took place across the UK. The theme was D-I-Y businesses and other, folksier forms of modern self-sufficiency. As such, it tapped into an ancient tradition of seeing islands as the perfect territory for starting a better society, of the island as “idea” at least as much, or instead of, a geographical reality. It’s one we never seem to tire of.
A mini mind-map of idea islands
Plato, “Atlantis” (360 BC)
In his dialogues “Timaeus” and “Critaeus”, Plato first floated the idea of the lost island city of Atlantis, the Avatar of island-paradise myths. The land, watched over by the sea god Poseidon, was a beacon of happiness and its denizens were duly looked down upon kindly by the gods. “T