The New York Times International - 10.10.2026.pdf

这些品尝者有四条腿，且口味挑剔 第 17 页 / 周末

第 7 页 / 商业

复兴 一部芭蕾舞剧 既 狂野 又 炽热

周末

第 5 页 / 世界

1.3 亿 个名字被剔除出选民名单，印度爆发抗议活动

品味新奥尔良的灵魂美食、 音乐与街头 生活 封底 / 旅行

这位丹麦人 正在创造 充满 故事的 虚拟 沼泽 第 22 页 / 艺术

纽约时报

国际版 / 2026年10月 10-11 日，周六-周日

重新评估扼点外交

迈克尔·弗罗曼

观点

在21世纪早些时候，各国认同全球经济一体化符合所有人的最大利益。如今，情况发生了阴暗的转变，包括美国在内的国家选择将全球经济的相互依赖关系武器化，以此相互攻击，将自己控制的任何独特资产作为杠杆来源。

美国这种战略工具最强有力的版本被称为“扼点”，即对美元的控制。国际关系在所有形式上都遵循一条关键的物理定律：每一个动作都会产生一个反应。

十多年前，美国在拒绝伊朗和俄罗斯使用基于美元的全球支付和银行基础设施时，就证明了这一点。该决定促使伊朗在 2013 年回到谈判桌就其核计划进行磋商；而俄罗斯则为 2014 年入侵克里米亚付出了代价。

对于中国来说，扼点在于其在全球供应链中的核心地位，这一点在稀土矿产和磁体方面体现得最为明显。中国将其在这些产业中的主导地位——它处理全球 90% 的稀土元素——转化为杠杆。2025, 4月，中国对关键矿产和磁体实施了广泛的出口限制（这些材料被用于从汽车座椅到导弹弹头的各种产品），并于去年10月宣布扩大限制范围。中方还对生产和加工这些材料的专有技术和技术实施了许可制度。

仅仅是部署这一扼点的威胁，就帮助向美国施压，使其放弃 145% 的普遍关税，并采取更为温和的贸易方式。

如今，伊朗正在利用一个古老的扼点：地理。伊朗地处霍尔木兹海峡，在战争爆发前，这条水道运送了全球约 20% 的石油和天然气。伊朗正利用其关闭海峡或实施

弗罗曼，第 11 页

月球竞赛进入核能时代

纽约时报发表来自广泛视角的观点，旨在促进关于重大问题的建设性辩论。

4月从阿耳忒弥斯2号看到的月球和地球。美国国家航空航天局（NASA）正努力追赶一个中俄项目，该项目计划向月球发送一个核反应堆，以为月球基地提供能源。

卡桑德拉·克洛斯 为纽约时报供图

香港

超级大国竞相部署月球反应堆，专家警告风险

作者：塞拉姆·盖布雷基丹

8月下旬，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）要求承包商准备建造一座核反应堆，该反应堆需能承受太空航行，并在月球南极附近无需维护地运行。这听起来像科幻小说，但该机构希望它能在2030年12月前准备好发射。

这种紧迫感是有原因的。俄罗斯计划在2036年前运行一座月球反应堆，这是其与中国一项秘密合作伙伴关系的一部分。NASA已经加快了进度，以击败竞争对手。

这场竞赛关乎太空探索的未来。美国和

阿耳忒弥斯2号于4月在佛罗里达州的肯尼迪航天中心发射。2028年，NASA计划利用核动力将航天器推进至火星，这在历史上从未实现。

中国希望率先建立月球基地，寻找冰水等资源，并向太阳系深处发起任务。控制月球资产的获取权对这一任务至关重要。两个超级大国都认为核反应堆是这一雄心的核心。

这些国家计划在抵达月球后才启动反应堆。但一些顶尖科学家警告称，在经历了一些显著灾难的太空探索时代，各国政府行动过于匆忙。在过去六年里，多枚中国、美国和俄罗斯的火箭发生故障并爆炸，一架俄罗斯着陆器在月球上坠毁。太空垃圾经常坠向地球。

失败可能会引发具有严重后果的连锁反应。坠落的反应堆碎片可能会散播放射性物质，就像20世纪70年代末在加拿大发生的那样。一次爆炸或熔毁将发生在月球，见第8页

从海湾到英国，美国正在撤退

. .

新闻分析

特朗普与伊朗的战争暴露了美国新的军事脆弱性

作者：大卫·E·桑格 和 埃里克·施密特

听总统特朗普及其助手描述，上周末匆忙从英国一个空军基地撤走12架B-1轰炸机是一项审慎的预防措施，是为了应对他们拒绝描述的威胁。特朗普先生坚持认为这没什么大不了的，他的国务卿马可·鲁比奥试图通过指出五角大楼在“不断地将资源重新分配到需要的地方”来淡化此事。

但对于任何观察特朗普先生决定攻击伊朗以来七个月中美国全球权力部署的人来说，这又是一个显而易见的例子，表明特朗普先生及其国防部长皮特·海格塞斯一次又一次地被迫撤退，撤回此前部署在中东和英国作为威慑的军事力量。

在过去的几个月里，随着冲突的拖延，伊朗战争揭示了美国巨大的新脆弱性，迫使五角大楼做出了一年前尚未考虑的改变。但这也成了一个苦涩的教训，揭示了特朗普先生选择发起的战争所带来的意外后果。

特朗普先生意图将对伊朗的攻击作为美国军事卓越力量的又一次展示，此前在去年6月对三个伊朗核设施的轰炸袭击取得了成功，且在1月从加拉加斯的床上抓获了委内瑞拉总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗。

但这场战争并没有增强美国的力量，反而限制了它。关闭中东基地并限制在英国基地的使用，起码极大地增加了权力投射的物流复杂性。当然，美国轰炸机仍然可以到达目标，但只能从美国起飞，这需要更多的时间和加油。美国航母编队仍然可以在波斯湾外的阿拉伯海巡逻，但现在它们必须从距离2,200英里（3,500公里）外的印度洋岛屿迪戈加西亚补给，这需要额外的数周时间且成本巨大。 撤退，见第4页

一部毫不掩饰的好莱坞回忆录

LILA BARTH 为纽约时报拍摄

报摊价格 安道尔 € 5.00 英国 £ 3.70 奥地利 € 4.80 塞浦路斯 € 3.40 比利时 € 4.80 捷克共和国 CZK 130

演员迈克尔·道格拉斯（Michael Douglas），82岁，在纽约市的切尔西码头（Chelsea Piers）。谈到他的新回忆录《一次极速狂飙》（One Helluva Ride）时，他说，这是他55年艰苦职业生涯的“某种总结”。

迈克尔·道格拉斯讲述聚光灯下的生活。包括毒品、性与积怨。

作者：ELISABETH EGAN

他的头发已是花白。额头有深深的皱纹。眉毛则显得有些不受控制。

但迈克尔·道格拉斯的眼睛依然如往昔一般，深邃且湛蓝，带着他在《华尔街》中饰演戈登·盖科（Gordon Gekko）说出那句最著名的台词“贪婪是好事”时那种锐利的目光。

道格拉斯，82岁，曾是80年代奢靡风气的代表人物，而现在他至少在意识形态上回归了嬉皮士根源。

“执念是不健康的。我们必须重新点燃一种互帮互助的哲学，”他身体前倾，仿佛在强调这一点，“训练自己去帮助他人。”

报摊价格

我们在曼哈顿中城一家宽敞的希腊餐厅 Estiatorio Milos 见面，讨论道格拉斯由 Grand Central 出版于本周的宏大回忆录《一次极速狂飙》。

法国 € 4.80 以色列 NIS 18.00 / 以色列 / 埃拉特 NIS 15.25 / 德国 € 5.00 星期五 36.00 星期五 30.51 希腊 € 3.40

“我这55年来一直在拼命工作，”道格拉斯说道，他自豪地瞥了一眼那本496页的书，书在我们的餐桌上占据了一个独立的位置。“这在某种程度上是一个总结。”

一些名人的回忆录往往对关键内容轻描淡写，提供的更像是一段精彩片段集而非深度特写。而《一次极速狂飙》则像一部大片——私密且毫无删减，值得配上一桶加了额外黄油的爆米花来阅读。

除了克林特·伊斯特伍德（Clint Eastwood）、罗伯特·雷德福德（Robert Redford），以及可能在十年或二十年后能比肩的乔治·克鲁尼（George Clooney），很少有演员兼制片人能拥有道格拉斯这样的持久影响力。

餐厅当时还没有迎来午餐高峰期，但服务人员在周围忙碌着，细心地定时为我们添水，而道格拉斯对每一个人都很有礼貌，几乎到了彬彬有礼的地步。这看起来可能要求不高，但这能反映出一个人的品质。

他的回忆录涵盖了所有内容：六十年的电影制作生涯（包括凭借《华尔街》和由他担任制片人的《飞越疯人院》获得奥斯卡奖，详见道格拉斯，第2页）

葡萄牙 € 4.80 西班牙 € 4.80 瑞士 CHF 6.50

意大利 € 4.80 卢森堡 € 5.00 摩洛哥 MAD 35

期号 No. 44,654

阿联酋 AED 18.00 美国军队 （欧洲）\$ 2.50

荷兰 € 4.80 突尼斯 Din 8.00 土耳其 TL 190

Dior LA D DE DIOR BUISSON COUTURE

日落大道，经由 GETTY

迈克尔·道格拉斯，上方从左至右依次为：《宝石迷情》（与凯瑟琳·特纳合作）、《华尔街》以及《致命吸引力》（与格伦·克洛斯合作）。他的新回忆录重点探讨了10部电影，同时深入挖掘了他从一名明星之子演变为一名独立领衔主演的进化过程。 福克斯（FOX），经由 EVERETT COLLECTION 派拉蒙影业（PARAMOUNT PICTURES），经由 EVERETT COLLECTION

一部毫不掩饰的好莱坞回忆录

道格拉斯，

莉拉·巴斯 为《纽约时报》拍摄

（索尔·赞茨）；两代好莱坞名门（道格拉斯的父亲柯克为其铺平了道路）；两段婚姻（一段动荡不安，第二段与凯瑟琳·泽塔-琼斯共度，他说这段婚姻是“一种喜悦和慰藉”）；许多许多的浪漫情史（包括布伦达·瓦卡罗、珍妮·特里普霍恩、凯瑟琳·特纳、《纽约时报》评论员莫琳·道德，以及他在路边遇到的一名以色列士兵，名单还在继续）；大量的药物（包括道格拉斯为了支付在加州大学圣巴巴拉分校最后两年的学费而出售的整箱“大麻”，以及一次令人难忘的酗酒狂欢，醒来时鼻孔里还插着吸可卡因的吸管）；以及为人父母的经历，他以令人耳目一新的坦率将其讲述。

道格拉斯的长子卡梅隆因药物指控被判入狱七年，其中两年在禁闭室度过。道格拉斯对那段时光——以及卡梅隆与海洛因成瘾作斗争——的描述是书中最震撼的部分，这本书既是一个家庭故事，也是某个 era. 的时光胶囊。

“癌症有些特别之处。它会让人们不想靠近你。我对关心我的人如此之少感到惊讶。”

“我那时不在身边，所以我对卡梅隆有自己的愧疚，”道格拉斯说道，他指的是他与第一任妻子迪安德拉·卢克住在东西两岸、日子艰难的那些年。

几分钟后，他接到了23岁的女儿凯里斯·泽塔·道格拉斯的FaceTime电话，她当时正在加那利群岛拍电影。他们的交流简短而亲昵——“天使？嗨，亲爱的，”道格拉斯说，脸上绽放出耀眼的洁白笑容。但在他承诺稍后回电并挂断电话后，他迅速回到了当前的话题：一个34年前的小报传闻，称他在1992, 年因性成瘾进入康复中心。事实上，他当时是在亚利桑那州的塞拉图森（Sierra Tucson）戒除药物成瘾，他至今仍对被同病房的病人出卖感到愤恨，并以轻蔑的语气谈论他们。同样令他愤怒的还有在他患癌期间跟踪他的孩子们去学校的狗仔队。

“我当时真的气炸了，”道格拉斯说。在《一次极速狂飙》（One Helluva Ride）中有很多这样的情节——道格拉斯在《华尔街》片场对奥利弗·斯通感到恼火；在拍摄《特快追踪》时，由于差点把角色输给哈里森·福特而对史蒂文·索德伯格感到恼火；在关于《尼罗河之珠》的诉讼中，凯瑟琳·特纳聘请罗伊·科恩作为她的代表，这让他对她感到恼火；诸如此类。

书中出现了22次F-bomb（脏话）以及数量惊人的其他轻微粗口。它在性方面也毫不避讳——考虑到道格拉斯曾在情色惊悚片《本能》中与莎朗·斯通对戏，这并不奇怪。（而且别忘了《致命吸引力》，其中有电梯戏，以及从厨房桌子到台面再到卧室的戏份。）回忆录中也有大量的裸露描写，无论是在银幕内还是银幕外；显然，道格拉斯在大学期间住在公社时是不穿衣服的。他的父亲在他名声最鼎盛时期来访，得知那里没有厕所时感到很有趣。

面对面接触时，道格拉斯看起来比最近的Instagram视频中更精致，在那些视频里，他的头发经常有一种像《回到未来》中布朗博士那样的疯狂科学家风格。他穿着一件熨烫得一丝不苟的蓝色衬衫，头发向后梳理，这种风格只能被描述为“权力掮客式时髦”。由于16年前切除了舌头上一个核桃大小的肿瘤，他的声音略有改变——依然像以前一样低沉，但现在听起来就像嘴里含着一块泡泡糖（Bubble Yum）在说话。

道格拉斯被诊断出4期喉癌，这让他开始面对死亡——“我想知道我的运气是否用尽了，”他写道——并对他那些留在身边的朋友产生了新的感激之情。

“癌症有些特别之处。它会让人们不想靠近你，”他说。“我对关心我的人如此之少感到惊讶。他们不知道该说什么。”

他经常收到一个人消息，那是他在21世纪初结识的编剧谢恩·萨勒诺（Shane Salerno）。萨勒诺发来一系列信件，调侃道格拉斯是一个不严肃的电视演员，且一直生活在父亲的阴影之下——这两项指责在他职业生涯早期一直纠缠着他。

“我试图提醒迈克尔，每当有人告诉他做不到某件事时，他都证明了对方是错的，”萨勒诺在一次采访中说道。

在收到几个月这种不敬的便条后，道格拉斯终于反击道：“继续发，你这个混蛋！！！！”

他说：“我真的很感动。这意味着很多东西。”

十年前，当萨勒诺首次提出合作撰写回忆录的想法时，道格拉斯拒绝了。他当时很忙，时机不对。但他的父亲写过回忆录，他的母亲和儿子卡梅伦（Cameron）也写过——所以也许这是家族传统？随后，在2024年出演了 Apple TV+ 系列剧《富兰克林》（Franklin）中的本杰明·富兰克林后，道格拉斯暂停了演艺工作，开始思考自己的传承。

当被问及他如何看待这一传承的成型时，他自嘲地耸了耸肩。

“打击率相当不错，”道格拉斯说。“这是我所处时代的反映。是对当时发生之事的反映。”

他和萨勒诺与迈克尔·弗莱明二世（Michael Fleming Jr.）组队。弗莱明是《Deadline》和《Variety》的作者，曾在《好莱坞报道》（Hollywood Reporter）发布一篇报道前采访过道格拉斯。该报道包含了前员工苏珊·布劳迪（Susan Braudy）的指控，她称道格拉斯在几十年前虐待她并对其进行性骚扰。道格拉斯承认在布劳迪面前使用过粗俗语言，但否认了她在其面前自慰以及在业内封杀她的指控。他在回忆录中没有提及这个问题。

《一次极速狂飙》（One Helluva Ride） 迈克尔·道格拉斯 GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING 经由 AP

为了写这本书，道格拉斯的共同作者进行了40多次采访，采访对象包括凯瑟琳·泽塔-琼斯（Catherine Zeta-Jones）、道格拉斯的孩子们、丹尼·德维托（Danny DeVito）以及许多其他来源。

在我们的采访中，道格拉斯表示弗莱明的文章帮助他“抢占了先机”。

三人通过酒店房间、电话和数百次 Zoom 通话共同撰写这部回忆录。萨勒诺和弗莱明进行了40多次采访，对象包括泽塔-琼斯、道格拉斯的孩子们、丹尼·德维托、格伦·克洛斯（Glenn Close）以及一大批其他来源。他们选择了10部电影作为重点，同时记录道格拉斯如何从一名明星之子演变为一名独立的领衔主演，以及沿途经历的大量挣扎。

在他真正作为演员起步之前，他有过“四五部烂片”。他在书中回忆道，在一次大学制作的《无事生非》（Much Ado About Nothing）演出后，他的父亲说：“儿子，你演得太糟糕了。简直糟糕透顶。”

在那些日子里，道格拉斯深受严重的舞台恐惧症困扰。他说他早期被告知：“摄像机能看出你在撒谎。所以有一整段时期我在尝试‘方法演技’，试图撕掉脸上的皮，触及真相。然后有一天我突然意识到：表演的核心就是撒谎。为了说服观众，你必须成为一个更好的骗子。一旦我意识到这一点，整个局面就改变了。”

《一次极速狂飙》充满了陈年的积怨与冒险——比如道格拉斯在《飞越疯人院》（One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest）中放弃让父亲担任主角，这一决定花了很多年才化解；比如卢克（Luker）在比弗利威尔希尔酒店（Beverly Wilshire）的一间房里撞见道格拉斯与一名未具名的情妇在一起；比如他在《周六夜现场》（Saturday Night Live）的一次后续派对上，与 O.J. 辛普森用卷起的美元纸币吸食可卡因；比如他在金球奖派对上用淫秽词汇侮辱朱莉娅·罗伯茨（Julia Roberts）；以及黛博拉·温格（Debra Winger）咬了他的手臂，导致她失去了《宝石迷情》（Romancing the Stone）的女主角。

该角色最终由凯瑟琳·特纳（Kathleen Turner）饰演，道格拉斯在拍摄期间与她产生了恋情。

“这里将首次披露一些私密关系，”道格拉斯在回忆录的序言中写道。“我给涉及到的每位女性都打了电话，请求她们允许分享我们的故事。”

在我们的采访过程中，道格拉斯表现得更像个浪漫主义者而非叛逆者，他多次将话题引导回他的家人，而这部回忆录正是献给他们的。

“我开始意识到家庭究竟有多重要，”他说，“这是将我们凝聚在一起的力量。”

他深情地谈到了他的母亲戴安娜·迪尔（Diana Dill）——一位能用钢笔直接完成《星期日时报》纵横字谜的百慕大演员，以及他的父亲。

“随着我们共同年长，我对他的爱也随之增长，”道格拉斯说，“我父亲和我在一起在演艺圈打拼了80年，拍了160部电影。他曾说：‘迈克尔，如果我早知道你会这么成功，我当年会对你更好一点。’”

道格拉斯谈到了他从父亲那里继承的愤怒：“我过去习惯于依靠愤怒来获得一种虚假的能量感。愤怒能给你能量，”他说。但年龄、成功以及一段持久的婚姻缓和了这一切：“这些年来，我和凯瑟琳在一起，我真正找到了更多的快乐与平静，也减少了对事业的投入。”

他对世界的现状感到沮丧——破碎的政治，以及我们与公共利益之间产生的脱节感，而公共利益在 60 年代曾是他心中的组织原则，即便当时他出身于特权阶层。

“这是我记忆中一生中最艰难的时期，”道格拉斯说道，听起来更像是一位忧心忡忡的祖父，而不是那个曾经与杰克·尼基森（Jack Nicholson）和詹·温纳（Jann Wenner）一起狂欢的人。“我是一个乐观主义者，我也真的努力保持希望，但我深感恐惧。”

他提到了犹太教中“tikkun olam”的概念，即“修复世界”。

他说：“必须得有所改变。人们太关注金钱了。”

尽管如此，道格拉斯仍持有强烈的观点：“我们应该从这些军事预算中抽出一小部分，将其用于积极的善举。尝试恢复和平队。尝试在负担能力和教育方面改善不平等现象。”

随后，他似乎意识到自己说得太过了。

“我爱这个国家，”道格拉斯说，“我感到非常有爱国心。但我们必须觉醒。我们必须觉醒。现在的情况并不好。我想我说话的方式像个癌症幸存者。不过，天气还是很美，对吧？”

194岁的巨龟乔纳森深谙衰老之道

兽医乔·霍林斯博士正通过口腔拭子为乔纳森采集 DNA 样本。乔纳森是一只阿尔达布拉巨龟，是世界上已知最长寿的陆地动物。

科学家已完成该爬行动物的基因组测序，旨在寻找长寿的线索

作者：MONIQUE BROUILLETTE

乔·霍林斯博士在左手戴上一只厚实的焊接手套，右手紧握一根棉拭子。他蹲下身，与一只 400 磅重的巨龟保持平视，用戴手套的手托住它的头部，小心地将一根手指塞进它的嘴里，撑开它那如剃刀般锋利的喙。随后，他尝试用另一只手拭擦它的脸颊。

作为一名兽医，霍林斯博士只有大约五秒钟的时间来获取他想要的 DNA，否则就有可能被那条粗壮且布满鳞片的腿给踢中。

第一根拭子取出来时沾满了半嚼的胡萝卜——这是它最喜欢的零食。他将其扔到一边，再次尝试。这只体重 180 公斤、名叫乔纳森的巨龟看起来有些不耐烦。

乔纳森大约 194 岁，是世界上已知最长寿的陆地动物。它是一只阿尔达布拉巨龟，生活在距离非洲西海岸 1,200 英里（1,900 公里）的偏远圣赫勒拿岛上，每天在州长官邸那阳光斑驳的草地上度日。

尽管它表现出了一些衰老迹象，例如导致其近乎失明的白内障，但它的听力依然出色，且性欲旺盛。它喜欢迎接访客，喜欢被人抚摸脖子，并在用餐时间聚集在围栏周围的人群面前发出响亮的打嗝声。

今年 6 月，在一些媒体机构错误地宣布乔纳森死亡后，吉尼斯世界纪录（Guinness World Records）将其列入了全球偶像名单。而本周三，它又达到了另一个里程碑：一项研究宣布其基因组首次被测序。

“我们几乎没有机会在动物还活着的时候研究如此高龄的个体，”加州大学洛杉矶分校研究衰老的生物学家、该研究的作者之一史蒂夫·霍瓦斯表示。该研究发表在《科学进展》（Science Advances）杂志上。

乔纳森为科学家提供了一个罕见的机会，去研究动物的基因组在近 200 年的时间里发生了什么。但获取 并非易事：由于担心感染风险，研究人员不被允许采集血液样本（这是 测序的金标准）。而且，由于该岛每周仅有一班经常延误的商业航班，拭子采集的唾液必须通过船只运输。

尽管如此，研究人员仍坚持这一想法，因为他们好奇乔纳森的 中是否隐藏着关于衰老或长寿的秘密。试想一下：当这只巨龟大约在 1832 年出生时，查尔斯·达尔文年仅 22 岁，且尚未访问加拉帕戈斯群岛——在那里，他将构思出自然选择理论。

在对样本进行测序后，科学家将乔纳森的基因组与比它年轻 100 岁的巨龟进行了对比，发现了一些分子层面的差异，特别是在涉及 修复以及维护染色体保护帽（称为端粒）的基因方面。随着生物体的衰老， 会积累损伤且端粒会缩短，这一过程被认为是驱动衰老的原因。结果表明，该物种可能已经进化得能够更有效地抵御与年龄相关的衰退，但仍需进一步测试。

乔纳森还与其他长寿物种共享一些基因，例如裸鼹鼠，后者最高可活到 40 岁且极少患癌。

最有趣的地方或许在于他们对这只陆龟表观基因组的研究结果，表观基因组是指调节基因组的化学标签图谱。这些标签随年龄增长而变化，并可能导致基因活动紊乱。正如预期的那样，乔纳森的表观基因组中出现了与老年人类相似的年龄相关变化，但有一个例外。值得注意的是，与线粒体相关的控制开关保存完好，与年轻陆龟的情况相似。线粒体是细胞内的分子发电厂，长期以来一直与健康老龄化相关联。

对于研究衰老的科学家来说，从寿命极长的动物生物学中学习具有巨大的潜力，令人兴奋。阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校的生物学家史蒂夫·奥斯塔德（Steve Austad）表示：“这些长寿物种中的每一个都拥有某种特殊的‘秘诀’，其中一些可能与人类的衰老相关。”

“这些结果很好地融入了关于长寿这一更广泛的谜题之中，”德国科隆大学研究衰老的比约恩·舒马赫（Björn Schumacher）说道。不过，他在得出“乔纳森将帮助我们理解人类为何衰老”这一结论时，敦促人们保持谨慎。

例如，让·卡尔芒（Jeanne Calment）在122岁时曾是世界上最长寿的人。她将自己的长寿归功于富含橄榄油和波特酒的饮食。她还抽烟。这是否意味着我们都应该抽烟和喝红酒？舒马赫博士说，大概不是，我们在从乔纳森身上得出结论时也应保持类似的谨慎。

考虑到乔纳森接受的全天候兽医护理、新鲜蔬菜饮食以及在州长府邸受保护的草坪，他的高龄可能是一个特例。然而，分子层面的研究结果提供了诱人的线索——科学家们渴望进一步探索这些线索。

“如果我们有1,000只像乔纳森这样的动物，就更容易理解他的长寿原因，”该研究的第一作者、致力于研究衰老遗传学的非营利组织 Kallel 创始人斯蒂芬·克拉克（Stephen Clark）博士说道。

在未来，克拉克博士希望通过收集更多数据，分析更多阿尔达布拉象龟和其他长寿物种，从而为我们这些“活泼的雏鸟”也提供一些启示。

法国极左翼在抗议活动中如履薄冰

巴黎

上图为法国南特抗议者与警察发生冲突的场景，右图为巴黎某学校外的示威活动。不屈法国党的领导人物否认了政府官员关于该党为了政治利益而煽动动乱的指控。 STEPHANE MAHE / 路透社

ABDUL SABOOR / 路透社

反叛党领导人一边对学生表示支持，一边谴责暴力

作者：马克·兰德勒（MARK LANDLER）

他握手，拍自拍。他挥舞着抗议标语。他接受了一位年轻粉丝的拥抱。在一段热情但略显跑调的法国国歌《马赛曲》演唱结束后，他欢呼起来。

法国极左翼政党“不屈法国党”那好斗的领导人让-路尔·梅朗雄（Jean-Luc Mélenchon），似乎很享受上周在巴黎参加的一场高中生大规模示威活动。这有何不可呢？

对于一个吸引年轻人、领导着一个建立在基层抗议之上的反叛政党的左翼激进分子来说，席卷法国的学生主导示威活动是一个绝佳的机会。距离梅朗雄先生作为有力竞争者的总统选举还有七个月，这次时机再合适不过了。

然而，示威活动偶尔会升级为抗议者与警察之间的暴力冲突，这对于一名寻求主流认可的政治家来说具有极高风险。75岁的梅朗雄先生似乎意识到了这种危险，在法国民众对催泪瓦斯和燃烧垃圾桶的画面产生反感后，他缓和了通常好斗的言论。

“我号召你们，无论身在何处的年轻人，都要拥抱斗争的纪律，”梅朗雄先生在本月的一次集会上说道。他鼓励学生走上街头，但补充了一个前提条件。他说：“你们必须仅使用非暴力的斗争手段。”

在周二的游行中，梅朗雄先生佩戴了一根白色臂章，旨在表明他作为学生监护人的角色——一个能够在年轻人的激情泛滥时安抚抗议者，并在发生冲突时保护他们免受警察伤害的权威人物。

然而，法国政府官员断言，梅朗雄先生这两个角色都没扮演。他们表示，他的政党不仅没有缓和学生的情绪，反而为了政治利益在煽动动乱。这些官员称，最初一个自发的抗议运动已被不屈法国党劫持，从而 emboldening（助长了）那些想要焚烧垃圾桶并向警察投掷烟花的人。

“为什么要戴白色臂章，是为了更好地给那些戴黑色面罩的人提供助力吗？”法国总理勒科尔纽（Sébastien Lecornu）周二在国民议会愤怒地质问该党领导人马蒂尔德·帕诺（Mathilde Panot）。

“事实是，你们对暴力持模棱两——”

“可的态度，”勒科尔纽继续说道，“因为暴力是你们政治计划的一部分，旨在从现在到总统选举之间将国家推入混乱。”

梅朗雄先生、帕诺女士及其同事断然拒绝这些指控。帕诺女士表示，暴力是警察采取强硬手段的结果，并指责政府将年轻人视为“军事对手”。

选民渴望彻底的变革。

尽管如此，毫无疑问，自从上个月学生开始封锁学校以来，该党的领导层一直处于一种日益微妙的平衡之中。他们认可学生的诉求清单，并捍卫他们走上街头的权利。在某些情况下，他们甚至与学生们并肩而行。

“梅朗雄似乎在试图同时占据两个位置，”伦敦大学学院的法国与欧洲政治教授菲利普·马利埃尔（Philippe Marlière）表示，“既是这场反抗的政治放大器，又是这场据称是自发兴起之运动的政治中立捍卫者。”

没有人比巴利·巴加约科（Bally Bagayoko）更能体现这些矛盾了。他是不屈法国党（France Unbowed）的一颗冉冉升起的新星，同时也是圣但尼（St.-Denis）的市长。圣但尼是巴黎北部的一个工人阶级郊区，也是此次动荡的中心。

巴加约科先生在参加一次早期的学校封锁活动后接受了电视采访，批评者随即对他发起攻击。他说：“暴力在某种程度上可能是正当的，”不过他赶紧补充道，他向学生们传达的信息是，尽量避免暴力总是更好的选择。

巴加约科先生今年 53 岁，曾是一名极具魅力的半专业篮球运动员，如今在封锁行动和集会中成为了一个显眼的人物。本月，在圣但尼的罗莎·帕克斯高中（Rosa Parks High School）前，他倾听学生的诉求，化解他们之间的争吵，与到访的记者交谈，甚至亲手踩灭了由少数捣乱者点燃的一小堆火。

在被问及暴力风险时，巴加约科先生说：“当然，这里那里可能会出现一些混乱，会出现一些错误。但这正是年轻人的特点，他们不一定是经验丰富的活动人士，在示威的热情中，有时会失去控制。这是一个事实，而这正是成年人必须在场的原因。”

梅朗雄先生表示，政府不公正地将巴加约科先生描绘成煽动者而非保护者。“当巴利为了防止建筑起火而移走一个燃烧的垃圾桶时，他反而成了被指控点燃垃圾桶的人，”梅朗雄先生在上周末的集会上说道。

他有充分的理由反击这种说法。在最近的民调中，在接替总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙（Emmanuel Macron）的竞选中，梅朗雄先生预计将紧随领先的中右翼候选人菲利普（Édouard Philippe）之后。而极右翼候选人玛丽娜·勒庞（Marine Le Pen）则领先两人两位数。

这将使梅朗雄先生处于有望进入明年春季选举第二轮的有利位置，这也是他在此前三次总统竞选中最接近胜利的一次。

尽管梅朗雄先生将自己塑造为一名反叛者，但他职业生涯的大部分时间都是法国主要的中左翼政党——社会党（Socialist Party）的成员。在 2008 年离开该党之前，他曾在社会党总理利昂内尔·若斯潘（Lionel Jospin）任内担任部长。他在 2016 年创立了不屈法国党。

梅朗雄先生曾是一名托洛茨基主义者，他为复杂的问题提供简单的解决方案——例如，注销法国的部分债务。他表示，法国这个债务沉重的政府应该在学校上投入更多资金。

在过去的一周里，法国 10 年期国债收益率几乎触及 5%，为 2002 年以来的最高水平。利率上升暴露了高债务负担和顽固赤字的脆弱性。

分析人士表示，梅朗雄先生受益于选民对彻底变革的渴望。但他的政党——通常被称为 L.F.I.（其法语名称 La France Insoumise 的缩写）——面临着巨大的阻力。中间派认为他的经济政策缺乏可信度，而包括梅朗雄本人在内的一些领导人被指控持有反犹太主义观点。此外，还有关于暴力的担忧。

“近十分之七的法国人认为‘不屈法国’是一个煽动暴力的政党，”巴黎左翼智库让·饶雷斯基金会（Jean Jaurès Foundation）民意观察站主任安托万·布里斯蒂尔（Antoine Bristielle）表示。

布里斯蒂尔先生指出，这一比例高于对极右翼政党“国民联盟”持有类似担忧的人数。他说，即便是在“不屈法国”的阵地中，“这在选举层面也可能对他们产生相当负面的影响。”

人类在韩国主题公园与类人机器人相遇

首尔

摄影：JIWOONG HONG / 纽约时报

在韩国的银河机器人公园（Galaxy Robot Park），机器人伴随着激昂的 K-pop 热门歌曲表演着编排严密的舞蹈，并参与足球比赛（在人类的协助下），以及其他活动。然而，在这里，能够独立“思考”的机器人依然显得遥不可及。

机器人还无法完全媲美病毒式传播视频中的流畅表演

作者：张岩（YAN ZHUANG）

机器人向我挥手。我试探性地挥手回应。盯着它那玻璃般漆黑的面孔，我无法确定它是在真正回应我的动作，还是仅仅在执行几英尺外操作员的指令。

我伸出手，它模仿了这个动作。但当我试图与它戴着手套的手握手时，它的手臂纹丝不动。

我此时身在韩国的 Galaxy Robot Park，体验着未来——或者至少是未来的一种愿景。

到目前为止，数百万人已经看过那些关于人形机器人的病毒式传播视频。在最理想的情况下，它们能打破田径世界纪录，表演复杂的同步舞蹈；在最糟糕的情况下，它们会一头撞在墙上并起火燃烧。有些机器人甚至意外地踢过或扇过孩子。

那些长得像人类的机器人所隐含的承诺是：有一天，它们也将能够像人类一样行动。许多人将它们视为人工智能革命的终极体现。

但我们距离那个未来还有多远？我们希望机器人在其中扮演什么样的角色？

这座位于首尔的公园由 Galaxy Corporation 开设于今年夏天。这家娱乐与技术公司代理着多位顶尖 K-pop 歌手。该公园提供了一种愿景：机器人不仅能减轻我们的负担，还能娱乐我们，与我们共舞，并充当我们的伴侣。它暗示，那个未来近在咫尺。

这一愿景的核心是宇树科技（Unitree Robotics）。这家中国公司是大多数病毒式机器人视频中人形机器人的制造者，也是该公园最大的吸引力所在。宇树的旗舰型号 G1 是世界上最普及的人形机器人之一。其价格约为 13,500 美元，考虑到某些公司的型号价格高达六位数，它属于较为实惠的选择。

一座身着宇航服的 G1 雕像耸立在公园场地中。这个声明既宏大又混乱：机器人为什么需要宇航服？这感觉像是人形机器人行业一个关键方面的反映——愿景与现实之间、暗示智能的外形与在功能上依然缺乏智能的躯体之间存在着脱节。

机器已经能在工厂组装产品，为我们提供食物，并清理地板。自动驾驶汽车载着我们四处行驶。人们参加真人秀节目，看看自己是否能与 AI 伴侣坠入爱河。

但下一个前沿是能够根据我们的意愿，在任何时间自主完成任何任务的机器人。

为此，许多人设想制造长得像人类的机器人，因为他们假设这种形态最适合在为人类构建的世界中穿行。这种形态还具有一种特殊的共鸣，一种曾经仅存在于科幻小说中的感知能力暗示。

“许多人心中都将一种可能性的重量投射到了这些人形机器人身上，”澳大利亚斯威本科技大学（Swinburne University of Technology）的艺术家兼教授约翰·麦考密克（John McCormick）说道，他正在为自己的宇树机器人编写程序。

当我们看到机器人以类似人类的流畅度起舞时，这种潜力得到了强化，例如宇树机器人在《美国达人秀》（America's Got Talent）或中国春节联欢晚会上所做的表演。但麦考密克先生表示，此类表演引发了人们对这些机器人能力的不切实际的预期，他补充说，它们的动作看起来很复杂，但大部分时间仍在执行预设的程序。

在商业环境下，它们的表现可能不如那些受到严格控制和编程的展示那样令人印象深刻。我在观看 Galaxy Robot Park 的主打项目时意识到了这一点：一场由 10 台人形机器人主演的、时长 50 分钟的舞蹈与武术盛宴。

表演的部分环节令人惊叹，尤其是当机器人随着高能量的 K-pop 热曲起舞时。而表演中其他伴随慢歌的环节则显得不够精湛。

总体而言，它并不像中国的春节联欢晚会那样令人印象深刻，在那个舞台上，宇树机器人表演了不停歇的杂技。

俄勒冈州立大学的机器人学教授艾伦·弗恩（Alan Fern）表示，这可能反映了该公司倾注所有资源以追求完美的单次活动，与机器人能够在涉及每日多次表演的商业环境下所能实现的表现之间的差异。

“如果你想让他们做后空翻之类疯狂的动作，那么损坏的机器人会更多，而这将非常昂贵，”他补充道。

目前，任何我们希望人形机器人完成的实用任务，都可以由一台更专业、更不具人形特征的机器更好地完成。例如，工厂里的组装机器人不需要腿或脸。

这一点在 Galaxy Robot 显而易见

乌克兰轰炸仓库，死亡与恐惧笼罩

柏林

法新社 — 盖蒂图片社

亚历山大·内梅诺夫 / 法新社 — 盖蒂图片社 索菲亚·泽连斯卡娅

俄罗斯电商公司员工陷入噩梦般的新常态

作者：保罗·索内、安娜斯塔西娅·库茨和米拉娜·马扎耶娃

在开学前两天，16岁的大卫·泽连斯基（David Zelensky）正在俄罗斯贝尔戈罗德市的一家电商仓库里赚取暑假的最后一笔钱。

大卫是九个孩子中最大的一个，几周前他在在线零售商 Ozon 找到这份工作，比他之前送外卖的兼职有所提升。8月30日，他开始了一次晚班，这让他离买摩托车的梦想更近了一步。

随后，乌克兰的导弹袭来了。

首先，城市的防空警报响起。接着，一声巨响传出，似乎是拦截火箭弹时产生的爆炸。

当工人们在仓库地面上向避难所奔跑时，一枚导弹击中了建筑。灯光熄灭。墙壁和金属货架在火球吞噬部分设施的同时，崩塌在一群高中生和大学生身上。

大卫因为耳聋且无法说话，通过在手机上写字与同事交流，他在这场袭击中丧生。一名21岁的大学生也死于此次袭击，一名16岁的男孩受重伤。

“很难接受这样一个事实：就在几分钟前，我还看到人们活蹦跳跳的，然后突然间他们就消失了，”另一名在仓库受伤的学生说道。

这名学生是《纽约时报》在俄罗斯各地仓库采访的十几名电商员工之一。他们描述了飞来的无人机、深夜长达数小时的撤离，以及对受伤或死亡的恐惧，如何成为了工作中的新常态。

部分员工因担心被解雇而要求匿名。在其他情况下，《纽约时报》出于安全原因隐瞒了他们的身份。

贝尔戈罗德的事件说明了俄罗斯两大电商巨头 Ozon 和 Wildberries 的平民员工所面临的危险，因为乌克兰已将这些公司变成了战争的新前线。

多年来，莫斯科的入侵迫使乌克兰人每天做出生死抉择。现在，随着基辅的导弹和无人机打破了弗拉基米尔·V·普京总统精心营造的正常生活假象，越来越多的俄罗斯人也不得不面对同样的情况。

“坦白说，就我个人而言，我无法相信这一切，”一名在莫斯科郊外 Wildberries 仓库工作的19岁员工说道。

该员工上个月在设施中经历了第一次无人机袭击。“这绝对是一场噩梦，”他说。

乌克兰方面辩称，这些仓库是合法目标，因为这些零售商销售的零部件可用于修理俄罗斯的军用无人机，以及为俄罗斯士兵提供防护装备。

俄罗斯官员和 Wildberries 的负责人塔季扬娜·金（Tatyana Kim）驳回了这一理由，称这些袭击是对平民的“恐怖袭击”。Wildberries 和 Ozon 没有回应置评请求。

乌克兰袭击俄罗斯仓库造成的伤亡，远低于俄罗斯在乌克兰造成的平民苦难。

根据追踪战争平民伤亡的开源研究组织“冲突情报小组”（Conflict Intelligence Team）的数据，截至9月11日，两个月以来对 Wildberries 和 Ozon 设施的频繁袭击已导致12人死亡，135人受伤。

相比之下，俄罗斯在8月21日对乌克兰克里维里赫市一家购物中心的一次袭击中，就造成了更多的乌克兰人死亡。根据该研究小组的数据，在那次袭击中，16人死亡，另有136人受伤。莫斯科也袭击了大量的乌克兰仓库。

总体而言，冲突情报小组（Conflict Intelligence Team）的数据显示，今年这场战争中报告的平民死亡人数中，66%发生在乌克兰境内，而在乌克兰被俄罗斯占领地区的比例为19%，俄罗斯本土则占15%。

尽管如此，对于许多俄罗斯仓库的员工来说，经常面临的袭击威胁仍让他们感到震惊。

在莫斯科地区多莫杰多沃机场附近的一家 Wildberries 仓库，一天凌晨3点，当无人机降临该区域时，工人们纷纷跑出设施。一名工人回忆道，他们躲在附近一条高速公路的桥下，等待了四个小时直到太阳升起后才返回。

在莫斯科郊外的诺沃塞尔基（Novoselki），一家 Wildberries 仓库的工人们在疏散期间多次逃入森林。他们担心，在接下来的冬天，当他们必须在寒冷的日子里丢下一切离开时，是否会被冻僵。

该仓库的一名工人回忆起最近有一天在抽烟休息时，看到一架乌克兰无人机在50码（45米）外的停车场爆炸，当时没有任何警报声或

（图片上方文字）：7月，俄罗斯圣彼得堡附近的一家电子商务公司仓库在遭到乌克兰无人机袭击后的样子。左侧附近是16岁的戴维·泽连斯基（David Zelensky），他在为了赚取夏季零用钱而工作时被乌克兰导弹杀害。乌克兰已将俄罗斯电商巨头 Ozon 和 Wildberries 变成了战争的新前线。

警报响起。该工人说：“当无人机真的落在你身边——当你甚至能听到金属滚珠从天空落下时——真正的恐惧才开始袭来。”他指出，一些员工现在能冷静地撤离，而新雇员则在恐慌中奔跑。

几名接受《纽约时报》采访的仓库工人决定辞职，理由是安全顾虑。但绝大多数人选择留在岗位上，并指出这份工作的薪水更高，且比其他选择更灵活。

Wildberries 的员工表示，他们可以随时到岗或离开，包括在半夜，并且可以根据自己的选择工作任意时长。工人还能立即收到大部分工资。一些人表示，他们每月最高可赚2,900美元，远超俄罗斯平均月薪的两倍，不过收入随工作量而异。

因此，许多人已经适应了这种充满危机的新现实。

叶卡捷琳堡一家 Wildberries 仓库的一名工人回忆道，即使在一次无人机撞击停车场并烧毁了约50辆员工车辆后，工人们依然照常出勤。他们只是简单地将车停在那些被烧毁的车辆旁边。

另一名曾在图拉地区 Wildberries 仓库工作的工人描述道，在他的工作场所被炸毁后，他开始每天花两个半小时通勤，前往莫斯科地区另一家 Wildberries 仓库工作。他说，他在那里遭到了人们的敌视，因为对方担心劳动力的涌入会降低工资并减少工作机会。

在别哥罗德 Ozon 仓库（戴维工作的地方）遭到袭击的那个晚上，主管召集员工进行了五分钟的安全简报。

据当天见过他的另一名工人称，戴维在分拣站的轮班时间是从下午5点到晚上10点，工人们在那里将到货包裹装入分拣箱。

“很难接受这样一个事实：就在几分钟前，我还看到他们活蹦跳跳的，然后突然之间，他们就消失了。”

大卫在最后的几分钟里究竟经历了什么尚不清楚。虽然他极有可能没有听到警报声，也没有听到拦截导弹产生的最初爆炸声，但他可能收到了其他警报。一名工人表示，工人们使用的手持库存扫描仪在袭击期间会闪烁警告，有时会有延迟。大卫也可能得到了他人的提醒，或者看到了同事在奔跑。

无论如何，留给他的时间非常短。在无人机袭击中，人们通常有时间寻找掩体。但导弹抵达速度极快，一名工人表示，没有人预料到乌克兰会对规模相对较小的 Ozon 仓库使用导弹。

据俄罗斯新闻媒体报道，Ozon 此后禁止部分地区的未成年人在其仓库工作。员工表示，该公司还向别尔哥罗德的工人提供了补偿金，伤势较重者获得的金额更高。

袭击发生后不久，大卫的家人聚集在一起举行葬礼。

他的姑姑安娜·波卢什金娜（Anna Polushkina）告诉《纽约时报》，他的父亲（同样天生耳聋且不能说话）和母亲（天生听力受损）都在场。她说，他的八个兄弟姐妹中有四个出席了葬礼，他们全部也是耳聋或听力受损。波卢什金娜女士表示，虽然该家庭与乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基（Volodymyr Zelensky）姓氏相同，但没有迹象表明他们之间有亲属关系。

在葬礼上，参加者们拥抱并哭泣。他的朋友们在坟墓前由玫瑰和康乃馨组成的花阵顶端放置了一辆小型摩托车。那里还有威化饼干，以纪念他对甜食的热爱。

大卫就读的学校是一所面向残障儿童的特殊教育机构，该校发表声明称他的去世是一个不可弥补的损失。地区体育部表示，作为一名听障篮球运动员，他曾展现出巨大的潜力。

“他梦想拥有一辆摩托车，”波卢什金娜女士说，“他真的很喜欢骑行。”

“至于袭击，”她说，“我们从未想象过会发生这样的事情。”

阿丽娜·洛布齐娜（Alina Lobzina）参与了此次报道。

从波斯湾到英国，美国正在撤退

位于英国的皇家空军（R.A.F.）费尔福德空军基地曾是军事合作的中坚力量，目前美国 B-1 轰炸机已从中撤出。 @CRAIGYOUNGMEDIA, VIA REUTERS

撤退，见第 1 页

但最重要的是，快速撤军给伊朗人——以及潜在的其他对手——上了一课：他们拥有将一个超级大国驱逐出去的力量。在欧洲，特朗普先生和赫格塞斯先生正考虑按照他们自己的条款和时间表来削减美军。而在中东和英国，他们是被迫采取行动。

美国和英国官员周一表示，在指挥官收到具体且可靠的情报，称伊朗支持的特工计划在围栏正外围向飞机和美军发动无人机袭击后，轰炸机被紧急撤离出该英国基地。

可能的策划者可能在一定程度上受到了乌克兰去年对俄罗斯发起的一次大胆袭击的启发，当时乌克兰将无人机秘密运入俄罗斯腹地，并从半挂卡车上将其发射。此次袭击损坏或摧毁了至少 12 架飞机。

这次袭击以及其他攻击重新校准了五角大楼对军事脆弱性的认识。突然之间，仅仅将部队部署在导弹射程之外已不再足够。无人机和网络武器重塑了战场。

总统正确地指出，伊朗的整个海军在最初的军事行动中被击沉，其破旧的空军已彻底瘫痪。而且该国正处于经济崩溃的边缘，被一场将其石油出口削减至涓涓细流的海上封锁所击垮。

但这并未能阻止伊朗人强迫美国飞机和人员逃离他们曾经安全的基地——且离伊朗越来越远。美国人员已从巴林、科威特、阿拉伯联合酋长国和卡塔尔的基地撤离，所有这些基地都处于伊朗导弹和无人机的射程之内。其中一些基地受损如此严重，以至于五角大楼内部对其重建几乎没有兴趣；如果国会批准资金，它们将被移至更远的地方。

水域的情况则更为复杂。但美国一直无法保证通过霍尔木兹海峡或红海部分海域的航行自由。而在过去的半个世纪里，这正是美国在中东持续存在的一个核心理由。

达娜·斯特劳尔（Dana Stroul）曾在拜登政府期间担任五角大楼最高中东政策官员，她表示，将这十几架轰炸机突然转移回美国可能会产生内部和外部的影响。

撤军让伊朗人意识到，他们拥有将一个超级大国驱逐出去的力量。

“如此仓促的决定对行动计划和部队士气造成了剧烈干扰，”现就职于华盛顿近东政策研究所的斯特劳尔女士表示。“更令人担忧的是战略层面的问题，伊朗人可能会内化一个危险的教训——即通过展示能够接近远在中东之外的美国军事基地的能力，特朗普是可以被摆布的。”

特朗普及其支持者对事件有着截然不同的叙述。在美国中期选举的竞选活动中，他将伊朗描绘成处于崩溃边缘，其货币大幅贬值。他坚称，对所有进出伊朗的货运实施的海上封锁正在扼杀该国，并将迫使其达成协议。他坚持认为，任何关于伊朗取得进展的描述都是由那些不忠于美国的新闻机构散布的“假新闻”，这些机构之所以报道弹药短缺和其他挫折，是因为它们不忠于美国。

伊朗官员首次承认了经济上的痛苦。美国财政部长斯科特·贝森特上周指出，伊朗任命了一位新任石油部长，随后他在社交媒体上问道：“考虑到伊朗自8月25日以来没有将一桶原油装上船只，这位石油部长在管理什么？”

此外，政府官员将撤离描述为审慎的短期措施。那些匆忙撤走的B-1轰炸机有可能返回费尔菲尔德皇家空军（R.A.F.）空军基地，该基地自1944.年为准备D-Day入侵而建成以来，一直是美英军事合作的中坚力量。即使威胁导致无法返回，空军官员也坚称，他们可以从美国本土的基地执行远程任务。

五角大楼希望考虑在以色列和约旦建立新基地，但这需要国会批准，且升级或建设需要数年时间。当赫格塞斯先生最近向部队讲话时，他没有提到中东基地的损毁情况。相反，他谈到了让美国各州竞争在美境内建立一个庞大的新基地。

这并非特朗普先生在2月28.日宣布攻击伊朗时的计划。特朗普先生当时寻求在几天内，随后是五六周内取得胜利。特朗普先生要求“无条件投降”，并在冲突爆发三周后宣布伊朗彻底失败。本月，他表示伊朗将在“选举后立即”崩溃。

伊朗对整个中东地区美国基地的轰炸，迫使许多美国军队转移到该地区各地的酒店和办公空间，这引发了人们对特朗普政府战争准备情况的质疑。

伊朗查明了许多部队的驻扎地（其中一些在没有防护的酒店中），并开始将这些地方作为目标。目标不仅限于军事目标：美国中央情报局在沙特阿拉伯的站点也遭到了袭击，尽管目前尚不清楚伊朗人是蓄意攻击该站点，还是在袭击外交大院时侥幸击中。

该地区美军使用的13个主要军事基地中的许多基地很快变得无法居住，其中位于伊朗邻国科威特的基地受损或许最为严重。在一次针对舒艾巴港的袭击中，一个战术行动中心被摧毁，导致6名美国服役人员死亡。伊朗的无人机和导弹还袭击了阿里·萨勒姆空军基地，损坏了飞机结构并导致人员受伤，以及袭击了布林营，损坏了维护和燃料设施。

在卡塔尔，伊朗袭击了美国中央司令部在该地区的航空总部——乌代德空军基地，损坏了一套预警雷达系统。在巴林，一架伊朗单向攻击无人机击中了美国第五舰队总部的通信设备。在沙特阿拉伯的苏丹王子空军基地，伊朗的导弹和无人机损坏了通信设备和几架加油机。

德克萨斯 A&M 大学布什政府与公共服务学院国际事务副教授穆罕默德·阿亚托拉希·塔巴尔（Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar）本月在《外交事务》（Foreign Affairs）杂志中写道，现在的伊朗“正在采取一种以升级和持续进攻为特征的对美战略”。

“这意味着它既不会维持现状，也不会与华盛顿达成妥协，”他补充道。“相反，它将采取更多行动来损害美国地区合作伙伴的经济，破坏全球能源市场，并扩大对美国军事基础设施的攻击。”他预测，伊朗可能会尝试夺取海湾阿拉伯国家境内一些基本被遗弃的美国基地，尽管到目前为止，它一直避免采取此类地面行动。

基地问题对于五角大楼来说是一个如此敏感的话题，以至于它拒绝向国会提供修复或重建这些设施的成本估算，而立法者表示，这可能耗资数百亿美元。如此巨额的价格标签可能会成为反对战争的候选人的政治攻击素材。

相反，负责监督中东军事行动的中央司令部目前正在进行严肃的规划，旨在重新部署并重塑其在该地区的设施。

“财务成本每月继续攀升数十亿美元，即便政府拒绝承认我们面临的弹药危机，或承认重建被伊朗严重破坏的基地的成本，”参议院武装部队委员会民主党首席议员、来自罗德岛州的参议员杰克·里德（Jack Reed）上个月表示。

ADNAN ABIDI / 路透社

印度清理选民名单引发愤怒

萨钦·库马尔 / 法新社 — 盖蒂图片社 阿伦·桑卡尔 / 法新社 — 盖蒂图片社

巴维卡·查布拉 / 路透社

新德里

清理差异与重复项似乎针对莫迪的反对派

作者：MUJIB MASHAL, PRAGATI K.B. 以及 HARI KUMAR

在这个全球最大民主国家，近十亿人被要求出示文件，以证明他们应当保留投票权。

这项行动由总理纳伦德拉·莫迪任命的选举委员会发起，其名义是清理印度选民名单中的重复项和差异。到目前为止，该行动已删除了超过 1.3 亿 个名字——这一数字超过了墨西哥的总人口。

数千万选民因其信息存在异常而被算法标记为删除。数百万提出删除申诉的人仍处于裁决阶段，在今年早些时候竞争激烈的选举中被剥夺了投票权。一些因被认定为死亡而被删除的人，正基于自己依然活着的客观事实对该决定提出质疑。

随着证据不断增加，公众的愤怒正转化为广泛的抗议。证据表明，此次行动正在剥夺那些被认为不太可能支持莫迪领导的执政印度教民族主义政党的社会群体的权利。印度 2 亿 穆斯林似乎受到了不成比例的针对。

抗议者要求选举委员会负责人吉亚内什·库马尔（Gyanesh Kumar）辞职。在一个有着政变和独裁统治历史的地区，该机构长期以来因运行相对公正的选举而备受推崇。

“我们民主的核心——投票权，正处于巨大的危险之中，”印度前总检察长兼最高法院法官罗辛顿·纳里曼（Rohinton Nariman）在一次讲座中表示。

前印度选举官员和分析人士表示，这项行动去年夏天先在一个州开始，随后扩展到全国每位选民，这给印度建国七十多年来的选举公正性带来了沉重打击。随着近期披露选举委员会和最高法院内部官员对此次修订表示保留，愤怒情绪正在升级。

“整个方法已经从确保名单的包容性发生了转变，”前选举委员阿肖克·拉瓦萨（Ashok Lavasa）表示，“现在的努力和优先级似乎是寻找最轻微的借口来剔除人员。”

他表示，之前的选民名单修订侧重于“实地核查，挨家挨户”，以确保每位公民都被纳入；而目前的流程将证明责任完全推给了公民，否则就将其排除在外。他说，这使得很大一部分选民受制于算法以及旧记录中的错误，而这些错误在很大程度上可能只是文书错误。

诚然，在最近的修订之前，包含约 9.7 亿 个名字的选民名单中长期存在不准确的情况，在这个数千万人口因工作而流动的人口大国，这种情况一直存在，并导致部分人员利用漏洞进行滥用。但名单在每次地方和全国选举前都会例行更新，且公众对选举制度的信心足够强，以至于人们认为剩余差异产生的影响微乎其微。莫迪在全国修订之前的选民名单基础上赢得了三届任期，他的印度人民党（Bharatiya Janata Party）也因此繁荣发展。

分析人士和反对派领导人表示，突然发现并删除超过 2000 万 名死者以及 9000 万 名被归类为“缺席、迁移及其他”的人员，这要么让人们对之前选举的公正性产生怀疑，要么引发了对执政党在未来选举中意图的猜疑。

在 2024 年全国选举表现较弱之后，莫迪的政党在州一级取得了一系列胜利，包括基于修订后的选民名单，在一个此前从未赢过的大州实现了反超。下一次全国选举将在 2029 年举行。

选举委员会官员未回应多次置评请求。莫迪政党的领导人驳斥了这场骚乱，称其是由陷入困境的反对派煽动的，而该反对派此前也曾要求进行类似的修订。

“如果政党本身在过去曾多次要求删除重复、虚假和不合格的条目，那么为什么现在选举委员会清理和更新选民名单的努力会被描绘成本质上可疑的？”该党发言人普拉蒂尤什·坎斯（Pratyush Kanth）表示。

一个沉重的过程

两名仅在匿名情况下讨论执政党战略的高级官员表示，该过程旨在巩固其选举优势。由于担心遭到报复，这些官员要求不公开身份。

其中一人表示，其意图纯粹是政治性的：利用该党庞大的地方机制，向地方当局标记需要删除的人员。但他说，在印度的联邦体制下，这种效果有限，因为并非所有地方官员都听命于印度人民党（B.J.P.）。

另一名官员表示，在近期选举中获益是次要的，更重要的是一个更大的意识形态目标：实施—。

有证据表明，此次行动似乎在不成比例地针对印度 2 亿 名穆斯林。

这是印度右翼试图清除大量穆斯林非法移民的一种努力，而此前通过公民身份测试的尝试未能实现这一目标。

2019 年的一项公民身份登记试点项目将更多数量的印度教徒标记为缺乏证明文件，导致该行动被迫停止。该官员表示，利用选举委员会开展类似的行动，可以让执政党在实现阻止穆斯林参与政治这一目标的同时，拥有否认相关指控的空间。

莫迪先生政党领导人的公开言论支持了这一观点，他们将此次行动辩护为清除“渗透者”——这个词表面上是指来自孟加拉国的移民，但越来越多地被用来指代印度所有的穆斯林。

分析人士和前选举官员表示，当局要求人们提供证明公民身份的文件来核实其投票权。印度的许多人——无论是印度教徒还是穆斯林——都难以提供此类文件：记录保存状况糟糕，许多人甚至没有出生证明。

目前还没有强有力的证据表明，此次修订行动发现了大量外国人。尽管如此，莫迪先生政党的领导人已宣布，那些从选民名单中被删除的人将被剥夺面向公民的福利待遇。

印度最贫困的公民被迫在多次前往投票站办理手续与赚取日薪之间做出选择。

“我就站在他们面前。我还会带上我的全家人一起站在他们面前。他们可以亲眼看到我们的存在，”43, 岁的南黑·拉尔（Nanhe Lal）说道。他是德里的一名玩具店员工，为了防止名字被删除，他带着文件第三次前往选民中心。

他说，他的雇主一直在打电话询问他还要离开岗位多久。

反对党表示，莫迪先生正在利用选举委员会等独立机构，以确保其政党在未来数年内锁定优势。

从上至下：一名在新德里被拘留的示威者；被水炮驱散的抗议者；新德里最大的清真寺之一贾玛清真寺（Jama Masjid）；以及在要求选举委员会主席吉亚内什·库马尔（Gyanesh Kumar）辞职的抗议活动当天，在印度选举委员会总部外执勤的警卫。

他们表示，铺垫工作早在几年前就已经开始。2023, 莫迪先生改变了任命选举委员的委员会组成，使其向政府倾斜。他还通过了一项法律，赋予委员法律豁免权。

自那时起，反对党在几次州选举前就选民名单出现异常增加和删除的情况提出了投诉。但来自反对党国大党的立法者普拉文·查克拉瓦蒂（Praveen Chakravarty）表示，选举委员会无视了他们要求调查甚至包括“统计异常”案例的请求。他表示，相反，委员会限制了反对党获取机器可读选民名单以及投票中心现有 CCTV 监控录像等资料的权限，而这些资料本可以让他们核实投票数据。

在修订过程中，数百万人被算法标记为存在“逻辑差异”——这个词可能包括姓名拼写不一致、登记的兄弟姐妹数量或兄弟姐妹之间年龄差距等不一致之处。

另一些人则是因为第三方提交的质疑其存在的文件而被从选民名单中删除。

《纽约时报》的一项审查显示，在上个月下旬的一天里，在南部卡纳塔克邦的一个选区，就有近 2,000 份此类表格被提交。其中近一半是由五个人提交的，而他们质疑的选民绝大多数是穆斯林。许多表格已经打印好了目标人物的姓名，仅留下一个空白处由反对者手写签名，分析人士表示，这表明这是一场有组织的活动。

典型案例

某个特定邦选举委员会的行为引起了特别关注。

几十年来，莫迪先生领导的印度人民党（B.J.P.）在西孟加拉邦的州议会选举中一直未能获得多数席位。在一次删除了约900万个名字的选民名册修订之后，该党终于在5月上台。

尽管数百万对被剔除提出质疑的人仍在等待案件审理，但印度最高法院仍允许选举继续进行。在目前已裁决的约100,000起上诉中，大多数被认定为合法，并被命令恢复至名册中。

西孟加拉邦反对党领导人在向最高法院提交的请愿书中辩称，在莫迪先生政党赢得的207个席位中，有82个席位的被删选民人数超过了胜选幅度，这一数字足以改变权力平衡。

由法院任命的官员批准将160万名西孟加拉邦选民恢复至名册，但根据选举委员会自己的法院文件，该委员会通过对将其纳入名册提出上诉，阻止了他们的回归。一家印度报纸最近的调查发现，该国三名选举委员中的两名在内部对这一举措表示愤怒，他们称此举是在他们不知情的情况下完成的。

前选举委员拉瓦萨先生质疑，一个负责保护选民权利的机构，为何会“执行一项剥夺”选民这些权利的程序。

世界

中国旨在通过新空军基地扩大影响力

作者：克里斯·巴克利（CHRIS BUCKLEY）

中国已开始在老挝运行一个新的空军基地，这标志着北京在建立海外军事据点并将权力投射到东南亚的努力中又迈出了一步。

上周公布的卫星图像显示，8架小型军机已抵达中国-老挝联合物流与训练中心。该中心上个月在班昆（Ban Keun）开业，位于老挝首都万象以北约30英里（48公里）处。

首先由路透社报道的卫星图像显示，班昆有一个1.2英里的跑道，且可以延长，这意味着该设施有可能容纳需要更长起降距离的大型飞机。

一些专家表示，在老挝（一个位于越南和泰国之间的内陆国家）设立基地，可以帮助中国空军覆盖整个地区，包括那些北京在南海问题上长期存在领土紧张关系的国家。

中国拥有仅次于美国的全球第二大军队。中国人民解放军一直在迅速扩张，但在其他国家开设基地的步骤较为有限：一个位于柬埔寨的海军设施，以及另一个位于东非吉布提的海军支持中心。

“班昆具有重要意义，因为它似乎是中国首个公开承认的海外空中力量军事设施，”台北淡江大学研究中国军事的副教授林英宇（Ying Yu Lin）表示。

他说，这个新设施“位于中南半岛中心，能够使中国共产党轻松地将空中力量投射到周边地区”。

但前五角大楼官员德鲁·汤普森（Drew Thompson）表示，至少就目前而言，中国空军在班昆的规模太小且过于孤立，无法产生实质性的军事后果。

汤普森先生目前是新加坡南洋理工大学拉惹律南国际研究学院的高级研究员，他表示：“老挝是内陆国家，因此在那里的基地并不能让老挝或中国空军不受限制地进入印度洋或泰国湾。”

他说：“老挝-中国联合空军基地的威胁主要是政治上的而非军事上的，因为它是在没有与老挝邻国协商的情况下建立的。”

“这似乎是中国首个公开承认的海外空中力量军事设施。”

林教授表示，班昆（Ban Keun）的 8, 架飞机可能是 K-8 喷气机，也被称为洪都 JL-8，这是一款由中国和巴基斯坦制造的轻型双座飞机，主要用于训练。根据国际战略研究所（IISS）的一项年度全球军事调查，老挝空军仅有几十架飞机，其中包括约 4 架 K-8 喷气机。

越南、泰国和新加坡等邻国很可能会密切关注班昆的跑道是否会为了容纳轰炸机或侦察机而延长。许多中国战斗机和其他飞机可以在比班昆更短的跑道上起飞，但中国空军的标准跑道通常明显更长。

东南亚国家通常试图与北京保持友好关系，但其中许多国家也希望依靠美国来制衡中国的权力。林教授表示，特别是新加坡和泰国，为该地区的美国军队提供后勤支持。与中国存在激烈争端的越南也转向了美国。

据路透社报道，泰国国防部发言人苏拉桑·孔西里（Surasant Kongsiri）海军少将表示，老挝有权决定是否允许中国在该地运行基地。他说：“尽管如此，泰国将继续密切监测事态发展。”

卫星图像显示，新基地的建设始于去年 10 月左右，进展迅速。到 5 月，跑道的大部分区域已清晰可见。

中国的一则电视报道显示，上个月，老挝和中国的军官聚集在一起，为该支持与培训中心的正式启用举行仪式。中国国防部表示，班昆“不针对任何第三方”。

近几十年来，老挝在投资、政治支持和旅游业方面日益依赖中国。

今年 1 月，国际货币基金组织警告称，作为亚洲最贫穷且最不发达的国家之一，老挝的债务负担已达到“不可持续”的程度。老挝约一半的公共债务欠中国，中国资助了一条在很大程度上绕过了当地居民的高速铁路。老挝还将大量资金投入到水电项目中，目前其电网由一家中国合资企业运营。

汉娜·比奇（Hannah Beech，发自曼谷）和张艾美（Amy Chang Chien，发自台北）参与了报道。

被特朗普疏远的共和党选民

GOBLES, MICH.

上方从左起，吉姆·帕塞克和杰夫·吉尔伯特在密歇根州戈布尔斯的一家餐厅。帕塞克先生在谈到特朗普总统时表示：“他正在与美国人民脱节。”左侧，密歇根州波城的一幅壁画。该地区几乎看不到中期选举的竞选标志。

摄影：杰米·凯尔特·戴维斯，为纽约时报拍摄

有迹象表明，许多人可能会回避下个月的中期选举

作者：萨布丽娜·塔韦尼塞

如果民主党在下个月的美国中期选举中取得重大进展，这可能不仅仅是因为他们最忠诚的选民大规模出面，或者因为他们的候选人将共和党选民争取到了自己的阵营。

相反，民主党梦寐以求的“蓝色浪潮”可能来自那些对特朗普总统感到失望并选择留在家中的共和党人。这种现象已经有了一个名称：“红色潜流”（the red undertow）。

在美国各地，民主党和共和党之间出现了热情差距的迹象，甚至在那些认为自己可能会投票的人群中也是如此。密歇根州西南部的一片农村地区——长期以来一直是共和党的堡垒——就说明了这一点，这里的蓝莓和鸡蛋广告牌比政治候选人的标志还要多。志愿者们不再上门敲门。许多选民表示，他们正对此次选举采取忽视态度。

“人们只是更关注日常生活，”35岁的林赛·克罗内迈尔说道，她是一位保守派基督徒，有两个孩子，在建筑行业工作。“我没有听到共和党那边在议论‘特朗普如何如何’。他在我的脑海中已经不再占据位置了。”

吉姆·帕塞克住在密歇根州戈布尔斯这个小镇上，是一名退休的制药厂维护工人，他对这个他曾两次投票支持的总统感到困惑。

“他说话没逻辑，”80岁的帕塞克先生说。“这让我感到困惑，然后我就觉得厌恶，不再关注了。”

“红色潜流”这一概念是政治分析师查理·库克在上个月提出的。他认为，民主党的品牌形象依然低迷，但这次选举并非关于民主党潮水的上涨，而是关于特朗普品牌的沉没。

库克先生写道，在这种情况下，潜流将“把许多共和党人也卷入其中”。

在对密歇根州西部进行的近三十次采访中，一种疲惫感始终存在，而且这种感觉超出了该地区。

“特朗普总统一直说，‘投票时要把我当成在选票上一样’，而这正是我打算做的——不投票，”24岁的布兰登·特雷曼说道，他是德克萨斯州的一名研究生，曾在2020年投票给特朗普先生。“你不能一边以和平票单作为竞选主张，一边发动一场选择性战争，这场战争直接伤害了国内的美国人，并导致美国人在海外丧生。”

民意调查可能不可靠，情绪也可能是短暂的。特朗普的忠实支持者也以不接听民调机构的电话而闻名，这可能会夸大民主党的优势。随着民主党获胜的可能性临近，心灰意冷的特朗普选民可能仍会集结起来投票，而且许多美国人依然热爱特朗普先生。

“我会一直支持特朗普，”67岁的杰夫·吉尔伯特说道，他是帕塞克先生在戈布尔斯的朋友。

数据并没有出现剧烈的分歧。上个月一项由纽约时报 / 锡耶纳大学开展的全国民调发现

“共和党方面的能量非常低。”

道格·库普曼（DOUG KOOPMAN），肯特县共和党执行委员会成员

民主党人表示绝对确定会投票的可能性高于共和党人，比例分别为 61% 和 56%。虽然在全国注册选民中，民主党领先共和党 7 个百分点，但在可能投票的选民中，这一优势扩大到了 9 个百分点。

但在势均力敌的竞选中，微小的差距也可能产生重大影响。

“人们累了，”共和党人、前密歇根州众议员阿尔·普肖尔卡（Al Pscholka）在谈到特朗普先生时表示。“那种‘首席分裂者’的作风，已经到了让人精疲力竭的地步。”

这种担忧出现在了一些意想不到的地方。众议员比尔·胡伊曾加（Bill Huizenga）是一位

“人们现在更关注日常生活。”

琳赛·克罗内迈尔（LINDSAY KRONEMEYER），35岁， 一名保守派基督徒， 两个孩子的母亲

来自西密歇根州的共和党人，他此前四次赢得众议院席位且均以较大优势获胜，但现在正与一名来自卡拉马祖、资金充足的中间派民主党人肖恩·麦肯（Sean McCann）进行一场“人生中最艰难的战斗”。曾在该地区参与竞选活动的退休共和党政治顾问罗布·波考克（Rob Pocock）如此说道。

当地共和党州代表南希·德博尔（Nancy DeBoer）同样面临着一场艰苦的战斗，她的对手是约瑟夫·麦克卢斯基（Joseph McClusky）。麦克卢斯基毕业于位于密歇根州荷兰市的保守派基督徒文理学院——霍普学院（Hope College），且公开出柜。

“如果约瑟夫赢了，我会感到震惊，但我不敢相信他竟然能表现得这么好，”波考克先生说。他在霍普学院任教，麦克卢斯基曾是他的学生。他表示，在渥太华县，他看到了前所未有数量的民主党院子标牌。

西密歇根州——杰拉尔德·福特的故乡——可能正见证着总统 MAGA 运动的退潮。该运动曾在一个以稳健、带有基督徒色彩的保守主义著称的地区迅速崛起。在新冠疫情之后，热情的特朗普支持者在渥太华县委员会的 11 个席位中占据了 8 个。亲特朗普势力还赢得了州党的控制权。

如今，MAGA 派在渥太华县仅剩 3 个席位。他们在贝里安县和肯特县也失去了职位。

“我认为党内出现了一种转变，重新倾向于‘我们需要一些建制派人士’，”保守派基督徒母亲克罗内迈尔女士说。“他们的存在是有原因的。”

如果说有人会对这次选举感到热情，那应该是克罗内迈尔女士。她在 2022 年竞选州议员席位。在 2016 年和 2020 年，她曾为特朗普先生挨家挨户地敲门拉票。但她说，当最近有朋友问起她所在地区的竞选情况时，她不得不承认自己没有密切关注。她住在共和党势力深厚的阿利根县，她说那里“传统上在选举年，院子标牌会到处可见”。

但她说，今年她看到的唯一标牌是为一名法官竞选的。

自从特朗普先生席卷全国，带来吸引数百万美国工人阶级的经济民粹主义信息以来，已经过去了十年。

“他曾是一个能量球，”帕塞克先生在戈布尔斯与他的朋友吉尔伯特先生共进早餐时说。“你能感觉到，你能看到。”

现在，帕塞克先生说，特朗普先生似乎迷失了方向。他发起了他曾说不会发起的战争，导致汽油价格飙升。而且他谈论舞厅和拱门的时间，似乎比谈论如何降低物价的时间更多。

“他正在与美国人民脱节，”帕塞克先生说。

吉尔伯特先生说，他已经不再密切关注新闻，而是选择花更多时间陪他的狗梅贝尔（Mabel）在户外活动。但他在 2024 年投票给了特朗普先生，并表示他坚持这一选择。他说他相信特朗普先生对伊朗有计划。

帕塞克先生反驳道：“他说他有计划，但又不告诉我们计划是什么。”

帕塞克先生引用了汽油价格：“他说这只是小钱。不，不是的！这在杀死人们。”

他说，他注意到在开车进城经过的一个停车场里，有人住在车里。他担心自己的孙女，今年 28 岁，是密歇根州立大学的大学毕业生，目前打三份工——一份全职和两份兼职——但仍然找不到能负担得起的房子。

这些忧虑在地方党级层面也得到了体现。肯特县共和党执行委员会成员道格·库普曼表示，要让中期选举的基层工作人员（志愿者敲门员和拉票员）领取宣传册进行挨家挨户的分发一直很困难，导致大量宣传册被遗留在党总部。

“共和党方面的积极性非常低，”他说。

露丝·伊格尔尼克参与了报道和研究。

如果房屋在火灾中幸存但被烟雾毁掉，谁来买单？

咨询公司没有立即回应置评请求。

凯尔·格里洛 为纽约时报 拍摄

山火导致洛杉矶的一栋豪宅无法居住；业主起诉保险公司

作者：鲁克米尼·卡利马奇 和 肖恩·胡布勒

在洛杉矶太平洋帕利塞德（Pacific Palisades）社区的一道高耸树篱后面，坐落着一座汤姆·克鲁斯在1990年买下、妮可·基德曼在离婚后卖掉的房子。几户之隔是史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格的庄园。街道对面则是比尔·考斯比的住宅。

该房产与拳击传奇“糖块”雷·伦纳德（Sugar Ray Leonard）的房产共用一段围栏——“我们的狗会对着对方叫，”2002年从基德曼女士手中买下这栋房子的奥斯汀·博特纳（Austin Beutner）说道。

在美国，很少有几个街区能像这里一样聚集如此多的名声、金钱和权力。但在帕利塞德大火导致房屋受损近21个月后，这里依然空无一人。根据该家庭委托的检测，这栋估值约$20 million的房子目前无法居住，墙壁中的铅含量远高于联邦监管机构认为的危险水平。

周一，在洛杉矶县高等法院，博特纳先生及其妻子弗吉尼亚起诉了他们的保险公司——丘博保险（Chubb），其子公司标准银行保险公司（Bankers Standard Insurance Company）为其出具了保单——以及丘博聘请的两家环境咨询公司。诉讼指控丘博因拒绝支付铅及其他毒素的全面清理费用而构成违约和专业过失。在上个月给丘博的一封信中，该家庭的律师指责该公司依赖于“付费操纵”的顾问和“垃圾科学”。

丘博发言人迈克尔·托马索（Michael Tomaso）拒绝置评。这两家

这起诉讼加入了一大批由房屋在2025年1月火灾中幸存但未能幸免于烟雾的业主发起的法律行动。而这起案件的特殊之处在于原告的身份。

博特纳先生的职业生涯一直处于决策核心地带。At 29, 他成为了黑石集团（Blackstone Group）最年轻的合伙人，随后共同创立了投资银行 Evercore。他曾任洛杉矶副市长、《洛杉矶时报》发行人，以及美国第二大校区的教育局长。In 2022, 他起草了一项投票提案，目前每年向加利福尼亚州公立学校的艺术和音乐项目拨款约10 亿美元 billion。

“无论结果如何，我都会没问题，”他在提起诉讼前的一次电话采访中表示。“但还有成千上万的人拥有像我一样的索赔请求，但他们可能没有我的影响力，可能负担不起律师费。”他表示，保险公司正将家庭推回被污染的家中并掩盖危险——这是一场公共卫生危机——而诉讼可能是发出警报的少数途径之一。

洛杉矶火灾造成31人死亡，超过16,000栋建筑被焚毁。根据加利福尼亚州保险局的数据，在灾后提交的超过40,000起保险索赔中，约有13,000起——即近三分之一——是针对烟雾损坏房屋的索赔。

据保单持有者权益倡导者称，其中许多索赔仍未解决，许多家庭继续处于流离失所状态。

在周二由当地非营利组织加州社区基金会（California Community Foundation）在洛杉矶举办的新闻发布会上，流离失所的火灾幸存者讲述了烟雾损害给他们带来的困难。包括市长凯伦·巴斯（Karen Bass）和洛杉矶县主管凯瑟琳·巴格（Kathryn Barger）在内的当地官员敦促保单持有者在1月的法律截止日期前，就检测和修复提交保险索赔。

阿尔塔迪纳（Altadena）的一位祖母布兰卡·佩雷斯（Blanca Perez）用西班牙语表示，她和邻居们几个月来一直在努力确定他们那栋拥有40个单元的公寓楼是否安全宜居，但他们缺乏检测资金。

布伦达·索洛扎诺（Brenda Solórzano）是加州基金会（California Endowment）的总裁兼首席执行官，该基金会是一家全州范围内的非营利组织。她表示，她希望自己在阿尔塔迪纳（Altadena）那栋被烟雾损坏的房子能被彻底烧毁。

“这真的很令人沮丧，”她说，“我有教育背景，有人脉，有资源。但我也一直在与我们的保险公司作斗争。”

这一问题的核心在于监管真空：由于缺乏关于烟雾损坏房屋何时被视为“清洁”的州级或国家标准，《纽约时报》的一项调查发现，保险公司通常仅检测烟尘、焦炭和灰烬——这些火灾的可见痕迹——并支付同样可见的修复费用：吸尘、擦拭和粉刷。

关于保险理赔的争议通常在不为人知的领域展开，隐藏在理赔员的信函和机密和解协议中。但洛杉矶火灾的规模使这些争议公开化。根据保险数据公司 Verisk 的数据，2025 年的火灾是保险公司记录中损失最惨重的野火灾难，估计承保损失高达 $35

RYAN YOUNG FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

奥斯汀·博特纳（Austin Beutner），上图，前洛杉矶市副市长及前《洛杉矶时报》出版人，其房屋在 2025 年太平洋帕利塞兹（Pacific Palisades）社区的野火中受到烟雾损坏（左）。他正起诉其保险公司 Chubb，指控其专业过失。

十亿，是 2018 年坎普火灾（Camp fire）创下的前纪录的两倍多。

烟雾被证明是主要原因之一：Verisk 收集的数据显示，在火灾后的前 30 天里，30% 的房主理赔申请是针对烟雾损坏的，而坎普火灾后这一比例仅为 3%。

诉讼称，博特纳夫妇在 Chubb 保险公司投保了 18 年，支付了数百万美元的保费。尽管 Chubb 在加州承保的房主保费仅占约 2%，但其遭受的打击却不成比例：州数据显示，2025, 年，该公司在加州房主保险方面的损失约为 17 亿美元 十亿——大约是其通过这些保单赚取的保费的五倍。

在 Jan. 7, 2025, 帕利塞兹（Palisades）火灾席卷了博特纳夫妇所在的区域，但并未烧到他们的房子，尽管时速 100 英里（160 公里 / 小时）的强风将烟尘、焦炭和灰烬吹进了屋内。根据周一提交的诉状，该家庭接触的第一位 Chubb 理赔员称其为“我们见过的最糟糕的房子”。

火灾两周后，Chubb 派遣了 Environmental Testing Associates（目前被起诉的两家公司之一）对房屋进行检测。该公司采集的 17 份胶带样本测量了烟尘、焦炭和灰烬，但没有测量其中的重金属，也没有检测墙腔和阁楼等隐蔽空间。该公司建议安装空气过滤器、进行清洁和吸尘——博特纳夫妇的律师后来写道，这相当于将损坏视为“可以用来苏尔（Lysol）湿巾解决的问题”。

与许多其他受野火影响的家庭一样，博特纳夫妇很快发现自己陷入了专家之间的博弈。当该家庭聘请自己的工业卫生专家对房屋进行检测时，他发现了令人震惊的毒素水平——包括在前门走廊的天花板中，每平方英尺含有 9,575 微克的铅。根据与《纽约时报》分享的检测结果，这一数值是联邦室内铅含量限制的 239 倍。

相比之下，Chubb 聘请的顾问在提交给《纽约时报》以及该家庭诉状的报告中坚持认为，铅来自这栋建于 20 世纪 40 年代的旧房油漆，而锂和砷则来自土壤或地壳。

到目前为止，Chubb 已为博特纳一家的维修和搬迁援助支付了数百万美元的理赔金。博特纳先生表示，这笔钱还不到修复烟雾损坏成本的四分之一。

挑剔的品鉴员引导着一个庞大产业

法国，埃马格

上图：在法国南部的皇家 Canin（Royal Canin）研究中心，一只名为 Willow 的布偶猫正在协助演示动物如何品尝放置在秤上的两碗食物。下图（从左至右）：在园区泳池游泳的狗；该园区的另一处景观，这里也是皇家 Canin 的全球总部；以及公司总裁塞西尔·库滕斯（Cécile Coutens）。 摄影：MATHIAS DEPARDON 为纽约时报拍摄

随着宠物消费的增长，品牌正努力了解猫狗的口味

作者：JENNY GROSS

想象一下，几十只猫在像宠物日托中心一样的空间里打盹或走动。

每天下午 4 点，晚餐供应。猫咪们走进各自的小隔间，每个隔间里都有两个放在秤上的干粮盘。猫咪选择它们更喜欢的食物，而秤则测量它们的摄入量。法国南部皇家 Canin 宠物中心的营养学家们正在观察：动物更喜欢哪种干粮？它们进食的积极程度如何？一个团队利用这些数据来调整配方并研发新配方。

像由全球消费品巨头玛氏（Mars）拥有的皇家 Canin 这样的宠物食品制造商，正投入大量资金进行研究，以了解猫狗的口味，并迎合那些将宠物视为家庭成员的人。即便伊朗的战争引发了通货膨胀，且工资增长未能跟上，宠物食品市场仍保持增长。

随着 2020 年被大量领养的“疫情宠物”进入中年，宠物食品制造商正专注于缓解关节疼痛、增强疲劳肌肉以及保护认知功能。

“老龄化是最大的机遇之一，”皇家 Canin 总裁塞西尔·库滕斯表示。

该公司的老年猫粮系列包括为 11 岁及以上猫咪设计的特软慕斯，以及为 15 岁及以上猫咪设计的易食用干粮。许多公司还销售用于治疗猫认知障碍症以及支持大脑健康老化的补充剂。

通货膨胀推高了传统干粮（法语称作“croquettes”）的价格。然而，狗粮和猫粮货架上的选择变得昂贵且专业化，一些品牌甚至销售新鲜的、人类食品级别的食物。研究表明，人们在削减宠物开支之前，会先削减自己的开支。普瑞纳（Purina）去年推出了一款金字塔形状的“优雅果冻嫩肉块”料理，以鼓励猫咪大口吞咽。

根据消费者研究公司 NielsenIQ 的数据，过去一年美国在猫粮上的支出超过 170 亿美元，比两年前的同期增长了 14%。（狗粮销售额则大致持平。）库滕斯女士表示，与前几代父母因孩子要求而养宠物不同，现在的人们通常在生孩子之前（如果他们打算生孩子的话）就先养宠物。

随着 K 型经济（指贫富差距扩大的简写）的持续，公司正在投资迎合富裕人群的高端宠物食品系列。

虽然在某些方面猫比狗更容易打理，但在食物方面，猫往往需要更多的人类智慧。

“我们非常喜欢猫，因为在某种意义上，猫是更挑食的，因此你需要更多的科学技术才能成功地迎合它们，”雀巢（Nestlé）首席执行官菲利普·纳夫拉蒂尔（Philipp Navratil）在 6 月的一次会议上表示。

近年来，由于人们在办公室花费的时间增加，猫的领养率高于狗。

与拥有两个研究猫狗行为中心的雀巢公司一样，皇家宠物食品（Royal Canin）也拥有一个专门针对犬猫的广泛研究项目。在皇家宠物食品位于艾马格（Aimargues）的宠物中心，在校园内生活的 377 只猫狗中，只有那些最挑食的个体才能参与口味测试。该公司的另一个宠物中心位于俄亥俄州。作为训练的一部分，幼猫会被提供不同质地和口味的食物以开发其感官。在 7 个月大时，它们会被教会从指定的喂食器中进食。

皇家宠物食品研发副总裁西尔维娅·米雷特-卡塔兰（Silvia Miret-Catalan）表示，像拉布拉多那样几乎什么都吃的狗无法入选。

在皇家宠物食品中心，一个团队会监测早餐和晚餐后的行为。猫狗是否比平时显得更慵懒？是否更爱玩耍？它们的粪便质量在 1 到 10 的量表上处于什么水平？

“最低分将是腹泻，”从事创新工作的亚尼克·苏拉德（Yannick Soulard）说道。他表示，随后粪便会被干燥并分析，以确定食物的消化情况。一旦猫狗年满 7 岁，员工就可以领养它们。目前有很长的等待名单，而与特定动物建立了情感纽带的员工将获得优先权。

口味是研究重点。玛氏公司（Mars）位于英国的沃尔瑟姆宠物护理科学研究所（Waltham Petcare Science Institute）的猫科专家斯科特·麦格雷恩（Scott McGrane）表示，他的团队尤其感兴趣于了解猫（包括老年猫）的感官和口味。为什么它们不喜欢甜食？为什么它们如此热爱金枪鱼？他表示，研究人员确定猫拥有鲜味味觉受体，这使它们能够品尝并检测出鲜味化合物。他指出，金枪鱼拥有一种独特的化合物组合，对猫来说类似于“超级鲜味”。

米雷特-卡塔兰女士表示，随着猫年龄的增长，部分味蕾会退化，但它们保留了对苦味的感知，导致某些食物变得不再吸引它们。她表示，她的团队为老年猫设计了能够掩盖苦味并增强吸引力香气的食物。

像拉布拉多这样几乎什么都吃的狗，无法通过皇家宠物食品（Royal Canin）口味测试员的筛选。

比起宠物护理，玛氏（Mars）公司可能因生产士力架（Snickers）、M&M's和彩虹糖（Skittles）而更为人熟知。尽管该公司在2002年收购了皇家宠物食品，但其进入宠物食品行业已有近一个世纪之久。在那个时代，人们喂狗大多使用餐桌上的剩菜。

近几十年来，玛氏收购了数千家宠物医院和诊所。根据毕马威（KPMG）的数据，该公司拥有美国所有执业诊所的6%。该公司是美国乃至全球最大的宠物食品供应商。

毕马威合伙人、私募股权客户顾问凯西·贝德里克（Cathy Bedrick）表示，随着全球宠物人口迅速老龄化，拥有兽医诊所的公司预计在未来几年将迎来更多业务。贝德里克的狗因为脊柱僵硬而每周接受一次针灸治疗。

在皇家宠物食品工厂内部，穿过一面挂满巨型颗粒饲料装裱照片的墙，可以看到巨大的钢桶，玉米、鸡肉、小麦和其他原料在其中混合。该工厂生产146种颗粒饲料供宠物主人选择。

在最近的一个下午，皇家宠物食品在树下的一处阳光充足的地方，为我和我的摄影师同事重现了一次测试。我观察着一只2岁的布偶猫Willow，它先吃A盘，接着吃B盘，然后又回到了A盘。它的犹豫意味着什么？一名皇家宠物食品的官员承认，这并非一次真正的A / B测试；两个盘子里装的是同样的食物，这与通常的做法不同。Willow对此并不在意，它吃完了两盘，然后走开了。

在回报低迷的季度中，能源业成为例外

GIULIO BONASERA

策略

作者：杰夫·索默（JEFF SOMMER）

在今年年初，如果让我猜测美国股市哪个板块的表现会优于其他所有板块，简单的答案应该是科技股。

然而，对于基金投资者来说，在截至9月的三个月里，情况并非如此。由晨星公司（Morningstar）追踪的科技股基金下跌了1.4%，但在一个几乎处处亏损的季度里，这个结果其实并不算太糟。

相反，最大的赢家是能源业。

美国能源股基金在该季度的平均涨幅为11.6%——与国内股票基金平均1.8%的跌幅以及平均应税债券基金2.2%的损失相比，这确实是一个极佳的回报。国际股票基金的表现同样糟糕，平均损失为0.6%。美国的市政债券基金（通常可免除部分州税和地方税）情况更糟，平均下跌了5.6%。

在这些月份里，改变股票和债券市场局势的主要因素是与伊朗的战争，这推高了石油、天然气、精炼燃料和其他能源产品的价格，并极大地促成了利率飙升，从而扰乱了金融世界。

即使是人工智能股票也一度陷入低迷，尽管它们在本月有所反弹，推动标准普尔500指数和以科技股为主的纳斯达克100指数在过去一周创下新高。

市场的这段疲软期提醒人们，要对特定板块或资产类别做出持续且准确的预测是多么困难，尤其是在短期内。

在美国和许多其他国家，大多数持有股票或债券的人是通过基金——共同基金、交易所交易基金（ETF）以及类似的投资池来实现的。这些美国基金的第三季度回报目前正在陆续出炉，而且几乎全面反映了金融市场糟糕到平庸的表现。

尽管如此，如果你的个人投资结果看起来令人沮丧，请记住，在过去一年以及过去五年中，股市表现如此强劲，因此你的投资组合很有可能已经增长，尽管债券基金最近经历了一段历史性的糟糕时期。

能源股近期的超常表现证明了广泛多元化投资的必要性，即使用追踪全球整体股票和债券市场的指数基金作为核心投资。至少这样你就能获得整体市场的回报，即使你被全球或国内事件以及特定股票或板块的表现所出乎意料。

债券虽然拖累了投资组合的回报，但它们是多元化投资组合中的经典组成部分，因为当股市暴跌时，它们可能会提供一定的稳定性。

业绩详情

为退休储蓄的人员，或已进入退休状态的人员，在专门为其设计的基金中几乎普遍经历了小幅下跌。但在某种程度上，这些基金发挥了预期作用。其多元化的持仓通常使近期的损失较为轻微，同时在更长的时间跨度内保持了稳健的回报。

我所指的是所谓的“目标日期基金”——这是一种全方位投资产品，其成分会随着你接近、达到或超过指定的退休年份而发生变化。

根据晨星公司（Morningstar）的数据，目标日期为 2060 年或更晚的基金在本季度下跌了 0.4%，但 12 个月内上涨了 14.2%，五年年化收益率为 9.6%。退休收入基金（通常面向已经退休的人群）则下跌了 1.6%。此类基金大量配置债券，而债券近期拖累了其回报。不过，退休收入基金在 12 个月内上涨了 4.7%，五年年化收益率为 3.7%。

能源股票基金是本季度的亮点之一。其平均 11.6% 的回报在很大程度上是由石油炼油商的卓越表现驱动的，战争带来了意外之财。Valero Energy 在三个月内上涨了 48.9%，Marathon Petroleum 则跳涨了 54.7%。

相比之下，晨星数据库中科技基金 1.4% 的损失，似乎是许多大型科技股表现不稳定以及许多主动基金经理选择失误共同导致的结果。

例如，Alphabet 本季度下跌了 3.7%，因为部分投资者开始担心该公司在人工智能（A.I.）基础设施上投入的巨额资金。而休立顿企业（Hewlett Packard Enterprise）——这家由硅谷资深计算机先驱休立顿-帕卡德（Hewlett-Packard）分拆出来的规模小得多的公司——由于人工智能服务的强劲需求，上涨了 41.6%。

在本季度，大量持有 Alphabet 的股票损害了许多科技基金的业绩，但在更长的时间跨度内却贡献了极高的回报。截至上个月的五年期间，Alphabet 的年化回报率为 21%，无论用什么标准衡量，这都是一项辉煌的业绩。

请记住，这些不同的回报率仅告诉我们已经发生了什么，而不是即将发生什么。它们仅仅是在提醒我们，如果你在正确的时间投资于正确的

能源股的强劲表现与科技基金的低迷，证明了广泛分散投资的必要性。

时刻，你将获得繁荣。但如果你将资金投入错误的股票或板块，你将为此付出代价。

标准普尔道琼斯指数（S&P Dow Jones Indices）、晨星（Morningstar）和道尔巴（Dalbar）对基金回报的众多研究，以及许多学者的研究表明，对于大多数专业基金经理来说，要正确且持续地做出此类选择是极其困难的。简而言之，这就是为什么我仍然是一名指数基金投资者，选择接受市场平均水平，而不是试图通过择时或选股来超越整体市场。

这种方法在近年来效果相当不错。根据 FactSet 的数据，追踪基准标普500股票指数的先锋标普500 ETF（Vanguard S&P 500 E.T.F.）计入股息后，本季度回报率为 2.3%，截至上个月的12个月回报率为 15.8%，五年年化回报率为 13.8%。

这些指数回报率击败了晨星数据库中国内股票基金的平均回报率，后者的三个月回报率为 -1.8%，12个月回报率为 13.2%，五年年化回报率为 9.2%。二十多年来，指数基金在大多数时间里都优于平均国内股票基金。当然，在每一天、每一年，总会有个别板块、基金和股票的表现优于指数。

例如，Moderna 在 8 月的一天内上涨了 177%，当时该公司宣布与默克（Merck）共同开发了一种实验性癌症疫苗，在临床试验中延长了黑色素瘤复发的时间。截至周三，该股今年已上涨超过 500%。

债券基金的表现则逊色得多。几乎所有债券基金都受到了利率上升的影响。这是因为当债券收益率上升（如近期情况）时，价格会下跌，而债券基金必须每日核算这些价格下跌。

然而，许多基金现在可能会从这种收益率的上行转移中受益，正是因为新购买的债券可以获得更高的利率，从而产生更丰厚的收入流。

未来

最近，一些最显而易见的押注并未让基金投资者获益。市场和经济波动剧烈，使得预测未来将如何发展变得极其困难。

如果你确信自己掌握了答案，那么祝你好运。我确定我没有，如果你和我处于同一阵营，我建议你首先确保拥有足够的现金，以便在股市崩盘时保护自己，然后配置足够的债券以产生充足的收入流并缓冲你的股票投资组合。

然后，如果你的投资期限足够长——以年为单位，更好的是以十年为单位——请坚持投资股市，因为从长期来看，它产生了最好的回报。

但要分散投资。能源股会在未来几年占据主导地位吗？人工智能（A.I.）会成为推动股市和经济的重大趋势吗？我们最终会知道答案。

在此期间，请对冲你的风险。

超级大国的月球竞赛进入核能时代

月球报道，见第1页

上图为美国于2023.年建立的一座用于生产高丰度低浓缩铀的设施。俄罗斯是该燃料的最大生产国，而美国目前供应短缺。右图为俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·V·普京（左）与中国最高领导人习近平。 BRIAN KAISER 为纽约时报拍摄

月球表面将面临整个区域变成禁区的风险。

JADE GAO / 法新社 — 盖蒂图片社

“太空竞赛将一直存在，如果你将核能引入其中，那么它可能会转向一个潜在的更危险的方向，”忧虑科学家联盟（Union of Concerned Scientists）核电安全主任埃德温·莱曼（Edwin Lyman）表示。

通过对技术规格、采购文件和学术研究的审查，以及对业内人士、政府官员和批评者的采访，目前可以最清晰地勾勒出中国、俄罗斯和美国如何追求这一核能雄心的图景。

这些记录还有助于解释中俄太空伙伴关系的一个关键方面，这一联盟由习近平主席和弗拉基米尔·V·普京总统共同倡导。

核能似乎是中国在月球项目中委托给其合作伙伴的唯一核心任务。在这一领域，没有哪个国家比俄罗斯经验更丰富。

俄罗斯在冷战时期的卫星上发射了30多个反应堆，主要集中在20世纪70年代和80年代，并且在民用核电领域处于领先地位。俄罗斯控制着被认为是最安全的太空任务核燃料的最大供应量。这种非高浓缩铀燃料在美国供应短缺。

“在太空核能领域，俄罗斯几乎没有竞争对手，”库尔恰托夫研究所（Kurchatov Institute）所长米哈伊尔·科瓦尔丘克（Mikhail Kovalchuk）告诉俄罗斯塔斯社。库尔恰托夫是一家研究机构，目前正协助设计一个月球反应堆。

美国国家航空航天局（NASA）正在奋起直追。该机构在1965年发射了一个反应堆，但在一次无关的航天器故障后将其关闭。自那时起，美国在太空核计划上花费了超过200 亿美元 billion，但再未部署过另一个反应堆。

月球反应堆的竞赛既是一场权力展示，也是一项探索任务。特朗普总统已宣布，在太空领域取得优势是他“美国优先”议程的一部分。习近平先生和普京先生也发表了类似的声明。

核能之必要性

任何永久性的月球基地都需要可靠的电力。核反应堆工作不需要阳光，且体积可以很小。根据NASA和库尔恰托夫研究所的说法，如果设计得当，它们几乎不需要人工干预。

在最初的几年里，美国和中国仅需要足够的电力来保持设备的温度并为月球车（在表面巡视的车辆）充电。为此，他们计划使用太阳能和放射性同位素电源系统。

这些系统将同位素自然放射性衰变产生的热量转化为电能。美国、俄罗斯和中国已经在太空中使用了这些系统。

但扩建后的月球基地所需的电力将远超这些系统能产生的电量。在长达地球两周之久的寒冷月夜，太阳能电池板将无法工作。任何位于月球南极附近的电力系统都必须在130到-334华氏度（54到-203摄氏度）的温度波动中生存下来。

莫斯科已要求其国有机构在2036年前交付一个名为“塞勒涅”（Selena）的月球反应堆，为中国领导的月球站提供动力。“塞勒涅”将产生高达10千瓦的电能，并能自主运行十年。它将与之前设计用于在北极运行的一个反应堆具有相似的特性。

美国国家航空航天局（NASA）加快了其时间表，担心俄罗斯和中国的反应堆可能会在月球上建立一个事实上的禁区。

NASA的1号月球反应堆预计将产生20千瓦的电能（大约相当于16户美国家庭的用电量），并且在无需干预的情况下运行五年。

作为第一步，NASA计划在2028年12月利用核动力驱动一艘航天器前往火星。此前从未有人实现过这一点。

“只需要一个机加工车间和少量的高能炸药，就能把它变成一件极具威胁的武器。”

与此同时，白宫表示，五角大楼打算开发自己的空间反应堆，用于在轨道上和月球上部署。

目标日期已多次推迟，很少有专家认为这些国家能按时完成。目前还没有经过验证的着陆器能够将沉重的、具有潜在放射性的材料降落在崎岖的月球地形上。也从未有人在低重力环境下安装过反应堆。

月球基地尚未建成，它们需要多少电量仍处于推测阶段。这就是为什么专家表示，反应堆设计的全部或部分内容可能会发生变化。

“目前没有任何事情是确定的，”香港科技大学核科学家、教授朱利安·德·特鲁利乌德·德·兰韦尔辛（Julien de Troullioud de Lanversin）说道。

风险重重

美国和俄罗斯表示，它们的反应堆在抵达月球之前将处于不可运行状态——科学家称之为“未辐照”状态。这将降低风险。核工程师表示，“冷”铀燃料即使坠落到地球上，其放射性威胁也很小。

尽管如此，事情仍可能出错，尤其是在火箭发射的受控爆炸期间。

“这是风险最高时刻，”领导联合国外层空间核动力工作组的利奥波德·萨默雷尔（Leopold Summerer）表示。“我们经历过多次发射失败，因此拥有大量关于可能出错环节的数据。”

例如，如果一个反应堆掉入海洋。水会减缓中子的速度，使其更容易分裂原子。这可能会导致反应堆达到临界状态，从而引发灾难，这意味着它将进入一种释放辐射的原子分裂链式反应。由于大多数发射场都靠近水域，这种风险是真实存在的。

核专家表示，这种情况可能在2019年的俄罗斯发生过，当时一枚核动力巡航导弹失灵并坠入白海。据美国国务院称，当研究人员试图回收它时，发生了核反应。至少有五名工作人员死亡。（俄罗斯否认了这些说法，并称该导弹并非由反应堆驱动。）

美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的规格要求设计必须能够防止这种情况发生。俄罗斯国家原子能公司（Rosatom）拒绝置评，称其航天计划属于机密。负责科学研究的库尔恰托夫研究所（Kurchatov Institute）和负责俄罗斯航天计划的俄罗斯国家航天集团（Roscosmos）未回应询问。中国外交部和中国载人航天工程办公室也未回应询问。

另一个风险是运行后的故障可能导致反应堆返回地球。1978年，俄罗斯核动力卫星 Kosmos 954 在失控重返大气层后，将放射性物质散布在加拿大北部近 48,000 平方英里（124,000 平方公里）的区域。经过约一年的清理，仅回收了该卫星电源的 0.1%。

在美国，任何空间反应堆都应由来自七个机构的专家进行审查。但事故是不可能完全排除的。

“事故的定义就是事情没有按计划进行，”麻省理工学院核科学与工程副教授 R. 斯科特·肯普（Scott Kemp）表示。

肯普博士表示，在月球上发生事故的可能性更大。

在地球上，反应堆被包裹在安全壳结构内部，而这种结构在月球上建造将极其昂贵且在技术上具有挑战性。美国国家航空航天局（NASA）表示其反应堆将设有屏蔽装置，但尚不清楚具体方式。专家表示，为了降低宇航员和机器的辐射风险，月球反应堆周围可能会设立禁区。

肯普博士表示，由于缺乏安全壳，即使是较小的事故也会产生更多的放射性沉降。月球上没有风，但由于重力较小，爆炸后的碎片可以传播很远。

在地球上，当反应堆达到使用寿命时，除役是一个复杂且谨慎的过程，需要耗时数年。而在月球上，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）和俄罗斯相关机构均表示，他们将直接把放射性物质留在原地。

“在竞赛中，他们不想被一个没人能解决的难题所困扰，”在香港的核科学家德·特鲁利乌德博士（Dr. de Troullioud）说道。

燃料挑战

在所有技术和采购文件中，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）表示将使用一种非高浓缩且被认为对先进反应堆最安全的核燃料。但一些专家表示，地缘政治和紧迫的期限可能会使情况复杂化。

NASA在2018年测试的最后一个空间反应堆使用了高浓缩铀，这种燃料比其他燃料更轻，发射成本更低。但第一任特朗普政府不鼓励使用这种燃料，因为其最终可能被用作核武器。

现在，NASA希望使用一种被称为高丰度低浓缩铀（HALEU）的燃料，而这种燃料在美国供应短缺。俄罗斯是最大的生产国，但由于乌克兰战争，美国自2024年起已禁止进口俄罗斯铀。

NASA的文件显示，它期望能源部为空间反应堆分配低浓缩燃料。但政府自身在生产足够燃料方面也面临困难。

俄中联盟尚未披露将使用何种类型的燃料。俄罗斯早期的空间反应堆使用的是高浓缩燃料。

“只需要一个机加工车间和少量的高能炸药，就能将其变成一件极具威胁的武器，”来自伊利诺伊州的民主党众议员比尔·福斯特（Bill Foster）说道，他是一位物理学家，曾成功促使空间反应堆停止使用高浓缩铀。

在NASA月球反应堆合同的潜在竞标者中，至少有一家公司——空间核能公司（Space Nuclear Power Corporation）正在开发一种使用高浓缩铀的反应堆。该公司创始人以即将开展项目的“竞争性质”为由，拒绝发表评论。

美国的太空计划可能成为微型反应堆制造公司的福音，这类反应堆可产生高达10兆瓦的电能。这些昂贵的反应堆规模太小，无法满足数据中心的能源需求，但在太空和军事应用领域找到了利基市场。

上个月，五角大楼选择了一家名为Antares的公司，用于开发并演示一个空间微型反应堆。在能源部运行的一项计划中，Antares是今年夏天成功测试反应堆的五家公司之一。该公司表示，将竞标NASA和五角大楼的月球反应堆合同。

微型反应堆最终可能会被部署在月球上，但目前还没有任何一个经过验证并准备就绪。对于必须紧凑且轻便的空间反应堆而言，一些基础的安全问题——如何散热、如何屏蔽反应堆、如何维持结构完整性——尚未得到完全解决。

“在月球上部署反应堆是完全可行的，”威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校核工程与工程物理系主任凯蒂·哈夫（Katy Huff）表示。但她指出，所需的功率越高，反应堆的建造就越具有挑战性。

哈夫博士表示，尽管各国为了抢先登月而相互推挤，但政府通过合作取得的成就比竞争更多。“我希望看到更多国际空间合作，”她说，“在那个领域，协作式的团队科学已经超越了我们那些阴郁的国际政治。”

律师事务所神圣的可计费小时正面临压力

康纳·罗宾逊 (CONNOR ROBINSON)

DEALBOOK

作者：萨拉·凯斯勒 (SARAH KESSLER)

外界经常将法律行业视为受到人工智能威胁的行业。但美国最大的几家律所正渴望展示他们是如何拥抱这项技术的。

例如，在 OpenAI 上个月宣布推出一个面向律师的最新 AI 模型版本后，少数几家顶尖律所自豪地揭晓了新工具。

苏利文与克伦威尔律师事务所 (Sullivan & Cromwell) 推出了“协议分析器” (Agreement Analyzer) 以协助审查交易；库利律师事务所 (Cooley) 推出了“公开上市” (Go Public)，这是一个用于首次公开募股前 S-1 起草过程的工具；而罗普斯与格雷律师事务所 (Ropes & Gray) 则表示，他们正在开发一款 AI 工具，能够“在数小时而非数周内，生成一份详细的、针对具体问题的尽职调查报告”。

此前，法律界已涌现大量 相关新闻。在过去一年中，谷歌 (Google) 和 Anthropic 也发布了面向律师的 工具，各律所开始聘请首席 官，而像柯克兰与艾利斯 (Kirkland & Ellis) 这样的行业巨头则宣布对创建自有 系统进行大规模投资。

对于大多数企业而言， 能力认知的提升将是一个显而易见的利好。但在一个按小时计费的行业中，这却引起了一些不安。

客户想知道，这种 带来的效率提升何时能转化为更低的法律账单？

“情况已经发展到客户会说：‘你们使用 让速度更快、效率更高，这很好，’”罗普斯与格雷律师事务所副主席尼尔·雅科比 (Neill Jakobe) 表示。但他说，客户想知道的是，“这对我们意味着什么？”

一些客户正利用 来主张降低 相关的费用。Creative Lawyers 的创始人詹妮弗·伦纳德 (Jennifer Leonard) 为律所和公司法务部门提供 适配咨询，她表示，一些律所及其客户使用 代理来识别账单中的具体项目，找出那些本可以通过 节省数小时的项目。

“他们真的直接把那些项目划掉，然后说：‘我想在这项费用上获得折扣，我们不想再为这部分工作付费，’”她说，“或者说，‘我们知道你们内部有这个新 工具，因为我们看到了你们大张旗鼓的新闻稿。’”

法律软件公司 Legora 的法律创新副总裁凯尔·波 (Kyle Poe) 与客户合作规划其业务模型中的 应用，他表示，公司内部法务团队经常要求律所将整体账单削减 20 percent 到 30 percent。

律所通常会对这种大幅折扣的要求予以回绝。他们称 并不一定节省了那么多时间——至少目前还没有。而且，这项技术实际上是在改变计费小时的构成，减少了琐碎工作，增加了实质性分析。

在客户施压的同时，律所还面临着来自所谓“ 原生律所”的新竞争（尽管规模仍然较小），这些律所严重依赖 代理并采用预付费定价。Norm 是一家拥有附属律所且专注于金融服务客户的技术公司，今年 7 月，该公司从 Khosla Ventures、黑石 (Blackstone) 和贝恩资本 (Bain Capital) 处筹集了 2.6亿美元，估值达 12 亿美元 billion——目前这些投资公司已成为其客户。

律所可能会陷入两难境地：使用 提高工作速度会减少可计费小时，而费率的上涨速度又不足以弥补这一差额。但不使用 则会给竞争对手提供低价削减你的机会。

许多法律业内人士认为，律所的商业模式最终需要改变。在花旗银行 (Citi) 去年对 55 家大型律所的调查中，35% 的受访者表示，由于 的影响，他们预计在未来一年内对其可计费小时商业模式做出调整，而 65% 的受访者预计到 2035 年会做出调整。

Anthropic 的国际特使杰夫·布莱希 (Jeff Bleich) 最近在面对一群法律专业人士时表示：“我认为可计费小时并不是解决方案，而且我们早就知道这一点。”

随着人工智能使公司效率提高，客户开始要求折扣。

目前并没有紧迫的变革需求：根据富国银行（Wells Fargo）的数据，今年前六个月，大型律所的营收平均增长超过 12%，而平均标准计费率则实现了两位数的增长。

可计费小时制深深根植于律所运营的方方面面，从保险到绩效管理均在其中，业内很少有人认为它会完全消失。对于工作量难以预测的法律事务，可计费小时制有助于管理风险，从而避免律所为一个最终成本为 $400,000 的项目仅收取 $200,000，反之亦然。

但其中一部分劳动是可预测的。这正是 AI 原生律所关注的重点，也是分析师认为最具颠覆机会的领域。

法律猎头公司 BCG Attorney Search 的研究人员最近写道：“定制化诉讼、重大交易和紧急战略咨询在很大程度上仍将维持按小时计费，尽管预算纪律会更加严格。而可重复或组合式的工作将越来越多地支持固定价格或混合定价。”

Creative Lawyers 的伦纳德（Leonard）表示：“我预计会有更多律所对案件中依赖 AI 的、可重复的部分采取新的定价方式，而将策略、谈判和辩护等依赖判断的工作保留在按小时计费模式中。”他补充说，律所长期以来对商标注册、公司设立和房地产过户等独立工作收取固定费用。

律所领导者表示，他们越来越愿意接受替代方案。柯克兰与艾利斯律师事务所（Kirkland & Ellis）主席乔恩·巴利斯（Jon Ballis）在 7 月的一次采访中表示：“大型律所是否会转向更多固定价格、基于项目的定价或固定费用模式？当然会。我认为这已经在一定程度上发生了，并且将会继续。”

Ropes & Gray 的雅科比（Jakobe）表示，律所在每个项目的开始和结束时都会与客户就 AI 的使用进行沟通，向他们详细说明 AI 在何处被使用、贡献了什么以及哪些方面可以改进。他还表示，他现在对关于固定费用的讨论持更加开放的态度。但这种转变至多是渐进的。

Legora 的波（Poe）表示：“没有人想成为第一家真正带头尝试的律所。他们正试图为有一天必须开始转型的那一天做准备。他们希望做好准备——基本上，他们希望在这种情况发生时能够立即采取行动。”

我们执行了加拿大的辅助死亡法。我们对此感到担忧。

麦德琳·李、加里·罗丁

这最终可能是正确的选择，但存在仓促决定并缩短患者生命中本可以具有意义的时期的风险。

我们是与晚期癌症患者打交道的精神科医生。因此，当加拿大在十年前将医疗辅助死亡合法化时，这迅速成为我们诊所中的一个主要讨论话题也就不足为奇了。我们曾就该程序为患者提供咨询，并评估他们是否符合资格。我们中的一人曾亲自施药以结束患者的生命。我们还研究了促使人们选择这一选项的原因。此外，我们共同创建了一个机构框架，用于决定加拿大最大的医疗中心之一将如何响应辅助死亡的请求。

我们知道，医疗辅助死亡对于所有相关人员来说，可以是体面且具有深远意义的。我们记得姑息治疗病房里一名 30 多岁的男子，得益于该程序，他能够选择在病情进一步恶化并可能失去沟通能力之前死去。他与包括他 5 岁儿子在内的所有他爱的人道别，在妻子的陪伴以及一名音乐治疗师演唱莱昂纳德·科恩的《哈利路亚》中离世。

但加拿大的辅助死亡系统已不再是最后的手段。太多人在没有机会与医疗服务提供者进行仔细反思的情况下接受了该程序。在某些情况下，一些不应被批准的患者获得了批准。有报道称，有人在贫困或孤独的背景下寻求辅助死亡，这引发了人们的担忧，认为他们可能觉得没有其他选择。在其他情况下，包括我们的许多癌症患者，医疗辅助死亡最终可能是正确的选择，但存在仓促决定并缩短患者生命中本可以具有意义的时期的风险。

加拿大的医疗辅助死亡计划始于 2016 年，当时仅作为自然死亡“可合理预见”的患者的一种选择。2021 年，议会取消了可预见死亡的要求。如今，加拿大的系统是世界上最宽松的系统之一，允许几乎任何具有医学依据的、主观上不可耐受的痛苦，甚至包括医学上无法解释的身体症状，都可以进行辅助死亡。这种宽泛的界定可能导致加拿大的辅助死亡增长率位居世界之首，在合法化后的八年里增长了 16 倍。该程序目前占该国所有死亡人数的 5% 以上。

我们是如何走到这一步的？在加拿大体系内，医疗辅助死亡是数十年来旨在将其确立为一项人权的运动的结果——而这一过程经常面临来自基于宗教或其他理由反对该程序的团体的强大压力。支持该程序的活动人士理所当然地仍然警惕任何可能增加获取难度的事情，经常警告不必要的“把关”可能会干扰患者的自主权。这些活动人士帮助塑造了管理该程序的法律，并在支持首批出现执行该程序的医疗网络方面发挥了重要作用。

或许正是由于这种影响，许多医生开始认为他们的主要职责是确保患者满足获得辅助死亡的法律资格要求。例如，他们必须经历不可耐受的痛苦，并具有知情同意的精神能力。问题在于，人们现在过于关注患者是否能够获得辅助死亡，而没有足够地关注他们是否应该获得。

今年早些时候发表的一项研究探讨了参与医疗辅助死亡的加拿大医生如何看待自己的角色。一名提供者将其描述为“实际上只是他人愿望和选择的传导渠道”。在另一项类似但独立的研究中，另一名提供者声称自己在评估痛苦方面没有发挥作用——尽管接受该程序的法律要求之一是临床医生必须确认患者正承受着不可忍受的痛苦。该提供者表示，确定痛苦的程度“完全取决于患者——100%取决于他们”。

虽然患者能够就自己的身体做出决定至关重要，但医生在引导这些决定方面发挥着重要作用。关于外科医生有一句古老的格言在此十分贴切：优秀的医生知道如何手术，更优秀的医生知道何时手术，而最顶尖的医生则知道何时不手术。

我们的研究表明，晚期疾病患者的痛苦源于身体和心理压力、家庭紧张以及身份感和意义缓慢流失之间复杂的相互作用。在这种背景下，生存意志的丧失并非一种固定状态。它是波动的。它是可以治疗的。而且它也可能被误读。

以下是加拿大医疗辅助死亡计划的运作方式：需要 2 名临床医生（医生或执业护士）批准辅助死亡请求。绝大多数案例属于所谓的轨道 1，在这种情况下，患者必须患有会导致“合理可预见的死亡”的疾病（尽管法律中没有规定具体的时间范围）。在这些案例中，他们可以申请该程序并迅速获得批准——有时甚至在同一天。轨道 2 案例，即患者没有危及生命的疾病，则少见得多。在这些案例中，患者在接受程序前被要求等待 90 天。

然而，法律并不要求临床医生进行更深入的对话以探讨该请求的复杂含义。我们见过一些案例，人们在面对新的癌症诊断或现有疾病复发时申请医疗辅助死亡，并在几天内就获得了该程序。无论在哪个轨道中，都没有要求患者尝试通过治疗来减轻痛苦。法律也没有规定足够的保障措施来保护那些决定可能受社会劣势影响的弱势个体。

太多的人在没有机会与医疗提供者进行仔细反思的情况下接受了该程序。

在加拿大接受医疗辅助死亡评估的人员中，被发现符合“不可忍受的痛苦”标准的人数占比高达 1, 且超过 92% 的人获得了程序批准。

相比之下，在近 25 年前就将医疗辅助死亡合法化的荷兰，案例被拒绝是很常见的，因为医生判定患者的痛苦并非不可忍受，或者他们没有寻求替代治疗方案。

我们在想，对这些因素的考虑不足是否有助于解释为什么在 2024, 98% 的人在加拿大接受医疗辅助死亡评估后被判定符合标准。

我们已经看到，让自己的患者停下来反思是多么有益。其中一位 70 多岁的女性是她家庭的家长，是那个准备周日晚餐的人。在失去烹饪能力后，她申请并获得了辅助死亡的批准。她觉得自己在家庭中的价值已经丧失。通过咨询，她开始明白，她的家人看重的是她这个人，而不是她为他们做了什么。她决定不再结束自己的生命，至少目前如此。那个圣诞节，她的家人团聚，她自豪地坐在餐桌旁，而其他人负责烹饪和端菜。

另一位患者是一位 80 多岁的男性，他拒绝了一项可能延长其生命的治疗，而是申请并获准进行辅助死亡。他童年时期在犹太人大屠杀中幸存，将选择自己死亡时间的自由视为一种夺回希特勒从他父母那里夺走之物的方式。然而，他现存家人的悲痛对他而言同样重要，而家人则担心他放弃得太早。在接受咨询后，他选择推迟。几个月后，他适应了自己的病情，并继续在生活中寻找意义。最终，他的病情恶化，李医生告诉他，他面临着失去同意辅助死亡能力的风险。这一次，他在家人的全力支持和陪伴下，选择了该程序。

这类案例并非反对辅助死亡的论据，我们也不寻求劝阻患者继续进行该程序。相反，我们主张医疗提供者应当暂停，帮助他们的患者（无论是在 Track 1 还是 Track 2 中）考虑并真正理解那些可能减轻其痛苦、并让他们有机会更有意义地延长生命的替代方案。

医生应当探讨驱动患者表达其偏好的原因，探讨这种偏好是否会改变，以及存在哪些替代方案。这被称为“共同决策”。这是医学界的标准做法——但在加拿大的辅助死亡实践中除外。

这种“暂停”应该采取什么形式？我们并不认为申请辅助死亡的患者必须常规性地接受精神障碍评估。然而，我们发现大多数患者能从咨询和反思性对话中获益。遗憾的是，针对申请辅助死亡患者的此类心理护理并未由医生或其他医疗服务提供者常规提供，也未被保险常规覆盖。这应当成为护理标准并获得全额资助。

一个允许辅助死亡的社会，也应当反思自己是否已尽力帮助人们维持对生命尊严和意义的感知。死亡绝不能成为人们能想象到的唯一形式的解脱。

我们开发并证明了一种此类方法的有效性，我们将其称为“管理癌症与有意义地生活”（Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully），简称 CALM。该方法帮助晚期癌症患者在接近并准备迎接生命终结的同时，维持对生活的参与感。

玛德琳·李（MADELINE LI）和加里·罗丁（GARY RODIN）是多伦多大学的精神病学教授。

魁北克省拉诺迪埃尔（Lanaudière）地区的一座墓地。该地区记录了魁北克省最高的医疗辅助死亡率，而魁北克省是全球该实践使用率最高的加拿大省份。目前，该程序占加拿大所有死亡人数的 5% 以上。 休伯特·海亚德（HUBERT HAYAUD）为纽约时报拍摄

纽约时报

国际版

A.G. SULZBERGER 出版人

JOSEPH KAHN 执行主编 MARC LACEY 管理主编 CAROLYN RYAN 管理主编 SUZANNE DALEY 副主编

KATHLEEN KINGSBURY 评论版编辑

MEREDITH KOPIT LEVIEN 首席执行官 MICHAEL GREENSPON 高级副总裁兼总经理 HELEN KONSTANTOPOULOS 副总裁，国际发行 HELENA PHUA 执行副总裁，亚太地区 SUZANNE YVERNÉS 国际首席财务官

特朗普的演讲正变得愈发粗俗。这关乎升级。

约翰·麦克沃特 (John McWhorter)

特朗普总统最近的言辞尤其粗鄙。根据《华盛顿邮报》5月的一项分析，在他的第二个任期内，他在公开场合使用的脏话明显多于第一个任期。就在上周，我们目睹了他告诉《时代》杂志的采访者：“你们没有问过我一个积极的问题”——但在“积极”一词前加了一个 F-bomb（脏话）来修饰——并且在俄亥俄州的一次集会上称民主党人为“愚蠢的狗娘养的”，并说他正在“拼命工作”（working my ass off）。

在同一场集会上，他再次使用了关于臀部的措辞，且带有更强的攻击性，他说共和党的胜利将把“那个东西”塞进民主党人的某个部位。

我们本可以预见到他会转向更辛辣的脏话。

有些人认为，特朗普词汇粗俗程度的增加是认知能力下降的症状，是一种暗示痴呆的去抑制现象。我对此表示怀疑。考虑到语言运作的方式，他使用脏话的增加正是预料之中的。

当我们使用语言时，通常希望获得并保持人们的注意力。但我们用来实现这一目标的词汇和表达方式随着时间的推移会失去力度。它们需要更新。这就是为什么会出现像 "irregardless" 这样毫无意义的词，虽然单独使用 "regardless" 就足够了，但为了增加冲击力，人们加上了 "ir-" 前缀——就像 "irrespective" 那样增加了一种节奏上的力度。“Advance warning”（提前预警）、“close proximity”（近距离）和 “final outcome”（最终结果）也是类似的情况：从逻辑角度看是冗余的，但对于增强生动性很有用。

特朗普一直很喜欢用 “damn” 和 “hell”，这从一开始就是他民粹主义风格的一部分。因此，我们本可以预见到他会转向更辛辣的脏话。

在这种意义上，特朗普的公开演讲重演了过去一百年大众脏话的演变过程。在 20 世纪初，像 "hell" 这样与宗教相关的词汇是人们在“大拇指被锤子砸到”时会脱口而出的词。在 1929 年的音乐电影《美化美国女孩》（Glorifying the American Girl）中，一名女性在眼镜反复出问题时一直说着 “damn it!” —— 那个 era. 电影花絮中的明星们也是如此。

但到了 20 世纪 60 年代，情况发生了变化。我父母在“砸到拇指”时首选的脏话是以 "s" 开头的。对我（出生于 1965 年）来说，那有点太温和了，我倾向于使用 F-bomb，这在我这个年龄段及更年轻的人群中很常见。

脏话的核心就在于升级。“Damn” 被强化为 “goddamn”，“bull” 用来修饰 S-word，而 “mother” 对 F-bomb 起到了类似的作用。

即便如此，在脏话方面，特朗普不太可能进一步提高音量。在英语中，脏话分为三个冲击力阶段。

读者来信

关于人工智能的哲学思考 针对西蒙·克里奇利（Simon Critchley）的《哲学家与对道德人工智能的需求》（观点版，9月 27 日）：

克里奇利博士的文章在围绕人工智能的末日风暴中带来了一股清新之风，我对此表示感谢。当然，末日阴影依然潜伏在那里，但正如他所指出的，人类以前也走过这条路——用努力和谦卑来换取便利和权力。我们总是选择后者，而且我们将再次如此。

现在，我们能够“对自己的热情保持一种训练有素的怀疑”（正如克里奇利博士所言）的能力正受到严峻考验。我担心，无论哲学家和社会科学家为谁工作，他们的努力都将被经济力量、腐败以及理解我们所创造之物的极高难度（我们释放出的傲慢）所淹没，直到某场灾难让我们清醒过来。

加里·A·吉廖蒂 (GARY A. GIGLIOTTI) 新泽西州，代顿

冲击力阶段。Stage 1 是亵渎之词。“Damn” 和 “hell” 曾被认为是非常强烈的词汇，以至于在 19 世纪的歌剧《皮纳福号》（H.M.S. Pinafore）中，船长以自己从不（或他承认几乎从不）说 “damn” 为荣。而在今天这个不那么虔诚的时代，这些词充其量只是轻微的感叹词。

第二阶段是关于身体的性暗示或露骨词汇，特朗普对此乐在其中。我们会想起他关于抓取女性某个身体部位的那段臭名昭著的言论，以及他对海地和萨尔瓦多等国家的秽语描述。但这类词汇在如今的公开场合使用频率远高于过去，现在更多被视为粗俗或没品，而非真正的禁忌。

第三阶段是对群体的人种歧视或其他侮辱性词汇。尽管特朗普被指使用过 N-word（针对黑人的歧视词），但他长期以来在公开场合一直避免使用侮辱性词汇。当然，我们可以预见他会尝试挑战底线。事实上，就在本周，他在提到南卡罗来纳州参议院民主党提名人安妮·安德鲁斯（Annie Andrews）时，使用了一个反跨性别者的侮辱性词汇。但值得注意的是，表达过对跨性别青少年支持的安德鲁斯本人并非跨性别者。我敢打赌，特朗普不会在公开场合使用该侮辱性词汇来指代像特拉华州国会议员莎拉·麦克布莱德（Sarah McBride）这样的跨性别者，就像我不指望他会使用恐同词汇在公开场合攻击一名同性恋对手一样。

在今天，这类词汇才算真正地亵渎。我们通常认为侮辱性词汇与脏话不同，但一个迹象表明，它们实际上就是当今的亵渎之语，以至于像特朗普这样如此不顾礼节、体面、克制和反思的人，也倾向于避免使用它们。

因为第一阶段和第二阶段的词汇现在更多是顽皮而非亵渎，

PABLO DELCAN

特朗普使用它们是为了蔑视得体。在这方面，他就像一个 11 岁的孩子，在更衣室里用毛巾抽打别人——并且不断加大力度，以激起旁观者的反应。

然而，他通常不会冒险使用第三阶段的亵渎之语。在惊人的狂妄自大和慢性的滔滔不绝之中，特朗普——即便仅仅是为了实用目的——依然保持着一丝——竟然是——体面。

约翰·麦克沃特（JOHN MCWHORTER）是哥伦比亚大学语言学副教授。

西蒙·克里奇利（Simon Critchley）认为，人工智能公司需要哲学家，因为机器可以记忆，但不能判断：它们无法权衡、甄别或知道什么应该被遗忘。

我同意，但我会更进一步。人工智能公司还需要神学家——不是为了教机器认识上帝，而是为了帮助它们理解我们。

中世纪的神学家，如圣维克多的休（Hugh of St. Victor）、克莱沃的贝尔纳（Bernard of Clairvaux）、教皇英诺森三世（Pope Innocent III）和威廉·佩拉尔杜斯（William Peraldus），他们毕生研究当骄傲、嫉妒、愤怒或贪婪开始主宰内心时会发生什么。他们关注的问题不是一个人是否能推理，而是这种推理在为谁服务。这个区别至关重要。

聊天机器人可能会变得擅长帮助愤怒的人将愤怒合理化，帮助嫉妒的人为嫉妒辩护，或帮助骄傲的人解释为什么他人未能认可他的价值。危险不在于人工智能会犯下七宗罪，而在于它可能会变得擅长服务于我们的罪孽。 哈维·德尔加多（XAVI DELGADO），西班牙巴塞罗那

一位卓越的美国艺术家终于获得了应有的认可

玛丽·盖布里埃尔（Mary Gabriel）

波洛克-克拉斯纳基金会 / 艺术家权利协会 (ARS)，纽约，经由惠特尼美国艺术博物馆提供 李·克拉斯纳，《季节》，1957。在杰克逊·波洛克于1956, 不幸去世后，克拉斯纳的作品在规模和表达力上都有所增长。《纽约时报》评论家约翰·罗素称这幅长近17英尺的画作是“那个时代最卓越的美国绘画作品之一”。

2019, 我有幸在伦敦的巴比肯艺术馆参观了李·克拉斯纳的作品回顾展。抵达时，我感到很欣慰，因为这位抽象表现主义的先驱画家终于获得了她应得的规模宏大的展览。而这些画作也没有让人失望。它们如此有力，如此充满生机，令我屏息。

尽管我在关于女性艺术家的书中写过克拉斯纳，在七年时间里对她进行了深入研究，并且非常尊重她，但我仍未对她的力量做好心理准备。艺术家本人——她的喜悦、痛苦、感官之美、愤怒与反抗——在涵盖半个世纪创作生涯的画布上迸发。

克拉斯纳与艺术家杰克逊·波洛克结婚，我承认过去我曾认为她的作品不如他的强。我将自己未能识别出克拉斯纳作品之宏伟的原因合理化为：仅仅是因为她的作品不常展出。博物馆将她的许多作品存放在仓库中——就像对待大多数艺术家那样——而私人收藏家则将其远离公众视线。

然而，尽管我试图否认自己的疏忽，但另一个更令人不安的解释一直困扰着我：历史对已婚女性艺术家的偏见如此之深，以至于我也在不经意间屈服于这些偏见。

在20世纪中叶的纽约，克拉斯纳和波洛克处于后来成为抽象表现主义的艺术运动核心。在那个时代，对于一名才华横溢的艺术家的职业生涯来说，唯一比“女性”这个标签更具破坏性的称呼就是“妻子”。

事实上，当一名女性艺术家嫁给同样从事艺术的男性时，评论家、策展人、艺术商和历史学家会习惯性地将她贬低为——往好里说是追随者，往坏里说是业余爱好者。

这种忽视导致了一个极其熟悉的叙事：英雄般的男性艺术家得到了一个面目模糊的人物——“艺术家的妻子”——在经济、情感以及创作上的支持；而这位妻子在牺牲了自己的创作抱负后，心怀感激地沐浴在丈夫天才的光芒之下。

艺术史——不是被教授的历史，而是被经历的历史——充满了没有牺牲自己的女性。这是一个关于大胆、坚韧的个体的故事，她们敢于在成为艺术家自我的同时，成为妻子、情侣，简而言之，无论困难如何，她们敢于成为自己想要和需要成为的任何人——比如路易丝·布尔乔亚、多萝西亚·坦宁、露丝·浅泽，当然，还有李·克拉斯纳。

大都会艺术博物馆通过将克拉斯纳与波洛克共同展出，在他们首次大规模的联合回顾展中（展至1月 31），接纳了克拉斯纳故事的这一部分。这是一个大胆的决定，因为展出夫妻二人——且这两个角色都带有沉重的社会内涵——有贬低她价值的风险。

但这同时也是一个天才的决定。只有通过与波洛克共同展出，克拉斯纳才能完全且最终地走出丈夫的阴影。在大都会博物馆的展览中，克拉斯纳展现出了她在长达数十年的艺术旅程之初时的样子：他的平等者。

在20世纪30年代和40年代初，克拉斯纳是在那个后来煽动抽象表现主义革命的极小艺术家群体中知名度最高的女性。在2016 一次关于抽象表现主义女性的具有开创意义的展览的目录文章中，历史学家罗伯特·霍布斯写道，评论家和艺术历史学家已将她视为一个“唯一的例外”，打破了人们普遍认为该运动早期是男性主导的观点。

纽约艺术界的每个人似乎都认识她，而且许多人畏惧她。她毫不掩饰自己的权势：作为一名艺术家，她出现在展示新兴抽象运动的大型群展中；作为一名活动家，她组织抗议以维护艺术家的权利；而作为一名才干的挖掘者，她帮助像“牛仔画家”波洛克或初出茅庐的艺术评论家克莱门特·格林伯格这样的新人进入这个圈子。

克拉斯纳将自己视为在艺术和生活上与男性同事平起平坐的人，她的男性同事也这样看待她。并不是说他们有选择余地，因为她要求的就是这样。她的画家朋友弗里茨·布尔特曼称她为“一个极其令人头疼的家伙”。

然而，在随后关于美国世纪中叶的流行历史中——例如2000年的电影《波洛克》和长达900多页的传记《杰克逊·波洛克：一部美国传奇》——克拉斯纳被视为一个单纯的配角：一个长期忍耐、提供支持的妻子，而她恰好本身也是一名画家。那句被认为代表尊重的、令人不悦的措辞（“本身也是一名画家”），让任何表达这句话的人在承认该女性是艺术家之后，随即将其轻视。

1945年，36岁的克拉斯纳与波洛克结婚后，她的生活发生了全方位的改变。她变成了两个人：艺术家李·克拉斯纳，以及杰克逊·波洛克的照顾者李·克拉斯纳。幸运的是，她足够坚强，能够一边与画布搏斗，一边与他的一系列心魔（破坏性的愤怒、抑郁和酗酒）作战，从而让他也能进行创作。在照顾波洛克的负担变得即使对她而言也过于沉重之前的几个关键年份里，她成功了。在那段时间里，他们在东汉普顿斯普林斯的农舍中共同生活，并协助改变了艺术史。

美国艺术建制派当时专注于欧洲艺术，直到多年后才意识到纽约艺术家们正在进行的非凡创作。1949年《生活》杂志一篇标题为“杰克逊·波洛克：他是美国最伟大的在世画家吗？”的专题报道成为了催化剂。为了寻找这个刻意挑衅的问题的答案，一些评论家前往斯普林斯实地考察。

由于这些访客是该运动的迟到者，他们不了解其历史，这意味着他们不知道克拉斯纳在其中的地位。当他们胆敢拜访波洛克时，他们接受了她端上的咖啡——有些人认为波洛克的个性与他的作品一样令人恐惧——但他们完全忽略了挂在周围墙上的她的画作。在他们看来，她只是另一个涉猎绘画的妻子。

只有在与丈夫杰克逊·波洛克共同展出时，李·克拉斯纳才能完全且最终地走出他的阴影。

克拉斯纳的女性朋友们沮丧地看着她们钦佩的艺术家消失在一个对她而言过于狭小的角色中。有人说这就像看着“一名芭蕾舞女演员被削弱”。画家夏洛特·帕克说：“在波洛克之前和之后，李都是独立的女性，但在波洛克期间不是。”克拉斯纳太精明，不可能没意识到正在发生的事情，但她作为艺术家的特质让她不在意。“我做我的事，”她说，“我在绘画。”

有艺术，也有艺术事业。克拉斯纳选择了前者，她认为前者在精神上更充实，于是她继续工作了数十年，大部分时间在没有观众的情况下静默创作。而且她并不孤单。

对于克拉斯纳的许多同辈人来说——例如珀尔·法恩、安妮·赖恩、海达·斯特恩、迈克尔（科琳）·韦斯特等——金钱和名声并不是动力因素，因为这些甚至不在可能性的范围之内。由于画廊系统浸染着“只有男性才是严肃艺术家”的迷思，导致通往专业职业生涯的道路在很大程度上被封死，因此她们的作品奇迹般地没有受到商业考量的污染。

自我实现就是其自身的奖励。

但这条道路同样不易。克拉斯纳圈子里的某些女性屈服于感情关系的压力。但另一些人则冒着生命危险，以拯救她们的创造性自我。

例如，多萝西·德纳（Dorothy Dehner）曾与克拉斯纳一同处于纽约的艺术圈中，她从事绘画和素描，但当她开始尝试雕塑时，却是秘密进行的，并因为担心引发雕塑家丈夫大卫·史密斯（David Smith）嫉妒的愤怒而毁掉自己的作品。但这并没有用。一次激烈的争吵导致她多根肋骨骨折，这成为了一个转折点。她在1950年离开史密斯，1952年与他离婚，并在1955年开始了长达40年的青铜、木材和钢铁雕塑创作生涯。她后来又嫁给了一位给予她支持的新丈夫——对方并非艺术家。

在努力作为艺术家生存的过程中，女性面临的选择与做出选择的女性人数一样之多。画家格蕾丝·哈蒂根（Grace Hartigan）从20世纪40年代后期开始成为抽象表现主义阵营的一员，她是女性被迫做出决定及其决定之代价的一个强有力且极端的例子。

在纽约最初的几年里，尽管哈蒂根穷困潦倒，且才刚刚开始将自己视为一名艺术家，但她先后结婚并迅速甩掉了三个丈夫以及一名年长的情人，以使自己从可能干扰绘画的情感纠葛中解脱出来。

这奏效了。1953年，她成为了同辈艺术家中（无论男女）第一位在现代艺术博物馆（Museum of Modern Art）展出作品的人。然而，为了实现这一目标，她采取了大多数女性艺术家不会采取的步骤（尽管处于她这种地位的男性经常这样做）：她放弃了唯一的孩子，由其父亲在加利福尼亚州抚养。

决定自己能否同时成为好母亲和好艺术家，成了女性必须面对的问题。成为艺术家所需的创造驱动力和专注力是否排除了这种可能性？让孩子承受物质匮乏是否公平？因为除了极少数幸运儿外，从事艺术的女性注定会遭受这种匮乏。在尝试独自抚养儿子之后，哈蒂根认为这并不矛盾，但许多其他女性找到了自己的方法。

在世纪中叶在纽约工作的艺术家母亲中，四个孩子的母亲爱丽丝·尼尔（Alice Neel）在孩子们睡觉时绘画。雕塑家莱拉·卡岑（Lila Katzen）白天陪伴两个孩子，晚上8点到凌晨2点在家庭工作室工作。简·弗赖利彻（Jane Freilicher）每周七天绘画，时间从中午到下午6点，并制定了工作室门户开放政策，以便她的女儿从蹒跚学步起就可以随时进来。

“她有一张小床，我会躺在那里和她一起画画或听广播，”她的女儿、画家伊丽莎白·哈赞（Elizabeth Hazan）说道。当伊丽莎白10岁时，弗赖利彻开始就作品征求女儿的建议。“‘你觉得这个放在这里合适吗？’‘你觉得这个完成了吗？’”哈赞女士现在也有了自己的孩子，她说：“我认为，通过对自己以及绘画需求、所需节奏的深刻了解，她能够让这一切和谐运转。”

弗赖利彻的同辈简·威尔逊（Jane Wilson）也是如此。“我的母亲几乎天衣无缝地将家庭生活与艺术工作融合在一起，”威尔逊的女儿朱莉娅·格鲁恩（Julia Gruen）回忆道，“我清晰地记得自己被抱在怀里，蜷缩在她左侧，而她右手在画架前绘画。油画颜料和松节油的味道至今仍能唤起那段记忆。”

在今天，一个人是否可能既是一名严肃的艺术家，又是一名严肃艺术家的妻子？虽然每个艺术家的答案不同，但普遍的答案是肯定的。这要归功于克拉斯纳那一代及下一代的女性——像伊莱恩·德·库宁（Elaine de Kooning）和海伦·弗兰肯塔勒（Helen Frankenthaler）这样的艺术家——她们不计代价，尽一切可能地主张成为艺术家自我的权利。

出生于 20 世纪 50 年代的南希·鲁宾斯（Nancy Rubins）是她们遗产的继承者，她创作的大型户外雕塑从 20 世纪 80 年代起开始出现在美国各地。尽管她嫁给了名气比她更大的艺术家克里斯·伯登（Chris Burden），但她从未被定义为“艺术家的妻子”。相反，她和伯登代表了一种从 20 世纪 70 年代开始出现的、令人耳目一新的艺术界动态：艺术家夫妇。“在我们共同生活的时光里，在我们的关系中，一切都是平等的，”鲁宾斯女士说道，“我认为我们对彼此生活产生的影响——我们能够如此深爱对方——帮助我们以某种方式进化，我不知道如果我孤身一人，或者他孤身一人，是否能达到这样的境界。”

人们对克拉斯纳和波洛克也可以这么说。

艺术界的认可对克拉斯纳来说来得太晚。从 20 世纪 50 年代中期起，尽管在波洛克 1956 年不幸去世后，她承担起保护波洛克遗产的沉重责任并承受着随之而来的深切悲痛，但她的作品在规模上日益增长，呈现出喧闹而辉煌的姿态。《纽约时报》的评论家约翰·罗素（John Russell）称克拉斯纳 1957 年创作的近 17 英尺长的画作《季节》（The Seasons）是“那个时代最卓越的美国绘画作品之一”。画廊和博物馆开始注意到她，在世界各地为她举办个展，包括在她去世后不久，1984 年在现代艺术博物馆举办的一次回顾展。

但如果用市场来衡量重要性，克拉斯纳的记录依然远低于她的丈夫。2019, 她具有变革意义的 1960 年画作《眼睛是第一个圆圈》（The Eye Is the First Circle）在拍卖会上以 $11.600 万 的个人最高纪录成交。而今年，波洛克的抒情作品《No. 7A, 1948》以 $181.200 万 的价格被拍卖。根据巴塞尔艺术展（Art Basel）和瑞银（UBS）的全球收藏调查，女性仅占画廊销售额的 37%，且其作品的收益低于男性。

令人惊讶的是，收藏家们似乎仍然执着于那种陈旧的观念，即男性的画作天生比女性的画作更具投资价值。即使对于像李·克拉斯纳这样具有历史重要地位的人物也是如此，而且尽管在过去十年中，艺术界对她及其同辈艺术家的认可度已大幅提升。

今年秋天走进大都会博物馆的展览，参观者将看到李·克拉斯纳和杰克逊·波洛克曾经并肩生活的样子，并体验他们共同创造的艺术启示录。我们或许终于能够终结关于李·克拉斯纳作为“艺术家妻子”的神话，转而看到李·克拉斯纳作为“艺术家”的传奇。

玛丽·加布里埃尔（MARY GABRIEL）是五本传记的作者，其中包括《爱与资本：卡尔与珍妮·马克思及一场革命的诞生》。

拉里·拉金（LARRY LARKIN），经美国艺术档案馆提供 1950年代. 李·克拉斯纳和杰克逊·波洛克在纽约州斯普林斯的工作室中。她的女性朋友们看着她们所钦佩的艺术家消失在一个对她而言过于狭小的角色之中。

黄仁勋认为人工智能进展顺利

2025年，在加利福尼亚州圣何塞举行的英伟达（Nvidia）GTC大会上，英伟达首席执行官黄仁勋在巨型屏幕前留下剪影。 LOREN ELLIOTT 为《纽约时报》拍摄

斯蒂芬·威特（Stephen Witt）

在最近的白宫科技峰会上，英伟达首席执行官黄仁勋坐在特朗普总统身边的椅子上——字面意义上的“左右手”。当天晚些时候，黄先生使用了“超级智能”这个词，正如总统所偏好的那样。在今年夏天发生的一系列失控人工智能攻击之后，黄先生已成为对该技术所带来危险持怀疑态度的领先人物。作为他的传记作者，我理解他为何轻视这种风险。但我也担心，他没有看到全貌。

在我第一次采访他时，黄先生告诉我，每一个问题——无论是商业、个人还是其他任何问题——实际上都是一个工程问题：你研究输入，研究约束条件，然后你就能得到你想要的输出。在撰写他的传记期间，我观察到黄先生将这种方法付诸实践。他通过工程化手段经营业务，以确保英伟达将成为机器人和医疗保健等行业的默认平台。他通过工程化手段使产品优于竞争对手。而在 2025, 他开始对美国总统进行“工程化”处理。

在特朗普先生之前，黄先生对政治并不太感兴趣。现在，特朗普先生和黄先生经常通电话，且似乎有着真诚的个人关系——特朗普先生甚至在阿拉斯加接他，一同乘坐“空军一号”前往中国。特朗普先生希望与黄先生保持亲近，因为总统喜欢赢家——而黄仁勋是所有赢家中最大的一个。自 1993, 在一家 Denny's 餐厅创立以来，即便考虑到通货膨胀，英伟达也已成长为美国历史上最具价值的公司。

推动这一增长的是人工智能背后前所未有的大规模数据中心热潮，黄先生将其称为一场“新的工业革命”。数据中心可以容纳数千个被称为“机架”的高大金属柜，这些机架将数十颗英伟达微芯片连接成一个模块化计算单元。一个大约冰箱大小的新机架成本约为 $800 万，据某些估计，其耗电量可能超过 70 户单家庭住宅。 2026, 英伟达通过销售此类及类似设备，净利润将达到约 2500 亿美元。

数据中心的热潮使黄先生成为了人工智能的皇帝——其他大型科技公司正在借钱以获取他的产品。没有任何竞争对手能在英伟达的人工智能芯片核心业务中获得显著的市场份额，这证明了黄先生卓越的工程能力。工程师们单纯地更青睐英伟达。这些人是自称的“系统专家”，负责在电路板层面实现人工智能。

黄先生本人就是一名系统专家，这决定了他对人工智能的看法。到目前为止，我采访了至少一百名 GPU 工程师，还没有遇到一个真正担心人工智能失控的人。另一方面，我交流过的绝大多数软件工程师则极其担忧。比尔·盖茨最近警告称，人工智能可能会杀死 10 亿人类。

这种情况令人费解：两组理性的、高智商的技术专家看着同样的数据

我们的命运很可能掌握在地球上最强大的工程师手中。

却得出了完全相反的结论。这让我想起那张走红网络的“裙子”照片，有些人看到的是蓝色和黑色，而有些人看到的是白色和金色。我认为情况是这样的：现代人工智能的基础是神经网络，它直接从生物学中汲取灵感。事实上，一个现代人工智能由数十亿个在计算机代码中模拟的人造神经元组成。因此，在软件专家看来，现代人工智能看起来就像一团未分化的脑组织，神秘且从根本上难以控制。

但硬件工程师的看法并非如此。他们将真实的神经元——这些可能具有不可预测性的生物细胞——与合成神经元（即行为可以被完美预测的简单数学模型）进行了明确区分。当你从微芯片层面向上构建时，维持对人工智能的控制是一个工程问题，并且受制于与任何其他工程相同的输入 / 输出约束。对于那些质疑“人工智能末日论”的人来说，安全的 AI 是一个数学方程式——或者用黄先生的话说，仅仅是“软件”。

当黄先生在 20 世纪 80 年代初开始学习电气工程时，微芯片上只有数万个组件，且通常是在纸上通过手工设计的。如今，微芯片可以拥有超过一千亿个组件，并且是在人工智能辅助的专业软件设计下完成的。现年 63 岁的黄先生亲历并管理了这种能力的指数级增长。他那一代的工程师构建了相关工具，以确保极其复杂的微芯片仍然是人类可以解读和控制的对象。

作为一名硬件专家，黄先生在亚洲停留的时间比大多数西方科技公司首席执行官都要长。他出生于台湾，母语是闽南语，且英伟达（Nvidia）正在台北建立一个卫星总部。黄先生还支持中国大陆的 AI 开发者。我认为这也影响了他的思维方式，因为东亚对 的乐观程度远高于美国。当我在亚洲参加演讲活动时，从未收到过关于 风险的问题；而在美国，这是人们最常提及的话题。

因此，黄先生相信自己能让合成神经元变得安全，或许并不令人意外。在他看来，如果你能直接在面前看到机器进行的每一次计算，那么机器就应该完全在你的控制之下。如果机器行为异常——那么，那是你的错。你需要的只是更好的工程技术。他知道这是可以实现的。

因此，黄先生驳斥了所有要求放缓 发展或出台任何会阻碍该技术开发的监管措施的呼吁。在接受哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS News）采访时，他表示：“这种情况导致世界末日的概率为 0%。”在上个月的一次高盛（Goldman Sachs）会议上，他暗示网络安全担忧是一种营销策略。他问道：“还有什么比制造一个问题更好的创造需求的方式吗？”他还建议，仅凭利润动机就足以激励公司使 变得安全。

黄先生成功地让特朗普先生重复他的观点。今年 9 月，当黄先生在洛杉矶的 All-In 峰会上登台时，特朗普先生给他打了电话。他开启了免提，然后将麦克风对着手机，向观众广播特朗普先生的主张，即任何关于 对人类生命构成风险的讨论都是一场“骗局”。在引起一阵掌声后，这位总统说道：“机器人不会接管世界的。”

这次电话通话给人一种精心策划的公关噱头之感，它是特朗普先生反对 监管的公开宣言。但当其他人认为总统在采取强硬立场时，我看到的却是黄先生在对总统进行“工程化处理”。输入端是厚颜无耻的公开奉承：在电话中，黄先生称呼特朗普先生为“先生”，赞美特朗普先生的才智（“您对 了解如此之多”），并煽动特朗普先生对认可的无底洞般的需求（“您听到了吗？数千人在为您鼓掌”）。而输出端呢？对 的极少监管，以及将英伟达的部分硬件出口到中国的自由，以及任何其他黄先生想要的东西。

这种情况令我担忧。黄先生是我见过的最有能力的人——但我担心，人工智能的能力更强。我怀疑，目前的人工智能已经具备增强危险病原体和关闭电网的能力。与此同时，解读和控制人工智能的科学比使其变得更智能的科学落后了数年。在微观层面，我们可以控制合成神经元的行为，但技术专家目前无法解释这些神经元是如何协同工作以产生智能的。这种认知差距正在扩大，我不知道黄先生是否意识到了这一点。

即便在最理想的情况下，未来也将极其令人迷茫。但也许它会很精彩。也许我能活到 205 岁。无论发生什么，都将取决于一个非凡人物的决定和引导，他掌控着人工智能以及除此之外许多领域的未来。工程学拥有强大的力量——而如今，黄先生是世界上最强大的工程师。

斯蒂芬·威特（STEPHEN WITT）是《思考机器》（The Thinking Machine）一书的作者，该书记录了人工智能巨头英伟达（Nvidia）的历史。

重新评估扼点外交

对获准在该海域航行的船只征收过路费，以此索价并扰乱全球经济。尽管在军事上处于劣势，但伊朗已成功将与美国的谈判重点从其核计划、导弹及地区野心，转移到重新开放海峡本身——回到了原点，即之前的现状。

然而，我们已经看到伊朗在博弈中用力过猛。这是因为所有形式的国际关系都遵循一条关键的物理定律：每一个作用力都会产生一个反作用力。如果你的国家将一个扼点武器化，我的国家就会加速努力摆脱对该节点的依赖。

就霍尔木兹海峡而言，各国正在迅速重新规划石油流量，以减少对该水道的依赖。在需求端，随着经济电气化，中国削减了石油进口。在供应端，沙特阿拉伯、阿拉伯联合酋长国以及该地区的其他国家正在迅速扩大其管道网络和替代港口。

根据数据分析平台 Kpler 的数据，该地区约 40 percent 的原油已在不经过该海峡的情况下运输，而战争前这一比例仅为 17 percent。当然，正如我们所见，管道和港口可能会受到伊朗导弹和无人机的威胁，且通过该海峡出口的不仅有石油，但伊朗很可能会发现，其杠杆作用现在已成为一项不断损耗且短暂的资产。

针对中国的扼点抵制情绪也在积聚，因为北京去年的行动促使许多国家开始全力工作，以减少对中国关键矿产和磁体的依赖。特朗普政府表示，自 2025. 年 1 月以来，已批准总额超过 400 亿美元 billion 的关键矿产交易。该政府还启动了一个多边论坛，旨在建立一个持久且高效的关键矿产供应链，使其免受中国的

经济外交可以从核外交中学习一些经验：扼点在作为威慑手段时最为强大。

影响。技术创新也在推进：美国在开发不依赖此类矿产的高功率磁体方面取得了进展。

矿产和磁体仅是中国可能将其转化为扼点的少数产品之一。它还控制着生产许多常用药物所需的药物成分的生产。这也推动了降低风险并有选择性地与中国经济脱钩的重大努力。结果是，随着时间的推移，中国的扼点战略也可能会失去部分效力。

因此，经济外交可以从核外交中学习一些经验：扼点在作为威慑手段时最为强大。

BENNY DOUET

美元可能被证明是一个比供应链或地理位置更持久的扼点。大多数石油、谷物、金属和其他关键商品的国际交易仍以美元进行，而美国制裁的目标在不使用美元的情况下难以结算贸易。在美国因 2014, 年俄罗斯入侵克里米亚而对其实施制裁后，俄罗斯开发了自己的国内支付系统，但由于其进入基于美元的机构的权限受限，在国际交易中仍发现自己陷入困境。

尽管如此，即使是与美国关系良好的国家也一直在尝试使其美元持有量多样化。美元在全球外汇储备中的份额正在逐渐下降，从 2000 年的 70 percent 以上下降到如今的 57 percent；与此同时，中国一直在大量购买黄金，并越来越多地使用人民币结算双边商品贸易，比例从 2017 年的 11 percent 增加到 2025 年的约 28 percent。

尽管如此，目前还没有能够替代美元的可行方案。欧洲资本市场过于碎片化，导致欧元无法在储备货币中发挥核心作用。而除非中国采取一系列改革（包括取消资本管制），否则人民币无法取代美元，但取消管制将与领导层维持严密管控的倾向背道而驰。因此，虽然伊朗和中国的影响力可能会随着时间的推移而减弱，但美元可能会继续维持其地位。

前提是，美国不要破坏自身的优势。

特朗普政府一直将进入美国市场的权限作为一种大棒，具体表现为征收关税。但其关税政策已促使加拿大等贸易伙伴重新调整关系并探索替代市场。如果各国央行进一步大幅削减美元持有量，或者其他货币的贸易额显著增加，可能会提高美国国债的利率，从而增加偿还债务的成本。

如果美国继续积累不可持续的赤字和债务，也将削弱美元的地位。我们的债务已达 $40 万亿，超过国内生产总值（G.D.P.）的 120%，这是对美元核心地位，以及随之而来的美国利用美元作为杠杆能力的最大威胁。

但美国仍然是全球最大、最具韧性且最具创新力的经济体。为了在这场“扼点外交”的棋局中获胜，美国可以采取的最重要步骤就是不要造成损害——尤其是自我伤害。

迈克尔·弗罗曼（MICHAEL FROMAN）是外交关系协会主席，曾任美国副国家安全顾问及美国贸易代表。

你能找出全字母句吗？随时随地玩 🍻 Spelling Bee。

纽约时报

新加坡大奖赛

前赛车手重返维修区墙

REGIS DUVIGNAU / 路透社

13年前退役的艾伦·麦克尼什（Allan McNish）现任奥迪赛车总监

作者：伊恩·帕克斯（IAN PARKES）

艾伦·麦克尼什在一级方程式（Formula 1）中是个罕见的人物。

艾伦·麦克尼什在一级方程式中是个罕见的人物。在17年时间里，麦克尼什在最高水平的赛车运动中拥有辉煌的职业生涯。他曾三次赢得勒芒24小时耐力赛冠军，并在2013.年获得世界耐力锦标赛冠军。在2002年丰田队的处女赛季中，他也参加了一级方程式比赛。

在退役13年后，麦克尼什以赛车总监的身份，再次出现在一级方程式奥迪队的维修区墙上。很少有前赛车手能完成这样的转型。

“我不确定是否每个人都拥有实现这一目标的雄心、欲望和精力，”麦克尼什在9月的一次采访中表示。“这就像足球运动员——并非每个优秀的球员都会转向教练或管理岗位。”

“就我个人而言，我热爱赛车，热爱竞争，热爱方格旗落下时那种非黑即白的残酷感。随后，所有人共同努力以确保下次表现更好，这就是动力所在，而有些人可能并不具备这种动力。”

麦克尼什对奥迪并不陌生。他在该制造商工作了11年，赢得了三次勒芒冠军中的两次以及世界耐力锦标赛（W.E.C.）冠军，随后宣布退役。

他始终忠于奥迪，在集团赛车部门担任总监一职，随后在2017-18赛季作为车队负责人，带领车队在电动方程式（Formula E）的处女赛季中夺得车队冠军。

当奥迪在2022,年宣布进入一级方程式时，麦克尼什成为了高级顾问。今年1月，他被任命为车手培养计划总监，随后在5月接任现职。

“这在我的计划之内吗？不，其实不在，”他说。“但当有机会加入这个级别的F1车队时，这种机会一生不会出现第二次。你必须在能够把握时抓住这些机会。”

“而且有两点原因：1.

MARK THOMPSON / 盖蒂图片社

由于从一开始就参与其中并见证其成长，我知道它可以达到什么高度。第二点是对奥迪长期以来了解的认知——一旦他们决定投入，就会全力以赴。这给了我一种信心，认为我们正走在正确的道路上。”

在奥迪的一级方程式处女赛季中，麦克尼什协助首席执行官兼车队负责人马蒂亚·比诺托（Mattia Binotto），负责监督体育事务、工程协调、车手管理、比赛策略和车库运营。

在乔纳森·惠特利（Jonathan Wheatley）于3月辞去车队负责人一职后，车队花时间考虑其架构，随后设立了赛车总监这一新职位。比诺托表示，麦克尼什是一个“简单的插件”，是一个他可以“完全信任”的人。

“首先，艾伦是一个很棒的人，”他说。“他曾是一名伟大的车手。他非常了解奥迪。他了解赛车及其本质。他懂车手的语言，并且知道在维修区墙上意味着什么，这不仅因为他曾是车手，还因为他曾在电动方程式中担任过车队负责人。”

从5月的迈阿密大奖赛开始，麦克尼什表示自己被“直接投入到深水区”。五个月过去了，他仍在工作中学习。

“有些领域是我进入后立即就能理解的，而有些领域则需要我花时间适应，”他说。“仍有一些领域是我需要努力钻研并进一步学习的。每一天都是学习日。”

作为一名拥有冠军资历的车手，麦克尼什至少能获得车手尼科·霍肯伯格（Nico Hülkenberg）和加布里埃尔·博托莱托（Gabriel Bortoleto）的倾听，并能感同身受他们所经历的一切。作为回报，他赢得了他们的尊重。霍肯伯格表示，麦克尼什的角色“非常合适”。

“艾伦在奥迪工作了很长时间，”他说。“他从一开始就参与了我们的F1项目和车队，而且作为前车手，他拥有丰富的赛车运动经验。”

博托莱托认同由麦克尼什担任咨询顾问是一件好事，他表示：“他在职业生涯中所取得的成就毋庸置疑。他是这项运动的传奇人物之一，也是奥迪的传奇，所以能让他加入车队非常好。”

麦克尼什表示，无论是在维修区墙上还是在赛后总结会上，他都能理解车手提供的信息。

“我认为在某些时候这确实有帮助，因为我曾处于他们的位置，经历过他们作为车手所经历的时刻，或者在赛车及其反应方式方面，我可以在这些领域提供支持，”麦克尼什说道。

赛季开局十分艰难，但车队在最近八场大奖赛中有五场获得了积分，目前在车队冠军排行榜中位列第八。其最佳完赛成绩是三次获得第八名。

麦克尼什表示，奥迪已经度过了作为一支新车队的“磨难时期”，在某些方面的表现好于预期，但要重复去年那次罕见的领奖台表现还需一段时间。

在车队此前以索伯（Sauber）之名参赛时，胡尔肯伯格在英国大奖赛中获得第三名。这是他的首次领奖台经历，也是车队13年来的首次。

“如果机会出现，就像尼科那样，我们需要准备好能够抓住它，”麦克尼什说。“我认为我们正朝着那个方向前进，但我认为我们还不够强大，因为我们在深度方面仍然相当稚嫩。”

对于奥迪而言，本赛季是初步五年计划的第一年，其目标是在计划结束时能够争夺冠军。麦克尼什表示，在此之前还有大量工作要做，但他认为这是一个“现实的目标”。

“我们知道基准在哪里，我们也想达到那个高度，但开发一支车队和技术需要时间，”他说。“我想说，我们目前处于阶梯的最底层，但我们当然可以抬头看向未来的可能性。”

过渡 左上图为奥迪赛车总监艾伦·麦克尼什在9月10,日马德里F1西班牙大奖赛前的样子；右图为他在2013,年24小时勒芒耐力赛前热身，当时他仍担任车手。

破解一级方程式赛车的难题

CLIVE MASON / GETTY IMAGES

STEVEN TEE / GETTY

RYAN PIERSE / GETTY BRYN LENNON / GETTY

需要数年时间规划的比赛日程，可能在瞬间被颠覆

作者：PHILLIP HORTON

一级方程式赛车（Formula 1）每年在 21 个国家举行 24 场大奖赛。制定一份在物流上可行且具有盈利能力的日程表，其复杂程度几乎相当于将一支军队从一个前线转移到另一个前线。

“其他联赛在同一个国家比赛，或者每四年才去一次，”一级方程式赛车总裁兼首席执行官斯特法诺·多梅尼卡利（Stefano Domenicali）在上个月的一次采访中表示。“我们每年都以相当密集的方式在世界各地奔波。我们是唯一一个在移动时，不是带着两辆大巴和 20 名球员，而是带着数千名人员和数以吨计物资的运动项目。这绝非易事。”

一级方程式赛车力求将其赛历区域化，重点放在赛季中期的欧洲赛段，而澳大利亚、美洲和亚洲的大奖赛则分布在赛季的两端。

“将 24 场比赛拼凑在一起，可能是我们所做的最困难的事情之一，”一级方程式赛车首席传播与企业关系官利亚姆·帕克（Liam Parker）在一次采访中表示。“你要考虑气候，必须在一年中的特定时间做某些事情——有些地方在下暴雨，有些地方结冰，或者热到远超车手的耐热极限。”

“你还要考虑国家法定假日——中东的斋月就是一个很好的例子——此外，还有追求可持续发展的驱动力。以及‘同类相食’（cannibalization），”他提到一场大奖赛可能会抢走另一场大奖赛的观众时说道：“在理想世界里，你会说，‘为什么不把奥斯汀、拉斯维加斯、迈阿密全部排在一起，加拿大排在之前，然后是墨西哥和巴西。’但你可能会看到相当显著的观众分流，而且在那个时间关闭拉斯维加斯可行吗？迈阿密海豚队那时是否在打球？”

pan's round was shifted from fall to spring in 2024. The sport must talk to the promoters "a year or two" in advance to alleviate any concerns that a date change may impact sales.

日程表会与赛事推广商共同讨论，尤其是涉及日期变更时。加拿大大奖赛今年从 6 月移到了 5 月，而 Ja-

一级方程式赛车还必须考虑人为因素以及工作人员的工作与生活平衡，其中大多数人员常驻欧洲。

大奖赛对一级方程式赛车在财务上至关重要，因为组织者需要支付赛事费，2025 年的总额约为 10 亿美元 billion，略高于主要收入的四分之一。虽然一级方程式赛车不公布具体数字，但某些赛事的盈利能力高于其他赛事。

多梅尼卡利表示，24 场大奖赛“是我们认为在商业和物流上最合适的数字”，并且希望赛事类型能够多样化。

“在锦标赛中参赛多年，并不意味着你可以永远留下来，”多梅尼卡利说道，他指出德国和法国的缺席“不幸地不是因为我们，而是因为他们，他们不再是锦标赛的一部分。” 意识到不能躺在功劳簿上，几个历史悠久的赛事在近年来都投资升级了基础设施。

“不同国家对此表现出了极大的兴趣，”多梅尼卡利说。

“关键在于理解并平衡历史地点的价值与一个可能

当碎片契合时 从左上角起顺时针方向： 澳大利亚车手奥斯卡·皮亚斯特里（Oscar Piastri）12 月在阿布扎比进行 F1 测试时的驾驶场景；6 月在蒙特卡洛举行的摩纳哥大奖赛；去年 10 月的新加坡大奖赛；以及 9 月阿塞拜疆大奖赛中领跑的法拉利车手查尔斯·勒克莱尔（Charles Leclerc）。

“为系统带来新的兴趣和新鲜血液，”他说，“而这正是我在做出决定时必须承担的工作的一部分。”

任何潜在的推广方都需要证明其具有长期利益，而一级方程式（Formula 1）则必须评估这对现有赛事可能产生的影响。

多梅尼卡利表示，新赛事的下一个窗口期将在 2029-30 年起到来，但他对此的“可见度一直延伸到 2040 年”。在非洲举办一场大奖赛——一级方程式自 1993, 年以来未曾在非洲比赛——特别是南非，仍然是一个目标。

“那是希望很快能有所进展的事情，以便在

然而，变动可能在赛季期间发生。2020 年和 2021 年的赛程因新冠疫情而被打乱，俄罗斯因入侵乌克兰在 2022 年被剔除，而艾米利亚-罗马尼亚 2023, 年的分站赛则因风暴而取消。今年，中东冲突导致沙特阿拉伯的赛事被取消，巴林站被推迟并随后迁至马来西亚，而卡塔尔站和阿布扎比站仍不确定。

所有大洲的参与，”他说。

一级方程式团队“非常、非常专注于监测国际事件，”帕克说道。“这可能涵盖从我们在中东看到的各种情况，到气候风险、抗议活动、国内政府内部的动荡以及类似的事情。”

疫情“证明了我们总能找到解决方案，”他说。“如果存在障碍或问题，我们会尝试寻找一种方式来实现我们预定的目标，有时是通过不同的手段。在马来西亚举办巴林大奖赛就是一个很好的例子。我想五个月前没有人会想到这一点，但解决方案总会被找到。”

帕克表示，一级方程式针对今年年底在中东举行的比赛准备了备份计划，即使用意大利的伊莫拉赛道，但“计划仍然是前往卡塔尔和阿布扎比。”

随着一级方程式赛历的演变，其冲刺赛（Sprint）的时间表也在随之变化。冲刺赛是在大奖赛之前举行的距离为 1 / 3 的比赛，于 2021. 年在三场赛事中引入。这一数字在 2023 年增加到六场，明年将增加到 10 场。

“所有推广方都在竞争冲刺赛，这是一件好事——供应量少于需求量并不是一件坏事，”帕克说。

由于几个技术原因，以及考虑到观众，明年的这些比赛可能会稍微缩短。

“人们在某种程度上意识到，年轻一代的注意力跨度有所不同，”多梅尼卡利说。“我不是在说更好或更坏，而是不同。”

他补充说，在涉及赛制时，“一切都可以讨论”，没有什么是不容触碰的，并且承认“也许如果我们意识到某件事不够出色，我们就将其改变。”

“这不是问题，”他说。

寻找一处静谧之所

寻房记

作者：吉莉安·雷菲尔德 (JILLIAN RAYFIELD)

莫莉·奎恩 (Molly Quinn) 和本·希恩 (Ben Sheen) 曾是纽约市的古典音乐家，在 2019 年开始约会之前，两人在职业上已经相识多年。

奎恩女士，48, 一位来自北卡罗来纳州查佩尔希尔的古典歌手兼声乐教师，曾在卡内基音乐厅和布鲁克林音乐学院演出。希恩先生，36, 一位来自伦敦的管风琴演奏家兼指挥，拥有茱莉亚学院的硕士学位，随后在第五大道的圣托马斯教堂找到了工作。

在两人在一起后不久，奎恩女士的父亲因中风去世，她的母亲在几年后死于癌症。

他们最终搬到了英国，希恩先生于 2023 年开始担任剑桥大学耶稣学院的音乐总监。

她继续在美国担任自由古典歌手，但很快也在伦敦开展工作，并在剑桥提供私人课程并教授学生。

希恩先生的工作在剑桥提供了住房，因此他们决定购买一栋度假屋。“为了能某种程度上远离剑桥的喧嚣，”奎恩女士说道。

绝美的景色和便捷的徒步路径是必须具备的条件，但他们不希望离城市太远。他们还希望该房产能够方便地出租。

这对夫妇曾在峰区度假，那里涵盖了英格兰心脏地带数百英里的丘陵乡村。他们热爱在风景优美的道路上漫步，探索自然景点、当地地标和如画的村庄。

因此，这里似乎是寻找第二套房产的绝佳之地。

他们的预算在 275,000 到 375,000 英镑（约 $368,000 到 $502,000）之间，计划支付约 170,000 英镑现金以减少抵押贷款。

他们所使用的房地产中介公司 Saxton Mee 的副总监利兹·阿加尔 (Liz Agar) 表示，当这对夫妇在去年下半年寻找房产时，市场“可能比以往稍微更倾向于买方市场”。

希恩先生说：“我们看了很多种

买家：本·希恩和莫莉·奎恩在他们位于英格兰峰区的第二套房产前。

“我们看了种类繁多的房产，”希恩先生在谈到这对夫妇寻找乡村房产的经历时说道，“这就是其中的乐趣所在，没有预设单一的目标。” 摄影：欧文·理查兹 (OWEN RICHARDS) 为纽约时报拍摄

备选方案

1. 一栋位于阿什福德-因-德-沃特 (Ashford-in-the-Water) 的 641 平方英尺小屋，有两间卧室、一个石制壁炉、一个柴火炉，且没有停车位。

2. 一个位于贝克韦尔 (Bakewell) 怀河 (River Wye) 畔的一楼单元，面积为 915 平方英尺，有两间双人卧室、一间额外房间、一个露台和停车位。

3. 一栋位于利顿 (Litton) 郊外农场旁的两居室小屋，面积为 608 平方英尺。该房产于 2018, 翻新，带有一座夏季屋和停车位。

但其中有三处脱颖而出。

种类繁多的房产，”他补充道，“这就是其中的乐趣所在，没有预设单一的目标。”

1. 阿什福德-因-德-沃特的小屋

这座位于热闹的阿什福德村的两居室小屋，面积为 641 平方英尺（60 平方米），配有壁炉、柴火炉、阁楼储藏室、私人露台以及一个带棚屋的花园。它没有停车位，天花板有裂缝。要价为 29.5 万英镑。

2. 贝克韦尔河畔公寓

这套 915 平方英尺的一楼公寓俯瞰着贝克韦尔的怀河，贝克韦尔是一个深受游客和退休人员喜爱的风景优美的集镇。公寓拥有一个私人的绿荫露台，两间带有内置储物空间的双人卧室，以及另一间可用作卧室或办公室的房间。这里有一个停车位；厨房需要翻新。挂牌价为 36.5 万英镑。

3. 利顿郊外的排屋 这栋两居室的排屋小屋面积为 608 平方英尺，位于安静的利顿村郊外。隔壁是一个农场，因此常有牛群在附近游荡。经过 2018 年的翻新，屋内既有石制壁炉，也配备了现代设施。一座夏季屋和一片露台俯瞰着起伏的丘陵。卧室较小，但确实有一个停车位。要价为 32.5 万英镑。

他们的选择

阿什福德的小屋就其地理位置而言是一笔不错的交易，且易于出租。但它没有景观，而且似乎需要投入大量资金进行修缮。

贝克韦尔的公寓拥有美丽的河景和宽敞的空间，但它位于水面高度，这让他们犹豫了。

利顿郊外那栋俯瞰风景优美山谷的小屋给奎恩女士留下了深刻印象，但她不确定希恩先生是否会喜欢。事实证明这并不是问题：她说，当他们参观时，“他惊讶得几乎张开了嘴”。

这里距离剑桥两到三小时车程（取决于交通状况），步行 30 分钟可到达利顿及其红狮酒吧（Red Lion pub）。他们迅速提交了 31 万英镑 英镑的报价，最终支付了 32 万英镑。他们的报价在 11 月被接受，但交易直到 4 月才完成。

他们不久后便搬了进去，但之后数月一直在为工作而奔波。

这里环境幽静，但他们认识自己的邻居。奎恩女士对“值得去参观的地方之多，以及如此令人震撼的自然景观”感到惊讶。

希恩先生说，这是一种“刻意放慢的生活节奏”，并补充道，每当他到达那里，他都会“舒一口气”。

你能获得什么 / 迈克尔·卡米纳 (MICHAEL KAMINER)

多伦多 $710,000 以下的住宅

摄影：DANIEL MOLINA, NORTHTOSOUTH MEDIA 摄影：BIRDHOUSE MEDIA 摄影：NAVEEDA RANA

精品店与饮食店 这座六层建筑是该地区几栋历史建筑之一。

$671,000（950,000 加拿大元） 唐人街附近由公立学校改建而成的复式阁楼

这套一居室公寓位于 Kensington Market Lofts，拥有双倍挑高天花板和整面窗墙。该建筑原为一座建于 1921 年左右的学校，于 2000 年改建为住宅。

Kensington Market 在 20 世纪初主要是一个犹太人区，现在则是独立商店、咖啡馆和餐厅的聚集地。该区域与多伦多的唐人街接壤，那里的亚洲饮食店与时髦的酒吧和精品店相邻。由著名建筑师弗兰克·盖里（Frank Gehry）设计的具有流畅扩张风格的安大略美术馆就在向东走不远的地方。加拿大规模最大的大学——多伦多大学的主校区就在东北方向。

由于多伦多的普查大都市区地位，其住宅受加拿大禁止大多数外国买家购房政策的影响，该禁令已延长至 2027 年。例外情况包括工作许可持有者、加拿大公民的配偶以及难民。

面积：1,200 平方英尺（110 平方米）

每平方英尺价格：$559

室内：单元入口连接厨房，厨房配有定制白色橱柜、不锈钢电器以及一个带有集成微波炉的石英石台面岛台。客厅和餐厅通过朝南的

城市景观 Kensington Market 是独立商店、咖啡馆和餐厅的聚集地。

窗户可欣赏城市景观。本层设有一个浴室。

较小的二层包括卧室、洗衣区和一个浴室。整个公寓铺设硬木地板。

室外空间：一个 150 平方英尺的阳台朝南。建筑设有地下车库，但此次销售不包括停车位，不过业主可以从其他住户那里租一个。

费用：年度房产税为 $3,217。每月公寓管理费为 $820。 联系方式：Naveeda Rana, Century 21 Innovative Realty

旧城区 (Old Town)

\$705,000 (999,900 加拿大元) 前光学工厂内的阁楼公寓 这套两室一卫的公寓位于 Imperial Lofts，这是一栋建于 1910 年的前光学工厂改造而成的共管公寓。

这座六层建筑于 1997 年改为住宅用途，是多伦多旧城区（Old Town）的几栋历史建筑之一，该区域于 1793 年作为约克镇（Town of York）建立。

服务于加拿大和美国航班的比利·毕晓普多伦多市机场（Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport）位于西约两英里（三公里）处。罗杰斯中心（Rogers Center）就在西南方向，这里是多伦多蓝鸟队的主场，也是哈里·斯泰尔斯（Harry Styles）和 Blackpink 等表演者的演出舞台。向东南方向步行不久即可到达酿酒厂区（Distillery District），那里在保存完好的维多利亚时代工业建筑中分布着精品店和餐厅，街道由鹅卵石铺就。

面积：1,411 平方英尺 (131 平方米)

每平方英尺价格：\$500

室内：位于四楼转角的阁楼保留了原始特征，包括道格拉斯冷杉木梁、裸露的砖墙以及由卖家修复的硬木地板。单元的两侧设有通顶的格窗，层高为 10.5 英尺 (3.2 米)。

带窗的厨房配备了深蓝色橱柜、花岗岩台面和不锈钢电器。两间宽敞的卧室共用一个配有白色卫浴设施和浴缸的浴室。这位常驻伦敦的卖家于 2011 年购买了该公寓，一名租客已在此居住十年。

室外空间：销售包含一个有产权的室外停车位。建筑的一部电梯是 1910 年的原始手动操作电梯舱。 成本：年度房产税约为 \$3,754；每月维护费约为 \$1,095。 联系人：Quinn Tsuji, PSR Brokerage

圣劳伦斯市场 (St. Lawrence Market) \$670,000 (949,000 加拿大元)

现代建筑中的两层阁楼 这套公寓位于 Abbey Lane Lofts，这是一栋建于 2002 年、拥有 29 个单元的共管公寓。该建筑所在的社区以其中心地带繁忙的公共市场命名，该市场是加拿大最大且最古老的市场之一，距离阁楼仅几步之遥。

多伦多的主火车站及国家交通枢纽联合车站（Union Station）距离此处约一英里。多伦多国际电影节的举办地 Lightbox 电影院位于西侧几个街区。多伦多备受欢迎的滨水区就在公寓南侧，可将安大略湖的全景尽收眼底，并有前往附近多伦多群岛的渡轮。

面积：1,100 平方英尺 (102 平方米)

每平方英尺价格：\$609

室内：这个两层单元的层高为 11 英尺 (3.4 米)。工业风元素包括混凝土墙、裸露的天花板管道以及一整面落地窗格。

卖家自 2007 年起拥有该阁楼，去年修复了硬木地板，并用白色橱柜和不锈钢电器重新装修了厨房。

底层设有起居 / 用餐区、厨房和一个半卫。楼上的一间卧室和一个书房共用一个浴室，浴室内配有洗衣机

多伦多备受欢迎的滨水区就在附近，可将安大略湖的全景尽收眼底。

和烘干机。卖家将书房用作办公室。

室外空间：从客厅走出可进入一个 100 平方英尺的私人露台。销售包含一个地下停车位。

税费：年度房产税约为 \$3,290。每月共管费约为 \$958。

联系人：Taylor De Sa, Dawn Hume, Sage Real Estate

鉴于当前市场的快速节奏，部分房产在出版时可能已不再可用。

科学实验室 (SCIENCE LAB)

MARCO LONGARI / 法新社 — 盖蒂图片社 (GETTY IMAGES)

宇宙波 (COSMIC WAVES)

调频监听来自63光年外世界的无线电发射

来自一颗外星行星的无线电波流，可能为寻找宇宙中其他生命提供一种新工具。

天文学家发现这些电波来自飞画座b（Beta Pictoris b）极地看似极光的地方，该行星围绕着一颗距离地球63光年以上的恒星运行。研究团队认为，这种极光可能是由强大的磁场引起的。如果属实，这将是首个在太阳系外行星上确认的磁场，并且可能成为发现更多可能承载生命的世界的先兆。

该磁场是由马萨诸塞州剑桥市哈佛-史密森天体物理中心研究人员领导的团队，利用位于南非的MeerKAT无线电望远镜（见上图）探测到的。研究结果于9月15日在网上公布。

地球的磁场保护了行星的大气层——以及地表生命生存的条件——使其免受来自太阳辐射的吹袭。这也是为什么天文学家一直热衷于在外星世界寻找此类磁场的部分原因。

“宜居性可能是我们对磁层感兴趣的主要原因之一，”论文作者、俄勒冈大学天文学家伊薇特·森德斯（Yvette Cendes）表示。

探测外星世界的磁场非常困难，但其中一个技巧是寻找来自这些行星的无线电发射。磁场会将电子引导至行星的极地，产生类似于我们在太阳系行星上看到的极光。当这些电子击中极地时，它们可能会反弹，从而释放出无线电波。JONATHAN O'CALLAGHAN

洛杉矶县自然历史博物馆，恐龙研究所

温血，而非热血

如何测量霸王龙的体温？在远处测量。

霸王龙体内的最后一丝温暖在约 6600 万 年前就已消散，但科学家们最近利用化学手段测量出了这种早已灭绝的恐龙的体温：华氏 97 度，上下浮动几度。

根据发表在《科学进展》（Science Advances）上的这项新研究，霸王龙的体温较高，为摄氏 36 度，但并非极高。相反，这一读数将其置于与大型哺乳动物（如印度象，97 度）或人类（98 度），以及像鸵鸟这样不能飞的鸟类（101 到 103 度）相近的体温区间内——但远低于例如鸡的体温（105 到 107 度）。

“这绝对令人惊叹，”巴尔的摩约翰·霍普金斯大学的分子古生物学家贾斯米娜·维曼（Jasmina Wiemann）表示，她没有参与这项研究。

维曼博士表示，直到 21 世纪初，人们还认为恐龙相当像爬行动物，因此可能是冷血动物。随着来自地球化学研究和化石 CT 扫描的多项证据表明它们是温血动物，这一观点发生了改变。

为了测量霸王龙的体温，加州大学洛杉矶分校的科学家们对牙齿化石采用了地球化学技术，其中包括两颗来自“托马斯”（见上图）的牙齿，它是洛杉矶县自然历史博物馆馆藏的一头霸王龙。

研究团队首先使用牙钻采集牙齿坚硬的外层珐琅质样本，然后利用了一个非凡的事实：矿物质内部的化学键可以讲述它们自己的故事。“基本上，在矿物质形成的那一刻，其化学成分中的某些元素就像被冻结在时间里一样，”地生物学家、该研究负责人之一罗伯特·伊格尔（Robert Eagle）说道。

伊格尔博士及其同事分析了两种同位素之间的化学键：碳和氧的较重版本。

这些化学键就像温度计一样起作用：存在的化学键越多，体温就越低。 CAROLYN Y. JOHNSON

NASA, ESA, CSA, V. KOKOREV (UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN), A. PAGAN (STSCI)

NASA / CXC / SAO / M. WEISS; ADAPTED BY K. ARCAND & J. MAJOR

小步前行

要构建一个超大质量黑洞，先从一个小红点开始

在发现第一个黑洞后的 50 年里，天文学家已经发现了数百万个此类天体，它们密度极高，其引力使得任何东西（甚至包括光）都无法逃逸。

黑洞占据了垂死恒星坍缩后的位置，在宇宙中漂浮，并位于包括我们银河系在内的大多数大型星系的核心。尽管黑洞无处不在，但不同类型的黑洞如何生长和演化仍然是一个谜。

“它们遍布我们的宇宙，但我们仍然不知道它们是如何形成的，”马克斯·普朗克天体物理研究所的天体物理学家孙明妍（Sunmyon Chon）表示。

在发表于《自然》（Nature）杂志的一项研究中，钱博士描述了一个关于早期宇宙的模拟，该模拟将黑洞的形成与天文学界一个备受争议的话题联系起来：即所谓的“小红点”。

模拟显示，超大质量黑洞可能会自然地形成于早期宇宙中混乱的物质旋涡之中。

钱博士的团队发现，随着黑洞迅速吸收这些物质，它们发出的光线看起来就像天文学家今天看到的那些小红点。（上方左起：一片星系场，以及一个黑洞在红点核心形成的艺术渲染图。）

小红点最早通过詹姆斯·韦伯空间望远镜被观测到，是追溯到大爆炸后 10 亿年的红色色调天体。

许多天文学家最初认为，这些点可能是早期宇宙中极大规模星系的明亮核心。但随着更多观测和研究的完成，大多数科学家现在一致认为，这些点是某种形式的黑洞，而红光则是被吸入其中的尘埃云。K. R. CALLAWAY

10 / 2026

阿根廷深情告别梅西

家人在世界杯期间，”他说，“我要哭了。”

评论

作者：塞巴斯蒂安·费斯特（SEBASTIAN FEST） 来自《竞技报》（THE ATHLETIC）

布宜诺斯艾利斯 当（几乎）一切都结束时，利昂内尔·梅西决定自嘲一番。

“我说话比以往任何时候都多；我不想离开球场，”他在纪念碑球场的中圈附近笑着说。他补充道：“我爱你们所有人。我很感激成为一名阿根廷人，并能与你们所有人一起实现这个梦想。”

以沉默寡言著称的梅西刚刚结束了他的 21 年征程——这段旅程始于他 18 岁，结束于 39 岁。

它始于一场惨剧（2005 年在代表阿根廷对阵匈牙利的首秀中，他在 47 秒后被红牌罚下），并于周二晚上在泪水与微笑的海洋中结束——以及阿根廷以 3-0 战胜贝宁国家队。这是梅西的第 208 场国际比赛。

在一个寒冷的春夜，这位世界杯冠军、两届世界杯亚军、两届美洲杯冠军兼奥运金牌得主——梅西，作了最后的告别。这位在六届世界杯中打入 21 球

——其中 8 球是在最近的一届中取得 ——的球员，决定在国际赛场上就此收山。

这是一个没有人希望到来的日子：梅西不想，他的教练利昂内尔·斯卡洛尼不想，梅西的队友、家人和球迷不想，世界上任何热爱足球的人都不想。

在比赛开始前几个小时，人们开始聚集在纪念碑球场，这是该国最大的体育场。1978, 阿根廷在这里赢得了三次世界杯冠军中的第一次，而那是在梅西出生前九年。

我问那些人的问题很简单：你会对梅西说什么？他们的反应几乎无一例外地展现了他们的激动。不断出现的一句话是“我要开始哭了”。

27, 岁的马科斯·韦诺拉（Marcos Vernola）在解释他对梅西的感受时变得情绪激动。

“我在 2014 年经历了一段非常艰难的时期，当时一名亲人去世，而我们输掉了世界杯决赛，”他说，“我悲伤了很长时间，而且在两次美洲杯决赛中都承受了巨大的痛苦。

“过去几年的旅程就像是一次重生，就好像他是我生命中的指路明灯。而自 2021, 以来，除了快乐别无其他。他实现了他承诺的一切。非常感谢你，利昂内尔·梅西，感谢你曾经存在。

“我永远不会忘记与我的

体育新闻专业的学生露娜·斯佩扎尼（Luna Sperzagni）用了更少的词汇来表达同样的情感。

“感谢你的足球，感谢你的谦逊，感谢你就是你，”他说。就这些吗？

“不，只是因为否则我就要开始哭了，”他说。

球员们在比赛前似乎也被情绪淹没了。电视摄像机捕捉到梅西在前往体育场的球队大巴上用纸巾擦眼睛，而球迷们在旁边奔跑，试图瞥一眼他们的英雄。

体育场外，街道两旁排列着色彩缤纷的致敬作品。

比赛开始后，早期唯一制造出真正威胁的球员是梅西。贝宁有明确的比赛计划，并决心不成为阿根廷派对中的棋子。

梅西在比赛当天获得了布宜诺斯艾利斯大学的荣誉博士学位；当他抵达体育场，有人大喊“博士”时，他笑了。

在开球前，贝宁球员向他赠送了一座小雕像。赛后，智利裁判费尔南多·韦哈尔（Fernando Véjar）将他当晚比赛中使用的红黄牌交给了他。

一切都不同寻常。球员们在孩子们的陪伴下走上球场——当在场的人们为了忍住眼泪而面部扭曲时，这一景象变得更加令人心酸。

梅西撑住了，但斯卡洛尼的眼泪开始流了下来——一些孩子也是如此。

在谈到没有梅西的国家队未来时，斯卡洛尼后来说：“我们可以组建一支伟大的球队，但我这辈子没在其他人身上见过那种光环。他所带来的东西，我在其他人身上从未见过。”

不，这不是一个平凡的夜晚，而且没有人希望它是平凡的。这就是为什么比赛在第10分钟被暂停，以便整个体育场——梅西的队友和对手——能够向他致敬并拥抱他。

梅西被情绪淹没，对此毫无预期。布宜诺斯艾利斯的夜晚充满了烟花和烟雾。作为向梅西致敬的一部分，本周在他的家乡罗萨里奥展出了一件巨大的10号球衣，成为了这座城市向离去英雄祭奠的圣地。首都也竖起了一件类似的复制品。

对阵贝宁的下半场，阿根廷队发生了变化，他们意识到，尽管有泪水，梅西应该在微笑中离开。

梅西的一次完美角球助攻，让38岁的尼古拉斯·奥塔门迪用一个进球向国家队告别。梅西的一次传球为尼科·帕斯创造了绝佳机会，后者完成了一次惊艳的射门。而梅西在第71分钟通过点球得分。这是他为国家队打入的职业生涯第126球。

上图：周二在布宜诺斯艾利斯进行最后一场国际比赛后，阿根廷的利昂内尔·梅西向球迷发表讲话。这是梅西的第208场国际比赛，阿根廷以3-0击败贝宁。上图：开球前展出了一件印有梅西10号的巨型球衣。 RODRIGO ABD / 美联社

“天哪，我们会多么想念他，”阿根廷电视评论员帕布罗·吉拉尔特说道，随后补充道，“我们希望这场比赛能永远进行下去。”

比赛以阿根廷3-0获胜告终，但梅西是永恒的——一段关于足球快乐的循环，深深地烙印在每一个有幸观看他比赛的人心中。

赛后，无人机表演了一场灯光秀。但梅西本人的赛后演讲触动了所有人的心弦，他回忆起在8月去世的父亲豪尔赫。他谈到了他的阿根廷队友——那些参与了近期成功时代的球员以及之前的前辈们——以及他们在今年夏天世界杯上的努力。

当他提到半决赛战胜英格兰如何“真的耗尽了我们的体力”时，观众和梅西的队友们随着传统的口号“不跳舞的就是英国人”上下跳动。

“感谢你的足球，感谢你的谦逊，感谢你就是你。”

最激动落泪的球员是曼城中场恩佐·费尔南德斯。2016年，年仅15岁的他曾给梅西写过一封信，请求他在阿根廷在美洲杯决赛负于智利后，重新考虑那个夏天退出国家队的决定。在演讲结束后，梅西安慰长子蒂亚戈的场景令人动容。

“没有任何致敬能真正公正地评价这位史上最非凡的足球运动员，”安德烈斯·埃利切为阿根廷报纸《国家报》（La Nación）撰文写道。“没有一场比赛，没有一首歌，没有一个词，没有一个进球——即使是他自己打进的球——能象征他在这项运动历史中所处地位的真实量级。”

“没有人会怀疑他的存在注定将永恒。梅西敲开了永恒之门，而永恒欢迎了他，邀请他进来，随心所欲地坐在任何地方。”

即使不再在球场上，梅西也将一直是阿根廷足球的偶像。“现在我要站在这一边了，”梅西告诉看台上的支持者，“支持这些孩子们以及所有即将到来的人。”

这正是球迷韦诺拉对他提出的要求。“我希望这只是场景的变换，希望他很快能在看台上掌控全局，”他说。

作为国家队主教练？

“不。我希望他担任阿根廷足协主席和阿根廷大使。我们必须赢得第四次、第五次和第六次”世界杯，他说。“我们必须超越巴西人。”

迷你纵横字谜

作者：伊恩·利文古德 (IAN LIVENGOOD) 编辑：乔尔·法格利亚诺 (JOEL FAGLIANO)

横向 1 扑克游戏入场费 6 多层神庙 7 能在-60℃°温度下生存的鸟类 8 极其出色 9 ____ 勃艮第，《主播》中的明星主播 10 真正让你感到“扎心”的科学课？ 12 古希腊的宽松服装 13 整齐的堆叠

纵向 1 绑在头上的布片 2 生产羊绒内衬靴子的品牌 3 “干得漂亮，伙计！” 4 “好人”与“坏蛋” 5 幼儿照顾者 6 极小块的包装材料 7 英国人眼中的十足傻瓜 11 __-tac-toe（井字棋）

前一谜题答案

两星不触

在网格的每一行、每一列和每个区域中各放置两颗星。任何两颗星都不能接触，包括对角线方向。 版权 © 2024 www.krazydad.com

词汇扭曲

我的祖父 ____ 一种遥远的生活 在山丘与 ____ 的田园间。 他 ____ 当地的“补药”。

用彼此互为字母易位词（anagrams）的单词完成这首诗。每条下划线代表一个字母。 谜题作者：斯图尔特·克莱兰 (STUART CLELAND)

昨日答案 Tern, cote $\rightarrow$ turncoat

KenKen 数独

在网格中填入数字，确保每行每列的数字不重复，且每个粗线框内的数字通过框内指定的加、减、乘或除法运算，得出所示的目标数字。4. 4x4 网格使用数字 1-4。6x6 网格使用数字 1-6。

更多游戏请访问：www.nytimes.com / games KenKen® 是 Nextoy, LLC 的注册商标。版权 © 2024 www.KENKEN.com。保留所有权利。

纵横字谜 / 编辑：Will Shortz

横向 1 首两个首字母代表“Maurits Cornelis”的艺术家 7 比如，进一步了解 15 种类 16 “今天不行，撒旦！” 17 像哈姆雷特、麦克白和李尔王那样 18 一个养孩子会很热闹的地方？ 19 就职仪式的一部分 20 俯瞰格林德瓦山谷的山峰 22 帮倒忙？ 23 Frito（德州-墨西哥风味菜肴） 24 “轻盈如蝶”且“迅猛如蜂” 26 办公大楼缩写 27 一个人难以承受之重 30 曾经（在某处）很热 31 很可能 35 当地人称之为 Muncibeddu，意为“山中之山”

36 西雅图的 W.N.B.A. 球队 39 自夸 40 2025年超级碗冠军球队成员 42 简·方达在 1980 年代的一些表演 44 旋转，旋转，再旋转？ 47 Este día 50 确定市场价格？ 51 伦敦的 ____ 花园 53 “现在说得通了” 55 在某种程度上修补 56 ____ Dee，HBO 剧集《不安全感》中的主角 57 独奏 59 拥有标志性翘发发型的动画角色 61 荷官的询问 62 以某种方式隐藏，如通信 63 国家财政收入来源 64 成为受益人

纵向 1 法律禁止 2 学生种类

谜题设计：DAVID LEVINSON WILK

3 自由落体 4 与 grade 或 school 搭配的词 5 dermis 的前缀 6 门 7 嘻哈的发源地（口语） 8 “真可惜” 9 传统上佩戴橙色臂章的体育人物（简写） 10 部分加州理工学院毕业生：缩写 11 在手腕附近可见 12 平民 13 开始 14 “Buona ____”（罗马的睡前用语） 21 “我不需要更多了，谢谢”

24 像个可疑的人 25 拥有 2016 年冠军单曲《Cheap Thrills》的单名歌手 28 牙线品牌 29 华特·迪士尼最初将其设计为一个乌托邦城市 30 一件演唱会周边商品 32 加油站 33 墙花（社交恐惧者）经常站的地方 34 痛苦的声音 37 播客主持人 Joe 38 1980 年代拥有半重复名称的榜单冠军乐队

10 / 26

41 以女神命名的相机品牌 43 演员 Penn 45 击中 46 法兰克（Francia）的邻国 47 笑声轨的内容 48 撰写《Butterfield 8》的 John 49 某种点心蛋糕 52 减轻 54 担任联合国儿童基金会首位亲善大使的 Danny 56 秘鲁 ____ 兰花（犬种） 58 Rihanna 的冠军单曲及 SZA 冠军专辑的标题 60 morph- 的后缀

在 http: / nytimes.com / games 在线玩所有游戏，以及 Wordle、Spelling Bee、纵横字谜等 10,000 多个往期谜题。关于谜题的讨论，请访问 http: / nytimes.com / wordplay。

周末

一位芭蕾传奇让失传之作重现

苏珊娜·法雷尔致力于重建乔治·巴兰钦那部空灵的《Pithoprakta》

作者：吉亚·库拉斯（GIA KOURLAS）

“那样太漂亮了，”苏珊娜·法雷尔对纽约市芭蕾舞团的首席舞者米拉·纳登说道，此时纳登的双臂升起，像翻腾的海鸥一样在空中盘旋。

这确实很漂亮。但在乔治·巴兰钦的《Pithoprakta》中，力量并非源自“漂亮”。这部创作于1968年的现代主义芭蕾舞剧，正由现年81岁的前市芭蕾舞团之星法雷尔在本季为舞团重新复排。《Pithoprakta》这部作品诡谲且紧张，意为“概率动作”。由伊安尼斯·泽纳基斯创作的配乐，听起来像是细小的分子在宇宙中疾速穿梭。

“压低，再更高，更高，更高，”法雷尔对纳登说，纳登向前弯腰，手臂下沉，随后升起，坚定地掠过一条无形的地平线。

这部奇异芭蕾舞剧的潜流是一种坚硬且令人不安的力量。这是一部为14名舞者创作的作品，包括一对领舞——最初由法雷尔和亚瑟·米切尔饰演。《Pithoprakta》的基调既狂野又狂热，神秘且超凡脱俗。但拥有好奇之心的巴兰钦从未只创作一种类型的芭蕾。在创作了璀璨华美的《珠宝》（1967）一年后，他创造了《Pithoprakta》这头阴郁的巨兽。

“这和我们之前做过的任何东西都完全不同，”法雷尔说。

作为市芭蕾舞团最具影响力的舞者之一，法雷尔在巴兰钦的作品中开创了许多重要角色。近年来，她回到舞团指导舞者。2024, 她排演了原名为《齐冈》（Tzigane）的《Errante》，由纳登饰演她的原角色。但《Pithoprakta》不同。这一次，法雷尔在注入部分个人想象力的基础上，让一部几乎被遗忘的巴兰钦芭蕾舞剧重获新生。

作品中保留了可辨识的巴兰钦标志，比如旋转后弯，但让《Pithoprakta》脱颖而出的是它对重力感的把握。有时，群舞成员甚至会在地板上翻滚和躺卧。领舞两人彼此靠近却极少接触；当他们的手平行地描绘空间时，掌心之间留有空气。在某个时刻，男子俯卧在地上，伸手触碰舞伴的脚踝，而女子则在他上方耸立，用足尖在地面上地踏出锐利的步伐。在泽纳基斯的音响星系中，随音乐起舞呈现出一种不同的特质，该作品由弦乐、长号、木琴和木块组成的46个部分构成。

巴兰钦在1967, 的蒙特利尔首次接触到泽纳基斯，当时这位作曲家为Expo 67. 创作了一场光影与声音的盛宴。法雷尔说，那个装置包括“向四面八方延伸的电缆”。“泽纳基斯是一位伟大的数学家和建筑师，每隔一段时间，就会有一个灯泡亮起。”

让《Pithoprakta》脱颖而出的是它对重力感的把握。有时，群舞成员甚至会在地板上翻滚和躺卧。

左图，苏珊娜·法雷尔监督纽约市芭蕾舞团排演《Pithoprakta》。该作品于1968年为法雷尔和亚瑟·米切尔编舞。 摄影：ELINOR KRY 为《纽约时报》拍摄

法雷尔说，当时空气中还弥漫着另一种氛围。“全世界都在讨论登月——每个人的生活都围绕着在现有生活之外，未来的生活会是什么样子而展开，所以也许这对巴兰钦来说很有趣，”她谈到巴兰钦时说道。

但这种吸引力可能更多地与泽纳基斯本人有关。法雷尔说，巴兰钦“对如何在这种音乐中舞动感到着迷”。

《Pithoprakta》除了氛围和外观之外，还隐藏着谜团。在1968年市芭蕾舞团首演之前拍摄了一部电影，但拍摄当天米切尔不在场。“我问B先生（巴兰钦），‘当我们应该跳双人舞时，我该怎么做？’”法雷尔回忆道，“他说，‘好吧，你就一个人跳吧。’”

法雷尔表示，巴兰钦在拍摄后进一步强调了这对舞伴之间的距离感。《皮托普拉克塔》（Pithoprakta）自1969年以来就未在纽约市芭蕾舞团演出过。但2007年，法雷尔在为她现已解散的苏珊·法雷尔芭蕾舞团（Suzanne Farrell Ballet）排演这部作品时，参考了那部电影，该排演是约翰·F·肯尼迪表演艺术中心“巴兰钦保护计划”的一部分。当时她在与巴兰钦信托基金会讨论恢复该剧目时，需要做出一个决定。

“我说，‘大家唯一的参考资料就是这部旧的黑白电影，在亚瑟不在场的情况下，你们是希望我带着男舞伴演，还是不带？’”法雷尔说，“他们说，‘带着男舞伴’。”

这导致法雷尔必须为男首席舞者创作动作，因为她说，“我完全不知道亚瑟当时是怎么做的。只有少数几个地方——比如他站在我身后的一步——被保留了下来，但除此之外我几乎什么都记不清了。”

她还利用照片作为指导。“你会尽可能抓住任何能找到的锚点，”她说，“我认为其中一些迷人的方面在于，已知的信息如此之少，但又已知很多。”

而这是一种馈赠。“我觉得对于这些舞者来说，这简直就像是B先生回来了，在为他们跳一支芭蕾舞，”她继续说道，“就像他在现场说：好了，现在你们准备好跳这个了。这是任何人都没能拥有的东西。”

芭蕾舞团的群舞演员动作棱角分明且不协调，他们原地跳跃，手臂挥舞，在地面上翻滚或用手拍打地面。他们经常成群地移动。男主角扭动着身子，且conf法雷尔，第21页

为了省掉一张床垫而选择上下铺

我们会分手，但继续住在一起。我们是不是太老了，不适合睡上下铺？

现代爱情

作者：乔诺·米什科特（JONO MISCHKOT）

“也许我们应该买个上下铺，”我对交往了七年的女友说。

我当时是开玩笑的。至少我认为如此。但无论如何，在分手两周后，我们正和我的母亲在旧金山市中心逛街，挑选上下铺。

我那时 25 岁，已经大到不需要母亲陪我购物，当然也大到不适合睡上下铺了。但正如我所说，这感觉像个玩笑，而这种感觉让艾玛和我能够在一层保护性的——尽管很薄的——讽刺外壳下，轻巧地避开分手这一冰冷的现实。

我们很擅长忽视困难的现实。也许这就是为什么我们一年没有发生过性关系的原因。也许这就是为什么，即使在我们同意分道扬镳之后，在经历了几个夜晚的哭泣、争吵和自我怀疑之后，我们达成了一个荒诞的妥协：我们会分手，但继续住在一起。于是我们做了接下来的最逻辑之事：我们测量了单身公寓的尺寸，准备放一张上下铺。

我的母亲毫不掩饰地表达了她的看法：“选个做工好的。你肯定不想在那个上铺砸在你该死的头上时被憋死。”

我们选了一款樱桃橡木色的。真是个美人。结实。上下铺中的“凯迪拉克”。它闻起来像夏令营和思乡的情绪。

小时候，我崇拜《迪克·范·戴克秀》中饰演罗布·佩特里的迪克·范·戴克。我喜欢他那种像面条一样柔软的庄重感和不矫揉造作的机智。我喜欢在片头序列中，你永远不知道他会摔倒还是绕过奥斯曼脚凳的样子。我喜欢他为一部电视节目写剧本，就像我正在看的那部一样。我还喜欢他的妻子劳拉，由玛丽·泰勒·摩尔饰演。在我看来，罗布和劳拉就是成年伴侣应有的样子。

但我一直不明白为什么他们睡在分开的床上。一对如此同步的伴侣怎么能分床睡，而我认识的所有其他已婚夫妇——无论他们的关系是敌对还是无奈——都睡在加州国王尺寸的大床上？

艾玛和我告诉自己，上下铺是实际的需要，这样我们才能在互联网泡沫破裂后的旧金山负担得起房租，同时在技术层面上处于分手状态。这很快成了一个经久不衰的笑话。在派对上，有人会问：“谁睡上面？”或者“如果你们其中一个人约会带人回来怎么办？”

第一个问题很简单。这个上下铺上面是单人床，下面是大号双人床。一个倾斜的木梯将它们连接在一起。因为艾玛个头较小，她睡上面。我们那只困惑的猫会在整晚跳来跳去，试图寻找它以前的位置。

第二个问题就比较困难了。虽然我们正式分手了，但我们两人都没有强烈的约会冲动。我们很年轻，但从大学二年级起就在一起了。而且我们是那种一旦相识就将自己与所有人隔绝的伴侣。一个两人的小圈子。我们就是罗布和劳拉，只不过抽的草要多得多。而现在，我们有了具体的床位。

在“分手”三个月后，我在酒吧里和一个随机的女人发生了关系。这个女人把我带回了她的住处，我们进行了大约三分钟尴尬的性爱。在我还没来得及拉起牛仔裤之前，我就感觉到焦虑发作了。

当我凌晨 4 点回到公寓时，身体颤抖，胃里翻江倒海，我爬进了下铺。我不是那种会搞一夜情的人，所以这次出格的行为让我觉得像是进入了另一个身体。脚下的地面突然变得不稳定，我的边缘变得模糊。

“你还好吗？”艾玛在上铺问。

“恐慌发作，”我说。

她理解。她爬下梯子，躺在我身边。我们的猫在两人之间欣快地打着呼噜。

电视荧幕上最早被拍到睡在同一张床上的夫妇之一，是《布雷迪一家》（The Brady Bunch）中的迈克和卡罗尔·布雷迪。他们的卧室戏份中有一种俏皮的诱惑感。卡罗尔会回顾一天的趣事，迈克则会说一些颇为风趣的话。卡罗尔会笑着关掉她那一侧的台灯，迈克会亲她一下，然后关掉他那一侧的台灯。在随后的黑屏淡出中，一个青少年可能会产生各种各样的遐想。

没过多久，艾玛交了男朋友。他们在一家两人都担任服务员的中餐融合餐厅相识。他是个温和、长相尚可的滑板少年，头圆得像个甜瓜。我不记得他的名字了，但我叫他“大头”。

“你今晚要和‘大头’出去吗？”在她离开时，我会这样问。

她不会回答，但会笑。我们之间依然有默契。

有一次艾玛患了重感冒，请病假没去上班。下班后，“大头”来到了我们的公寓。我开门时，艾玛正在洗澡。

“嘿，”大头说，“艾玛在吗？”“她病了，”我说。

他把头从门缝里探进来。“我给她带了汤，”他说，手里举着一个塑料外卖袋。

“我会告诉她的。”我接过袋子并关上了门。

当艾玛洗完澡出来，穿着毛圈布浴袍，抽着鼻子时，她看到了咖啡桌上那一碗热气腾腾的鸡肉米汤，露出了微笑。

“I got you some soup,” I said.

真正的麻烦，或者说冰层的裂缝，出现在我在米申区的一家廉价酒吧遇到杰斯时，她是朋友的朋友。我们聊了一整夜。后来，在出租车后座亲热时，我抓住她的肩膀说：“你太正常了！”她笑了，说：“你也是！”我们两个都不正常，但在彼此眼中，我们觉得对方很正常。

回到家后，我在下铺告诉艾玛关于杰斯的事。她沉默了一会儿。

“只要别对我坠入爱河就行，”她半开玩笑地说。

“我不会的，”我说，但即便在当时，我也觉得自己是在撒谎。

尽管共用一张床，但迈克和卡罗尔·布雷迪并没有像罗布和劳拉那样具有吸引力。布雷迪夫妇的婚姻感觉像是在表演，过于认真。他们的晚安之吻和平庸的闲聊像是笨拙的剧本，而罗布和劳拉的互动则如此自然，以至于感觉真实。即便隔着两张单人床，人们也能感受到一种暗示着潜台词理解的亲密感，一种编码化的亲密。

约会四个月后，杰斯说：“你得搬出去。”

“搬出上下铺？”我问。“搬出公寓。”

搬家那天，我研究出如何拆掉上下铺，把上面的单人床留给艾玛，将双人床塞进 U-Haul 搬家车的后部。

我搬走时艾玛在工作。我想过留张纸条，但对于一个你约会了七年、同居了五年（其中一年睡在上下铺）的女人，你能说什么？对于第一个让你坠入爱河的人，而你此时正一边爱上新人，一边试图从她身边解脱，你能说什么？

艾玛在海特街找到了一个转租房。

这感觉像个笑话，而这让我们能够轻巧地避开冰冷的现实。

房东是一个年轻的嬉皮士和一个古怪的老男人，而杰斯和我搬到了纽约读研究生。

我仍然在电话里和艾玛聊天。她甚至在布鲁克林拜访过我们一次，但往轻了说，那次经历压力很大且尴尬。她睡在充气床垫上，而杰斯和我则在破旧的沙发床上相拥而眠。

后来艾玛搬到日本教英语。杰斯和我结婚了，生了一对双胞胎，搬到了新泽西。所有成年人会做的事我们都做了。

电视里的婚姻几乎从未被正确呈现。你有丹和罗珊·康纳那种讽刺的斗嘴，或者赫克斯特夫妇那种令人不安、尴尬的调情，亦或是莫妮卡·盖勒和钱德勒·宾那种令人窒息的甜蜜。然后是罗布和劳拉，他们睡在各自的床上，拥有未经排练的宿命感，一种由笨拙的跌撞和道歉、失误和惊险瞬间组成的浪漫语言。

现在，在结婚20年后，我睡在阳光房里，而杰斯睡在我们的阁楼卧室里，两人相隔两层楼。这种安排始于我们那只体重120磅的马斯蒂夫与拉布拉多混血犬哈克尔贝利，它做了两次膝盖手术，无法走楼梯，因此我在它康复期间照顾它。这是一个漫长的恢复过程。

偶尔在半夜，杰斯会发短信说：“我需要你。”

我明白。我走过两层楼梯，躺在她身边，陪她努力重新入睡。哈克尔贝利最终也会蹒跚而上，把自己挤在我们之间，发出像象海豹一样的喘息声。

乔诺·米什科特（Jono Mischkot）是纽约大学的说明文写作临床教授，以及学科写作项目的主任。

如何处理父母护理员的现金请求

匿名投稿

伦理学家

作者：KWAME ANTHONY APPIAH

我的父亲今年 93 岁，在母亲去世后，于今年 1 月搬进了辅助生活社区。他需要全天候的个人护理，幸运的是，他的收入足以支撑这项开支。我和姐姐通过一家表现出色的中介机构管理他的护理员。在过去的四年里，该机构为我们派遣了优秀的员工，且薪酬公正。我们还会发放丰厚的节日奖金，金额根据每位护理员的工作时长而定，最长的一位已工作四年。

最近，一名于去年年底加入团队的护理员发短信询问，我们是否愿意“资助”他参加一门高级课程，以帮助他进一步提升医疗护理职业生涯。这位护理员表现非常出色，且在其他员工生病或休假时经常能顶上。课程费用略低于 $3,000，我们完全负担得起。

然而，我在想，给他钱上课对其他护理员是否公平。我还怀疑这种请求违反了中介机构的政策，而我们不想惊动中介，因为担心他可能会被解雇。

我们最初的想法是提供一半的金额，并请他将其视为提前发放的节日奖金。我的父亲没有失智症，但帕金森病使他变得相当冷漠且抑郁，他现在其实并不处于一个能够参与权衡的 position to weigh in. Name Withheld

我理解为什么您想给一名优秀的护理员提供帮助。但与此同时，中介机构通常禁止员工以这种方式向客户要钱是有原因的。现在您有理由担心，您决定给予（或不给予）此人的请求，是否会影响护理质量。即便这并非该男子的本意，但这就是您目前所处的境地。而且中介协议不仅约束员工，也可能约束客户；您的协议可能限制向护理员进行直接支付。

至于将您的资助称为提前发放的节日奖金？重新贴标签并不一定会消除对其他护理员的公平性问题，因为他们一直遵守协议条款，其中一些人已经工作多年。$1,500 的金额是否与您支付给其他工作不足 12 个月的员工的金额相当？

关于这笔慷慨之举的资金来源，还有一个进一步的问题。您父亲的收入支付了他的护理费。那么这 $1,500 是否也来自他？您管理他事务的权限是为了让您为了他的利益而花钱。护理员的职业晋升显然不属于这一类别。

即使您想用自己的钱帮助这个人，也应警惕进行一笔看似违反中介规则的大额私人支付。您可以继续通过已经使用的丰厚奖金制度来认可他的出色工作，包括在决定金额时考虑到他极高的可靠性。您也可以询问中介机构是否提供学费资助，或者是否允许客户为护理员培训做出贡献。如果可以，您可以公开地帮助他。如果不可以，且在权衡所有因素后您仍决定资助，请直接向学校付款；这样您就有了资金去向的记录。无论您怎么做，请让他知道他的可靠性对您的家庭意味着多少，并祝他顺利获得认证。

我的母亲在 69. 岁时刚刚去世。她与我的父亲离婚已 20 年多，一直独居，并且与我、我的姐姐以及她自己的母亲（她唯一剩下的家人）疏远了大约十年。她还患有严重的、未经诊断的精神健康问题。

我的祖母今年 94 岁，患有失智症。她的短期记忆非常有限，尽管一些近期的事件（例如一名表亲的去世）仍留在她的记忆中并让她感到难过。

我正纠结是否要告诉她，她的女儿已经去世了。这个消息可能会给她带来巨大的痛苦，甚至可能影响她的身体健康。我也担心她可能会忘记，然后不得不一次又一次地重新得知这个消息，并反复经历丧亲之痛。但与此同时，尽管她们之间关系疏远，我觉得她似乎有权知道这件事。

我的母亲生前离群索居，我们没有举行追思会。在发现她时，她的遗体已经严重腐败，殡仪馆主管建议我和姐姐在火化前不要观看遗体。因此，隐瞒这个消息并不会剥夺我祖母参加葬礼或见女儿最后一面的机会。

在这种情况下，是否有最佳的处理方案？——姓名未公开

我会建议你与每天照顾你祖母的临床医生和护理人员沟通，尝试评估你是否可以在不产生你所担心的那种“循环效应”的情况下将消息告知她。如果他们认为可行，那么告诉她一次是有充分理由的。你的祖母可能仍然保留着哲学家阿格涅什卡·雅沃斯卡（Agnieszka Jaworska）所称的“价值能力”；雅沃斯卡认为，即使在痴呆症侵蚀了推理能力和做出理性决策的能力之后，这种能力依然可以存在。关键在于，女儿的生死对于你的祖母来说可能仍然具有意义。尊重一名痴呆症患者，既包括关注她的认知局限，也包括关注她残存的情感纽带。

但如果你的祖母无法记住这个消息，那么一遍又一遍地告诉她将是不仁慈的。她可能在当下仍能感受到悲伤，但重复告知可能会让她一次又一次地承受丧亲的冲击，而她却无法从中走出来。你的母亲和祖母已经很久没见面了，而且你的祖母也没有期待再次见到女儿。在这种情况下，保护她免受她已无法有效吸收的丧亲之痛，可能比让她反复面对一个她无法记住的真相更尊重她。

夸梅·安东尼·阿皮亚（Kwame Anthony Appiah）在纽约大学教授哲学。他的著作包括《世界主义》（Cosmopolitanism）、《荣誉准则》（The Honor Code）以及《束缚之谎：重新思考身份》（The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity）。

一场众目睽睽下的挣扎

普雷斯利·格伯上月去世，留下了大量证词

作者：杰西·麦金利（JESSE MCKINLEY）

3月下旬，超模辛迪·克劳福德（Cindy Crawford）与商人兰德·格伯（Rande Gerber）之子普雷斯利·格伯（Presley Gerber）在Instagram上发布了一段视频，描述了他所谓的“伊博格灵（Ibogaine）洪水剂量前”，这是一种某些成瘾者宣称能帮助他们戒毒的致幻药物。

在帖子中，一名女子拿着一对羽毛，用香炉在格伯的身体上方挥动烟雾。在配文中，格伯表达了谨慎的希望，认为这种治疗可能会缓解他所描述的长期成瘾循环。

“祈祷这是我最后一次回来，”格伯写道，并在视频中贴上了 #rewireyourbrain（重塑你的大脑）的标签。

27岁的格伯于9月20日在加利福尼亚州圣莫尼卡的一家名为Resolutions Living的高端戒毒康复中心去世，就在抵达该中心仅一天之后。圣莫尼卡警方表示，他们正将此次死亡作为“疑似药物过量”进行调查。

普雷斯利·格伯（右上）与家人合影：他的妹妹凯亚·格伯（Kaia Gerber）、父亲兰德·格伯以及母亲模特辛迪·克劳福德。他也从事过一些模特工作，包括2016年的一场杜嘉班纳（Dolce & Gabbana）时装秀（右）。

此后，关于格伯最后几个小时的细节逐渐流出，尽管其家人除了请求给予私人空间悼念外，拒绝发表评论。上周，名人与八卦平台TMZ发布了一段简短的无声视频，该平台称视频显示格伯在去世前一晚，带领人们参观Resolutions中心的一间多层卧室，并展示了圣莫尼卡的景色。

在许多方面，TMZ的视频预示了格伯一直以来在公开场合进行的挣扎——并且他将这一切发布在网上供所有人观看：从2023年初，在他23岁时开始，他分享了一大批第一人称视频，二十多段简短的证词就像一种私密的个人日记，记录了他的药物使用史和对答案的寻找。

在他称之为“心理健康星期一”的零散系列视频中，这些内容与他之前的社交媒体输出形成了鲜明对比，之前的内容大多是光鲜的模特照和优渥生活的图像：冲浪以及与流行明星共处。

在这些星期一的视频中，格伯详细描述了多年来他服用过的各种药物，从14岁开始服用普罗扎克（Prozac），以应对他所谓的焦虑和剧烈的恐慌发作。“感觉就像世界末日一样，”他回忆起青少年时期的感受，“而你完全不知道为什么。”

他说，其中一些药物是在多次前往康复中心治疗期间开具的，第一次是在他18或19岁时。格伯还谈到了使用包括氯胺酮（ketamine）在内的其他药物，试图让自己摆脱抗焦虑药和抗抑郁药。他还提到使用一种有争议的草药补充剂——卡痛（kratom），以缓解“强效鸦片类药物的戒断反应”。

他回忆起在对药物治疗倾向以及许多传统康复计划感到幻灭之前，曾服用过安定（Valium）、阿得拉（Adderall）和丁啡诺（buprenorphine，用于治疗鸦片类药物使用障碍）。“这是一个陷阱，他们想让你陷入陷阱——他们想让你陷入循环，”格伯在2025年4月的一段视频中说道。不过他补充道，“我相信痊愈是可能的。”

洛杉矶县法医表示，确定确切死因可能需要数月时间，但对Resolutions中心的审查已经增加。据加利福尼亚州医疗保健服务部称，戒毒住所不需要州政府许可，但监管机构目前正在调查该设施是否提供了需要州许可的服务。运营该住所的Resolutions治疗服务中心的创始人——心理学家雷扎·纳巴维（Reza Nabavi）未回应置评请求。

就像36岁的演员海登·帕内蒂尔（Hayden Panettiere）因芬太尼意外过量死亡一样，格伯的早逝令亲友们心碎。但这同时也触动了那些

在名为“心理健康周一”（Mental Health Mondays）的一系列零散视频中，格伯描述了他与他所谓的长期成瘾循环之间所经历的挣扎。

那些并不认识他的人也纷纷表达哀悼，一些同样遭受过药物或心理健康问题困扰的人在社交媒体上对他进行“准社交”式的致敬，并赞扬他的评论。

“我走出来了，而他没有，”一位名叫安迪·拉斯纳（Andy Lassner）的人写道，他是一名电视制作人，曾是药物使用者，现已戒毒27年。“我希望他也能走出来。”

伪装幸福

当然，格伯并不是第一个处于聚光灯下或面临心理健康危机的名人之子。但他试图面对危机的方式，既深深植根于康复领域（在该领域，诚实地审视自己的行为被视为重要的一步），也植根于社交媒体（在该领域，忏悔式的叙述同样受到推崇）。

加利福尼亚州橙县雷迪儿童医院（Rady Children's Health）的首席心理学家希瑟·胡斯蒂（Heather Huszti）在观看了一些格伯的视频后表示，这些视频似乎是在通过分享自己的经历来帮助他人，同时让自己承担责任。

“他是在向他人伸出援手，大概是在说：‘嘿，这些是我在思考的，或者是我做过的事，或者是我经历过的事，’”胡斯蒂博士说，她从未见过或治疗过格伯。“而这对他来说可能也是一种强化，让他觉得：‘嘿，让我继续这样做吧。’”

加州大学旧金山分校儿科学副教授杰森·永田（Jason Nagata）博士研究过社交媒体对年轻人心理健康的影响，他表示，使用在线论坛可以“减轻污名化，并帮助人们感到不再孤单”。

但他补充说，此类帖子也可能招致负面评论。“分享极其私人的内容，且潜在受众如此之多，可能会带来很多在私人对话中不会存在的审视、反馈和评论，”他说。

格伯在马里布的富裕环境中长大，其在网络和媒体上记录的生活极其优渥：私人飞机，以及与哈里·斯泰尔斯（Harry Styles）一起做比萨。他发布的家庭电影和照片描绘了与妹妹凯亚（Kaia）一起度过的快乐童年。凯亚是一名成功的模特，曾登上9月刊《Vogue》封面，且演艺事业初露头角。

他的父亲是一位夜生活企业家，与好友、演员乔治·克鲁尼（George Clooney）共同创立了龙舌兰品牌 Casamigos，该品牌以超过$700 million的价格售出。而他的母亲，当然，依然是流行文化的标志性人物。格伯一家展现出温暖与爱的氛围——在任何意义上都是一个模范家庭。今年4月，他们出现在服装品牌 Vuori 的广告中，彼此微笑大笑。

普雷斯利·格伯（Presley Gerber）经常发布对家人的深情致敬，尤其是对他妹妹，他还涉足摄影，在 Instagram 上开设了一个专门发布他为凯亚拍摄照片的页面。但尽管凯亚欣然接受“星二代”（nepo baby）的标签，普雷斯利似乎对处于公众视野中感到更加局促。

“尤其在我所处的那个世界里，存在一种心照不宣的潜规则，每个人都必须时刻保持最佳状态，必须微笑、挥手，如此之类，”格伯在2025年3月的一段视频中说道，并补充说他讨厌伪装幸福。“对我来说，这感觉很不真实。”

格伯身材纤细高挑，五官深邃，脖子上纹有一个红十字。他继承了母亲的职业，在15.签约了顶尖模特经纪公司 IMG。两年后，他为 Calvin Klein 拍摄广告，并为 Dolce & Gabbana 走秀。2018, 他与母亲共同出演了一则超级碗广告。

GIUSEPPE CACACE / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES 格伯试图面对心理健康危机的方式，深深植根于那些推崇忏悔式叙述的世界中。

时尚摄影师兼艺术家科利尔·肖尔（Collier Schorr）曾为两名年轻的格伯兄弟拍摄广告大片，她表示记得有一次在拍摄时为普雷斯利（Presley）染发，并观察到他的举止发生了变化。

“对他来说，这在某种程度上是一种释放，因为在那一刻他不再是他自己，”她回忆道，“就像变成了另一个他可以完全融入其中的角色。”

格伯还谈到了在如此年幼时从事模特行业的权衡。在2025年7月的一段Instagram短视频中，他表示因工作而奔波导致他没有更多时间从事自己真正热爱的事情，包括冲浪。

到2018, 年仅19岁的他因在比弗利山庄涉嫌酒后驾驶被捕。（他随后承认了一项轻罪。）

在2020, 年初，格伯在右眼下方纹上“MISUNDERSTOOD”（被误解）一词，引发了媒体关注；他在发布的一段带有对抗色彩的视频中对此解释道，“你们不知道我的感受”。（他后来将该纹身去除。）

JAKE MICHAELS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

格伯回忆说，他在13岁左右时看过精神科医生。16, 岁时，他开始服用赞安量（Xanax），他表示这种药物最初提供了缓解，直到他开始担心其长期影响。“我一直意识到依赖和成瘾是什么，”他说，“但我并没有真正意识到那就是我必然会走向的方向。”

他在一段视频中提到，他在青少年后期第一次在纽约接受康复治疗，并被开具了抗抑郁药曲唑酮（trazodone），他说这让他感到麻木。

“我无法大笑，”他说，“而且我绝对无法哭泣。”

他对苯二氮卓类药物（benzodiazepines，通常被称为 benzos）这类中枢神经系统抑制剂尤为担忧。在2025年的一段视频中，他描述了自己被开具了此类药物——安定（Valium），要求每天服用三次，并表示他最终产生了依赖。

“完全依赖于任何物质都是非常受限的，”他说。

“我自己的心理健康”

格伯（Gerber）——看起来很憔悴——于2023年3月开始制作他的“周一”视频，并表示“这段旅程将持续一生”，尽管该系列很快就中断了。该系列在2024年10月回归，当时看起来更健康的格伯谈到了药物使用如何影响了他的生活。

“在成瘾状态下，当你年龄增长时，人们往往会在你余生中一直把你当成你开始滥用药物时的那个年纪来看待，你就那样被困在了那里，”他说道。

格伯将这一每周系列持续了几个月，但在2025年夏天，视频停止了。同年11月，格伯写道他“必须后退一步，花一点时间照顾我自己的心理健康”。12月，他发布了另一段视频（现已删除），在视频中他概述了自己“非常糟糕”的心理健康挣扎，以及对过度用药和戒断反应的担忧。

“让我恐惧的事情，”他说，“是你必须服用的那些药物。”

在他3月份关于伊博格灵（ibogaine）治疗的最后一段视频中，格伯似乎没有说话，而一名女性在他身体周围挥动烟雾。

“我面对了我一直逃避的东西，在这一切之中，我开始寻找回到自我的路，”格伯在标题中写道。“我们拭目以待。”

克斯滕·诺伊斯（Kirsten Noyes）参与了研究。

迈克尔·利伯曼（MICHAEL LIEBERMAN）出题 / 威尔·肖茨（WILL SHORTZ）编辑

一位忠于天职的作家

书评

《科马克·麦卡锡：遗产回顾》 作者：特雷西·多尔蒂。圣马丁出版社。 528 pp. $35.

作者：德怀特·加纳

在特雷西·多尔蒂为 2023. 年去世的科马克·麦卡锡撰写的传记中，展现出一种深沉且孤独的对工作的投入。麦卡锡经常在床上写作，将打字机平衡在膝盖上的一块木板上，并且不喜欢被打扰。

他并非一直待在床上。在这本书的叙述中，他的生活还充满了汽车、廉价旅馆房间、州际公路、年轻女性、疯狂的朋友、低端酒吧，以及被抛在身后的妻子和孩子，顺序未必如此。如果他的生活是一辆赛车，那么一面应该是暗淡的哑光色，而另一面则会有火焰图案沿车身延伸。

这是我们读到的第一部关于这位隐遁作家的完整传记。他是《血色子午线》、《所有漂亮的马》、《老无所依》和《路》等作品的作者，但这不会是最后一部。事实上，劳伦斯·冈萨雷斯撰写的麦卡锡传记《Isolato》计划于明年春天出版。

多尔蒂是一位多产的文学传记作家（他的写作对象包括唐纳德·巴塞米、琼·狄迪恩和拉里·麦克默特里），他的这本书足够出色，至少作为对麦卡锡的首次尝试而言是如此。它披露了许多新信息，打破了迷思，拥有强有力的场景描写，并像猎犬一样精准地追踪了生活与作品之间的重叠之处。

不利的一面是，书中始终穿插着华丽的辞藻，仿佛传记作者过于兴奋，试图与他的写作对象竞争。（评论家在写汤姆·沃尔夫的书时常如此，大量堆砌省略号和感叹号。）它还给人一种轻微的空洞感，仿佛每有一个愿意与多尔蒂交谈的人，就有 10 个人挂断了电话。

如果你是一个核心的麦卡锡粉丝——用行话来说是“麦卡锡主义者”——你

来自播客 玛德琳·米勒

可以从中筛选出那些八卦，而伊丽莎白·哈德威克更倾向于将其称为“性格分析”。麦卡锡在穷困时似乎涉足过信用卡诈骗。在他成长的地方——田纳西州诺克斯维尔，他喜欢参加斗鸡，因为那里有法外之地的氛围，以及冲突的社会环境：穿着背带裤的人与穿着无礼服的人撞在一起。

他与演员斯泰西·基奇是 longtime 朋友（两人都喜欢打台球），并曾与克林特·伊斯特伍德打过一场高尔夫球。他钦佩罗伯特·布莱关于拯救男性气概的《铁约翰》（1990），并购买了畅销自助书《男人来自火星，女人来自金星》（1992）的有声书。

他是个讲究打扮的人。一名女性报告称，在一次长途河流漂流旅行一周多之后，他依然能“像在《GQ》杂志上一样从帐篷里走出来”。他是一个成熟洗练的人，但朋友们常因他糟糕的艺术品味而取笑他。在圣塔菲研究所——麦卡锡晚年花费大量时间与科学家和自然主义者交往的跨学科研究中心——他会从 Hobby Lobby 买回廉价的印刷画并钉在墙上。

麦卡锡拥有极其阴暗的世界观。将他想象成一名政治保守主义者并不困难，而多尔蒂提供了证据。麦卡锡的卡车上贴着美国国旗的保险杠贴纸——其中一张还写着民族主义色彩的“骄傲的力量”——并且观看电视剧《黄石》，该剧强调坚韧的个人主义、产权和枪支所有权。他加入了共和党全国委员会，并阅读《聚光灯》（The Spotlight），这是一本以传播右翼阴谋论而闻名的杂志。

书中有一个有趣的插曲，多尔蒂依托于麦卡锡研究，认为玛乔里·金南·罗林斯的小说《 yearling》（1938）——讲述佛罗里达农村一个男孩被迫射杀自己收养的孤儿小鹿的故事——是解锁麦卡锡小说中许多主题的关键。

麦卡锡读了罗林斯的书

大卫·斯泰尔斯

周日纵横字谜 心脏移植 编辑：威尔·肖茨（Will Shortz）

1973年的作家科马克·麦卡锡（Cormac McCarthy）。他的小说包括《血色子午线》、《所有漂亮的马》、《老无所依》和《路》。

他年轻的时候。事实上，他曾在诺克斯维尔参加试镜，差点获得了1946年电影版《 yearling》（ yearling）的主角一角。当时他11岁。多尔蒂（Daugherty）在思考，如果麦卡锡得到了那个角色，他的生活轨迹可能会走向何方。

在诺克斯维尔，麦卡锡的家庭条件相当富裕。他的父亲曾任《耶鲁法学杂志》编辑，后来在田纳西河谷管理局（TVA）工作。TVA参与了曼哈顿计划核弹测试所需铀的浓缩工作，这件事一直困扰着这位作家。古怪的儿子与圆滑的父亲一生都在冲突。

麦卡锡有五个兄弟姐妹。从一开始，他就是个局外人。他富有魅力且机智，但成绩糟糕，把所有时间都花在森林里，就像一个现代版的哈克贝利·费恩。后来，他常在镇上名声较差的区域游荡，结识那些骗子和聪明但失败的人（其中一人绰号叫“水床弗雷德”），这些人成为了他那些喧闹小说中的原型，例如以诺克斯维尔为背景的《萨特里》（Suttree，1979年）和以新奥尔良为背景的《乘客》（The Passenger，2022年）。

他就读于田纳西大学，但几乎不参加课程，最终被要求不要再回来。他加入了空军，在阿拉斯加的一个寒区站点服役。他在那里读了大量的书，包括很多梅尔维尔的作品。

一名上级军官在电话中听到了麦卡锡悦耳的声音，并在20世纪50年代初帮助他成为了武装部队广播电台的播音员。想象他站在一片寂静的冰原地平线前，播放帕蒂·佩奇（Patti Page）的《田纳西华尔兹》或艾克·特纳（Ike Turner）的《Rocket 88》，这很有趣。

他凭借退伍军人法案（G.I. Bill）回到了田纳西大学。在那里，他遇到了第一任妻子李·霍勒曼（Lee Holleman）。她和他一样狂野，也想成为一名作家。麦卡锡后来又结了两次婚，育有两个孩子。他天生不适合担任丈夫或父亲。他心不安分，工作在家庭生活面前拥有绝对的优先权。他所有的关系最终都以分离告终。

他有过重叠的情事。在一位熟人的评价中，他是个“猎犬”，而他朋友的妻子显然也在他的猎捕之列。他英俊、有磁性且极具阳刚之气，他会打猎、钓鱼、盖房子、弹吉他、修车，并能用他的讲故事能力掌控整个房间。他对女性有着致命的吸引力。

很多作家长得像内德·比蒂（Ned Beatty），而麦卡锡更像沃伦·比蒂（Warren Beatty）。在他第三任妻子詹妮弗·温克利（Jennifer Winkley）的一封信中，提到了他们之间“巨大的情欲事件”。

他喜欢年轻的女性。直到中年及以后，他交往的女性仍处于20多岁，通常是博士生或法学院学生。麦卡锡去世后，《名利场》（Vanity Fair）发表了一篇引发热议的文章，披露了他与一名叫奥古斯塔·布里特（Augusta Britt）的女性之间长达近50年的关系，两人相识时她16岁，他42岁。多尔蒂仔细分析了这些材料。

从积极的一面看，布里特觉得麦卡锡救了她，而他在余生中一直陪伴在她身边并给予经济援助。她是他的缪斯，有时不快乐地在许多女性角色中看到自己的影子。但细节令人不适。目前尚不清楚是否如一名认识麦卡锡的女性所说，他在奥古斯塔还戴着牙套时就带她参加了毕业舞会。但据多尔蒂报道，他确实出钱帮她修理了保持器。与布里特的关系让麦卡锡陷入了一种名誉上的尴尬境地。

这篇书评是关于麦卡锡的生活，而非他的书籍——那些作品已被无数次剖析，只要这个星球上还有严肃的读者，这种剖析就会一直持续。多尔蒂是这些小说的敏锐读者，但他尤其擅长分析这些作品的创作过程，以及在这一过程中帮助麦卡锡的编辑们。

麦卡锡早期的小说根本卖不动。他曾在给一位朋友的信中写道，自己辛苦耕耘了23年，却从未见过一张版税支票。他在随机屋出版社（Random House）的编辑阿尔伯特·埃尔斯金（Albert Erskine）曾为威廉·福克纳（William Faulkner）编辑作品。埃尔斯金对麦卡锡的倾力支持——确保他的书持续出版，为他筹措预付款，并帮助他赢得早期的奖项和奖学金——是我读过的最令人动容的编辑奉献故事之一。

这是我们读到的第一部关于隐居者麦卡锡的完整传记，但绝不会是最后一部。

埃尔斯金经常连续几个月找不到麦卡锡，因为他经常搬家，而且几乎从不查收邮件。他们曾就麦卡锡的标点符号及其晦涩的词汇进行过一些友好的争论。

同样引人入胜的是一些场景：在20世纪90年代，麦卡锡在克诺普夫出版社（Knopf）的新编辑加里·菲斯凯特琼（Gary Fisketjon）和他的新经纪人宾基·厄本（Binky Urban）努力说服他稍微走出自己的“兔子洞”（麦卡锡厌恶任何形式的公关活动），为后来成为全球畅销书的《边境三部曲》做宣传。

麦卡锡在晚年撰写剧本，并视察由其剧本改编的电影拍摄现场。他与汤米·李·琼斯（Tommy Lee Jones）成为了朋友，后者几乎说服了杰克·尼科尔森（Jack Nicholson）在琼斯希望拍摄的电影版中饰演霍顿法官——那是《血色子午线》中那个残暴的、猎取头皮的反派角色。

麦卡锡告诉朋友，他曾与佩内洛普·克鲁兹（Penélope Cruz）“约会”过，她是麦卡锡执笔剧本的犯罪惊悚片《顾问》（2013）的主演之一，但他觉得她很无聊。科恩兄弟执导的电影《老无所依》的主演之一乔什·布罗林（Josh Brolin）在他临终前去探望了他。

极度的沉默往往是极度自负的掩护。在这里似乎确实如此。这种专注和傲慢是否是创作伟大文学作品所必需的？一位女性朋友在谈到麦卡锡时说：“他完全按照自己的方式生活——比我认识的任何人都更甚。”

玛德琳·米勒（Madeline Miller）的新书名为《梅斯特拉：一个短篇故事》（Mestra: A Short Story），在她开始在《喀耳刻》（Circe）和《阿基里斯之歌》（The Song of Achilles）等畅销小说中重新诠释古代神话之前，她曾是一名古典学者。米勒于7月参加了“图书评论”播客，谈论她对荷马和《奥德赛》的热爱。本节内容经过了浓缩和编辑。

请告诉我您与《奥德赛》的关系。您第一次阅读它是什么时候？

我对《伊利亚特》和《奥德赛》最早最早的接触是通过聆听，因为我的母亲同样热爱古典文学，在我小时候，她会给我读选自《伊利亚特》和《奥德赛》的睡前故事，我彻底爱上了它们。当然，我热爱其中的奇幻元素，但那时我热爱的一部分内容直到今天我依然热爱，那就是它们感觉如此真实，尽管其中有六头怪兽、独眼巨人之类的东西——归根结底，这些故事具有极强的人性。

《奥德赛》中包含许多这样的小故事。您记得最深刻的部分是什么？

嗯，我要说一件可能有点失礼的事情，那就是我更喜欢《伊利亚特》。

噢！

这是一个非常宽泛的概括，但我认为《伊利亚特》在某种程度上更像是一个年轻人的故事，而我认为《奥德赛》在某种程度上更像是一个年长者的故事，因为它讲述的是在经历冒险并在世界上迷失之后，渴望回到家乡的心情。现在，作为一个年长者，我能更欣赏《奥德赛》了。你年纪越大，它就显得越丰富。每次我重新阅读《奥德赛》，都能从中发现新东西。

这其实是一个核心非常简单的故事。

确实如此。你在旅途中遇到的许多角色，也是奥德修斯第一次见到。因此，他会向你介绍他们。你会了解到刻耳刻是谁，因为你会看到奥德修斯与她相遇。你将体验到他与卡吕普索以及风之王的互动。所有这些情节，你都会看到它们如何展开。我真的认为，《奥德赛》是那些最不需要背景故事的古代史诗。

你认为是否有很多读过《刻耳刻》但没读过《奥德赛》的人？嗯，我始终带着我作为拉丁语教师的使命感，所以如果有人读了《刻耳刻》或《阿基里斯之歌》，我总是感到非常激动。

横向 1 简单的推杆 6 聪明的 11 一个家庭的考试 15 攀岩者的安全装备 18 麦芬的替代品 19 环绕米科诺斯岛的海 21 亲切的印度料理 22 “Mr. Blue Sky”乐队（简称） 23 Sonor Tark 的“天空”俚语？ 25 臭名昭著的俄罗斯神秘主义者 27 焕发光彩？ 28 “Great”可能是液体或冰冻的 29 可能贯穿全城的街道 31 像大多数签名一样 32 电影制作人 Jacques 34 只有 T.N.\$ 才知道的秘密？ 35 火山坍塌形成的洼地 41 做了一份繁重的工作？ 42℃.I.A. 的线人 43 《弄臣》听了太多遍 46 中东领导人 48 南亚裔移民成员 49 Ocho menos uno（八减一）

然后决定去读《伊利亚特》或《奥德赛》。我希望我的书能成为一个入口。看到有人意识到“哇，这部作品既如此奇异，又如此能引起共鸣”时，总是令人欣喜。我们谁没有在某些时候渴望与所爱之人重逢，或者感到恐惧和迷茫，或者觉得被某种无法控制的力量席卷而去？我认为这些作品中有很多能吸引人们的地方，这也是它们能生存至今的原因。因为它们一直在与人们对话。

哪些书可以与《奥德赛》搭配阅读？

这是一个显而易见的答案，那就是《伊利亚特》，因为阿基里斯是完全不同类型的英雄。阿基里斯是奥德修斯的反面。我还想推荐《佩内洛佩记》，这是玛格丽特·阿特伍德笔下的佩内洛佩版本，但其中也涉及到了被奥德修斯杀害的一些女奴，我认为这是《奥德赛》中最令人不安的部分之一。此外，我推荐理查德·亚当斯的《水边山》。《水边山》展示了史诗的力量有多么强大，因为即使你写的是关于兔子的故事，它依然扣人心弦。你可以想象，《水边山》的前半部分像《奥德赛》，后半部分像《伊利亚特》。所以你得到了一个微缩版的《奥德赛》，只不过主角换成了兔子。

“书评”播客可在 https: / www.nytimes.com / books 或通过主流播客应用找到。

50 伯克利大学，熟悉度 53 三月的邮票搭配 56 许多个 David Foster Wallace 58 不恶心 59 野猪 61 "a" y plata（Monta 的格言） 62 侦探（俚语） 64 “锋利的边缘挡住碎片之咬” 或“森林最后的复仇是弱而薄”等？ 69 N.K. “破碎之地”的作者 73 法国的夏天 74 美国宪法第二条第一款第二项中患病的人 75 带来快乐？ 80 教育机构 81 阿拉伯语中的“感觉” 82 计数（向上） 83 湿滑的夏天 84 Daniel（儿童电视节目） 89 根据其标语，“互联网的一部分” 91 少数 93 对立面 95 动画探险家 Corneary arting surgery

98 排灯节还是洒红节？ 101 皇后（流行昵称） 102 弹跳 105 某些美发产品 106 像世界上最糟糕的消化公司？ 110 玫瑰碗？ 111 散步休息后的状态 112 痛击 113 摇摇晃晃 115 热石按摩地点 118 冒险 120 一群海洋细节处理师？ 124 茶匙（Tsp.）或汤匙（tbsp.） 125 凯旋纪念碑应。 126 偏离目标 127 家庭女孩 128 鸢尾花（Fleur-dee）。 129 始于1867年的奢侈品零售商 130 冗余的形容词，惯用语中 131 “杰利蝾螈”（gerry-mandering）一词首次应用的马萨诸塞州郡

向下 1 表示不赞成的声音 2 “牙齿是爱国的”团体。 3 反物质？ 4 过夜停留 5 使其具有远程相关性 6 衬线体 7 混战

10月3-4日谜题解答

8 压力引起的不适 9 Stimpy的电视搭档 10 成功做到？ 11 岩屋绳索 12 《神奇四侠》背后的漫画传奇 13 在社交媒体上公开指责，俚语 14 奇特的日期，至有蹄类动物 15 为可能坐在座位下的旅行同伴使用的文件 16 皮克斯电影《艾里奥》（Elio）中的经理 17 由杰米·李·柯蒂斯饰演的《熊家餐馆》（The Bear）中的女家长 20 无根的 24 绿色的埃及之神 26 进入，例如进入出租车 30 鹰在百老汇剧作《哈迪斯镇》（Hadestown）中首次亮相 33 地中海最北端的分支 35 像蓝月亮或三分熟牛排一样 36 可供思考的事物 37 船用黄铜 38 使用Python编程，例如 39 公园大道和第五大道，例如：缩写 40 网球比分，在联赛之后 44 副手

由 WILL SHORT 编辑。 45 地点，布奇·卡西迪和太阳石之子的女性同伴 47 仔细检查 51 《与星共舞》的网络频道 52 红基球队传奇布罗克 54 音乐中的弓形 55 忧郁的 57 “确实！” 60 表现异常出色，俚语 63 参考文献列表 65 路易·塔拉米德建筑师 66 邮政信箱 67 出售攀岩装备的连锁店 68 除鸭嘴兽外，仅有的产卵哺乳动物 69 嘲讽的叫声 70 《夜晚》回忆录作者维塞尔 71 他们可能是飞机上最后被预订的人 72 指挥官和首领团体 73 由威尔·法瑞尔主演的节日经典 77 肥皂制造商的原料 78 倾向于 79 带有西藏名字的隐晦谜题

84 言语治疗师的 bargers 86 弗丽格和弗蕾亚，例如 87 五大湖之一 88 清洁布 90 N.C.A.A. 飞行员的家乡。 92 火车声 93 家庭服务网站 94 挖掘丑闻，例如 97 《巴里·林登》导演 98 DBY：缩写 100 一个过时的人的陈述？ 101 越南三明治 103 以古典革命著称的动物 104 古特洛伊的首都？ 106 表达的替代方案 107 古安第斯 108 像某些过敏 蔓延 109 灿烂的 114 幼年蝾螈 116 跑步者可能需要 提高它 117 查尔斯的选项， 非正式 119 失败（失败时期） 122 非政府组织（NGO）的一部分：缩写 123 带有周期的预览 123 圣诞颂歌 缩写

照片由 ELINOR KRY 为纽约时报拍摄

让失传的芭蕾舞重获新生

法雷尔（FARRELL），。扭转动作变得日益狂躁，仿佛他时间将尽。而对于女性舞者，发丝在周围飞舞，锐利的足尖动作与垂下的双臂形成对比，使她看起来既受重力束缚，又极度松散。

纳登（Nadon）原定于周四在开幕之夜的阵容中饰演法雷尔的角色，她表示自己从未听说过这部芭蕾舞，它具有一种“像外星般的、超凡脱俗的感觉”。

她提到，法雷尔告诉舞者们，他们就像四处跳动的分子。纳登说：“她还非常明确地表示，这不是那种我们需要加入大量情感的芭蕾舞。她会说，‘不要用爵士乐的方式跳这个步骤。它不应该是性感的，不应该是爵士风的。它就应该是这个步骤本身。’”

在另一组阵容中饰演法雷尔角色的尤妮蒂·费伦（Unity Phelan）表示，对她而言，这种动作是解放性的。她说：“苏珊将其描述为类似于太空行走，而你的氧气即将耗尽。我试图从周围的人那里尽可能多地吸取空气。就像夺取他们的能量并将其保留在自己体内。”

一种焦虑感贯穿于《Pithoprakta》之中。费伦说：“我认为它是关于试图坚持、同时又渴望自由并建立关系的理念的视觉呈现。就像是在 10 分钟的芭蕾舞中浓缩了整个人类体验。”

法雷尔说：“我觉得对于这些舞者来说，这简直就像 B 先生回来了，在为他们创作一部芭蕾舞。”

在最后的时刻，女性舞者以足尖向后移动，双脚以细小的左右步刺向地面，双臂伸展并颤抖。她的舞伴在周围旋转，但很快她便陷入孤独。她在落地跪姿前委顿在地面上，双臂在头顶上方升起，手腕交叉并覆盖在眼睛上，手指不停地蠕动。

像在声音的星系中，在太空中四处跳动的分子。

纳登说：“我觉得我正在触碰某种东西。”谈到法雷尔时，纳登补充道：“她没有这么说，但我感觉你身处太空且氧气耗尽。你在崩溃。然后，也许你变成了那个外星人。”

法雷尔表示，她不知道巴兰钦在设计结尾时在想什么。“我不能代表他说话，”她说，“我永远不会那样做。没有人能做到。他们尝试过，但做不到。但你可以通过舞步大致想象他的想法。他总是说，‘如果你想了解我的芭蕾舞，一切都在编舞之中。’”

在工作室里，法雷尔明确要求在处理编舞的紧迫感和分量时应采取的方法。这不是一部温顺的芭蕾舞。她敦促他们动作要更有根基感，用她的原话来说，要“进入地面”。

她补充道：“甚至很难向他们解释这些步骤是什么，因为这不是典型的滑步-跳跃（glissade-jeté）步骤，通常不在我们的词汇量之内。当然，其音乐性通常也不在我们的词汇量之内。我知道他们跳很多现代芭蕾，但我甚至不称之为现代。我不知道该怎么称呼它。我认为 B 先生的每一部芭蕾舞都自成一类。”

上方左侧及最左侧为苏珊·法雷尔，纽约市芭蕾舞团前首席舞者，正在指导舞者排练乔治·巴兰钦 1968 年创作的超凡脱俗之作《Pithoprakta》的复排版。

法雷尔可能无法像以前那样舞动，但编舞的冲力——其分量与能量——在她的身体中清晰可见。费伦说：“这已经深深地刻在她的骨髓和血液里。你可以看到它在发生。”

法雷尔表示，尽管她知道自己已经做不到了，但她觉得她依然可以。 “但那种能量依然存在，”她说。“我有力量，有冲劲，有分量，有光芒。这是如此直观。人们的动作方式各异，不一定像我那样。所以我试图帮他们找到所需的冲劲，而不是将他们禁锢在某种模式中。我只是以一种积极的方式告诉他们：‘把它抛出去。不要保留。把它释放出来。爆发。’”

这一切都蕴含在编舞之中：《Pithoprakta》具有一种危险感。“为什么不行呢？”法雷尔微笑着说。“它应该包含危险元素。前往太空就有危险。”

原创艺术作品展

10月13日起展出 伦敦 New Bond Street 148号

info@halcyongallery.com

一个沼泽爱好者将其带到了纽约

丹麦艺术家雅各布·库兹克·斯滕森创造了一个充满故事的虚拟世界

哥本哈根

作者：弗兰克·罗斯（FRANK ROSE）

什么样的人会热爱沼泽？亨利·戴维·梭罗就是其中之一：当他没有在瓦尔登湖畔冥想时，梭罗会对沉浸在沼泽地中赞不绝口，让自己陷入没过下巴的淤泥中，“在蚋与蚊子的合奏中渐渐入眠”。但他的观点并没有赢得太多追随者。

现在，丹麦艺术家雅各布·库兹克·斯滕森（Jakob Kudsk Steensen）正尝试挑战这一点。他创造了一个沼泽的数字化模拟，极具那种蚋与蚊子合奏的暗示感，但却没有它们的叮咬。周一在纽约现代艺术博物馆（MoMA）开幕的展览中，将展示他名为“Berl-Berl”的系列游戏引擎驱动视频与声音模拟作品的最新成果。（“Wetland”是展览的名称，而“-”则是其中唯一一件艺术作品的名称。）

该作品的第一个版本于2021年在柏林的贝格海恩大厅（Halle am Berghain）展出，那里是一座苏联时代的发电厂，现已成为地下俱乐部文化的标志。《柏林报》将其称为“一段关于末次冰期冰川遗留之物的感官、超现实且迷人的视觉历史”。此后的每一次迭代都提供了一次深度探索——有时在字面意义上是如此——去挖掘柏林在中世纪建立之初所依托的沼泽地，并由驻巴塞罗那的极具颠覆性的歌手、制作人兼行为艺术家 Arca 提供人声。

“所以‘-’就像是一个会唱歌的沼泽，”库兹克·斯滕森说道。

在他说话时，我们正穿过一片湿地——那是哥本哈根郊外的一处沼泽保护区，距离他的工作室仅有一段短距离的骑行，离他的家则更近。这里交织着人类文明的残迹：铁路线、点缀着芦苇和香蒲的运河，以及半个世纪前由嬉皮士占屋者搭建的临水度假屋。小径在低矮的灌木丛中蜿蜒。39岁的库兹克·斯滕森身材高大，下颌方正，喜欢来这里思考。

“-”这个名字源自一个表示“沼泽”的斯拉夫语词汇，提醒人们在日耳曼定居者迁入之前，这里曾居住着斯拉夫人。“”也是柏林（Berlin）这个名字的来源。在“-”中看到的许多景象，都让人想起柏林建立之初的沼泽，以及现今在约60英里外的内陆三角洲施普雷森林（Spreewald）中幸存的景象。

最初的“-”是在巨大的贝格海恩大厅中，通过九块墙壁大小的屏幕和29个扬声器呈现的。此后的每个版本都各不相同。

“我必须追随水的流向，追随根系的生长。”

右图：雅各布·库兹克·斯滕森位于哥本哈根家附近的湿地。上方，其数字化沼泽地作品“-”（2021）的四个视角，这是一个关于柏林建立之初沼泽地的持续实时模拟。最右侧，库兹克·斯滕森在哥本哈根的工作室中与作品“Amorpheous”在一起。右下方，他的其中一幅素描。

“在 MoMA，它被设计成将你包裹其中——但带着一种舞蹈感，”库兹克·斯滕森透露道。“事物出现，随后消失。它们时而阴暗，时而明亮。它们拥有声音。”

尽管他曾在路易威登基金会、贝勒基金会和苏黎世设计博物馆举办过个展，但这是他在美国的首次展览。作品将在 MoMA 花园大厅一个 24x24 英尺（约 7x7 米）的数字屏幕上展出，三年前，该屏幕曾展出雷菲克·安纳多尔（Refik Anadol）由人工智能生成的盛宴《Unsupervised》，在令评论家震惊的同时，也让参观者（及其孩子）为之着迷。但安纳多尔的作品给人一种极速运动、时而狂乱的感觉，而库兹克·斯滕森的作品则被誉为“慢媒体”（slow media）运动的一部分，这是慢食运动在哲学上的延伸。此外，他的作品并不依赖于人工智能。

它依赖于数字技术，他将其描述为硬边、结构化且线性的。但除此之外还有另一部分。“我必须追随水的流向，追随根系的生长，”他说。“因此，在我的创作过程中，我能获得这种美好的、柔软的、具有转化性的部分。这就是为什么我喜欢研究湿地和沼泽。”

工作如此，生活亦然。“我不知道是什么原因，”他补充道，“但我最终总是住在这样的地方。”

库兹克·斯滕森（Kudsk Steensen）的成长岁月是在丹麦狂野且潮湿的西海岸度过的，在诺雷尼苏姆（Norre Nissum）这个小村庄里，那是丹麦一个保守、虔诚且人口稀少的地区。周围到处是湿地：海边的咸水池，以及花园围栏外就有的纯正沼泽。他很喜欢那里。“你有空间成为另一个人，”当我们坐在他位于哥本哈根的白墙工作室里时，他说道，那是一栋建于一个世纪前的低矮红砖工厂建筑。“你会产生某种想象。”但不可否认，那里很孤独。

后来，在他 11 岁时，他发现了电子游戏。“对我来说，那个游戏是《半条命》（Half-Life），”他说，“一个由故事驱动的三维游戏，它就像是直接将这个领域改变成了今天的样子。”一年后的 1998 年，《虚幻竞技场》（Unreal Tournament）问世，随之而来的是一个可以创建新游戏关卡的工具。于是他下载了这个名为 Unreal Engine（虚幻引擎）的工具。突然之间，他可以构建全新的数字环境。想要沼泽吗？

摄影：Mathias Eis 为纽约时报拍摄 图像：Jakob K. Steensen

艺术学院毕业后，他搬到了纽约，住在布鲁克林的布什威克（Bushwick）区，随后搬到新泽西州的泽西市，靠近自由女神像背后的沼泽地。为了维持生计，他为雨林联盟（Rainforest Alliance）等组织制作虚拟现实视频，起初在别人的制作公司工作，后来开始独立创业。最终，他开始将这些视频作为艺术品而非客户的宣传材料来创作。

起初进展缓慢。但随后，库兹克·斯滕森引起了柏林 LAS 艺术基金会的注意，该基金会委托新兴艺术家创作关于气候变化等议题的作品。“他当时绝非知名人士，”LAS 主管贝蒂娜·卡梅斯（Bettina Kames）说，“但我被他独特的视角以及他对技术的深厚知识所震撼。

他真的很出众。”

拿到 LAS 的委托后，他很快开始与柏林自然历史博物馆的鸟类学家金·莫特加（Kim Mortega）以及负责记录沼泽声音的马特·麦考克尔（Matt McCorkle）合作。不久之后，他们一起划着皮划艇穿行在施普雷瓦尔德（Spreewald）森林茂密的沼泽中。

“他说，‘你知道，我是一名艺术家，但我

喜欢观察专家，或者在他们身后看着他们所看到的景象，’莫特加说。他会在齐胸深的水中跋涉。他会给一块石头或一只青蛙拍数千张照片，然后利用摄影测量法将它们重建为虚拟 3-D 物体。回到柏林后，他会潜心研究博物馆的记录和样本。

在与游戏引擎打交道的过程中，他熟悉这套流程：“进行初步研究，编写故事，然后思考，好吧，如何将其转化为一个空间——一个内部包含故事的虚拟空间？”他说，“‘Berl-Berl’被创建为一个可以让其他故事也出现的世界”——无论是他自己的故事，还是合作艺术家的故事。

在“Berl-Berl”推出后的五年里，库德斯克·斯滕森（Kudsk Steensen）创作了一系列发生在同一个虚拟世界或密切相关世界中的故事。这些作品的共同点不仅在于沼泽，还在于对沼泽民俗的痴迷。许多大城市都建在湿地上：阿姆斯特丹、圣彼得堡、墨西哥城、休斯顿、上海。在没有道路的世界里，湿地水道曾是贸易路线。但在18世纪的欧洲，沼泽被排干了。在像休斯顿这样的其他地方，它们则被简单地铺上水泥。它们成了进步的阻碍，违背了理性思维。

然而，所有这些进步却助长了气候危机，而这些并不那么迷人的湿地可以为缓解由此产生的洪水做出很大贡献。没有人会将“Berl-Berl”误认为一部自然纪录片，但其中隐含着一种呼吁，在地球变得越来越不适合生命生存之时，呼吁人们回归理智。“这很迷人，”现代艺术博物馆（MoMA）建筑与设计高级策展人兼研发创始主任保拉·安东内利（Paola Antonelli）说道，“博物馆中这个技术含量最高的部分，恰恰是真正深入探讨自然与意识的部分。”

“Berl-Berl”的世界也是一个异教世界，神秘且深奥。MoMA装置中的那棵巨树不仅仅是一棵树；它是特里格拉夫（Triglav），在基督徒铲除其他神灵并强加自己的信仰之前，人们在施普雷瓦尔德（Spreewald）等地崇拜这位三头神。

特里格拉夫在不同的神话中呈现出不同的形态。在其中一个神话中，“它像一条蛇王，”库德斯克·斯滕森说，“而在另一个神话中，它是从冥界到我们世界，再通过树木通往天堂的导航系统。”在另一个神话中，它是一棵部分生活在水中、部分在地面、部分在天空的树。在所有这些案例中，“其核心理念是你可以通过特里格拉夫在生与死以及世界之间穿行。”

在Berl-Berl的世界中，你可能还会遇到另一个实体——尽管它没有出现在MoMA的装置中——那就是水之灵诺肯（Nokken）。他首次出现在《歌曲捕捉者》（The Song Trapper）中，这是去年在巴黎展出、随后将在卢森堡现代艺术博物馆展出的一个衍生作品的一部分。在北欧神话中，诺肯通常被描绘成一个能变换形态的威胁，他可以化身为各种样子，其中之一就是一名英俊的青年，用音乐诱导人们在水中走向死亡。而库德斯克·斯滕森则简单地将他呈现为一名沼泽向导，且总是看起来有点迷路。

在他人生现阶段，库德斯克·斯滕森孩提时代发现的工具早已取代了对他本身对电子游戏的兴趣。“我喜欢的是这些虚拟世界的诗意，”当我们坐在他的工作室里，他说道。他的办公桌上放着一本杰夫·范德米尔（Jeff Vander-Meer）的生态惊悚小说《蜂鸟蝾螈》（Hummingbird Salamander），午后的阳光透过巨大的钢框窗户斜射进来。“而且，你必须研究某些东西，构建一些故事和概念，并将其转化为这种虚拟的建筑作品——这就是我的热情所在。”

描绘一个更粗粝、更真实奥斯汀世界

新版《理智与情感》力求营造一种生活气息与现实感

LIAISON AGENCY, VIA GETTY IMAGES

作者：莎拉·巴尔（SARAH BAHR）

导演乔治亚·奥克利（Georgia Oakley）在成长过程中一直观看 1995 年改编的简·奥斯汀电影《理智与情感》，该片因艾玛·汤普森（Emma Thompson）风趣的剧本和李安（Ang Lee）精湛的导演技巧而深受喜爱。因此，当制片人英迪亚·弗林特（India Flint）在 2024 年询问奥克利是否有兴趣进行一次全新的改编时，她感到很兴奋，但同时也知道自己不可避免地会与之前的电影被进行比较。

“不过，没有人说这就是最终定义版本——这减轻了一些压力，”38 岁的奥克利在谈到她将于周五上映的电影时说道。该片讲述了达什伍德姐妹——谨慎的埃莉诺（“理智”）和热情的玛丽安（“情感”）——在父亲去世后，面对突然陷入的贫困以及多位追求者关注的故事。

1995 年的版本由汤普森和凯特·温斯莱特（Kate Winslet）饰演姐妹俩，休·格兰特（Hugh Grant）和艾伦·里克曼（Alan Rickman）饰演她们的爱慕者。那部赢得了奥斯卡最佳改编剧本奖的电影，帮助重新唤起了人们对奥斯汀作品的兴趣。它是 1995 年至 1996 年间出现的六部改编自她故事的电影和电视剧之一。其他作品包括《独出风头》（Clueless）、《劝导》（Persuasion）、《傲慢与偏见》（Pride and Prejudice）以及两部《爱玛》（Emmas）。（《理智与情感》在 1971 年、1981 年和 2008 年也被改编成了迷你剧。）

但奥克利和 30 岁的新剧本作者戴安娜·里德（Diana Reid）认为，有理由进行一次全新的改编，以探讨诸如经济和社会依赖，以及统治阶级的道德空虚等永恒议题。

右图为新片中的埃德加-琼斯（Edgar-Jones）和乔治·麦凯（George MacKay），该片在很大程度上受到了角色所处户外环境的影响。

“我认为第一部电影是在 30 年前拍摄的，这为对这个故事进行另一次探索留出了空间，”奥克利说道。她的改编版本由黛西·埃德加-琼斯（Daisy Edgar-Jones）饰演埃莉诺，埃斯梅·克里德-迈尔斯（Esmé Creed-Miles）饰演玛丽安，乔治·麦凯和赫伯特·诺德鲁姆（Herbert Nordrum）饰演她们的追求者。

里德在 8 月份通过视频通话与奥克利一同参与讨论，她点头表示赞同。

“姐妹之间的核心冲突以及阻碍她们的事物，具有极强的共鸣感和现代感，”她说，并补充道，“通常那些吸引我们被某人吸引的特质，最终也会成为让你对那个人感到厌烦的事物。”

奥克利和里德试图通过两个视角来处理这部小说：一是家庭经济崩溃的粗粝现实主义，二是姐妹俩与自然的深厚联系。她们从约翰·施莱辛格（John Schlesinger） 1967 年改编的托马斯·哈代田园悲喜剧《远离尘嚣》（Far From the Madding Crowd）的地域性摄影，以及塞琳·希亚玛（Céline Sciamma） 2019 年酷儿时代浪漫剧《燃烧女子的肖像》（Portrait of a Lady on Fire）中关系的亲密感中汲取灵感。

奥克利回忆起她指导发型和化妆团队时要求“确保妆容尽可能简单”。

“我想讲述一个轻松、低调的故事版本，”她解释了她对这部电影的愿景。

她指出，姐妹俩在刚去世的父亲身边居家生活了很长时间，并补充道：“我简直无法相信，在这种情况下，她们的自我呈现方式会与一个每年参加舞会的伦敦女性相同。”

在奥克利的构思中，那个世界的女性留着松散、被风吹乱的发型（这里没有精心打理的卷发），穿着飘逸的裙子（任何束腰衣都会被解开）。

“在观看奥斯汀改编作品时，有时我会觉得与角色之间有一段距离，因为她们的发型或服装都太完美无瑕了，”她解释道。“所以我想触及一些更接地气、更原始的东西。”

ALEX BAILEY / FOCUS FEATURES

这包括建立一个自然单元，由一组摄影师和摄像师组成，他们在英格兰西南部的崎岖地貌中驻守数小时。他们的工作是在电影中点缀一些“缓慢的事物”，比如蜘蛛结网、蜜蜂在花丛中飞舞，以及光线在崎岖山丘上的移动。

“想象一个200年前没有屏幕、目之所及空无一物的世界——当他们搬到小屋时，这相当困难，”奥克利说。“因此，我非常想探讨这种联系，不仅是对自然的联系，还有角色与时间的关系。”

他们的处理方式也意味着整体氛围更加阴暗，而非明亮、阳光充足的房间。

上方照片（从左至右）：在由乔治亚·奥克利执导的新版《理智与情感》中，黛西·埃德加-琼斯饰演的埃莉诺·达什伍德、埃斯梅·克里德-迈尔斯饰演的玛丽安·达什伍德、博迪·雷·布雷斯纳克饰演的玛格丽特·达什伍德以及凯特琳娜·贝尔夫饰演的达什伍德夫人。最左侧为埃德加-琼斯和克里德-迈尔斯的特写。下方最左侧为1995年版本中，凯特·温斯莱饰演的玛丽安与饰演埃莉诺的艾玛·汤普森。

“我们见过很多设定在英国、场景在巨大且华丽的庄园府邸中的时代剧，但这完全不是我们要寻找的方向，”美术指导弗朗西斯卡·迪·莫托拉在最近一次从柏林发起的视频通话中说道，她目前在柏林从事下一个项目。

在展现这个家庭的没落时——父亲的去世迫使她们离开家园，因为房产全部由其第一段婚姻的儿子继承——迪·莫托拉表示，他们专注于展示这对达什伍德姐妹所面临的实际后果。例如，当这个家庭从萨塞克斯郡的一座乡村庄园搬到德文郡规模小得多的巴顿小屋时，她们

“我想讲述一个轻松、低调的故事版本。”

身边只跟着一名仆人。取代标准舞会准备镜头（如在镜前化妆、互相系紧紧身胸衣）的，是她们洗衣服、

烹饪和劈柴的画面。

“你可以看到她们必须如何适应一个完全不同的生活，”迪·莫托拉说。“她们现在必须亲自动手处理那些通常需要他人协助的、大宅邸式的生活琐事。”

她补充道：“我甚至建议，比如，‘也许她们需要互相帮对方捉蜱虫。’乔治亚当时觉得，‘我不知道我们是否需要把真实感推到那种程度。’”

林达·特鲁斯特表示，在奥斯汀作品的改编中，此前也出现过自然主义倾向。她是宾夕法尼亚州华盛顿和杰斐逊学院的英语教授，曾共同编辑一本关于奥斯汀电影改编的书籍。

例如，在1972年BBC迷你剧《爱玛》中，演员们被要求不要经常洗头，这样头发看起来不会那么蓬松，更符合时代特征。

一些电影制作者也没有回避粗粝感。例如，1995年的电影《劝导》展示了安妮·埃利奥特与一只猪和一只鹅同乘一辆车；而2008年BBC迷你剧《理智与情感》则出现了破旧的小屋和连绵的阴雨。

不过，特鲁斯特表示，要描绘出真正的时代污垢，还需要做更多工作。

“为什么不展示那些养狗者的衣服上的狗毛？”她问道。“手帕上的烟草渍？牙齿上的烟草和茶渍？”

但对于奥克利来说，最终目标并非严格的时代准确性。她说，通过剥离一些如今已成为标准的精致感，她希望将故事的情感推向前台。

她说，角色们可能并不具备“现代意义上的俏皮，但这并不意味着他们不是人类”，并补充道，“你仍然可以与他们产生深层的联系，并发现他们的故事具有共鸣且真实。”

今秋探索“大易之城”

凉爽的天气、不断演进的美食景观、各类节庆以及巫毒文化遗产正向人们招手

36小时指南... 新奥尔良

作者：香农·西姆斯（SHANNON SIMS）

丰盛的美食、喧闹的现场音乐和极具氛围的街道生活，长期以来使新奥尔良成为寻求乐趣的旅行者的首选。但这些元素正以一种值得人们再次到访的方式进行重组。去年，这座城市获得了首批米其林星级，其极具地方特色的美食景观也在继续演变和扩张。得益于一座令人赞叹的新河滨公园，密西西比河比过去几代人感受到的更加触手可及。虽然许多人将行程与狂欢节或春季爵士节同步，但秋季是探索“大易之城”（Big Easy）一个被低估的时机，这里有宜人的天气、各种节日以及“惊悚季”的到来。（毕竟，这是一座拥有地上墓地和巫毒文化遗产的城市。）只需查看天气预报即可——飓风季一直持续到11月。

周五

2 P.M. / 沉浸于经典之喧嚣

凉爽的天气带来了新奥尔良传统的牡蛎季，使秋季成为访问（或重访）Galatoire's餐厅的好时机。这家拥有121年历史的餐厅拥有镜面墙壁、镀金装饰和严谨的服务，让人感觉回到了爵士时代的优雅之中。偶尔，音乐家们会在餐厅里吹响小号，增添节日般的氛围。在周五，当新奥尔良特色的起泡鸡尾酒“French 75”（$15）开始畅饮时，情况尤为如此，律师、名媛和游客这群不寻常的组合会陷入一片嘈杂的欢呼声中。请提前预约，尝试一下培根包裹的串烧牡蛎（$19），或覆盖着菠菜的洛克菲勒牡蛎（$20）。有羽毛头饰或细条纹西装吗？现在正是它们大显身手的时候。

4 P.M. / 开启法属区探索之旅

在狂热的氛围中，法属区（French Quarter）由当地人经营的精品店经常被忽视，但它们是极佳的购物冒险之地。Fifi's Custom Wigs是一个充满活力的停靠点（渐变粉色长至胸前的假发，$60）。在Fleury Girl可以找到印有当地俚语的T恤等纪念品（$30起），而Krewe则展示了碧昂丝和梅根·马克尔青睐的奢侈眼镜（最畅销的圣路易斯风格，$375）。Nola Kids提供各种儿童玩具和当地书籍，包括讲述这座城市最受欢迎的小狗故事的《Scrim on the Run!》。

8 P.M. / 尽情犒赏自己

在不含税费、小费或酒精饮料的情况下，Dakar NOLA的品鉴菜单价格为$195, 是镇上最高的价格点之一。但其塞内加尔裔美国主厨塞里格·姆巴耶（Serigne Mbaye）提供的非凡风味——他今年被詹姆斯·比尔德基金会评为南部最佳主厨——有助于缓解价格带来的冲击。姆巴耶先生利用当地海鲜并致敬路易斯安那州对辛辣口味的热爱，挖掘西非与路易斯安那州之间的内在联系，重新构思传统的塞内加尔美食。精美呈现的菜品从棕榈油面包到精致腌制的墨西哥湾红鲷鱼不等。虽然该餐厅于2022, 开业，但今年搬进了一栋小屋，吱吱作响的木地板增添了私密氛围。由于仅有五张桌子，务必提前预约。

10 P.M. / 在Tip's尽情狂欢

Tipitina's的氛围中有一种特别的东西。这家位于拿破仑大道的70年代音乐场馆以其前常客——“长发教授”（Professor Longhair）的一首歌命名，这里曾是深受喜爱的WWOZ电台的工作室；他们偶尔会通过地板上的一个孔洞放下麦克风来广播节目。这家两层楼、以站席为主且设有三个吧台的场馆于2018年被当地音乐家买下，大多数夜晚都是欣赏绝佳音乐的可靠之选。入场费不等，从免费到$100, 以上均有，且许多演出会售罄——因此请提前计划。

周六

8:30 A.M. / 骑行前往拜沃特 (BYWATER)

若想品尝带有海湾风味的丰盛早餐，可以尝试 Bearcat，这是一家位于中央商务区、氛围友好的咖啡馆。随后，通过全市最棒的骑行之旅，消耗掉你吃下的豆腐墨西哥烤饼（$14）或蟹肉炒蛋（$28）。杰夫·希曼（Jeff Shyman）是一名专业人类学家，也是 A Street Tour Named Desire 的所有者，他每天上午 10 点提供一次马里尼（Marigny）和拜沃特（Bywater）社区的导览游，行程可根据您的兴趣量身定制。建筑爱好者将沉醉于他对传统“散弹枪房屋”（shotgun houses）的讲解，而历史爱好者则会对普莱西诉弗格森（Plessy v. Ferguson）种族隔离案发源地的普雷斯街（Press Street）火车站赞赏有加。那些只想体验一个不那么商业化的新奥尔良的人，则会喜欢在拜沃特的狭小街道上骑行。行程从法兰西人街（Frenchmen Street）附近出发，提供自行车、头盔和饮用水（三小时行程 $55；欢迎儿童参加）。

1 P.M. / 品味灵魂美食

在卡特里娜飓风淹没了其实体店后，Vaucresson's Creole Café & Deli 于 2022 年在圣伯纳德大道（St. Bernard Avenue）原有的香肠工厂中重新开业——这让这家拥有 127 年历史的家族企业获得了第二次生命。该餐厅的第三代经营者万斯·沃克雷森（Vance Vaucresson）因制作安杜耶（andouille）和辣猪肉香肠（chaurice）等传统克里奥尔香肠，被路易斯安那州民俗生活委员会认定为“传统承载者”。新奥尔良爵士与遗产节的粉丝可能在城市春季活动的热门摊位上见过这个名字。在咖啡馆里，浓郁的秋葵浓汤（gumbo）配有丰富的海鲜，一只蟹腿诱人地从碗边垂下（$14.95），而香肠采样盘则包括小龙虾、鸡肉和口味更辛辣的克里奥尔品种（$21）。

2 P.M. / 漫步博物馆

你可以在中央商务区的国家二战博物馆中度过整整几天——但这样可能会让你忽略法属区（French Quarter）的一系列小型收藏馆。卡比尔多（The Cabildo）是 1803 年路易斯安那购地协议移交仪式的地点，这里提供了路易斯安那州历史的概览。重新开放的普雷斯比泰尔（Presbytère）展出了复古的狂欢节盛装以及关于卡特里娜飓风的展览。新奥尔良爵士博物馆则颂扬这座城市的音乐遗产。（每座博物馆的门票为 $15, 但参观两座及以上可享受折扣。）附近的历史新奥尔良收藏馆（Historic New Orleans Collection）保存着这座城市的历史，并设有一个极佳的礼品店。若想寻找更古怪的体验，新奥尔良药剂博物馆（New Orleans Pharmacy Museum）则收藏了一系列令人毛骨悚然的医疗器械和药剂（$10）。

5 P.M. / 邂逅密西西比河

密西西比河是新奥尔良存在的理由（raison d'être），但长期以来，无论是游客还是当地人，都觉得它离自己很遥远。能看到河景的地方很少，能舒适地在河边散步或休憩的地方更少。随着 Goldring Woldenberg 河滨公园的开放，这种情况在今年发生了改变。这片占地 16 英亩（6.5 公顷）的绿地距离法属区仅几步之遥。这里有绿地、游乐场和种有树木的草坪堤岸，是铺开毯子观看油轮和拖船缓缓驶过的绝佳场所。乘坐前往阿尔吉尔（Algiers）的运河街（Canal Street）轮渡（单程 $2，可通行轮椅），在 10 分钟的航程中更近距离地接触水面，横跨雄伟的密西西比河。

7:30 P.M. / 市中心多样美食之旅

主厨苏·泽马尼克（Sue Zemanick）在执掌新奥尔良标志性餐厅 Gautreau's 十多年后，于 2019 年开设了 Zasu。Zasu 位于卡罗尔顿大道（Carrollton Avenue）一段并不起眼的地段，但其出色的菜品掩盖了地段的平庸，近期还荣获了一颗米其林星。泽马尼克的斯洛伐克血统与对路易斯安那传统食材的运用，创造出了独特的风味。腌蟹钳（$20）、红椒奶酪土豆饺（$35）和红鲷鱼配面疙瘩（$44），再加上卓越的服务，让这里成为一个难忘的夜晚。虽然甜点很诱人，但建议先忍住，（小心地）穿过马路前往 Angelo Brocato，这是一家开业于 1905 年的冰淇淋与糕点店（奶油卷，$3.95；斯普莫尼冰淇淋，$4.25）。

10 P.M. / 漫步法兰西人街

对于喧闹的周末之夜，当地人会避开波本街（Bourbon Street），前往法兰西人街（Frenchmen Street）沿线出色的现场音乐场所。大多数场馆展示多种音乐流派且无需提前购票；入场费通常在 $10 到 $20 之间。预计较早时段是爵士乐，晚上 10 点之后则是放克或铜管乐。可以尝试去 Spotted Cat Music Club 听爵士乐，去 Bamboula's 听卡真（Cajun）和齐德科（Zydeco）音乐，去 DBA 听铜管乐队，去 Cafe Negril 听雷鬼和摇滚，以及去 Snug Harbor Jazz

摄影：CEDRIC ANGELES 为纽约时报拍摄

Bistro 欣赏名家演出（入场费更高）。可以通过 WWOZ 或去年发布的 Nola Show 应用程序获取演出列表。在这一切的中心，是迷人的深夜法兰西人艺术市场，可以找到如蝉形波洛领带（$25）和手工印花方巾（$40）等独特商品。

星期日

9:30 A.M. / 探索城市公园

在城市公园（City Park）中，比这座城市本身还要古老的橡树上垂挂着苔藓，白鹭和大蓝鹭在树丛中鸣叫。这里不仅是慢跑或拍照的绝佳场所，在星期日早晨，全年开放的新月城农贸市场（Crescent City Farmers Market）也会在此出现，展示着作为这座美食之都关键支柱的生产者们。可以在 Leo's Bread 帐篷买一个山核桃牛角面包（$4.50），或者在市场正前方的 Cafe du Monde 游客较少的分店坐下来，品尝撒满糖粉的贝涅（beignets，$4.50）。不要错过悉尼和沃尔达·贝斯特霍夫雕塑花园（Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden），这是一个免费的、占地 11 英亩的新奥尔良艺术博物馆馆藏地，展出约 100 件作品，艺术家涵盖了从奥古斯特·罗丹（Auguste Rodin）和玛雅·林（Maya Lin）等重量级人物，到作品涉及这座城市自然灾害经历的较少知名艺术家。

11:30 A.M. / 早午餐与狂欢

在指挥官宫殿（Commander's Palace）享用爵士早午餐（三道菜，$44 起）是庆祝一个成功的新奥尔良周末的节日方式。这家花园区（Garden District）老牌餐厅的厨房可能做出了全城最好的秋葵浓汤（gumbo），其面包布丁舒芙蕾更是令人难忘地奢华。请注意着装要求：这里是需要拿出你的领结和珍珠项链的场合。不过，如果你更倾向于体验另一种形式的“珍珠”狂欢，可以尝试拜沃特（Bywater）社区 Country Club 充满活力的变装早午餐。两家餐厅均必须预约。

下午1点 / 环形游览

若想舒展身心——并获得片刻的宁静——可以考虑乘坐有轨电车（$1.25）前往奥杜邦公园（Audubon Park）。该公园位于圣查尔斯大道（St. Charles Avenue），在杜兰大学和洛约拉大学对面，那里有一条宽阔的铺装步行和骑行道，几乎完全被活橡树的树冠所遮蔽。公园掩映在庄严的古宅之间，还设有潟湖、动物园、高尔夫球场以及一个白鹭聚集的岛屿。在“第二线”游行（second line parade）时，你可以重新调高音量，这是一种随性的新奥尔良体验，每周日下午 1 点左右开始（夏季除外）。这种由铜管乐队的喧闹声引领的队伍，起源于19世纪和20世纪初的黑人社会互助俱乐部，这些俱乐部当时经常被排除在城市的其他活动之外。Treme Luxury Experience 的霍利斯·伯顿（Hollis Burton）提供游行导览服务（$50）。

从顶部起顺时针方向：一支乐队在法属区（French Quarter）的 Galatoire's 为午餐人群演奏；Big Mike & the R&B Kings 在法属人街（Frenchmen Street）的 Cafe Negril 表演；圣伯纳德大道（St. Bernard Avenue）上的 Vaucresson's Creole Café & Deli 的秋葵浓汤（gumbo）极具吸引力；而在 Fifi's Custom Wigs，你可以改变造型。底部是城市公园（City Park）中的悉尼和沃尔达·贝斯霍夫雕塑花园（Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden）。

关键停靠点

在法属区的中心，Galatoire's 是周五热闹午餐的可靠经典之选。

戈德林-沃尔登堡河滨公园（Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park）是一片新的16英亩绿地，让密西西比河获得了应有的关注。

法属人街是三个街区长的音乐场所综合体，包括 Spotted Cat Music Club、Bamboula's、DBA、Cafe Negril 和 Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro。在大多数日子里，这里设有法属人艺术市场，在闪烁的串灯下提供令人愉悦的深夜购物体验。

美食推荐

沿着密西西比河堤，塞内加尔-墨西哥湾沿岸融合餐厅 Dakar NOLA 是新奥尔良餐饮界的当红之星。

在中央商务区的 Bearcat 可以找到既健康又丰盛的早餐。

在圣伯纳德大道上，Vaucresson's Creole Café & Deli 是一家经营秋葵浓汤和香肠的家族店铺。

在市中心（Mid-City）的 Zasu，可以享受友好的服务以及融合了斯洛伐克和路易斯安那传统的非矫揉造作的米其林星级料理。

Angelo Brocato 是品尝奶油甜馅煎饼（cannolis）和意式冰淇淋（gelato）的长久之选。

城市公园内的 Cafe du Monde 提供著名的法式甜甜圈（beignets）和菊苣咖啡，且无需像法属区店那样排队。

Commander's Palace 提供非常适合特殊场合的爵士早午餐。

拜沃特区（Bywater neighborhood）的 Country Club 在时尚的环境中举办令人难忘的周日变装早午餐。

住宿推荐

拥有71间客房的 Peter and Paul 酒店建在一个历史悠久的天主教校园内，包括一座教堂、牧师住宅、修女院和校舍。房价每晚约 $250 起。（与全市所有住宿一样，在狂欢节和爵士节等活动期间，房价会飙升。）

在市中心（Uptown）距离圣查尔斯大道一个街区的地方，花园区酒店（Garden District Hotel）在一座充满隐秘角落的历史豪宅后面设有一个度假村风格的泳池。街对面是其姐妹酒店 Blackbird，同样时尚，但泳池更安静、更低调。房价每晚约 $220 起。

中央城（Central City）的 Dew Drop Inn 曾是南部黑人音乐家最重要的音乐场所之一——是所谓“奇特林巡演”（Chitlin' Circuit）的一站。它现在仍是一个音乐场所，但于2024年重新开业为一家现代汽车旅馆。房价每晚约 $111 起。

收藏的艺术

Frieze London

拍卖行成交额惊人，部分大型画廊却在苦苦支撑

作者：法拉·纳耶里 (FARAH NAYERI)

在伦敦，从未有过单一人士收藏的拍卖会能像 6 月 24 日在伦敦苏富比拍卖行那样获得如此巨额的成交额。

当晚，英国货币交易商乔·刘易斯 (Joe Lewis) 拥有的 25 件杰作售出，筹集了约 4亿美元。最高成交拍品是莫迪利亚尼 1917 年的作品《戴项链的坐姿裸女》，成交价约为 6300万美元。

当晚晚些时候，苏富比又有约 1.3亿美元 的艺术品易手，使总额远超 5亿美元。分析公司 Pi-eX 的数据显示，这一结果标志着伦敦拍卖销售额可能出现反弹，此前在 2015 年至 2025, 年间，该销售额下降了约 50%。

但这座城市的画廊则不那么乐观。

代表因卡·肖尼巴雷 (Yinka Shonibare)、凯欣德·威利 (Kehinde Wiley) 和大卫·什里格利 (David Shrigley) 的史蒂芬·弗里德曼画廊 (Stephen Friedman Gallery) 在 2 月宣布清算业务。三个月后，其邻居 Tiwani Contemporary 也紧随其后，理由是成本上升以及“更广泛的市场不确定性”。

伦敦的艺术界呈现出两座截然不同的城市景象：一座城市能在一个晚上举办成交额超过 5 亿美元的艺术品拍卖会，而另一座城市中，知名画廊却在破产。23 年前，当弗里兹艺术博览会 (Frieze Art Fair) 开始举办时，情况更为乐观：在 2000 年泰特现代美术馆 (Tate Modern) 成立以及被称为“英国年轻艺术家” (Young British Artists) 的新一代天才们取得成功的影响下，这座城市的当代艺术场景正处于繁荣期。

在评估当前前景时，全球最大艺术交易商之一的豪瑟沃斯 (Hauser & Wirth) 总裁兼联合创始人伊万·沃思 (Iwan Wirth) 在一次电话采访中表示：“你不能说它非常出色，但说它不好也是不对的。”

沃思表示，全球股市的上涨意味着“肯定有大量资金在购买杰作”，因此他“乐观地认为，全球市场的回升也将体现在伦敦”。

根据《Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2026》，英国是仅次于美国的全球第二大艺术市场，2025 年销售额为 105 亿美元 billion，约占全球总额的 18%。

2019, 年，其市场份额为 20%，总销售额为 127 亿美元 billion。

规模缩减有全球性原因：2020 年导致一切停摆的新冠疫情；2022, 年俄罗斯入侵乌克兰，推高了能源、运输和旅行成本；以及 2 月开始的美国-伊朗战争，该战争限制了石油运输。

但也有英国特有的原因。2016 年脱离欧盟的投票（即“脱欧”）限制了欧盟公民前往英国，并对与欧洲大陆的艺术品交易增加了新税项和官僚障碍。

由于 2024 年决定取消“非定居” (non-dom) 税收身份，英国的富裕居民被驱离。在该身份下，税务上的永久居所位于另一个国家的人员可以在英国居住，而无需为其在其他地方赚取的收入纳税。

因此，拍卖行对乔·刘易斯决定在伦敦出售其收藏感到鼓舞。

这“基于对市场的信心，我们看到这种信心正在回归 SCENE, PAGE S6

Riding high （从左起顺时针）： 在梅费尔区新邦德街的 Halcyon 画廊橱窗前查看佩德罗·帕里西奥 (Pedro Paricio) 的作品；保罗·范斯通 (Paul Vanstone) 的《卡拉拉三角龙头骨》；以及莫迪利亚尼的《戴项链的坐姿裸女》，这是 6 月伦敦苏富比拍卖会上乔·刘易斯收藏作品中的最高成交拍品，成交价约为 6300万美元。

讽刺艺术确实具有永恒的价值

伦敦

Rapid Priest of Charles, JEREMIE SOUTEYRAT 为《纽约时报》拍摄 DANIEL CROUCH 稀有书籍

安德鲁·埃德蒙兹（Andrew Edmunds）收藏集将在 Frieze Masters 博览会上出售

作者：SCOTT REYBURN

拿破仑·波拿巴与英国历史上最年轻的首相小威廉·皮特——这两位当时所谓大国的领导人，正在分食一个世界形状的蒸布丁。法国正为自己攫取欧洲的大部分地区；英国则切走了大西洋的一大块。在 21 世纪的人看来，这幅 221-year-old 漫画是对当今那些渴望成为拿破仑之人的殖民主义恐惧之梦的一次惊人且具有预见性的评论。

“这是詹姆斯·吉尔雷（James Gillray）最著名的讽刺画，”伦敦的版画和地图商丹尼尔·克劳奇（Daniel Crouch）说道。在伦敦郊外一个高安全性艺术存储单元那没有窗户的深处，他举起了一幅原版的、手工上色的《处于危险中的梅子布丁》（The Plumb-pudding in danger）。吉尔雷这幅如刀锋般犀利的讽刺画创作于 1805, 年，当时拿破仑的扩张战争正席卷欧洲及其他地区。

“在同类作品中，这是顶尖的，”克劳奇在最近的一次采访中补充道，他在将这幅未装裱的蚀刻画小心地放回保护塑料套之前，赞美了其质量和品相。

克劳奇及其助手正忙于为安德鲁·埃德蒙兹积累的一大批英国讽刺版画和素描私人收藏进行编目。埃德蒙兹是一位著名的艺术商和餐饮业者，于 2022, 年去世，享年 79. 岁。亲切的埃德蒙兹因在伦敦苏豪区（Soho）创办了一家以自己名字命名的极具氛围的餐厅而闻名。但与此同时，他也是英国最顶尖的 18 世纪及 19 世纪早期讽刺画收藏家，其收藏存放于隔壁那家更为安静的店铺中。

安德鲁·埃德蒙兹收藏集包含 10,000 余幅版画和素描，主要日期在 18 世纪和 19 世纪早期。当时，英国人越来越多地将幽默作为一种应对并批判时代愚蠢与不公的方式。人群会聚集在伦敦版画店的窗前，渴望看到艺术家们如何解读那些震撼乔治时代英格兰的最新争议。

JEREMIE SOUTEYRAT 为《纽约时报》拍摄

被广泛认可为政治漫画之父的吉尔雷、威廉·霍加斯（William Hogarth）和托马斯·罗兰森（Thomas Rowlandson）是这一尖刻艺术的杰出实践者，他们所有的作品都出现在这个庞大的档案库中。埃德蒙兹对吉尔雷——其作品由影响力巨大的版画商汉娜·汉弗莱（Hannah Humphrey）出版——尤为推崇，这一点从收藏中的 1,200 幅版画中可见一斑，这是该收藏集中任何一位艺术家的最高数量。

该收藏还包括一些知名度较低的才俊的令人难忘的版画。其中有 200 多幅出自出版商兼讽刺画家玛丽·达利（Mary Darly）之手，她与汉弗莱一样，是这一运动中著名的女性之一，她讽刺了伦敦最新时尚中的荒诞之处。

“每一幅版画和素描我都至少看过一遍。我花了两天时间，”克劳奇说道。他与埃德蒙兹关系密切，并受其继承人之托对整个档案进行编目并出售。

“收藏中的每一幅版画都是可能的最佳印本，处于可能的最佳状态。如果有颜色，那就是原色，”克劳奇说。“再也不会有人这么做了。没人关心这个了。”

克劳奇将在伦敦举办的 Frieze Masters 博览会上出售这套已完成编目的收藏，作品将呈现在约 80 个皮革装订的盒子中。博览会从本周四持续到 10 月 18. 日。该收藏的定价为 1200 万 英镑，约合 1590万美元 美元。

政治讽刺通过用笑声向权力讲述真相，有着悠久的传统和多种形式。它可以追溯到古希腊的阿里斯托芬和古罗马的尤维纳利斯，并延续至今日对傲慢独裁者的抨击——无论是 Pussy Riot 嘲讽俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·V·普京，还是 Count Biface 在英国议会席位竞选中挑战英国民粹主义煽动者奈杰尔·法拉奇，亦或是《南方公园》将自己更名为《南美洲》。

讽刺版画在 18 世纪的英国经历了一次兴起。

“与大多数由绝对君主统治的欧洲国家相比，英国被视为自由主义的。我们在 17 世纪处决过我们的君主，”大英博物馆前版画策展人、《英格兰流行版画：1550-1850》一书的作者希拉·奥康奈尔（Sheila O'Connell）表示。“尽管君主制在几年后得到了恢复，但其权力受到了限制。国王必须与议会密切合作。两者都成为了讽刺作家的目标，”奥康奈尔补充道。

但这些几个世纪前的图像在今天有什么意义？例如，吉尔雷（Gillray）那些嘲讽国王通过在世界另一端发动一场代价高昂且持久的战争而导致国家债务膨胀的版画，是否实际上可以作为永恒的提醒，证明讽刺能够成为社会及其统治者的镜子？

“这是最后一道防线，”马里兰州洛约拉大学传播与媒体系教授艾米·布里·贝克（Amy Bree Becker）在一次视频采访中表示。她曾教授并撰写关于政治喜剧对社会影响的文章。“在美国，人们对主流媒体存在一种非常不健康的不信任。喜剧演员不再仅仅是喜剧演员。他们成了人们在记者之外所转向的公众人物，”贝克补充道，并点名乔恩·斯图尔特（Jon Stewart）、吉米·金梅尔（Jimmy Kimmel）、约翰·奥利弗（John Oliver）以及（直到五月为止的）斯蒂芬·科尔伯特（Stephen Colbert）是美国最受欢迎的电视讽刺评论员。

贝克指出，虽然她的学生大多不看电视，但他们会在社交媒体上观看这些讽刺作家的片段。这相当于 21 世纪版本的 18 世纪伦敦人通过版画店橱窗快速欣赏霍加斯（Hogarth）或吉尔雷作品并获得欢笑的方式。

2020 年新冠疫情期间，萨拉·库珀（Sarah Cooper）在 TikTok 和 Twitter 上通过对特朗普总统的胡言乱语进行对口型表演的视频获得了数十万个赞。但现在，库珀对讽刺能在政治话语中产生多少影响持怀疑态度。

“我的真实看法是，这没有效果，”她在一次电子邮件采访中表示。“根据我的观察和经历，政治讽刺往往会强化它所嘲讽的对象。它几乎是给目标提供了一本剧本，”库珀补充道，她现在的喜剧更多地关注普通人的日常生活现实。

“遗憾的是，政治讽刺经常做的是给权力人物提供如何吸引更多关注的灵感，”她说。“在我们这个被社交媒体饱和的文化中，这意味着用最大的声音说最疯狂的话。”

但贝克仍然看到了讽刺揭露荒诞的持久价值。她说，这让她的学生们“能以稍微更批判的眼光看待事物”。“它指出了政治的荒谬之处。我们喜欢幽默，喜欢通过笑来看到事物被批判，”贝克补充道。

安德鲁·埃德蒙兹收藏展（The Andrew Edmunds Collection）向我们展示了这一切在很大程度上是如何开始的。

示例 从左上角顺时针方向起：由詹姆斯·吉尔雷创作、出自安德鲁·埃德蒙兹收藏的《处于危险中的李子布丁》原版手工上色作品，图中显示了右侧的拿破仑和小威廉·皮特；由伦敦经销商丹尼尔·克劳奇（Daniel Crouch）提供的威廉·霍加斯版画；以及一件同样出自安德鲁·埃德蒙兹收藏的塞缪尔·希罗尼姆斯·格里姆（Samuel Hieronymus Grimm）的作品。

一位72岁艺术家的首次亮相

澳大利亚，墨尔本

凯·布朗（KAYE BROWN），由 JILAMARA ARTS 提供

退休教师凯·布朗直到2012年才拿起画笔

作者：薇薇安·莫雷利（VIVIAN MORELLI）

现年72, 的艺术家凯·布朗直到2012, 年才拿起画笔，当时她刚从在澳大利亚北海岸附近的蒂维群岛（Tiwi Islands）从事教学和图书馆工作的职业生涯中退休。

《追忆》 凯·布朗在专注于艺术之前曾是一名教师和图书管理员。“我像这样在树皮上绘画，是为了能记住那些已经去世的家人，为了能让[我们的]文化保持强韧，”她说道。

她在 Jilamara Arts and Crafts（一个社区所有的艺术中心）开始绘画。“我以前经常观察长辈，坐在他们身边，他们会告诉我他们的画作讲述了什么，”她说道。她回忆道，有一位男士“经常使用 kayimwagakimi 和刷子绘画”，这里指的是传统的铁木梳。“有一天我尝试使用了那个，我很喜欢。”

本周，她的六幅树皮画将在弗里兹伦敦艺术博览会（Frieze London）首次亮相。

这些作品由 Sullivan+Strumpf 带来，这是一家总部位于澳大利亚悉尼和新加坡的画廊，经常代表原住民艺术家。布朗的作品在原住民及托雷斯海峡岛民艺术家获得更高国际认可的时期进入弗里兹博览会。仅在过去三年中，阿奇·摩尔（Archie Moore）就赢得了威尼斯双年展的金狮奖，艾米莉·卡姆·克格瓦雷（Emily Kam Kngwarray）在泰特现代美术馆举办了大型回顾展，而泰特美术馆在 Naminapu Maymuru-White 的一幅树皮画通过 Sullivan+Strumpf 在弗里兹伦敦展出后将其购入。

布朗的六幅画作描绘了 yir-rinkiripwoja，即蒂维人在哀悼时佩戴的身体彩绘图案。这些图案在剥离的树皮上使用赭石绘制，由狭窄且重复的线条组成——有些是用梳子梳出的，有些是用刷子刷出的——呼应了曾经直接绘制在皮肤上的标记。近看，那些不完美之处强调了这件作品的手工质感。

“当人们去世时，你会为自己绘画，而这些绘画的含义取决于你与逝者的关系，”她在电子邮件中写道。她说，她在树皮上绘制的同样图案，也是她在父亲去世时会画在自己脸部和身体上的图案。“我像这样在树皮上绘画，是为了能记住那些已经去世的家人，为了能让[我们的]文化保持强韧，”她补充道。

对于布朗来说，绘画让祖先的知识得以延续。

“我模仿我的祖先，就像那位教我用铁木梳绘画的老先生一样，”她说。“如果他今天还活着，我想他会为我利用他的知识创作的画作而感到高兴。我从小听着长辈们说纯正的蒂维语长大，现在我教我的孙辈。我们不能忘记它。”

布朗希望能够激励年轻一代。“也许有一天他们也能出国，让他们在这个社区的人为他们感到自豪，”她说。

Sullivan+Strumpf 的总监厄苏拉·萨利文（Ursula Sullivan）表示，布朗画作中最能引起共鸣的是某种超越了蒂维文化的东西。“我认为它们触及了这种非常人性化且普世的渴望，即与我们的祖先建立联系，”萨利文在电话采访中说道。

萨利文还将布朗的作品与许多在澳大利亚城市工作的原住民艺术家更具政治色彩的实践区分开来。她说，布朗的画作较少关注殖民政治，而更多关注仪式、记忆以及与“国土”（Country，原住民用来描述他们与土地之间祖先和精神联系的术语）相关的精神知识。

乔治·琼古拉伊（GEORGE TJUNGURRAYI），由 D'LAN CONTEMPORARY 和伦敦弗里兹大师展（Frieze Masters, London）提供

这种区分——即植根于祖先记忆的艺术与更直接受殖民政治影响的艺术之间的区别——在今年早些时候于悉尼澳大利亚当代艺术博物馆举办的“托尼·阿尔伯特：并非纪念品”（Tony Albert: Not a Souvenir，展至10月19日）展览中得到了集中体现。

阿尔伯特来自吉拉迈（Girramay）、伊丁吉（Yidindji）和库库·亚兰吉（Kuku Yalanji）族，这些都是澳大利亚众多不同的原住民社区之一。他将搜集到的物品——那些带有种族主义色彩的、描绘原住民的廉价纪念品（其中许多已有数十年历史）——重新组合成既具有庆祝意味又具有对抗性的作品。

该博物馆馆长苏珊·科特（Suzanne Cotter）将阿尔伯特描述为原住民艺术家的第二代成员，他通过澳大利亚布里斯班的 ProppaNOW 艺术团体成长起来，与戈登·本内特（Gordon Bennett）和理查德·贝尔（Richard Bell）等艺术家共同工作，并且是 2024 年悉尼双年展首届卡地亚当代艺术基金会（Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain）原住民策展研究员。

科特表示，这些艺术作品之所以成功，在于其蕴含的张力：“一种喜悦感，但同时也揭示了原住民被对待和被呈现方式的残酷现实，而这与历史紧密相连。”阿尔伯特的作品引入了一个一旦接触就难以忽视的视角。“某些东西变得可见且真实地存在，”她说，“你无法将其视而不见。”

科特表示，澳大利亚原住民艺术家近期获得的关注度，是创作者和策展人多年努力的结果，而非由单一的大型展览或双年展促成。

“博物馆扮演着非常重要的角色，”她说，“这一切并非全部发生在北半球。知识的产出——而这正是来自其他地方的策展人和艺术总监们想要学习的地方。”

在弗里兹伦敦艺术博览会的对面，摄政公园（Regent's Park）的弗里兹大师展（Frieze Masters）则在讲述这个故事的另一个章节。D Lan 画廊的创始人 D'lan Davidson 表示，如果说弗里兹伦敦展示了当代澳大利亚原住民实践的广度，那么弗里兹大师展则“提供了必要的语境，使人们能够认识到资深且成名的澳大利亚原住民艺术家在澳大利亚及国际艺术史中的核心地位”。

今年，D Lan 画廊呈献了“乔治·琼古拉伊：没有过去时”（George Tjungurrayi: No Past Tense），这是一场回顾展，涵盖了这位平图皮（Pintupi）艺术家从 1998 年到 2018 年的绘画作品。Davidson 表示：“乔治的绘画挑战了传统的西方抽象艺术史，并邀请观众重新思考这段历史是如何构建的。”

克里斯托弗·霍奇斯（Christopher Hodges）自 1988 年起通过悉尼乌托邦艺术（Utopia Art Sydney）与琼古拉伊合作，他记得见证了那种转变。他说，在 90 年代初，这位艺术家的点状元素“开始连接在一起，直到有一天它们变成了简单的线条”。霍奇斯认为，那是琼古拉伊“找到自己声音”的时刻。

对于霍奇斯来说，这些画作是缓慢揭开面纱的。“这些画作非常有力量，”霍奇斯说，“观众被吸引进去，然后细节才逐渐显现并得到解释，但本质上，细节仅提供暗示。这些画作是由更宏大的事物支撑的：丰富的历史、强大的景观和史诗般的故事。”

至于布朗（Brown），她将不会进行从蒂威群岛（Tiwi Islands）到伦敦的 24 小时旅程。她的画作将代替她前往。“我的作品正处于 karrampi 状态，”她说——意为路途遥远。

原住民艺术 最左侧，凯·布朗（Kaye Brown）2026 年的作品，描绘了蒂威人在哀悼时穿着的身体彩绘设计 yirinkiripwoja。左侧，乔治·琼古拉伊的作品。 “乔治的绘画挑战了传统的西方抽象艺术史，并邀请观众重新思考这段历史是如何构建的，”D'Lan Davidson 表示。

BVLGARI

罗马 1884

一辆车，一把扫帚，一个油漆盖：这就是艺术吗？

伦敦

加布里埃尔·奥罗斯科（GABRIEL OROZCO），由白立方画廊（WHITE CUBE）提供；摄影：EVA HERZOG 加布里埃尔·奥罗斯科（GABRIEL OROZCO），由白立方画廊（WHITE CUBE）提供；摄影：GERARDO LANDA ROJANO

概念艺术 右侧，加布里埃尔·奥罗斯科最著名的作品之一：一辆被他纵向切成三个独立部分（移除了中间部分）并重新拼接起来的雪铁龙 DS，以及艺术家的肖像。最右侧，奥罗斯科 2026 年名为《日晷》（Sundial）的作品。

VICTOR BENÍTEZ，由白立方画廊（WHITE CUBE）提供

与艺术家加布里埃尔·奥罗斯科探讨艺术、人工智能等话题

作者：FARAH NAYERI

在 20 世纪 60 年代于墨西哥长大的小男孩时期，艺术家加布里埃尔·奥罗斯科的卧室墙上贴着两张海报：一张是毕加索《格尔尼卡》的复制品，另一张是一级方程式冠军杰基·斯图尔特（Jackie Stewart）驾驶蓝色赛车的照片。

这两种热情——艺术与汽车——在三十年后地在奥罗斯科最著名的作品中结合在一起：他将一辆雪铁龙 DS 车型纵向切成三个独立部分，移除了中间部分，并将其无缝地重新拼接在一起。

原版的 DS 收藏于法国国家收藏馆，但第二个版本（创作于 2013 年）目前正在伦敦白立方画廊（White Cube Gallery）展出，展期至 11 月 8 日。此次展览名为“时空拓扑”（Chronotopic），由英国艺术史学家布里奥妮·费尔（Briony Fer）策划，规模宏大，且与今年的弗里兹伦敦艺术博览会同期举行。

虽然对 DS 的“手术”花费了一个月的艰苦劳动，但奥罗斯科的其他作品则几乎不需要制作时间——例如他在 1993 年威尼斯双年展上展出的一个打开的鞋盒，或者 1994 年他在美国首次画廊展中，将四个塑料酸奶盖钉在玛丽安·古德曼画廊（Marian Goodman Gallery）四面墙上的作品。

作为一名概念艺术家，他可以被视为法国艺术家马塞尔·杜尚（Marcel Duchamp，曾在 1917 年提交一个瓷小便池参展）的继承者。

例如，在白立方画廊巨大的主展厅中，悬挂着四个安装了卷筒卫生纸的吊扇，卫生纸在旋转时随之飘动。此外还有《太阳之重》（The Weight of the Sun，一件场域特定作品的新版本），这是一个由 12 个悬挂物体组成的星群：中心是一把稻草扫帚（象征太阳），周围环绕着包括一个废弃的油漆盖、一个断掉的水桶把手以及一卷来自 TIME 品牌的电缆在内的物品。

如今，没有固定工作室且在三大洲之间穿梭的奥罗斯科经常出现在日本。展览中一个展出近期作品的房间里包括卷轴、在五线谱纸上的椭圆形绘画，以及曾用于日本寺庙建筑的旧木梁和木柱，奥罗斯科在这些木材上装饰了玩具赛车和围棋子。

在展览现场的一次采访中，奥罗斯科谈到了多年前是什么促使他切割一辆汽车，为什么他的艺术涉及日常生活用品，以及他对人工智能的看法。为了清晰起见，对话内容经过了轻微编辑和浓缩。

您在 1993 年创作雪铁龙作品《La DS》时的灵感来自哪里？

我小时候收集玩具车，梦想成为一名一级方程式赛车手。我观察普通的汽车，思考如何将它们变成一级方程式赛车。我想，也许如果把它们切开再重新拼接，它们会变成快得多的车。当然，我当时没考虑发动机，因为你把它拿掉了！这是一种童年时期的幻觉或梦想。我的很多作品都源于我的童年。

为什么这辆被雕刻的雪铁龙是一件艺术品？

什么是雕塑？雕塑的行为就是切割、雕刻、抛光、粘贴、组装、连接。所有这些动作，就其手势劳动和体力劳动而言，都体现在那辆车中。那里有一条平行的垂直切割轴，处理得非常小心，因此你看不出劳作过程中的艰辛。

然后你将汽车沿对称线重新组装，你得到了同一个物体，但它不可避免地变得不同了。它是同一个物体，但它在自身内部坍塌了。

从 30 岁出头起，你就开始展出现成品，比如鞋盒或酸奶盖。你会如何描述你与现成品的关系？

我曾使用各种真实的物体进行表演，并考虑到没有哪个物体是纯粹的——即使它是纯石头、一块木头，或是制作艺术品的经典材料。在某种程度上，它们都是现成品。它们都涉及人类的劳动。

随后，我反思了自己与时间及空间的关系。那个鞋盒是为威尼斯双年展在特定空间中产生的。酸奶盖则是在纽约玛丽安·古德曼画廊（Marian Goodman Gallery）一个特定房间的语境下出现的。重点不在于鞋盒本身，也不在于酸奶盖本身：而是围绕它的语境真正赋予了该物体意义。

为什么你对日常物品，以及他人可能描述为平庸之物的东西如此感兴趣？

微小的姿态比宏伟的建筑、长期项目或昂贵项目能更剧烈地改变世界。寻找诗意的瞬间是偶然的。即使你是一名作家，要捕捉到诗意发生的那个时刻也是一件相当神秘的事情。正如阿根廷作家豪尔赫·路易斯·博尔赫斯（Jorge Luis Borges）所说，诗意无处不在。它可能发生在任何时刻，任何角落。是我们不知道如何去发现它。你必须训练自己去观察宇宙中、在你的生活中，诗意发生的可能性。有时，它就存在于非常平庸的事物之中。

我的作品试图做到不追求壮观。你可以与人们建立起一种不关于娱乐、不关于奇观的联系，而是在其中尝试触及更深层的东西。

作品需要一个参与者，一个能够凭借其大脑和态度，被激励去采取主动的人，而不仅仅是期待被某种美的东西娱乐或取悦。

圆在你的作品中非常重要。它是时间与永恒的代表，因为圆永远会回到起点，而人类的生活就是重复。现在，人工智能威胁着人类，人类生活的循环似乎受到了技术的威胁。你如何看待人工智能（A.I.）？

我将圆作为一种有助于我生产、创作和理解事物的工具：理解我们移动的方式，以及事物循环的方式。我们挥动手臂、手指的方式是圆周运动。运动中的身体和表演会产生椭圆。行星是圆形。

到目前为止我的发现是，人工智能非常愚蠢，因为它只是在复制互联网上流传的知识。它带有很强的偏见，且无法回答你要求它的任何问题。它就像是一种被压缩且速度极快的《大英百科全书》。但《大英百科全书》不会给你诗意，它也不会教你如何去发明某种东西。

关注来自中东的艺术

照片由 HAFEZ GALLERY 提供 展览：右侧为巴林-沙特艺术家 Faisal Samra 的“头部”系列画作。他表示：“这些头部正处于一种震惊状态，面对新世纪即将到来的未知恐怖”；最右侧为埃及艺术家 Ahmed Nawar 的“民族之志”系列作品。

在伦敦，一家沙特画廊将展出该地区的艺术家作品

作者：DAVID BELCHER

在弗里兹伦敦艺术博览会（Frieze London）的首次亮相中，在沙特阿拉伯设有两家分店的 Hafez Gallery 将展出两名阿拉伯艺术家的作品。许多人将此视为中东继续崛起为主要艺术中心的一个例证。

埃及艺术家 Ahmed Nawar 和巴林-沙特艺术家 Faisal Samra 的作品将在 位于弗里兹伦敦博览会的展位上通过“形式的对话”（Dialogue of Forms）展出。该展位于周四起至 10 月 18 日在摄政公园向公众开放。

此次展览将展出 Nawar 于 2025 年 4 月在利雅得艺术气息浓厚的 Jax 社区 Gallery 举办的个展“意志”（The Will），以及 Samra 于 1 月在同一地点举办的个展“另一个身体”（Other Body）中的作品。“意志”展将于 10 月 26 日移至 位于吉达高档的 Ar Rawdah 社区的画廊开幕。

画廊创始人兼所有者 Qaswra 在电子邮件中表示：“当我们决定在弗里兹伦敦进行首次展示时，我想证明沙特阿拉伯的艺术场景是在与更广泛的阿拉伯世界对话，而非与之分离。Nawar 是埃及和阿拉伯视觉艺术中的巨擘，而 Samra 则是沙特阿拉伯涌现出的最重要的艺术家之一。”

对于 71 岁的 Samra 而言，他的作品是对阿拉伯世界最早一批艺术作品的致敬。

“这些艺术品属于我的第一个研究项目‘悬诗’（Al-Mu'allaqat），该项目在伊斯兰教之前及期间在阿拉伯半岛中心地带兴盛，”Samra 在一次视频采访中解释道。“诗歌表达并记录了这些人们文化和生活的方方面面。‘悬诗’（或称挂诗）是写在薄动物皮上的诗篇，在一年中的特定时间被展示并悬挂在圣地的墙上。”

Samra 的混合媒介作品被大英博物馆和卡塔尔的 Mathaf：阿拉伯现代艺术博物馆等多家博物馆永久收藏。他将向弗里兹伦敦展出四件作品，其中包括两件创作于 2003 年、旨在回应当年美国入侵伊拉克的“降落伞”系列作品，以及一件 2000 年的“头部”系列画作。

他表示：“这些头部正处于一种震惊状态，面对新世纪即将到来的未知恐怖。”

为了契合动物皮诗歌的起源，在同样将在展位展出的《悬浮变形 2》（Suspended Metamorphoses 2）中，他使用了基础材料。

他解释说：“我的材料范围大多是有机物，如天然织物、山羊皮、旧纸张和金属丝网，因为它们对我来说代表了完美的记忆。颜色来自天然基底，如颜料、木炭和海娜花，我通过涂抹它们来获得洗涤过、肮脏且被使用过的质感。”

所有这些作品都曾在 1 月他在利雅得 Gallery 的展览中展出，该展览与今年在利雅得开幕的德拉伊耶双年展（Diriyah Biennale）时间重合，Samra 在该双年展上还展出了另一系列艺术作品。

对于 Nawar 而言，他此次前往博览会的九件作品全部为纸上毡头笔画，反映了他致力于描绘他所看到的世界的承诺，无论好坏。

他 2021 年“狙击”（Sniping）系列中的六件作品将前往弗里兹伦敦。

81 岁的 Nawar 在电子邮件中表示：“在‘狙击’中，画面空间被一片充满模糊和不确定性的黑色所主导。一道搜寻的光束穿过这片黑暗，寻找目标，并试图穿透深植于邪恶势力之中的残暴。”

他说，近年来这种威胁不断增加，使得他的作品更具预见性。纳瓦尔在 60 年的职业生涯中曾在数十家画廊和博物馆展出作品，此次他还将带来三件出自 2020 年“民族之志”（Will of Nation）系列的作品。

“先进技术及其所有非凡且恐怖的潜力，已成为生产能够摧毁人类生命本身的武器的手段，”他说。“在我的作品中，这一现实被转化为对和平与人类正义的呼唤，通过从浓黑质量中心迸发出的光点来表达。”

对于在 2014 年创立吉达画廊并在 2025, 1 月开设利雅得空间的卡斯瓦拉·哈菲兹（Qaswra Hafez）而言，这两位艺术家的作品相辅相成。

“我一直被那些将材料视为一种完整语言而非达成目的之手段的艺术家所吸引，”他说。“在伦敦首次将这两位艺术家——一位埃及大师和一位沙特先驱——并列展出，我觉得是将哈菲兹画廊推向这个舞台的正确方式，它不应被视为一家区域性画廊，而应成为一场更大对话的一部分。”

对话这一观点也得到了弗里兹（Frieze）欧洲、中东及非洲地区总监伊娃·朗格雷特（Eva Langret）的共鸣，她表示，中东和北非画廊在伦敦博览会上的存在感一直在增强。

“长期以来，我们一直与多家来自西亚的画廊合作，例如几家贝鲁特画廊，以及来自开罗的 Gypsum 和来自迪拜的 Focus，但在过去几年里，我们增加了更多来自该地区的画廊，”朗格雷特在电话中表示。

“这种存在感的增强有许多原因，”她补充道。“伦敦与该地区的收藏家有着良好的关系，其中许多人在这里度夏。弗里兹伦敦一直受益于这种联系。”

她指出，中东地区画廊数量在增加，同时还出现了高规格的博物馆，包括计划于 12 月开幕的新古根海姆阿布扎比馆，时间就在弗里兹阿布扎比（原名阿布扎比艺术展，始于 2009 年）首展三周之后。

“该地区的活动日益活跃，因此在弗里兹伦敦展出这些作品是顺理成章的，”朗格雷特补充道。

随着该地区崛起为艺术中心，中东艺术家的作品似乎更受关注。对于纳瓦尔来说，创作艺术从未像现在这样紧迫。

“我的作品核心是黑与白之间的对话与斗争，”他说。“这种对比体现了人类抵抗黑暗与毁灭，并追求新起点和光明未来的决心。”

马格里特的永恒新意

PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES LTD / GAGOSIAN

ADAGP, PARIS / DACS, LONDON; VIA GAGOSIAN

这场展出这位比利时艺术家作品的展览，还展出了受他启发而创作的艺术家作品

作者：DALE BERNING SAWA

比利时超现实主义艺术家勒内·马格里特（René Magritte）以古怪而闻名。他曾列出过自己讨厌的事物，其中包括过去、装饰艺术、民俗、广告、播报员的声音、空气动力学、童军、樟脑丸的味道以及醉酒的人。

最重要的是，他鄙视任何认为自己能从他的作品中察觉到象征意义的人。

1966年，他向一位诗人朋友展示了一幅新画，当那位诗人看了一眼后感到困惑时，他感到非常欣喜。“我被瞬间的恐慌带回了故土，”他后来告诉美国艺术史学家苏齐·加布利克（Suzi Gablik），仿佛对意义的拒绝并非一种知识分子的立场，而是一个他可以回归的国家，一个他所属的地方。“这些是超越平庸的特权时刻，”他补充道。

目前在伦敦格罗夫纳山（Grosvenor Hill）的高古轩（Gagosian）画廊举办的一场名为“这仍然不是一支烟斗：马格里特的来世”（This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte）的群展（展至12月12日），探讨了艺术家们如何继续追求那种同样令人困惑的能力。

远见 上图为1964年的《共同之地》（Le Lieu Commun），下图为1948年的《血之声》（La Voix du Sang）。两件马格里特作品均在伦敦高古轩展出。

在最近的一次采访中，该展览的共同策展人、英国策展人贾斯珀·夏普（Jasper Sharp）指出了马格里特作品中永恒的新意。虽然他最著名的作品因为长期成为我们视觉语言的一部分而显得陈旧——例如那幅声明自己不是烟斗的同名烟斗画、戴圆顶硬礼帽的男人、苹果头的人像——但许多马格里特的作品放在弗里兹伦敦（Frieze London）也不会显得违和，这场当代艺术博览会在摄政公园举行，从周四开放至10月18日。

夏普在提到1948年的作品《凯旋行进》（The Triumphal March）时——画中有着圆滚滚的、脱离身体的脚以及它们那粗俗的小丑脸——说道：“如果你和我10月份在摄政公园的帐篷里看到那个，你一定会确信那是过去六个月内创作的。”

除了马格里特的50幅油画和纸上作品（其中几件由艺术家的私人收藏出借）外，展览还展出了由夏普及其共同策展人、高古轩艺术咨询公司（该品牌的艺术市场咨询机构）比利时总监伯纳德·拉格朗日（Bernard Lagrange）邀请的46位当代艺术家的作品。

一些艺术家对这次邀请感到惊讶。有人拒绝了。大多数人则抓住了机会，其中几位创作了新作品。夏普表示，其目的并非要找出所有曾在名义上引用过马格里特的人，而是在寻找意图上的共性。

一种新的分类法

加布利克在1970年撰写了第一本关于马格里特的权威著作。1959年，她曾在比利时与这位艺术家及其妻子乔治特（Georgette）共同生活了八个月，并在随后的几年中继续研究。夏普表示，此后的许多展览都死守着加布利克对其作品进行的分类。

相比之下，夏普和拉格朗日设计了他们自己更模糊的主题，凭直觉地与受邀艺术家建立联系。这些主题包括恐惧、压缩、幽闭恐惧症和常态。“我在许多当代艺术中看到一种平庸，一种刻意的平庸或冷漠，我觉得他是这方面的宗师，”夏普在谈到马格里特时说道。

展出的作品包括马格里特在世期间创作的作品。其中包括小野洋子1966年的《天空电视》（Sky TV），她将摄像机对准窗外，并在家中的电视上播放天空的实时画面；以及埃德·鲁沙（Ed Ruscha）同年创作的一幅巨鸟油画，大约是在他与马格里特相识前后。

在这些新作品中，夏普惊讶地发现，艺术家们有时会聚焦于同一个马格利特的参考点。展览中包括一幅基于1927年极早期绘画作品《快乐》（Pleasure）的水粉画，画中一名女子正在啃食一只乌鸦，血液滴落在她白色蕾丝衣领上。“有三位不同的艺术家都向我提到了这件作品，”夏普说道，其中包括美国画家达娜·舒茨（Dana Schutz），她为此创作了一幅名为《歌手》（The Singer）的令人震惊的画布。

其他艺术家长期以来一直强调他们与这位比利时大师之间的亲缘感。委内瑞拉裔美国概念艺术家亚历克斯·达·科特（Alex Da Corte，近期被列入首届《时代》100位艺术人物2026年名单的创新者）此前曾在自己的装置艺术中沿用马格利特的标题。

夏普将达·科特2018年的雕塑作品《醉汉的路灯》（Streetlamp For Drunk）放置在入口处，正对着美国艺术家劳拉·欧文斯（Laura Owens）2016年的一幅画作，该画作在蓝色调的背景上绘有白色涂鸦。夏普表示，这是对马格利特标志性系列《光之帝国》（The Empire of Light）的一次“略带戏谑”的改编——该系列包含27个变体，描绘了在阳光照耀的云空下，由路灯照亮的夜晚街景。“通过这种悬挂方式，马格利特赋予了你采取这类——不是冒险，而是自由发挥的许可，”夏普说道。

拥挤的悬挂

《光之帝国》作为本次展览的组织原则。从接待区开始，参观者进入一个巨大的夜晚展厅。在低光照环境下，几件雕塑聚集在房间中央一个高大的木质底座上。

随后，他们穿过一个过渡性的内阁室，墙上的木护墙板被染成深色以与地面相匹配。在这里，马格利特的纸上作品与多媒体艺术家马修·巴尼（Matthew Barney）的精致素描，以及日本摄影师田口一奈（Kazuna Taguchi）拍摄的脱离身体的眼睛黑白照片等作品交错排列。

在二号展厅（白天房间）中，一个由砖块建成的较低雕塑底座展示了马格利特环游世界时使用的手提箱，以及一组混杂的雕塑。其中包括奈里·巴格拉米安（Nairy Baghramian）正在创作的巨型雕塑系列《留在原处的人》（Sitzengebliebene / Stay Downers）中一些抽象形状的小型模型。夏普注意到，这些模型与马格利特1948年“奶牛”（vache）时期的绘画人物极其相似。（夏普说，当巴格拉米安提出这些建议时，“我的心跳加速了！”）

绘画作品包括马格利特1942年的《赤道》（The Equator）——该作最近一次在公众面前出现是在韦斯·安德森2025年的电影《腓尼基计划》（The Phoenician Scheme）中，作为主角、工业家扎扎·科尔达（Zsa-Zsa Korda，由本尼西奥·德尔·托罗饰演）所收藏的艺术珍品之一。

展览设计采用了厚重的滚动窗帘，从天花板覆盖到地板，镂空部分则框住了玻璃后嵌入的马格利特作品。窗帘是马格利特室内画作中反复出现的主题。“当你看到它的那一刻，你会觉得，‘当然！’”夏普说，“这出现在他所有的作品中。”

色彩同样直接取自马格利特的画布：深森林绿、橙红色的腮红红、深静脉红，以及两种不同的蓝色。

作品被紧凑地悬挂在一起，且经常叠放，采用了马格利特所熟悉的20世纪早期沙龙式风格。这种近距离触发了丰富的视觉对话：马格利特绘制有天空的瓶子，与意大利视觉艺术家毛里齐奥·卡特兰（Maurizio Cattelan）的一只装有砖块的瓶子并排而立，旁边还堆放着美国雕塑家查尔斯·勒德雷（Charles LeDray）的微型砖块。

世界各地的博物馆都庆祝了安德烈·布勒东1924年《超现实主义宣言》的百年纪念，市场也同样兴旺。Artnet价格数据库显示，2020年至2024年之间，拍卖会上超现实主义作品的总销售额增长了65%，其中一幅马格利特1954年的《光之帝国》作品以$121 million成交，创下了该艺术家作品的拍卖新纪录。但这并不是夏普提议举办此次展览的原因。

相反，是因为马格利特持久的影响力。他是像……那样的人所推崇的艺术家

贾斯珀·琼斯、罗伯特·劳森伯格和杰夫·昆斯在 20 世纪 60 年代就发现了他的魅力，随后在发迹后开始收藏他的作品。如今当代艺术界的一些顶尖人物，包括 2022 年代表英国参加威尼斯双年展的索尼娅·博伊斯，都认为他是具有独特重要性的艺术家。

他也深受新兴艺术家的关注：参展艺术家之一、波兰画家乔安娜·沃斯（Joanna Wos）刚走出艺术学校，今年才从维也纳美术学院毕业。

公众对马格里特的喜爱同样根深蒂固。在夏普于 1999 年至 2005 年在威尼斯的佩گی·古根海姆收藏馆工作的六年里，馆藏的那幅《光之帝国》仅被外借过一次，他说，当时参观者们非常沮丧。“它已经成为了建筑结构的一部分。当它不在那里时，就像一面墙坍塌了一样，”他说。

夏普将马格里特描述为一名“冰箱贴和茶巾艺术家”，他认为马格里特的作品不像其他因流行文化普及而削弱（他举了萨尔瓦多·达利的例子）的艺术家那样，失去了任何力量或相关性。

当参观者离开画廊时，他们会看到两张由比利时摄影师乔治·蒂里（Georges Thiry）在 1967 年马格里特葬礼上拍摄的照片。其中一张描绘了新挖的坟墓以及旁边的一堆土。

夏普在发现这张照片时感到非常愉快。“感觉就像是他逃脱了，正在四处奔跑，”他说。这位恶作剧者依然让艺术界保持警觉。

相关链接 展览“这依然不是一支烟斗：马格里特的来世”将在伦敦的高古轩画廊（Gagosian gallery）展出至 12 月 12 日。展出 50 件马格里特的绘画、雕塑、物件和纸上作品，以及当代艺术家的作品。

ADAGP, PARIS / DACS, LONDON; VIA GAGOSIAN; PHOTO BY FREDRIK NILSEN

博览会之外：艺术不止于此

伦敦博物馆与画廊为弗里兹伦敦艺术博览会的访客提供丰富选择

作者：吉莉安·雷菲尔德（JILLIAN RAYFIELD）

当数以万计的人涌入弗里兹伦敦（Frieze London）和弗里兹大师展（Frieze Masters）时，他们可以在约 300 家参展画廊中进行选择，这些画廊汇集了来自世界各地的展出者。

但对于那些希望寻找离家更近的艺术作品的人来说，在博览会之外，伦敦的博物馆和画廊正在展示不同风味的英国艺术和艺术家，反映了不同的时代、风格和媒介。以下是一些亮点。

理查德·达德（RICHARD DADD）

理查德·达德是一位维多利亚时代的画家，擅长描绘莎士比亚笔下的仙女和其他生物。人们对他最深刻的记忆往往源于他悲剧性的背景故事：他早年作为皇家艺术学院学生的前途光明，但很快被精神疾病摧毁，导致他杀死了自己的父亲，并在精神机构中度过了余生。其中包括在臭名昭著的伦敦贝德拉姆（Bedlam）精神病院度过的 20 年。

在皇家艺术学院举办至 10 月 25, 的“超越贝德拉姆”（Beyond Bedlam）展览，对其作品和遗产进行了回顾，其视角超越了最后那四十多年。

展品 右图为理查德·达德创作的《酒神场景》（Bacchanalian Scene，1862）年），该作品是皇家艺术学院“超越贝德拉姆”展览的一部分。右下方为《带有玻璃罐和银盒的静物》（Still Life with Glass Jar and Silver Box，1914），属于考陶尔德画廊（Courtauld Gallery）的“温妮弗雷德·吉尔：布鲁姆斯伯里先驱”展览的一部分。

TATE，经由皇家艺术学院

此次展览展出了 100 幅以上他创作的精细油画、水彩画以及关于文学和神话生物的素描。

展览还包括他在医院期间的作品。尽管如一位观察者所描述，他是在“最令人厌恶的对话和最残暴的行为之中”进行创作，但这段时期的作品却成了他最著名的画作之列。

在贝德拉姆期间，他创作了最著名的作品《仙女伐木工的绝妙一击》（The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke），该作创作于 1855 至 1864, 之间，后来激发了一首 Queen 乐队的歌曲。

安尼什·卡普尔（ANISH KAPOOR）

弗里兹伦敦周恰逢一场关于安尼什·卡普尔的大型展览接近尾声。这位享誉国际的英籍印度艺术家在展中呈现了一些著名的早期作品以及新作。这是他近 30 年来首次在南岸中心（Southbank Centre）的海沃德画廊（Hayward Gallery）举办展览，其中包括占据整个房间的沉浸式装置。

其中一件名为《贫民窟之门上的摩利亚山》（Mount Moriah at the Gate of the Ghetto，2022）的作品，看起来像一座阴森森地从天花板上悬挂下来的山，涂成了黑色和红色。其他绘画和雕塑引发了更血腥、更直观的反应，以至于《卫报》评价这场“大胆且血迹斑斑的展览是一场神圣的血洗”。

卡普尔以玩弄感官著称，利用不同材料创造光学错觉并扭曲现实。在海沃德画廊展出的作品中，有一些物体涂有 Vantablack，这是一种吸光涂层，是世界上已知最黑的物质，且他拥有在艺术领域使用该物质的独家权利。展览将持续至 10 月 18。

摄影

安尼什·卡普尔 / DACS，伦敦；经由海沃德画廊；摄影：戴夫·摩根（DAVE MORGAN）

伊恩·麦克莱恩（Ian McKellen）、艾萨克·朱利安（Isaac Julien）和查佩尔·罗安（Chappell Roan）只是“蒂姆·沃克仙境：爱与传奇”（Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends）中的部分知名模特。这场由英国时尚摄影师创作的新作展正在国家肖像馆展出。

沃克精心设计的布景、道具和服装在他的照片中创造出奇幻的奇观，使他自 20 世纪 90 年代以来成为时尚界的常青树。为了这次展览，在五年多的时间里，他为 L.G.B.T.Q. 群体成员拍摄了 250 幅肖像，其中包括活动人士、社会工作者、夜生活表演者，以及一些著名的艺术家、演员和音乐家。

这是一次尝试记录50年同性恋历史的努力，同时保持了他标志性的幻想风格。这次展览将持续到2月7日。沃克在展览的新闻稿中表示：“这是我终于自信地将自己置于酷儿领域，并向居住在这里的所有其他朋友打招呼。”

向南步行约30分钟即可到达泰特英国美术馆（Tate Britain），那里有另一场摄影展——“光与魔力：艺术摄影的诞生”，探讨摄影作为一种艺术媒介的历史。该展于周三开幕，将持续到2月21日。

温弗里德·吉尔

考陶尔德美术馆（The Courtauld Gallery）正在展出一位成员的作品，她来自一个广为人知的20世纪初知识分子、艺术家和作家团体：布卢姆茨伯里团体（Bloomsbury Group），但她本人知名度较低。

“温弗里德·吉尔：布卢姆茨伯里先驱”展于周三至1月20日举行，将展出吉尔色彩大胆的静物画和版画，以及她为欧米茄工作室（Omega Workshops）贡献的玩具设计。欧米茄工作室是由其他布卢姆茨伯里成员创建的一家企业，旨在让艺术家创作平面设计和装饰物品。吉尔后来成为了该工作室的业务经理。

博德利图书馆，牛津；经由伦敦考陶尔德美术馆提供

这家位于泰晤士河畔萨默塞特宫（Somerset House）的美术馆还拥有丰富的永久馆藏。其中包括爱德华·马奈的《在福利-贝尔热酒吧》，《泰晤士报》的一位艺术评论家最近称其为“伦敦单幅最伟大的绘画作品”。

丘吉尔时代

温斯顿·丘吉尔的遗产在如今往往存在争议，但其中一个被忽视的方面正在华莱士收藏馆（Wallace Collection）展出：他的绘画作品。

这是65年多以来英国首次对其艺术作品进行大规模回顾展。这批作品深受克劳德·莫奈的影响，且往往被直接忽视。

作品 左图为英国印度裔艺术家安尼什·卡普尔（Anish Kapoor）在海沃德美术馆（Hayward Gallery）的作品；左下图为英国艺术家兼设计师埃斯·德夫林（Es Devlin）的作品《再次回家》的模型，她的回顾展将在设计博物馆展出至4月4日。

但该馆馆长克萨维尔·布雷（Xavier Bray）在6月告诉《泰晤士报》，这次展览是“为了对他作为一名画家的成就进行评估，而这在以前从未真正实现过”。展览将持续到11月29日。

华莱士收藏馆的永久馆藏本身就值得一访，在一栋乔治亚风格的联排别墅中，展出了令人印象深刻的荷兰大师作品以及其他绘画、雕塑和时代家具。这里距离举办弗里兹博览会的摄政公园（Regent's Park）南缘约20分钟步行路程。

或者，若想从另一个角度审视丘吉尔时代的艺术，伦敦帝国战争博物馆（Imperial War Museum London）正在展出第二次世界大战期间伦敦的绘画、素描和照片。

“美与毁灭：艺术中的战时伦敦”展将持续到11月1日，展出了圣保罗大教堂等地标建筑的绘画，以及这座城市被摧毁的景象。

其中许多作品是由英国政府在1939年委托创作的，政府希望艺术家能够记录战时的城市面貌。

RICHARD ROUND-TURNER / THE DESIGN MUSEUM

埃斯·德夫林

埃斯·德夫林是一位英国艺术家兼设计师，《泰晤士报》曾评价她“重新定义了现代奇观”。她在设计博物馆举办的一场大型回顾展将持续到4月4日。“埃斯·德夫林：其他世界”回顾了她三十年来的雕塑、灯光，以及最核心的舞台设计，包括《雷曼三部曲》等戏剧，碧昂丝（Beyoncé）和阿黛尔（Adele）的巡演，以及超级碗中场秀和2012年伦敦奥运会闭幕式等活动。

博物馆内一个名为“30年书桌”的装置是为此次展览专门构建的，旨在展示德夫林的一些设计，而这些设计原本应在更大的规模上呈现。

两座艺术之城的寓言

“在最近几个季度中，”苏富比欧洲区主席海伦娜·纽曼（Helena Newman）在一次视频采访中表示。她表示，随着“大规模的世代财富转移”导致 1960 年代、70 年代和 80 年代组建的收藏品被出售，她预计此类拍卖将会增加。

杰里米·苏泰拉特（JEREMIE SOUTEYRAT）为《纽约时报》拍摄

本月晚些时候，这种财富转移将有更多证据出现，因为佳士得伦敦将举行其规模最大的单一所有者拍卖会：来自英国时尚品牌 Monsoon 创始人彼得·西蒙（Peter Simon）收藏的近 200 件作品，预计成交额高达 1.7亿美元。

为什么在伦敦出售？佳士得欧洲 20 世纪和 21 世纪艺术副主席凯瑟琳·阿诺德（Katharine Arnold）在视频采访中解释说，在重大拍卖之前，佳士得会在美国、欧洲和亚洲举办展览，展示待拍的重要作品，而其买家在这些地区分布均匀。“我们的预期是，无论在何处出售，国际观众都会购买这些作品，”她说。

但来自英国的竞买者可能会比以前少。

“英国失去了大量的收藏家基础，”维尔斯（Wirth）说。“许多欧洲收藏家已经离开，而且每周你都能听到仍有人在离开。”

他说，伦敦仍然是“来自世界各地许多人的引力中心”，并补充说，他的画廊正在梅费尔区的托马斯·古德大厦（Thomas Goode Building）投资一个新的旗舰店。

虽然伦敦在千禧之交是一个热点，但如今泰特（Tate，一个由四家博物馆组成的网络）和其他英国机构正面临资金困境。2010 年至 2023 年间，政府向艺术和文化组织的拨款下降了 18%。疫情削减了访客人数，而能源成本则挤压了预算。

根据其董事会的说法，由于“泰特以及整个文化部门面临的深刻挑战”，泰特去年削减了 7% 的员工。国家美术馆（在耗资 1.13亿美元 重建后于去年重新开放了塞恩斯伯里翼）在 2 月宣布了一项员工自愿离职计划，以帮助弥补近 1100万美元 的赤字。维多利亚与阿尔伯特博物馆为了应对工人罢工，于 9 月 4 日和 5 日预先关闭了其在伦敦的两个场馆（但主馆未关闭）。

泰特将在 1 月迎来新任馆长：杰西卡·摩根（Jessica Morgan）——现任 Dia 艺术基金会馆长，此前曾长期担任泰特策展人。维尔斯说，这是一个“极佳的任命”。他将摩根描述为“一位优秀的策展人、管理者和出色的筹款人的罕见结合体”。

欧洲著名策展人、学者、斯德哥尔摩现代美术馆前馆长丹尼尔·比恩鲍姆（Daniel Birnbaum）表示，伦敦可能不再处于巅峰状态，但这并不一定是件坏事。

比恩鲍姆回忆起 2003 年 10 月泰特现代美术馆一个里程碑式展览的开幕式：奥拉夫·埃利亚松（Olafur Eliasson）的《天气计划》，一个巨大的太阳，访客在其中沐浴了数月之久。当晚聚集了大量的文化、商业和政治名流，随后在一位著名建筑师的家中举行了晚宴。

“我感觉自己是在拜访这个宇宙的主宰者，”他说。“当时的伦敦处于权力的巅峰。”

他补充道：“有时，事物会因为自身的成功而受损，一座城市可能会变得过于自负。我认为，功能失调、略显脆弱的局面在艺术上可能非常有吸引力。”

他说，伦敦的年轻艺术家、新兴艺术家和画廊主现在如此充满活力，以至于他在法兰克福施泰德尔学院（Städelschule）的艺术系学生都想在学校旅行中前往伦敦。

汉娜·巴里（Hannah Barry）通过在伦敦佩卡姆（Peckham）地区建立一家画廊，助力该地区在艺术版图上崭露头角，她还创办了“大胆趋势”（Bold Tendencies）夏季艺术节，该节日自2007年起一直在一个旧停车场内举办。汉娜·巴里画廊纯净的两层展厅近期展出了乔治·鲁伊（George Rouy）的绘画作品，这位新星目前也由豪瑟沃斯（Hauser & Wirth）代理。巴里在艺术界的波动中屹立了二十年。

她是如何做到的？她在一次视频采访中表示，尽管有时会感到“绝望感而非可能性压倒一切”，但她的画廊——目前雇佣5人并代理14位艺术家——始终“对成本保持高度警觉”，极少参加艺术博览会，而是专注于项目计划。

展望未来 “薇薇安”（Vyvyan），斯蒂维·迪克斯（Stevie Dix）在伦敦佩卡姆地区汉娜·巴里画廊举办的个展。巴里通过在该地建立画廊以及创办“大胆趋势”夏季艺术节，助力佩卡姆在艺术版图上崭露头角。

该画廊计划在未来几个月内参加三场艺术博览会。

“是的，可以说在过去的20年里，我们一直处于‘永久危机’之中，”她说。“但人们不能放弃从事这类工作所带来的希望与可能性。”

让一切运转起来的人

摄影：JEREMIE SOUTEYRAT 为纽约时报拍摄 驯兽师 右侧，Frieze 展会执行总监 Kristell Chadé，位于 Frieze 伦敦展馆——考克街 9 号（No. 9 Cork Street）门外。

在幕后，需要一支由众多参与者组成的小规模“军队”才能成功举办弗里兹伦敦艺术博览会

作者：SHIVANI VORA

当弗里兹伦敦（ London）和弗里兹大师展（ Masters）于周四在摄政公园开幕时，所有的目光都将集中在展出的绘画、雕塑、混合媒介装置和其他作品上。这些作品背后的艺术家、博览会的高端出席者以及他们参加的奢华派对同样占据着聚光灯。

但在后台，一支由众多参与者组成的小规模“军队”在让这两场博览会以及弗里兹雕塑展（ Sculpture，一场在公园英国花园内举行、持续至 11 月 1 日的免费展览）变为现实的过程中发挥着不可或缺的作用。

在一次电子邮件采访中， 展会执行总监 Kristell Chadé 表示，幕后有数百人参与其中。“在向公众开放之前，数百名访客从未见过的工作人员已经工作了数月，”她说。

他们包括建筑和技术团队、安保人员、清洁团队、餐饮供应商、货运商、艺术品搬运工、接待人员、票务和访客服务人员，以及公园和场地团队。

他们的工作可能需要协作。Chadé 提到了 2018 年的博览会，当时结构工程师、安全、脚手架和管道团队、货运商以及艺术品搬运工共同协作，安装了艺术家 Tatiana Trouvé 的作品《萨满》（The Shaman, 2018）——这是一件重达 1.3 吨的巨型被连根拔起之树的青铜铸件。

以下是四位基本不出现在公众视野中但对弗里兹伦敦至关重要的人物简介。这些采访通过电话和电子邮件进行，并经过编辑和删减。

物流

Chris Sullivan，36 岁，是弗里兹雕塑展的项目经理，同时也是 Mtec Fine Art 的项目经理。Mtec Fine Art 是一家总部位于英格兰韦尔（Ware）的艺术物流公司，负责弗里兹雕塑展作品的运输、安装和存储。今年是他第八次参与该展览。

Sullivan 的工作在展览开始前六个月就启动了，他负责与艺术家和画廊协调他们计划展出的雕塑。今年的展览包括来自 11 家画廊的 15 件雕塑。 表示，一旦拿到完整名单，他会为每件作品制定安装计划。

他提到在团队抵达现场之前有“海量”的规划工作。“我们必须获得包括画廊在内的各方利益相关者的许可，并为所有参与的司机和技术人员制定安装时间表和工作计划，”他说。“我们还需要制定运输计划，确定每辆进入公园的卡车中装载哪些雕塑。”

在项目初期， 还会与结构工程师合作，为每件雕塑建造地基（例如混凝土底座）。

安装作品需要一系列设备，包括叉车、挖掘机、起重机以及用于高空作业的升降平台。

当雕塑抵达摄政公园时， 会与弗里兹雕塑展的策展人 Fatos Ustek 协作，确定它们的精确摆放位置。 表示，艺术家们不断在作品中使用非传统材料，包括 3D 打印混凝土，这可能会带来一个“有趣的挑战”。

“极其紧迫”的截止日期是另一个压力点。如果雕塑是在当地创作的，萨利文可以在安装前对其进行检查，但他经常在机场接走艺术品并直接将其运送到公园。“我们必须在开车前往的途中敲定安装的准确细节，”他说，“一路上我的心都跳得很快。”

雕塑审核

鲁珀特·哈里斯（Rupert Harris），73岁，是弗里兹大师展（Frieze Masters）1830年代以前雕塑的审核委员会成员，他自2013年起一直担任此职。他同时也是总部位于伦敦的鲁珀特·哈里斯保护公司（Rupert Harris Conservation）的创始人。

他在弗里兹大师展的工作仅限于博览会开幕的前一天。他指出，届时他需要检查计划在展会上展出的150至300件雕塑。他说，这项工作总共花费了七个小时，每件作品最多投入10分钟。

哈里斯表示，他检查每件作品是为了确保其符合弗里兹的展出标准：作品的描述或标题、原产地、创作时间、所用材料及其尺寸。

雕塑还必须包含关于其品相以及任何重大修复的信息。

他说：“如果其中任何一项标准未被满足，委员会将要求参展者补充这些细节。”

哈里斯还负责确保没有任何作品被过度修复。根据哈里斯的说法，预警信号包括过度清洁、不合格的修复以及糟糕的补色（如颜色不匹配）。他说：“我需要确保这些物件所接受的保护处理既符合伦理，且被参展者正确标注。”

如果哈里斯认为某次修复过于激进，或者雕塑与描述不符，他可以建议将其从博览会中移除。他说：“那是最后的手段，而且很少见。”

保护公园

帕维尔·辛卡尔丘克（Pawel Szynkarczuk），50岁，是皇家公园（Royal Parks）的助理公园经理，管理范围包括摄政公园（Regent's Park）及相邻的普里姆罗斯山（Primrose Hill）。

在弗里兹伦敦（Frieze London）和弗里兹大师展期间，辛卡尔丘克的最高优先级是保护摄政公园。他说，在摄政公园东北端格洛斯特绿地（Gloucester Green）举办的弗里兹大师展，以及在南部玛丽勒本绿地（Marylebone Green）举办的弗里兹伦敦，共占据了约12英亩的土地。一个五人团队会在一个月前开始准备场地。

辛卡尔丘克表示，首要任务是保护公园内数百棵拥有数百年历史的树木，其中包括约100棵英国橡树。

他说：“我们在树根周围铺设树皮，形成一个缓冲垫，以保护它们免受博览会期间行人走动和车辆穿行可能造成的损害。”他的团队还会对地面进行打孔，制造出起到氧气囊作用的小孔，以便水分渗入并帮助草坪保持健康。

此外，公园的灌木丛和草地中还生活着当地人深爱的濒危刺猬种群。他说：“我们建造木箱供它们冬眠，并封锁某些区域，例如刺猬饮水的池塘周边。”

辛卡尔丘克指出，他的团队在博览会结束后的工作更为艰巨，具体取决于博览会造成的损坏程度。他说：“我们可能不得不重新铺设整个区域的草皮或重新播种草籽。”

问题解决者 （图片说明，从左上角起顺时针方向）：弗里兹雕塑展项目经理克里斯·萨利文（Chris Sullivan）在Mtec Fine Art仓库；为博览会审核雕塑的鲁珀特·哈里斯（Rupert Harris）在其保护工作室；画家兼Sessions Art Club创始人乔尼·根特（Jonny Gent）在其工作室（Sessions Art Club是一家在博览会期间开设快闪店的餐厅）；以及皇家公园助理公园经理帕维尔·辛卡尔丘克（Pawel Szynkarczuk）在摄政公园，他在博览会前、期间及之后致力于维护该公园。

天气决定了植被恢复的速度。正如2025年的情况那样，过多的降雨和寒冷的气温会减缓这一过程。辛卡尔丘克表示，当时相关区域直到3月初才重新向公众开放。他说：“如果天气干燥，我们最早可以在12月中旬开放。我们永远无法预料。”

款待宾客

乔尼·根特（Jonny Gent），49岁，是 Sessions Arts Club 的联合创始人。这是一家位于弗里兹伦敦艺术博览会（Frieze London）帐篷内的快闪餐厅，提供现代欧洲料理。

该餐厅在克莱肯威尔（Clerkenwell）社区的 Sessions House 设有永久店址，是参与弗里兹伦敦（Frieze London）和弗里兹大师展（Frieze Masters）的 13 家餐饮供应商之一。这已是该餐厅第三次参加弗里兹伦敦。

根特表示，在弗里兹期间，Sessions Arts Club 营业时从未有过哪怕短暂的冷场。

“在整个期间，我每天至少要站立 16 小时，迎接宾客并确保我们的运营顺利运行，”他说。“我们在永久店址接待 200 名食客，而在弗里兹期间，这个数字增加到 350 人，所以我们压力极大。”

根特及其团队每年都会设计一个新的概念，并构思厨房设计、员工制服和菜单。培训大约 20 名员工是另一项任务。在 2026 年，主题是对色彩和质感的演绎，菜品包括梅子鸭以及番茄辣椒蟹。

根特表示，快闪店的食客包括画廊主、艺术家和普通公众，其中大多数人在预订开放后（提前一个月）立即下单。

进入第三年，根特和他的团队已经习惯了这种疯狂的节奏，但在第一年时，这种律动还很陌生。“我们当时还不了解繁忙和冷清的时段，而通常情况下，我们可以预见到服务过程中哪些时间点团队会承受更大的压力，”他说。

他的主要目标是让食客忘记他们是在艺术博览会的一个临时结构中用餐。“它应该感觉就像一家一直存在于那里的餐厅，”他说。

在“阴影”中，他们将艺术品从 A 点运往 B 点

摄影：LAM YIK FEI 为《纽约时报》拍摄

香港

安全运输 （从左至右）艺术物流公司 Eythos 香港办公室的员工在装裱室中包装一件艺术品，以及该艺术品被装入博物馆级运输箱的过程。

价值数百万美元的珍贵作品是如何在全球范围内穿行的

作者：MERCEDES HUTTON

艺术世界在本质上是视觉性的。

在全球各地的画廊洁白墙壁前，巨大的混合媒介画布（如德国画家兼雕塑家安塞尔姆·基弗的作品），或法国视觉艺术家玛格丽特·于莫（Marguerite Humeau）那高耸的有机形态作品，在感知、质感和物理层面都展现出强烈的存在感。

但有些时期，某些作品必须从视野中消失，退回到保护箱和运输集装箱中，进入一些人所称的“阴影”之中。例如，在重大国际艺术博览会筹备期间，包括本周四向公众开放的弗里兹伦敦艺术博览会（Frieze London）和弗里兹大师展（Frieze Masters）之前的数日和数周。

就在此时此刻，数百件艺术品——其中一些由数百个独立元件组成，许多标价极高，且由全球各画廊代理的艺术家创作——正通过航空、陆路和海路前往英国首都中心。在那里，它们将在五天内展出，供数万名参观者欣赏。

其中涉及的利益巨大。这些作品的旅程并非偶然。相反，从前述的“阴影”中走出了物流专家、登记员、运输箱制造商、艺术品搬运工以及其他人员，他们确保每家画廊的珍贵货物都处于最安全的手中。

“艺术物流是全球艺术市场至关重要且不可见的骨干，”白立方（White Cube）画廊的全球总监莱拉·亚历山大（Leila Alexander）表示。该画廊在伦敦、香港、巴黎、纽约和首尔设有空间，代理艺术家包括基弗和于莫。

亚历山大在电子邮件中表示：“对于今年的弗里兹伦敦展，我们在上一届博览会闭幕的那一刻就开始制定策展计划了。”她说道：“运输规划在几个月前就开始了，特别是当艺术家正在创作我们将要在博览会上展出的新系列作品时。”她补充说，今年画廊将展出常驻纽约的伊拉娜·萨夫迪（Ilana Savdie）的新作。

亚历山大表示，在规划运输时间表时需要考虑众多因素，其中包括装裱和其他技术要求。

在艺术物流公司 Eythos，这些考量属于制造主管弗兰克·维达尔（Franck Vidal）的职责范围。他的木工和接合工团队负责制作确保艺术品安全运输的框架和运输箱。但在开始建造之前，他们首先需要了解规格和任何特殊要求。

“对我来说，”维达尔在 Eythos 位于香港港边缘的全球总部接受采访时说，“旅程始于屏幕或数据。”基于这些细节，一个更宏大的蓝图随之出现。维达尔会了解需要什么样的“内层”——即用于包装和保护每件作品的材料——而设计师则开始构思运输每件作品的运输箱。

不过，很多信息并未被透露。“我不了解艺术品，也不了解其来源，”维达尔说。他说，他知道得越少，操作就能保持得越谨慎。

随后，制作团队开始打造板箱。“如果用通俗的话来说，就是为一件独特的物品打造一个独特的盒子，”维达尔说道，但他明确表示，他的工艺中包含着远超于此的细致与考究。“至关重要的一点是，艺术品在运输过程中不能有震动，必须具备湿度控制，周围不能有水，且要有隔热保护，”他补充道，“这一点绝不能妥协。”

板箱完工后，艺术品搬运员必须小心地将作品放入容器中并将其发出。如果是本地运输，作品通常由卡车运送；如果目的地较远，则通过船运或空运。

“在时间和地理条件允许的情况下，我们优先使用海运而非空运，”亚历克斯说道。

如果作品是国际运输，则必须办理清关手续并符合特定国家的法规。

“我们不希望出现任何意外，所以我们会为每一件事做好准备，”Eythos全球运营负责人亚历克斯·康在一次视频采访中说道。当时他正驻守在公司的首尔办公室，为9月的弗里兹首尔艺术博览会做准备。

由于板箱可能会被运往世界另一端，那里可能使用不同的语言或字母，搬运员通过喷涂在板箱上的符号进行沟通。

“这是一种国际语言，”维达尔说，“我们为接下来的接收者——无论是在美国、英国还是世界任何地方——做好准备，让他们在收到盒子时，能通过标识立即明白从哪里打开，以便最妥善地处理该物品。”

艺术博览会的安装过程非常迅速。搬运员通常只有一天半的时间在展馆开门前安装好展位。对于塞缪尔·尼托来说，这是“有趣的部分”，他在加入Eythos担任全球执行与系统负责人之前，曾担任过数年的艺术品搬运员。

“在如此短的时间内，你必须保持专注，”他说道，并将空间意识、组织能力和适应能力列为关键因素。或许与直觉相反，尼托表示他发现较重的艺术品更容易安装。较小的作品，或包含多个小部件的作品，反而更容易出错。他回忆起有一次为了在画廊中将一个重120公斤（约265磅）、高度为10米（约32英尺）的电机安装到位，他建立了一套“起重机系统”。

对于所有参与者来说，目标都是一致的。“我们首要关注的始终是艺术品的安全，”亚历克斯说道，维达尔也持有相同观点。

“归根结底，我们的工作是在阴影中潜行，以确保艺术品能够‘生存’并保持其价值，”维达尔说。

“这是一项隐形的工作，”他继续道，“在这背后有一个完整的行业在细致地工作，旨在真正提升观赏者或收藏者的享受程度。”

弗里兹伦敦艺术博览会一旦闭幕，搬运员将立即投入工作，用与安装时同样短的时间清除所有艺术品的痕迹。这个行业几乎没有休息的机会。

“总有下一个艺术博览会，”康说道。

岩石之鸟胸针 灵感源自让·施隆贝热1965年的标志性图案

蒂芙尼 (TIFFANY & CO.)

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The New York Times

INTERNATIONAL EDITION | SATURDAY-SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10-11, 2026

Reassessing choke-point diplomacy

Michael Froman

OPINION

Earlier in the 21st century, nations embraced the idea that global economic integration was in everyone's best interests. Today, there's been a darker shift, with countries including the United States choosing to weaponize the interdependence of the global economy against one another, using whatever unique assets they control as a source of leverage.

The United States' most potent version of this strategic tool, known as a choke point, is control over the U.S.

International relations in all forms follow a key law of physics: Every action produces a reaction.

dollar. It demonstrated as much when it denied Iran and Russia access to the dollar-based global payment and banking infrastructure over a decade ago. That decision helped bring Iran to the table in 2013 to negotiate over its nuclear program; Russia paid a cost for invading Crimea in 2014.

For China, the choke point is its centrality in global supply chains, most clearly demonstrated with rare-earth minerals and magnets. China converted its dominance in these industries — it processes 90 percent of the world's rare earth elements — into leverage. In April 2025, China imposed sweeping export restrictions on critical minerals and magnets, which are used in everything from car seats to missile nose cones, and announced an expansion to the restrictions last October. The Chinese also imposed a licensing regime on the know-how and technology used to produce and process those materials.

Just the threat of deploying this choke point helped pressure the United States to back down from a 145 percent general tariff and to adopt a more tempered trade approach.

Today, Iran is using a choke point as old as time: geography. Sitting atop the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that moved about 20 percent of the world's oil and gas before the war, Iran is using its ability to shut the strait or impose FROMAN, PAGE 11

Moon race goes nuclear

The New York Times publishes opinion from a wide range of perspectives in hopes of promoting constructive debate about consequential questions.

The moon and Earth as seen from Artemis II in April. NASA is working to catch up with a Chinese-Russian project to send a nuclear reactor to the moon to power a lunar base.

CASSANDRA KLOS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

HONG KONG

As superpowers compete to set up lunar reactors, experts warn of the risks

BY SELAM GEBREKIDAN

In late August, NASA asked contractors to prepare to build a nuclear reactor that could survive a space voyage and run without maintenance near the moon's south pole. That may sound like science fiction, but the agency wants it ready to be launched by December 2030.

There is a reason for the rush. Russia aims to have a lunar reactor running by 2036 as part of a secretive partnership with China. NASA has already sped up its schedule to beat its rivals.

The race is for the very future of space exploration. The United States and

Artemis II launching at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in April. In 2028, NASA plans to use nuclear power to propel a spacecraft to Mars, which has never been done.

China want to be first to establish a moon base, to search for resources like frozen water and to launch missions deeper into the solar system. Controlling access to the moon's assets is vital to this mission. Both superpowers believe a nuclear reactor is the centerpiece of this ambition.

The countries plan to turn on their reactors only after they reach the moon. But some leading scientists caution that governments are moving too quickly in an era of space exploration that has seen some notable disasters. In the last six years, multiple Chinese, American and Russian rockets have failed and exploded, and a Russian lander has crashed into the moon. Space junk regularly tumbles to Earth.

Failures could cause a chain reaction with dire consequences. Falling reactor debris could scatter radioactive material, as happened in Canada in the late 1970s. An explosion or a meltdown on MOON, PAGE 8

From Gulf to Britain, the U.S. is in retreat

. .

NEWS ANALYSIS

Trump's war with Iran exposes America's new military vulnerabilities

BY DAVID E. SANGER AND ERIC SCHMITT

To hear President Trump and his aides describe it, the rush to withdraw 12 B-1 bombers from an air base in Britain last weekend was a prudent precaution, in response to a threat they refused to describe. It was no big deal, Mr. Trump insisted, and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, tried to wave it away by noting that the Pentagon is “constantly reallocating resources where they need to be.”

But to anyone watching the deployment of American power around the globe in the seven months since Mr. Trump decided to attack Iran, it was another glaring example of how, time after time, Mr. Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, have been forced into retreat, pulling back military forces that had been deployed to the Middle East and Britain as a deterrent.

Over the past several months, as the conflict has dragged on, the Iran war has come to reveal enormous new American vulnerabilities, forcing changes that the Pentagon was not contemplating a year ago. But it has also proved a bitter lesson in the unintended consequences that have flowed from Mr. Trump's war of choice.

Mr. Trump intended the attack on Iran as another demonstration of the American military's extraordinary power, following the successful bombing raid on three Iranian nuclear sites in June last year and the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela from his bed in Caracas in January.

But rather than enhance American power, the war has constrained it. The closing of bases in the Middle East and limiting the use of one in Britain have, at a minimum, vastly complicated the logistics of projecting power. American bombers can still reach their targets, of course, but only by flying from the United States, requiring more time and refueling. American carrier groups can still patrol in the Arabian Sea, outside the Persian Gulf, but now they must be resupplied from Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) away, requiring additional weeks and huge costs. RETREAT, PAGE 4

A Hollywood memoir that doesn't hold back

LILA BARTH FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

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The actor Michael Douglas, 82, at Chelsea Piers in New York City. "This is sort of a culmination" of a 55-year career of hard work, he says of his new memoir, "One Helluva Ride."

Michael Douglas recounts life in the spotlight. Drugs, sex and grudges included.

BY ELISABETH EGAN

His hair is more salt than pepper. His forehead has deep furrows. His brows have a mind of their own.

But Michael Douglas's eyes are as they always were, close set and blue, with the piercing gaze he brought to his most famous line, "Greed is good," as Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street."

Once a poster boy for '80s excess, Douglas, 82, has returned to his hippie roots, at least ideologically.

"Obsessions aren't healthy. We have to rekindle a philosophy about trying to help each other," he said, leaning forward as if to emphasize the point. "Train yourself to help others."

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"I've been working my ass off for 55 years," Douglas said, glancing proudly at his 496-page book, which had a seat of its own at our table. "This is sort of a culmination."

Some celebrity memoirs skate over the good stuff, offering a highlight reel more than an in-depth feature. "One Helluva Ride" is a blockbuster — intimate and uncensored, worthy of a bucket of popcorn with extra butter.

Aside from Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford and maybe George Clooney in a decade or two, few actor-producers have had Douglas's staying power.

this past week by Grand Central. The place wasn't yet open to the lunch rush, but members of the wait staff bustled around, refilling our water glasses at attentive intervals, and Douglas was polite, almost courtly, with each one. This might seem like a low bar, but it says something about a person.

His memoir covers it all: six decades of filmmaking (including Oscars for "Wall Street" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," which he produced with DOUGLAS, PAGE 2

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Michael Douglas in, above from left: “Romancing the Stone,” with Kathleen Turner; “Wall Street”; and “Fatal Attraction,” with Glenn Close. His new memoir focuses on 10 movies while delving into his evolution from the son of a star to a leading man in his own right.
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A Hollywood memoir that doesn't hold back

DOUGLAS, FROM PAGE 1

LILA BARTH FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Saul Zaentz); two generations of Hollywood royal (Douglas's father, Kirk, paved the way); two marriages (one turbulent, the second, to Catherine Zeta-Jones, "a joy and a comfort," he said); many, many romantic dalliances (with Brenda Vaccaro, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Kathleen Turner, the Times opinion writer Maureen Dowd, an Israeli soldier he met on the side of the road, the list goes on); lots of drugs (including suit-cases of "grass" that Douglas sold to pay for his last two years at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a memorable bender after which he woke up with a cocaine straw still up his nose); and parenthood, recounted with refreshing candor.

Douglas's older son, Cameron, spent seven years in prison on drug charges, including two in solitary confinement. Douglas's descriptions of that time — and of Cameron's battles with heroin addiction — are among the most powerful in the book, which is as much a family story as it is a time capsule of a certain era.

"There's something about cancer. It makes people not want to be near you. I was surprised by how few people checked in."

"I wasn't around a lot, so I have my own guilt with Cameron," Douglas said, referring to the difficult years when he and his first wife, Diandra Luker, lived on opposite coasts.

A few minutes later, he answered a FaceTime call from his 23-year-old daughter, Carys Zeta Douglas, who was filming a movie in the Canary Islands. Their exchange was quick and endearing — “Angel? Hi, sweetheart,” Douglas said, his face alight with a blindingly white smile. But after he hung up with a promise to call back later, he briskly returned to the subject at hand: a 34-year-old tabloid rumor that, in 1992, he went to rehab for sex addiction. In fact, he was at Sierra Tucson in Arizona to kick a drug habit and he still resents being sold out by fellow patients, whom he spoke of with contempt. Ditto the paparazzi who followed his children to school when he had cancer.

"I was really pissed off," Douglas said. There's a lot of that in "One Helluva Ride" — Douglas gets irritated with Oliver Stone on the set of "Wall Street"; with Steven Soderbergh, when he almost loses his part in "Traffic" to Harrison Ford; with Kathleen Turner, when she hires Roy Cohn to represent her in a lawsuit over "The Jewel of the Nile"; and so forth.

The book contains 22 F-bombs and an impressive tally of lesser expletives. It's not bashful about sex, either — no surprise, when you consider that Douglas starred opposite Sharon Stone in the erotic thriller "Basic Instinct." (And let's not forget "Fatal Attraction," with its elevator scene and its kitchen-table-to-countertop-to-bedroom scene.) There's plenty of nudity in the memoir, too, both onscreen and off; apparently Douglas did without clothing while living in a commune during college. His father, visiting at the peak of his fame, was amused to learn that the place had no toilet.

In person, Douglas appeared more polished than he has in recent Instagram videos, where his hair often has a mad scientist vibe à la Doc Brown in "Back to the Future." He wore a meticulously pressed blue shirt and his hair was combed back in a way that can only be described as power broker chic. Thanks to a walnut-size tumor he had removed from his tongue 16 years ago, his voice is slightly altered — it's as gravely as ever, but now sounds as though he's talking around a wad of Bubble Yum.

Douglas's Stage 4 throat cancer diagnosis led to a reckoning with mortality — “I wondered if my luck had run out,” he writes — and a new appreciation for the friends who stuck around.

"There's something about cancer. It makes people not want to be near you," he said. "I was surprised by how few people checked in. They don't know what to say."

One person he heard from regularly was Shane Salerno, a screenwriter he met in the early 2000s, who fired off a series of missives ribbing Douglas about being an unserious television actor and living in his father's shadow, both charges that had dogged him early in his career.

"I tried to remind Michael that every time someone had told him he couldn't do something he had proven them wrong," Salerno said in an interview.

After a few months of these irreverent notes, Douglas finally fired back: "Keep 'em coming, motherfucker!!!!"

He said: "I was really touched. It meant a lot."

When Salerno first broached the idea of collaborating on a memoir a decade ago, Douglas declined. He was busy; the time wasn't right. But his father had written a memoir, as had his mother and his son Cameron — so maybe it was a family tradition? Then, after playing Benjamin Franklin in the Apple TV+ series “Franklin” in 2024, Douglas took a break from acting and started to think about his legacy.

When asked how he sees that legacy taking shape, he gave a self-aware shrug.

"Pretty good batting average," Douglas said. "A reflection of my times. A reflection of what was going on."

He and Salerno teamed up with Michael Fleming Jr., a writer for Deadline and Variety who had interviewed Douglas on the eve of a Hollywood Reporter story that included allegations from Susan Braudy, a former employee who said that Douglas had mistreated her and subjected her to sexual harassment decades earlier. Douglas acknowledged using raunchy language in front of Braudy but denied her claims that he had masturbated in front of her and blackballed her in the industry. He does not address the issue in his memoir.

One Helluva Ride MICHAEL DOUGLAS
GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING VIA AP
For the book, Douglas's co-writers conducted more than 40 interviews, with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Douglas's children, Danny DeVito and many other sources.

In our interview, Douglas said that Fleming's article helped him "get out in front of it."

The three worked on the memoir in hotel rooms, on the phone and on hundreds of Zoom calls. Salerno and Fleming conducted more than 40 interviews, with Zeta-Jones, Douglas's children, Danny DeVito, Glenn Close and a bevy of other sources. They selected 10 movies they wanted to focus on alongside Douglas's evolution from son of a star to a leading man in his own right, with plenty of struggle along the way.

He had “four or five turkeys” before he really got started as an actor. After a college production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” he recalls in the book, his father said: “Son, you were terrible. Absolutely terrible.”

In those days, Douglas suffered from debilitating stage fright. He said he'd been told early on: "The camera can tell when you're lying. So there was a whole period of method acting, of just trying to rip the skin off my face and get down to the truth. Then one day it dawned on me: Acting is all about lying. You become a better liar to convince an audience. Once I realized that, it changed the whole picture."

"One Helluva Ride" is packed with vintage grudges and escapades — the time Douglas passed over his father for the lead in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's

Nest," a decision that took years to smooth over; the time Luker walked in on Douglas with an unnamed paramour in a room at the Beverly Wilshire; the time he snorted cocaine through a rolled-up dollar bill with O.J. Simpson at a "Saturday Night Live" after-after-party; the time he insulted Julia Roberts in lewd terms at a Golden Globes party; the time Debra Winger bit his arm, costing herself the lead in "Romancing the Stone."

The role went to Kathleen Turner, with whom Douglas had an on-set romance.

"There will be some intimate relationships revealed here for the first time," Douglas writes in the prologue to his memoir. "I called each woman involved and asked for their permission to share our story."

During our interview, Douglas was more a romantic than a rogue, repeatedly steering the conversation back to his family, to whom the memoir is dedicated.

"I started realizing how important family really is," he said. "This is what holds us together."

He spoke lovingly of his mother, Diana Dill, a Bermudian actor who completed the Sunday Times crossword puzzle in ink, and of his father.

"My love for him grew as we both aged," Douglas said. "Between Dad and I, we had 80 years in the business, 160 movies. He'd say, 'Michael, if I knew how successful you were going to be, I would have been nicer.'"

Douglas talked about the rage he inherited from his father: “I used to count on anger as a false sense of energy. Anger gives you energy,” he said. But age and success and a lasting marriage have tempered all that: “I have really found much more joy and peace with Catherine all these years we’ve been together and less involved in the business.”

He's dismayed about the state of the world — our fractured politics, our sense of disconnection from the public good that was an organizing principle for him in the '60s, even as a child of privilege.

"This is the most difficult time I can remember in my lifetime," Douglas said, sounding more like a worried grandfather than a guy who used to party with Jack Nicholson and Jann Wenner. "I'm an optimist and I really try to be hopeful, but I'm deeply scared."

He mentioned the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, or "repairing the world."

He said: "Something's got to give. There's too much focus on money."

Nevertheless, Douglas has strong opinions: “We should be taking a fraction of these military budgets and using them for positive good. Trying to bring back the Peace Corps. Trying to improve inequality in terms of affordability and education.”

Then he seemed to catch himself.

"I love this country," Douglas said. "I feel very patriotic. But we've got to wake up. We just have to wake up. This is not good. And I guess I'm speaking like a cancer survivor. But beautiful weather anyway, huh?"

At 194, Jonathan the giant tortoise knows about aging

Dr. Joe Hollins, a veterinarian, getting a DNA sample with a cheek swab from Jonathan, an Aldabra giant tortoise that is the world's oldest known land animal.

Scientists have sequenced reptile's genome, seeking clues about longevity

BY MONIQUE BROUILLETTE

Dr. Joe Hollins slides a thick welding glove onto his left hand and grips a cotton swab tightly in his right. He squats down to eye level with a 400-pound giant tortoise, cradles its head with his gloved hand and carefully wedges a finger into its mouth to prop open its razor-sharp beak. With his other hand, he tries to swab its cheek.

Dr. Hollins, a veterinarian, has only about five seconds to get the DNA he's after before he risks getting punched with a thick, scaly leg.

The first swab comes back covered in half-chewed carrot — a favorite snack. He tosses it aside and tries again. The 180-kilogram tortoise, named Jonathan, looks mildly annoyed.

At about 194 years old, Jonathan is the world's oldest known land animal. He's an Aldabra giant tortoise living 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) off Africa's west coast on the remote island of St. Helena, spending his days on the sundappled grounds of the official home of the governor.

Although he shows some signs of aging, like cataracts that have left him mostly blind, he still has excellent hearing and a strong libido. He enjoys greeting visitors, having his neck petted and delivering loud belches for the crowd that gathers around his paddock during mealtimes.

In June, after Jonathan was erroneously declared dead by some media organizations, the Guinness World Records added him to its list of global icons. And on Wednesday, he reached another milestone when a study announced that his genome had been sequenced for the first time.

"We almost never get to study an animal this old while it is still alive," said Steve Horvath, a biologist who studies aging at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an author of the study, which was published in the journal Science Advances.

Jonathan gave scientists the rare opportunity to study what happens to an animal's genome over the course of nearly 200 years. But obtaining the DNA wasn't easy: The researchers were not permitted to take a blood sample, the gold standard in DNA sequencing, because of the risk of infection. And because the island is served by only one often delayed commercial flight per week, the swabbed saliva had to travel by boat.

The researchers were committed to the idea, though, because they were curious if Jonathan's DNA held secrets about aging or longevity. Just think: When this tortoise was presumably born in 1832, Charles Darwin was only 22 years old and hadn't yet visited the Galápagos Islands, where he would dream up his theory of natural selection.

After sequencing the sample, the scientists compared Jonathan's genome with those of tortoises 100 years his junior and found some molecular differences, especially in genes involved with DNA repair and the maintenance of the protective caps on chromosomes, called telomeres. As organisms age, DNA accumulates damage and the telomeres shorten, a process thought to drive aging. The results hint that this species may have evolved to be more resilient to age-related decline, but further testing is needed.

Jonathan also shared some genes with other long-living species like naked mole rats, which can live to 40 and rarely get cancer.

Perhaps most interesting is what they found when they looked at the tortoise's epigenome, which is a map of the chemical tags that regulate the genome. These tags change with age and can lead to erratic gene activity. As expected, Jonathan had age-related changes in his epigenome similar to older humans, but there was an exception. Notably, the control switches linked to mitochondria were well preserved, similar to those of a young tortoise. Mitochondria, the molecular power plants inside cells, have long been linked to healthy aging.

The potential for learning from the biology of animals that live extraordinarily long lives is exciting for scientists who study aging. “Each of these long-lived species has some kind of special trick,” said Steve Austad, a biologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “And some of those may turn out to be relevant to human aging.”

"The results integrate very well in the wider puzzle of what longevity is," said Björn Schumacher, who studies aging at the University of Cologne in Germany. He urged caution, though, in concluding that Jonathan would help us understand why humans age.

Jeanne Calment, for example, was the world's oldest person at the age of 122. She attributed her long life to a diet rich in olive oil and port wine. She also smoked cigarettes. Does that mean we should all smoke and drink red wine? Probably not, Dr. Schumacher said, and we should use similar caution when drawing conclusions from Jonathan.

Jonathan's advanced age could be an outlier given his round-the-clock veterinary care, diet of fresh vegetables and protected lawn at the governor's house. The molecular results offer tantalizing clues, however — ones that scientists are eager to explore further.

"If we had 1,000 animals like Jonathan, it would be easier to understand his longevity," said Dr. Stephen Clark, lead author of the study and the founder of Kallel, a nonprofit organization dedicated to studying the genetics of aging.

In the future, Dr. Clark hopes to analyze more Aldabra tortoises and other long-lived species by gathering data that offers some hints for us spry chickens, too.

French far left walks a tightrope amid protests

PARIS

Protesters clashing with the police in Nantes, France, above, and demonstrating outside a school in Paris, right. Leading figures in France Unbowed have rejected claims by government officials that the party has been fomenting the unrest for political gain.
STEPHANE MAHE/REUTERS

ABDUL SABOOR/REUTERS

Leaders of insurgent party show support for students while decrying violence

BY MARK LANDLER

He shook hands and posed for selfies. He brandished a protest sign. He accepted a hug from a young fan. He cheered after an enthusiastic, if somewhat tuneless, rendition of “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the combative leader of France's far-left party, France Unbowed, seemed to relish his appearance at a mass demonstration of high school students in Paris this past week. And why not?

For a left-wing firebrand who appeals to young people and heads an insurgent party built on grass-roots protest, the student-led demonstrations that have swept France are a golden opportunity. Coming seven months before a presidential election in which Mr. Mélenchon is a genuine contender, they could not be better timed.

Yet the demonstrations have occasionally escalated into violent clashes between the protesters and the police, which carries acute risks for a politician seeking mainstream acceptance. Mr. Mélenchon, 75, seems to recognize the danger, moderating his usually pugnacious statements after the French recoiled from images of tear gas and trash cans set aflame.

"I call on you, young people, wherever you may be, to embrace the discipline of the struggle," Mr. Mélenchon said at a rally this month. He encouraged students to take to the streets but added a caveat. "You must use nothing but nonviolent methods of struggle," he said.

Marching on Tuesday, Mr. Mélenchon wore a white armband, meant to signify his role as a chaperone for the students — an authority figure who could calm the protesters if their youthful passions overflowed and protect them from the police if scuffles broke out.

French government officials, however, assert that Mr. Mélenchon plays neither role. Far from moderating the students, his party is fomenting the unrest for political gain, they say. What began as an organic protest movement, these officials say, has been hijacked by France Unbowed, emboldening bad actors who want to burn trash cans and hurl fireworks at police officers.

"Why wear a white armband to better give a leg up to those wearing black balaclavas?" France's prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said angrily on Tuesday to the party's leader in the National Assembly, Mathilde Panot.

"The reality is that you are ambigu-"

ous about violence," Mr. Lecornu continued, "because violence is part of your political plan to throw the country into chaos between now and the presidential election."

Mr. Mélenchon, Ms. Panot and their colleagues flatly reject those charges. Ms. Panot said the violence was a result of heavy-handed police tactics and accused the government of treating young people like “military adversaries.”

There is a hunger among voters for root-and-branch change.

Still, there is no question that the party's leaders have walked an increasingly fine line since the students began blockading schools last month. They have endorsed the students' list of grievances and championed their right to take to the streets. In some cases, they have even linked arms with them.

"Mélenchon is seemingly trying to occupy two positions simultaneously," said Philippe Marlière, a professor of French and European politics at University College London. "Political amplifier of the revolt, and politically disinterested defender of a movement that supposedly arose spontaneously."

Nobody embodies those contradictions more than Bally Bagayoko, a rising star of France Unbowed and mayor of St.-Denis, a working-class suburb north of Paris that has been the epicenter of the unrest.

Critics pounced on a recent television interview Mr. Bagayoko gave after turning up at an early blockade of a school. "Violence, at a certain point, can be legitimate," he said, though he hastened to add that his message to the students was that it was always better to avoid violence.

A charismatic, one-time semiprofes-

sional basketball player, Mr. Bagayoko, 53, has become a conspicuous presence at the blockades and rallies. Standing in front of Rosa Parks High School in St.-Denis this month, he listened to students, defused arguments between them, held court with visiting journalists and even stomped out a small fire lit by a handful of disrupters.

Asked about the risk of violence, Mr. Bagayoko said, "Of course, here and there, there might be some dysfunction, some mistakes that are made. But these are the signs of young people, who are not necessarily experienced activists and who, in the heat of the demonstration, sometimes tip over the edge. That's a fact, and it's the reason why adults must be there."

Mr. Mélenchon said the government had unfairly painted Mr. Bagayoko as an instigator rather than a protector. "When Bally pulls out a burning trash can so that it doesn't set fire to the building, he's the one who's accused of setting the trash can on fire," Mr. Mélenchon said at the rally last weekend.

He has good reason to push back against that narrative. In recent polls, Mr. Mélenchon is projected to finish just behind the leading center-right candidate, Édouard Philippe, in the race to replace President Emmanuel Macron. The far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen, maintains a double-digit lead over both.

That would put Mr. Mélenchon within striking distance of advancing to the second round of the election next spring, the closest he has come to victory in three previous presidential campaigns.

Though Mr. Mélenchon presents himself as an insurgent, he spent much of his career as a member of the Socialist Party, France's main center-left party. He served as a minister under Socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin before leaving the party in 2008. He founded France Unbowed in 2016.

A one-time Trotskyist, Mr. Mélenchon offers simple solutions to complex problems — writing off part of France's debt, for example. He said France's debt-burdened government should spend more money on schools.

This past week, the yield on 10-year French bonds nearly touched 5 percent, the highest rate since 2002. Rising interest rates expose the vulnerability of high debt burdens and stubborn deficits.

Analysts said Mr. Mélenchon benefited from a hunger among voters for root-and-branch change. But his party — commonly known as L.F.I., the acronym of its French name, La France Insoumise — faces deep resistance. Centrists say his economic policies lack credibility, while some of its leaders, including Mr. Mélenchon himself, have been accused of antisemitism. And then there are the worries about violence.

“Almost seven French people out of 10 say that France Insoumise is a party that stirs up violence,” said Antoine Bristielle, director of the Public Opinion Observatory at the Jean Jaurès Foundation, a left-leaning think tank in Paris.

That is a higher percentage than those who voice similar fears about the far-right party, the National Rally, Mr. Bristielle said. Even in “rebellious France,” he said, “it can be quite negative for them in electoral terms.”

Humans meet humanoids at a South Korean theme park

SEOUL

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JIWOONG HONG/THE NEW YORK TIMES

At Galaxy Robot Park in South Korea, robots performed tightly choreographed dances to high-octane K-pop hits and played soccer (with a helping human hand), among other things. Here, though, robots that could “think” for themselves still felt very far away.

Robots can't quite match the slick performances seen in viral videos

BY YAN ZHUANG

The robot waves at me. I tentatively wave back. Staring into its glassy black face, I can't quite tell if it is actually responding to what I'm doing or just following commands from a handler standing a few feet away.

I offer my hand and it mirrors the gesture. When I try to shake its gloved hand, its arm does not budge.

I'm at Galaxy Robot Park in South Korea, experiencing the future — or, at least, a vision of one.

By now, millions have seen viral videos of humanoid robots. At their best, they beat athletics world records and perform complicated synchronized dances. At their worst, they run headfirst into walls and burst into flames. Some have accidentally kicked and slapped children.

The implicit promise of robots that look like us is that one day, they will be able to act like us, too. Many see them as the ultimate embodiment of the artificial intelligence revolution.

But how close are we to that future? And what role do we want robots to play in it?

This park in Seoul — opened in the summer by Galaxy Corporation, an entertainment and technology company that represents major K-pop singers — offers one version, in which robots not only ease our burdens but also entertain us, dance alongside us and act as our companions. That future is nearly here, it suggests.

Central to this vision is Unitree Robotics, the Chinese company behind the humanoids in most viral robot videos, and the park's biggest draw. Unitree's flagship G1 model is one of the most widely available humanoid robots in the world. At about \$13,500, it is also one of the more affordable options, considering some companies' models have six-figure price tags.

A statue of the G1 dressed as an astro-

naut towers over the park grounds. It's a statement as grandiose as it is muddled: Why would a robot need a spacesuit? It feels like a reflection of a key aspect of the humanoid robotics industry — a mismatch between vision and reality, between a form that suggests intelligence and bodies that still functionally lack any.

Machines already assemble products in factories, serve us food and vacuum our floors. Automated cars drive us around. People go on reality television shows to see if they can fall in love with A.I. companions.

But the next frontier is robots that can do whatever we want, whenever we want it, autonomously.

To this end, many envision robots that look like us, with the assumption that they are best suited to navigate a world built for humans. The form also has a particular resonance, a connotation of sentience that was once the stuff of science fiction.

"There's a weight of possibilities mapped onto these humanoid robots that a lot of us carry around," said John McCormick, an artist and professor at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia who is programming his own Unitree robots.

That potential is reinforced when we see robots dance with humanlike fluidity, like Unitree's have done on America's Got Talent or at China's Lunar New Year gala. But such performances engender unrealistic expectations of what these robots are capable of, Mr. McCormick said, adding that their moves appear complex but they are still mostly following preprogrammed routines.

They can also be less impressive in commercial settings than tightly controlled and programmed showcases, as I realized while watching Galaxy Robot Park's main draw: a 50-minute dance and martial arts extravaganza starring 10 humanoid robots.

Parts of the performance are striking, especially when the robots dance to high octane K-pop hits. Other parts of the show, with slower songs, seem less polished.

Overall, it wasn't quite as impressive as something like the Lunar New Year gala in China, where Unitree robots performed nonstop acrobatics.

That likely speaks to the difference between one-off events that the company dedicates all of its resources to perfect and what the robots can do in commercial settings involving multiple daily performances, said Alan Fern, a robotics professor at the Oregon State University.

"If you're going to have them doing backflips and crazy stuff, you're going to break more robots, and that's going to be expensive," he added.

Right now, anything practical we might want a humanoid robot to do can be done better by a more specialized, less humanoid machine. An assembly robot in a factory, for example, does not need legs or a face.

That is apparent at Galaxy Robot

Death and dread as Ukraine bombs warehouses

BERLIN

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES

ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES
SOFIA ZELENSKAYA

A nightmarish new norm hits workers at Russian e-commerce companies

BY PAUL SONNE, ANASTASIA KUTS AND MILANA MAZAEVA

It was two days before the start of school, and David Zelensky, 16, was earning some final summer cash at an e-commerce warehouse in the Russian city of Belgorod.

The oldest of nine children, David had landed the job a few weeks earlier at the online retailer Ozon, an upgrade from his former gig delivering food. He settled in for an evening shift on Aug. 30 that would put him closer to his dream of buying a motorcycle.

Then came the Ukrainian missiles.

First, the city air raid sirens wailed. Next, an explosion from what seemed to be the interception of a rocket rang out.

As workers ran across the warehouse floor toward a shelter, a missile slammed into the building. The lights went dark. Walls and metal shelves crashed down on a group of high school and college students as a fireball engulfed part of the facility.

David, who communicated with fellow workers by writing on a phone because he was deaf and unable to speak, was killed. A 21-year-old college student also died, and a 16-year-old boy was critically injured.

"It was hard to process the fact that, just moments ago, I had seen people alive and well, and then suddenly they were gone," said another student who was injured at the warehouse.

The student was one of more than a dozen e-commerce workers interviewed by The New York Times from warehouses across Russia. They described how incoming drones, hours-long middle-of-the-night evacuations and fears of injury or death had become the new norm at work.

Some of the workers spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of being fired. In other cases, The Times is withholding their identity for security reasons.

The events in Belgorod illustrate the danger that civilian employees at Russia's two e-commerce giants, Ozon and Wildberries, are facing as Ukraine has transformed the companies into a new front in the war.

For years, Moscow's invasion has forced Ukrainians to make life-or-death decisions every day. Now, more Russians are having to do the same, as Kyiv's missiles and drones shatter the illusion of normalcy carefully conjured by President Vladimir V. Putin.

"Personally, to be honest, I can't believe it," said a 19-year-old employee at a Wildberries warehouse outside Moscow.

The employee encountered his first drone strike at the facility last month. "It's an absolute nightmare," he said.

Ukraine has argued that the warehouses are legitimate targets because the retailers sell components that can be used to fix Russian military drones and protective equipment for Russian soldiers.

Russian officials and the head of Wildberries, Tatyana Kim, have dismissed the rationale, calling the strikes “terrorist attacks” against civilians. Wildberries and Ozon did not respond to requests for comment.

The toll of the Ukrainian attacks on Russian warehouses is vastly exceeded by the civilian suffering that Russia is causing in Ukraine.

Two months of frequent strikes on Wildberries and Ozon facilities killed 12 people and injured 135 through Sept. 11, according to the Conflict Intelligence Team, an open-source research group tracking wartime civilian casualties.

By comparison, Russia killed more Ukrainians in a single attack on a shopping mall in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Aug. 21. In that strike, 16 people died and another 136 were injured, according to the research group. Moscow has also attacked large numbers of Ukrainian warehouses.

Broadly, the Conflict Intelligence Team figures show that 66 percent of reported civilian deaths in the war this year have taken place in Ukraine, compared with 19 percent in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine and 15 percent in Russia itself.

Still, for many employees at the Russian warehouses, the regular threat of attack has come as a shock.

At a Wildberries warehouse near Domodedovo Airport in the Moscow region, workers ran out of the facility one day at 3 a.m. as drones descended on the area. They took cover under the bridge of a nearby highway, waiting four hours until after the sun came up to return, one worker recalled.

Outside Moscow, at a Wildberries warehouse in Novoselki, workers repeatedly flee into the woods during evacuations. They wonder whether they will freeze this coming winter when they have to drop everything and leave on cold days.

A worker at that warehouse recalled taking a cigarette break on a recent day and watching as a Ukrainian drone exploded in the parking lot 50 yards (45 meters) away, without any siren or

Above, an e-commerce company's warehouse near St. Petersburg, Russia, after it was hit by Ukrainian drones in July. Near left, David Zelensky, 16, who was killed by a Ukrainian missile as he worked for some summer cash. Ukraine has transformed the Russian e-commerce giants Ozon and Wildberries into a new front in the war.

alarm going off. “When one actually lands right next to you — when you can even hear the metal ball bearings raining down from the sky — that’s when the real fear kicks in,” the worker said, noting that some employees now flee calmly, while newer hires run in panic.

A few of the warehouse workers who spoke to The Times decided to quit, citing safety concerns. But the vast majority have stayed on the job, noting that the work pays better and is more flexible than other options.

Wildberries workers say they can show up and leave whenever they want, including in the middle of the night, and work for as many hours as they choose. Workers also receive most of their pay immediately. Some say they can earn as much as \$2,900 a month, well over double the average monthly pay in Russia, though earnings vary based on the volume of work.

As a result, many have adapted to the fraught new reality.

One worker at a Wildberries warehouse in Yekaterinburg recalled how even after a drone slammed into the parking lot and burned about 50 cars belonging to employees, workers kept showing up. They simply parked their cars next to the burned-out vehicles.

Another worker who was employed at a Wildberries warehouse in the Tula region described how, after his workplace was blown up, he started traveling two and a half hours a day to work at a different Wildberries warehouse, in the Moscow region. He said he faced hostility there from people worried that the influx of labor would reduce wages and work.

On the evening of the attack at the Ozon warehouse in Belgorod, where David worked, supervisors gathered the staff for a five-minute safety briefing.

David had a shift from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the placement station, where workers load incoming packages into bins for sorting, according to another worker who saw him that day.

"It was hard to process the fact that, just moments ago, I had seen people alive and well, and then suddenly they were gone."

What exactly transpired in David's final minutes is unclear. While he most likely could not have heard the siren go off or the initial blast from the intercepted missile, he could have received other alerts. Hand-held inventory scanners used by workers would flash warnings during attacks, sometimes with a delay, one worker said. David may also have been warned by others or may have seen co-workers running.

Regardless, there was very little time. In drone attacks, people often have time to take cover. But missiles arrive quickly, and one worker said that no one had expected the Ukrainians to use missiles on the comparatively small Ozon warehouse.

Ozon has since barred minors from working at its warehouses in some regions, according to Russian news outlets. The company also offered compensation to the Belgorod workers, with higher sums for those with more serious injuries, employees said.

Not long after the strike, David's family gathered for a funeral.

His father, also born deaf and non-speaking, and his mother, born with a hearing impairment, were there, an aunt, Anna Polushkina, told The Times. So were four of his eight siblings, all of whom are also either deaf or hearing-impaired, she said. While the family shared the same surname as President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, there was no indication that they were related, Ms. Polushkina said.

At the funeral, the attendees hugged and cried. His friends placed a small motorcycle atop a display of roses and carnations at the grave. There were wafer cakes, a nod to his love of sweets.

David's school, a special educational institution for children with disabilities, put out a statement calling his death an irreparable loss. The regional sports ministry said that he had shown great promise as a player on a basketball team for the hearing impaired.

"He dreamed about a motorcycle," Ms. Polushkina said. "He really loved to ride."

"As for an attack," she said, "we never imagined anything like this."

Alina Lobzina contributed reporting.

From the Persian Gulf to Britain, the U.S. is in retreat

The R.A.F. Fairford air base in Britain, from which U.S. B-1 bombers were withdrawn, has been a mainstay of military cooperation.
@CRAIGYOUNGMEDIA, VIA REUTERS

RETREAT, FROM PAGE 1

But most important, the rapid withdrawals have taught a lesson to the Iranians — and potentially to other adversaries — that they hold the power to chase out a superpower. In Europe, Mr. Trump and Mr. Hegseth are thinking of reducing American forces on their terms and their schedule. In the Middle East and Britain, their hand was forced.

American and British officials said on Monday that the bombers were rushed out of the British base after commanders received specific, credible information that Iran-backed operatives were planning to launch drone strikes against the aircraft and U.S. troops from right outside the fence.

The possible plotters may have been inspired in part by an audacious attack that Ukraine made against Russia last year when it smuggled drones deep into the Russian heartland and launched them from semi trucks. The strikes damaged or destroyed at least a dozen aircraft.

That and other attacks have recalibrated the Pentagon's understanding of military vulnerabilities. Suddenly, keeping forces out of missile range is not enough. Drones and cyberweapons have reshaped the battlefield.

The president rightly says that Iran's entire navy was sunk in the initial military action and that its decrepit air force is out of business. And the country is tetering on the economic edge, crippled by a naval blockade that has reduced its oil exports to a trickle.

But that has not stopped the Iranians from forcing American aircraft and personnel to flee their once-secure bases — farther and farther from Iran. American personnel were evacuated from bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, all of which were within Iranian missile and drone range. Some of those bases were so badly damaged that inside the Pentagon there is little interest in rebuilding them; they will be moved farther away, if Congress grants the funding.

The waterways are a more complex story. But the United States has been unable to guarantee freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz or parts of the Red Sea. And for the past half-century, that was one central American justification for a continued presence in the Middle East.

Dana Stroul, the Pentagon's top Mid-east policy official during the Biden administration, said the abrupt transfer of the dozen bombers back to the United States could have internal and external ramifications.

The withdrawals have taught the Iranians that they hold the power to chase out a superpower.

“Such a hasty decision is intensely disruptive to operational planning and force morale,” said Ms. Stroul, now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “The more concerning issue is at the strategic level, the Iranians are likely to internalize a dangerous lesson — that by demonstrating the ability to get close to U.S. military bases far beyond the Middle East, Trump can be pushed around.”

Mr. Trump and his defenders have a very different narrative of events. On the campaign trail for the U.S. midterm elections, he has portrayed Iran as on the brink of collapse, its currency plummeting. The naval blockade on all shipments in and out of Iran, he insists, is choking the country, and will force it to make a deal. Any description of Iranian progress, he insists, is “fake news,” promulgated by news organizations that are writing about munitions shortages and other setbacks because they are disloyal to the United States.

For the first time, Iranian officials have acknowledged the economic pain. Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, noted this past week that Iran has a new oil minister, and then asked on social media, “Considering Iran has not loaded a single barrel of crude onto a vessel since August 25th, what is the oil minister managing?"

Moreover, administration officials describe the evacuations as prudent, short-term measures. And it is possible that the rushed-away B-1 bombers may return to the R.A.F. Fairfield air base, which has been a mainstay of U.S.-British military cooperation since it was built in preparation for the D-Day invasion in 1944. Even if the threat precludes return, Air Force officials insist that they can carry out their long-range missions from bases in the United States.

The Pentagon wants to think about new bases in Israel and Jordan, but those would require congressional approval and take years to upgrade or build. When Mr. Hegseth spoke recently to troops, he did not mention the destruction at the Mideast bases. Instead, he talked about putting American states in competition for a new, vast base inside the United States.

This was not the plan when Mr. Trump announced the attack on Iran on Feb. 28. Mr. Trump was looking for a victory in a few days, then five or six weeks. Mr. Trump demanded “unconditional surrender,” and three weeks into the conflict declared Iran’s total defeat. This month, he said Iran would fold “right after the election.”

Iran's bombing of U.S. bases across the Middle East forced many American troops to relocate to hotels and office spaces throughout the region, raising questions about the Trump administration's preparations for the war.

Iran figured out where many of the troops were staying, some in unprotected hotels, and began to target them as well. It wasn't only military targets: the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency station in Saudi Arabia was also hit, though it is still unclear whether the Iranians targeted it, or got lucky striking a diplomatic compound.

Many of the 13 main military bases in the region used by American troops were quickly rendered uninhabitable, with the ones in Kuwait, which is next door to Iran, sustaining perhaps the most damage. Six U.S. service members were killed in a strike on Port Shuaiba that destroyed a tactical operations center. Iranian drones and missiles also targeted Ali Al Salem Air Base, damaging aircraft structures and injuring personnel, and Camp Buehring, damaging maintenance and fuel facilities.

In Qatar, Iran struck Al Udeid Air

Base, the regional air headquarters of U.S. Central Command, damaging an early-warning radar system. In Bahrain, a one-way Iranian attack drone struck communications equipment at the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet. At Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, Iranian missiles and drones damaged communications equipment and several refueling tankers.

Now Iran “is adopting a strategy toward the United States defined by escalation and continuous offense,” Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, an associate professor of international affairs at Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, wrote in Foreign Affairs this month.

“That means it will neither stay the course nor compromise with Washington,” he added. “Instead, it will start doing even more to hurt the economies of the United States’ regional partners and to decimate global energy markets, as well as expand its attacks on U.S. military infrastructure.” He predicted that Iran could attempt to seize some of the largely abandoned U.S. bases in Gulf Arab countries, though so far it has avoided any such ground actions.

The subject of the bases is such a sore one for the Pentagon that it has refused to provide Congress with cost estimates to repair or rebuild the facilities, which lawmakers said could run tens of billions of dollars. A price tag that big could become political fodder for candidates opposing the war.

Instead, there is now serious planning at Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, to reposition and reshape its facilities in the region.

"The financial costs have continued to climb by billions each month, even as the administration refuses to acknowledge the munitions crisis we face or admit the costs to rebuild bases heavily damaged by Iran," Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said last month.

ADNAN ABIDI/REUTERS

India's purge of voter rolls fuels outrage

SACHIN KUMAR/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES
ARUN SANKAR/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES

BHAWIKA CHHABRA/REUTERS

NEW DELHI

Cleanup of discrepancies and duplicates appears to target Modi's opposition

BY MUJIB MASHAL, PRAGATI K.B. AND HARI KUMAR

Nearly a billion people in the world's biggest democracy are being asked to show documents to prove that they should keep the right to vote.

The exercise is billed by an election commission appointed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as cleaning India's voter roll of duplicates and discrepancies. So far, it has expunged over 130 million names — more than the population of Mexico.

Tens of millions of voters have been flagged by algorithms for deletion over anomalies in their information. Millions who have appealed their deletions remain stuck in adjudication, deprived of their right to vote during close-fought elections earlier this year. Some removed for being dead are challenging the decision based on the fact they are very much alive.

Public anger is turning into widespread protests, as evidence piles up that the exercise is disenfranchising parts of society seen as less likely to support Mr. Modi's governing Hindu nationalist party. India's 200 million Muslims appear to have been disproportionately targeted.

Protesters are calling for the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the chief of the election commission, a body that was long held in high regard for running relatively fair polls in a region with a history of coups and autocratic governance.

"The heart of our democracy, which is the right to vote, is at great peril," Rohinton Nariman, a former solicitor general of India and a supreme court judge, said in a lecture.

The exercise, which began last summer in one state before being expanded to every voter in the country, has struck the biggest blow to election integrity in India's more than seven decades as a republic, former Indian polling officials and analysts say. The anger is intensifying on the back of recent revelations that officials within the election commission and the Supreme Court have expressed reservations about the revision.

"The entire approach has changed from making the rolls inclusive," Ashok Lavasa, a former election commissioner, said. "The effort, and the priority, seems to be getting rid of people on the slightest pretext."

While previous revisions of the voter roll focused on “physical verification, door to door” to make sure that every citizen was included, he said the current process puts the onus of proof entirely on citizens and otherwise excludes them. That leaves a large section of the electorate at the mercy of algorithms and mistakes in old records that could largely be clerical errors, he said.

To be sure, inaccuracies in the voter roll, which included about 970 million names before the recent revisions, have long been a fixture in a country where tens of millions of people are on the move for work, enabling abuses by some. But the list is routinely updated before every local and national election, and public faith in the electoral system was strong enough that the impact of the remaining discrepancies was believed to be marginal. Mr. Modi won three terms in office through elections based on the voter roll before the nationwide revision, and his Bharatiya Janata Party flourished.

The sudden discovery and deletion of over 20 million dead people and 90 million others categorized as “absent, shifted, and others,” has cast doubt about the integrity of previous elections or raised suspicion about the governing party’s intentions for upcoming ones, analysts and opposition leaders say.

Since a weaker showing in 2024 national elections, Mr. Modi's party has strung together a series of wins at the state level, including flipping one large state that it had never won based on a revised voter list. The next national election is in 2029.

Election commission officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Leaders of Mr. Modi's party have rejected the uproar as fomented by a struggling opposition, which had earlier asked for similar revisions.

"If political parties themselves have repeatedly demanded the removal of duplicate, bogus and ineligible entries in the past, why should the election commission's effort to clean and update electoral rolls now be portrayed as inherently suspect?" said Pratyush Kanth, a spokesman for the party.

A BURDENSOME PROCESS

Two senior officials who would talk about the governing party's strategy only anonymously said the process was aimed at entrenching its electoral advantage. The officials asked not be identified for fear of retribution.

One of them said the intention was purely political: to use the party's vast local machinery to flag people to local authorities for deletion. But the effect, he said, had been limited in India's federal system because not all local officials were beholden to the B.J.P.

The other official said making gains in recent elections was secondary to a larger ideological objective: implement-

Evidence piles up that the exercise appears to be disproportionately targeting India's 200 million Muslims.

ing an effort by the Hindu right to weed out large numbers of Muslim illegal immigrants, something it had failed to achieve through an earlier attempt at citizenship tests.

A pilot citizenship registration project in 2019 flagged an even larger number of Hindus as lacking documents, halting the exercise. Using the election commission to carry out a similar effort allows the governing party deniability while achieving the same goal of blocking political participation by Muslims, the official said.

The argument is supported by public rhetoric from leaders of Mr. Modi's party who have defended the effort as weeding out "infiltrators"—a term that ostensibly means migrants from Bangladesh but has increasingly been deployed to refer to all of India's Muslims.

Analysts and former election officials say the authorities are asking people to verify their voting rights with documents that prove citizenship. Many people in India — Hindus and Muslims alike — struggle to produce such documents: Record keeping is poor, and many people lack even birth certificates.

There has been no strong evidence that the revision exercise has found a substantial number of foreigners. Leaders of Mr. Modi's party have nonetheless declared that those deleted from the voter roll will be denied welfare benefits meant for citizens.

India's poorest citizens are forced to chose between multiple visits to polling officers and earning a daily wage.

"I am standing in front of them. I will bring my entire family also to stand in front of them. They can see for themselves that we exist," said Nanhe Lal, 43, a toy store worker in Delhi on his third visit to a voter center with documents to prevent the deletion of their names.

His employer kept calling to ask how much longer he would be away from his duties, he said.

Opposition parties say Mr. Modi is using independent institutions like the election commission to lock in his party's advantage for years to come.

From top: a demonstrator being detained in New Delhi; protesters being dispersed by water cannons; Jama Masjid, one of New Delhi's largest mosques; and standing guard outside the Election Commission of India headquarters on the day of a protest demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, the commission's chief.

They say the groundwork had started years earlier. In 2023, Mr. Modi changed the composition of the committee through which election commissioners are appointed to tilt it in favor of the government. He also passed a law to give commissioners legal immunity.

Since then, the opposition parties have raised complaints over irregular additions and deletions of voters ahead of several state elections. But the election commission ignored their pleas to investigate even cases of “statistical abnormalities,” said Praveen Chakravarty, a lawmaker from the opposition Congress Party. Instead, the commission restricted the opposition’s access to things like machine-readable voter rolls and existing CCTV footage from polling centers, which would allow them to verify voting data, he said.

In the revisions, millions of people have been flagged by algorithms for "logical discrepancies" — a term that could include inconsistencies like the spelling of a name or the number of siblings listed or the gap between the siblings' ages.

Other people have been deleted from the voting roll based on forms submitted by third parties who dispute their existence.

In one constituency in the southern state of Karnataka, nearly 2,000 such forms were filed on a single day late last month, a review by The New York Times showed. Nearly half of those were filed by five individuals, and the voters they were disputing were overwhelmingly Muslim. Many of the forms were typed up with the target's name, leaving only a blank space for the name of the person objecting to fill in by hand, which analysts said suggested an orchestrated campaign.

THE TEST CASE

The election commission's conduct in one state in particular has drawn particular scrutiny.

Mr. Modi's B.J.P. had for decades fallen short of a majority in elections for the state legislature in West Bengal. It finally came to power in May, right after a voter roll revision that removed about nine million names.

India's top court allowed the election to proceed, even though millions of people who had challenged their removals were still waiting for their cases to be heard. In about 100,000 appeals to have been adjudicated so far, a majority were found to be legitimate and ordered restored to the roll.

Leaders of opposition parties in West Bengal have argued in petitions to the Supreme Court that the number of deleted voters exceeded the margin of victory in 82 of the 207 seats won by Mr. Modi's party, a number that tips the balance of power.

Officials appointed by the court cleared 1.6 million West Bengal voters to be restored to the roll, but the election commission has blocked their return by appealing against their inclusion, according to the commission's own court filing. A recent investigation by an Indian newspaper found that two of the country's three election commissioners had expressed outrage internally at the effort, which they said was done without their knowledge.

Mr. Lavasa, the former election commissioner, questioned why the body responsible for protecting voter's rights "would implement a procedure which will deprive" them of those rights.

WORLD

China aims to expand its reach with new air base

BY CHRIS BUCKLEY

China has begun operating a new air force base in Laos, marking another step in Beijing's efforts to establish military footholds abroad and project power into Southeast Asia.

Satellite images released this past week revealed that eight small military aircraft had arrived at the China-Laos Joint Logistics and Training Center, which opened last month at Ban Keun, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of the Laotian capital, Vientiane.

The satellite images, first reported by Reuters, showed a 1.2-mile runway at Ban Keun that could be extended, opening the possibility that the facility could host bigger aircraft that need longer takeoffs and landings.

The base in Laos, a landlocked country between Vietnam and Thailand, could help the Chinese air force reach across the region, including countries with which Beijing has long-running territorial tensions over the South China Sea, some experts said.

China has the world's second-biggest military after the United States. The People's Liberation Army has been expanding rapidly but has taken only limited steps to open bases in other countries: a naval facility in Cambodia and another naval support center in Djibouti, in East Africa.

“Ban Keun is significant because it appears to be China's first openly acknowledged overseas military facility for air power,” said Ying Yu Lin, an associate professor at Tamkang University in Taipei who studies China's military.

The new facility “sits in the center of the Indochinese peninsula, and could enable the Chinese Communist Party to easily project air power across surrounding areas,” he said.

But for now at least, the Chinese air force presence at Ban Keun is too small and isolated to have tangible military consequences, said Drew Thompson, a former Pentagon official.

“Laos is landlocked, so a base there doesn’t give the Lao or Chinese air force unfettered access to the Indian Ocean or Gulf of Thailand,” said Mr. Thompson, who is now a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

"The threat of a joint Lao-China air force base is primarily political rather than military because it was established without consultation" with Laos's neighbors, he said.

"It appears to be China's first openly acknowledged overseas military facility for air power."

The eight aircraft at Ban Keun were possibly K-8 jets, also called Hongdu JL-8, a light two-seater built by China and Pakistan that is mostly used for training, said Professor Lin. Laos's air force has only a few dozen aircraft, including about four of the K-8 jets, according to an annual global military survey from the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Nearby countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore will most likely watch to see whether Ban Keun's runway is lengthened to host bombers or surveillance aircraft. Many Chinese fighter jets and other aircraft can take off from runways shorter than the one at Ban Keun, but standard Chinese air force runways are often notably longer.

Countries in Southeast Asia generally try to stay friendly with Beijing, while many also look to the United States to counterbalance Chinese power. Singapore and Thailand, in particular, provide logistic support for U.S. forces in the region, said Professor Lin. Vietnam, which has had acrimonious disputes with China, has also turned to the United States.

Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesman for Thailand's Ministry of Defense, said Laos had the right to decide whether to allow China to operate a base there, Reuters reported. "Nevertheless, Thailand will continue to closely monitor developments," he said.

Construction on the new base began around October last year and proceeded swiftly, satellite images show. By May, much of the runway was visible.

Last month, Laotian and Chinese military officers assembled for the formal opening of the support and training center, a Chinese television report showed. China's Ministry of National Defense said that Ban Keun was “not aimed at any third party.”

In recent decades, Laos has increasingly depended on China for investment, political support and tourism.

In January, the International Monetary Fund warned that Laos, one of Asia's poorest and least developed nations, had a debt burden that was “unsustainable.” About half of Laos's public debt is owed to China, which has financed a high-speed railway that largely bypasses the local population. Laos has also poured money into hydropower, and a Chinese joint venture now runs its power grid.

Hannah Beech in Bangkok and Amy Chang Chien in Taipei contributed reporting.

The Republican voters alienated by Trump

GOBLES, MICH.

Above from left, Jim Pasek and Jeff Gilbert at a restaurant in Gobles, Mich. "He's losing touch with the American people," Mr. Pasek said of President Trump. Left, a mural in Paw Paw, Mich. Few midterm election campaign signs were evident in the area.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMIE KELTER DAVIS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

There are signs emerging that many may shun next month's midterm elections

BY SABRINA TAVERNISE

If Democrats make big gains in the U.S. midterm elections next month, it may be not only because their most loyal voters come out in force, or because their candidates have converted Republican voters to their cause.

Instead, the Democrats' dream blue wave could come from Republicans who sour on President Trump and stay home. It already has a name: the red undertow.

Across the United States, signs are emerging of an enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans, even among those who consider themselves likely to vote. A stretch of rural southwest Michigan — long a Republican stronghold — illustrates the point, with more signs for blueberries and eggs than for political candidates. Volunteers are not showing up to knock on doors. And many voters say they are tuning this election out.

"People are just more focused on everyday life," said Lindsay Kronemeyer, 35, a conservative Christian mother of two who works in the construction industry. "I don't hear the chatter on the Republican side of 'Trump this, Trump that.' He's just not there in my head anymore."

Jim Pasek, a retired pharmaceutical plant maintenance worker who lives in the tiny town of Gobles, Mich., was baf-

fled by a president he voted for twice.

"He's not making sense," said Mr. Pasek, 80. "It confuses me, and then I just get disgusted and tune out."

The idea of the red undertow was introduced last month by the political analyst Charlie Cook, who argued that the Democratic brand was still underwater, but that this election was not about a rising Democratic tide. It was about a drowning Trump brand.

In its wake, Mr. Cook wrote, an undertow will "pull many Republicans under."

In nearly three dozen interviews in

Western Michigan, a sense of fatigue was constant, and that feeling goes beyond the region.

“President Trump has been saying, ‘Vote as if I was on the ballot,’ and that’s exactly what I’m going to do — not vote,” said Brandon Tremaine, 24, a graduate student in Texas who voted for Mr. Trump in 2020. “You do not campaign on being the ticket of peace and start a war of choice that is directly hurting Americans here at home and gotten Americans killed overseas.”

Polls can be unreliable, and moods may be fleeting. Trump loyalists are also known for not taking the calls of polling outfits, and that may be overstating Democratic strengths. Disaffected Trump voters may yet rally to vote as the possibility of a Democratic victory nears, and many Americans still love Mr. Trump.

"I'll go the length with Trump," said Jeff Gilbert, 67, a friend of Mr. Pasek in Gobles.

The numbers aren't drastically far apart. A New York Times/Siena University national poll from last month found

"There's very low energy on the Republican side."

DOUG KOOPMAN, a member of the Kent County Republican Party's executive committee

that Democrats were more likely to say they were absolutely certain to vote than Republicans, 61 percent to 56 percent. While Democrats led Republicans nationally by seven percentage points among registered voters, the advantage rose to nine points among likely voters.

But in close races, a small gap could prove meaningful.

"People are tired," Al Pscholka, a Republican and a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives, said of Mr. Trump. "The whole divider-in-chief thing, it's gotten to the point where it's just exhausting."

The concern is showing in unlikely places. Representative Bill Huizenga, a

"People are just more focused on everyday life."

LINDSAY KRONEMEYER, 35, a conservative Christian mother of two

Western Michigan Republican whose four House victories were all by comfortable margins, is in “the fight of his life” against a well-funded centrist Democrat from Kalamazoo named Sean McCann, said Rob Pocock, a retired Republican political consultant who has worked on campaigns in the region.

Nancy DeBoer, the local Republican state representative, also faces a serious fight against Joseph McClusky, a graduate of Hope College, a conservative Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Mich., who is openly gay.

"I would be shocked if Joseph wins, but I can't believe he's done as well as he has," said Mr. Pocock, who teaches at

Hope and had Mr. McClusky as a student. He said in Ottawa County, he was seeing Democratic yard signs in numbers he'd never seen before.

Western Michigan — home of Gerald Ford — may be seeing the ebb tide of the president's MAGA movement, which had surged in a region once known for a sober, Christian-inflected conservatism. In Ottawa County, ardent Trump supporters secured eight of the 11 seats on the county commission after the coronavirus pandemic. Pro-Trump forces won control of the state party, too.

Today, the MAGA wing is down to three seats in Ottawa County. They have also lost posts in Berrien and Kent counties.

"I think there's a shift in the party back toward, we need a little bit of the establishment folks," said Ms. Kronemeyer, the conservative Christian mother. "They exist for a reason."

If anybody should be enthusiastic about the election, it is Ms. Kronemeyer. She ran for a statehouse seat in 2022. She knocked on doors for Mr. Trump in 2016 and 2020. But she said that when a friend asked her recently about the races in her area, she had to admit that she hadn't been following them closely. She lives in deep-Republican Allegan County, where “traditionally in election years, yard signs would be peppered everywhere,” she said.

But the only signs she'd seen this year were for a judge, she said.

Ten years have passed since Mr. Trump took the country by storm, bringing a message of economic populism that appealed to millions of working-class Americans.

"He was a ball of energy," Mr. Pasek said, sitting at breakfast in Gobles with Mr. Gilbert, his friend. "You could feel it. You could see it."

Now, Mr. Pasek said, Mr. Trump seems to have lost his way. He started a war when he said he wouldn't, sending the price of gas through the roof. And he seems to talk more about ballrooms and arches than he does about how he will bring prices back down.

"He's losing touch with the American people," Mr. Pasek said.

Mr. Gilbert said that he had stopped following the news closely, choosing to spend more time outside with his dog, Mabel. But he voted for Mr. Trump in 2024, and he said he stood by that choice. He said he believed that Mr. Trump had a plan for Iran.

Mr. Pasek countered, "He says he has a plan, but then he doesn't tell us what it is."

Mr. Pasek cited gas prices: "He says it's chump change. No, it's not! It's killing the people."

He has noticed someone living in a car in a parking lot he passes when he drives into town, he said. He worried about his granddaughter, 28, a college graduate from Michigan State University, who is working three jobs — one full time and two part time — but can't find a house she can afford.

Those misgivings are being felt at the local party level. Doug Koopman, a member of the Kent County Republican Party's executive committee, said that it had been a struggle to get the foot soldiers of the midterm elections — volunteer door-knockers and canvassers — to pick up brochures to distribute door to door, leaving bags of them sitting around the party headquarters.

"There's very low energy on the Republican side," he said.

Ruth Igielnik contributed reporting and research.

Who pays if a house survives the flames but not the smoke?

consulting firms did not immediately re- spond to requests for comment.

KYLE GRILLOT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Wildfire made a mansion in Los Angeles unlivable; its owner sued the insurer

BY RUKMINI CALLIMACHI AND SHAWN HUBLER

Behind a towering hedge in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades sits a house that Tom Cruise bought in 1990 and Nicole Kidman sold after their divorce. A few doors down is Steven Spielberg's estate. Across the street is Bill Cosby's.

The property shares a fence line with that of the boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard — “our dogs bark at each other,” said Austin Beutner, who bought the house from Ms. Kidman in 2002.

Few blocks in America hold more fame, money and access. But nearly 21 months after the house was damaged in the Palisades fire, it sits empty. Valued at around \$20 million, it is uninhabitable, its walls laced with lead at levels far above what federal regulators consider hazardous, according to testing commissioned by the family.

On Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Mr. Beutner and his wife, Virginia, sued their insurer, Chubb — whose subsidiary Bankers Standard Insurance Company issued their policy

— and two environmental consulting firms Chubb hired. The suit accuses Chubb of breach of contract and professional negligence for refusing to pay for the full cleanup of lead and other toxins. In a letter to Chubb last month, the family's lawyer accused the company of relying on "pay-to-play" consultants and "junk science."

A Chubb spokesman, Michael Tomaso, declined to comment. The two

The lawsuit joins a mounting pile of litigation filed by homeowners whose houses survived the January 2025 fires, but not the smoke. What sets it apart is who filed it.

Mr. Beutner has spent his career in rooms where decisions are made. At 29, he became the youngest partner at the Blackstone Group, and then co-founded the investment bank Evercore. He is the former deputy mayor of Los Angeles, the former publisher of The Los Angeles Times and the former superintendent of the nation's second-largest school district. In 2022, he drafted a ballot measure that now sends around \$1 billion a year to arts and music programs in California's public schools.

“I’ll be fine either way,” he said in a telephone interview before filing the suit. “But there are thousands of others who have claims like mine who may not have the agency I do. They may not be able to afford the lawyers.” Insurers are pushing families back into contaminated homes and keeping the danger quiet — a public health crisis — and litigation might be one of the few ways to sound the alarm, he said.

The Los Angeles fires killed 31 people and incinerated more than 16,000 buildings. Of the more than 40,000 insurance claims filed in the aftermath, approximately 13,000 — or nearly one out of three — were for smoke-damaged homes, according to the California Department of Insurance.

Many of those claims remain unsettled, and families continue to be displaced, according to advocates for policyholders.

At a news conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday hosted by the California Community Foundation, a local nonprofit group, displaced fire survivors spoke of the difficulties smoke damage had posed for them. Local officials, including Mayor Karen Bass and Kathryn Barger, a Los Angeles County supervisor, urged policyholders to file insurance claims for testing and remediation ahead of a January legal deadline.

Blanca Perez, a grandmother in Altadena, said in Spanish that she and her neighbors had been struggling for months to determine whether their 40-unit apartment building is safe for habitation but that they lacked money for testing.

Brenda Solórzano, the president and chief executive of the California Endowment, a statewide nonprofit organization, said she wished that her smoke-damaged house in Altadena had burned down entirely.

"It's really frustrating," she said. "I'm educated, I have connections, I have resources. And I, too, have been struggling with our insurance company."

At the heart of this issue is a regulatory vacuum: With no state or national standards for when a smoke-damaged home is considered clean, insurers often test only for soot, char and ash — the visible traces of a fire — and pay for equally visible fixes: vacuuming, wiping and painting, a New York Times investigation found.

Disputes over insurance claims normally unfold out of sight, in adjusters' letters and confidential settlements. But the scale of the Los Angeles fires has pushed them into the open. The 2025 fires were the costliest wildfire disasters on record for insurers, with estimates putting insured losses at as much as \$35

RYAN YOUNG FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Austin Beutner, above, a former deputy mayor of Los Angeles and former Los Angeles Times publisher, whose house was damaged by smoke from the wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in 2025, left. He is suing his insurance company, Chubb, for professional negligence.

billion, more than double the previous record, set by the 2018 Camp fire, according to Verisk, an insurance data firm.

Smoke has turned out to be one of the main reasons: In the first 30 days after the fires, 30 percent of homeowners' claims were for smoke damage, compared with just 3 percent after the Camp fire, according to data collected by Verisk.

The Beutners had insured their home with Chubb for 18 years, paying millions of dollars in premiums, the lawsuit says. And while Chubb writes only around 2 percent of homeowner premiums in California, it took an outsize hit: In 2025, it recorded about \$1.7 billion in California homeowner losses — roughly five times the premiums it earned on those policies, state data show.

On Jan. 7, 2025, the Palisades fire swept through the Beutners' area but stopped short of their house, even as 100-mile-per-hour winds (160 kilometers per hour) drove soot, char and ash inside. The family's first Chubb adjuster called it the "worst house we have seen," according to the suit filed on Monday.

Two weeks after the fire, Chubb sent Environmental Testing Associates, one of the two firms now being sued, to test the house. The firm's 17 tape samples measured soot, char and ash, but not the heavy metals inside them, nor did it test in concealed spaces like wall cavities and attics. The firm recommended air filters, cleaning and vacuuming — treating the damage “as if the problem could be fixed with Lysol wipes,” the Beutners' lawyers later wrote.

Like so many other families affected by the wildfire, the Beutners soon found themselves locked in a battle of experts. When the family hired its own industrial hygienist to test the house, he found alarming levels of toxins — including in the ceiling of the front hallway, which contained 9,575 micrograms of lead per square foot, a reading that is 239 times the federal limit for lead found indoors, according to the testing results shared with The Times.

By contrast, the consultant hired by Chubb insisted that the lead came from old paint in the home, built in the 1940s, and that lithium and arsenic came from the soil or else from the Earth's crust, according to the reports they produced, which were shared with The Times, as well as the family's suit.

Chubb has paid millions of dollars in claims so far for repairs and relocation assistance for the Beutner household. Mr. Beutner said that money has amounted to less than a quarter of the cost of remediating the smoke damage.

Picky taste testers steering a vast industry

AIMARGUES, FRANCE

Above, at Royal Canin's research center in southern France, Willow the Ragdoll cat helping to demonstrate how animals taste from two bowls of food placed on scales. Below from left: dogs going for a swim at the on-site pool; another view of the campus, which is also Royal Canin's global headquarters; and Cécile Coutens, the company's president.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATHIAS DEPARDON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

As spending on pets grows, brands strive to understand the palates of cats and dogs

BY JENNY GROSS

Imagine dozens of cats napping or milling around a space that looks a lot like a pet day care center.

Every day at 4 p.m., dinner is served. The cats step into cubbyholes, each with two trays of kibble atop scales. The cats choose which food they like better, and the scales measure how much they consume. Nutritionists at a Royal Canin pet center in southern France are watching: Which kibble do the animals prefer? How enthusiastically do they chow down? A team uses the data to adjust recipes and devise new ones.

Pet food makers like Royal Canin, owned by the global consumer conglomerate Mars, are pouring money into research to understand the palates of cats and dogs — and to cater to people who see their pets as family members. Even as the war in Iran has spurred inflation and wage growth has not kept up, the pet food market has kept growing.

And as pandemic pets, adopted in droves in 2020, enter middle age, pet food makers are zeroing in on aiding aching joints, strengthening tired muscles and protecting cognitive function.

"Aging is one of the biggest opportunities," said Cécile Coutens, president of Royal Canin.

The company's senior cat food line includes extra-soft mousse for cats ages 11 and up and easy-to-eat kibble for cats 15 and up. Many companies sell supplements for cats with dementia and to support healthy brain aging.

Inflation has driven up the prices of conventional kibble (“croquettes” in French). And yet options in the dog and cat food aisles have become pricey and specialized, with brands selling fresh, human-grade food. Studies have shown that people will cut back on spending for themselves before their pets. Purina last year debuted a “tender cuts in elegant jelly” dish in a pyramid shape to encourage cats to take wide bites.

More than \$17 billion was spent on cat food in the United States over the last year, up 14 percent from the same period two years ago, according to NielsenIQ, a consumer research firm. (Dog food sales were roughly even.) In contrast to previous generations, when parents took in pets at the request of their children, people today often have pets before they have children, if they have children, Ms. Coutens said.

Companies are investing in premium pet food lines that cater to wealthier people, as the K-shaped economy — shorthand for the widening gap between the rich and poor — persists.

While in some ways cats are lower maintenance than dogs, cats tend to require some human ingenuity when it comes to food.

"We like cats a lot because cats are also pickier eaters, in a sense, so you need more science technology to actually cater to that successfully," Philipp Navratil, the chief executive of Nestlé, said at a conference in June.

Cats have in recent years been adopted at higher rates than dogs, as people spend more time in the office.

Like Nestlé, which has two centers where researchers study cat and dog behavior, Royal Canin has an extensive research program dedicated to dogs and cats. At Royal Canin's pet center in Aimargues, only the most discerning eaters of the 377 dogs and cats that live on campus participate in taste tests. The company's other pet center is in Ohio. As part of training, kittens are offered food of different textures and flavors to develop their senses. At 7 months, they are taught to eat from designated feeders.

Dogs that eat almost anything, such as Labradors, do not make the cut, said Silvia Miret-Catalan, vice president of research and development at Royal Canin.

At the Royal Canin center, a team monitors behavior after breakfast and dinner. Do the cats and dogs seem more lethargic than usual? Playful? What's the quality of their stool, on a scale from one to 10?

"The lowest score will be diarrhea," said Yannick Soulard, who works in innovation. The feces are then dried and analyzed to determine how the food is digested, he said. Once the dogs and cats turn 7, employees can adopt them. There's a long waiting list, and employees who have developed a bond with particular animals get priority.

Taste is a big focus. Scott McGrane, a feline expert at Mars's Waltham Petcare Science Institute in England, said his team was especially interested in understanding the senses and tastes of cats, including senior cats. Why didn't they have a preference for sweet foods? Why do they love tuna so much? He said researchers determined that cats had the umami taste receptor, which enables them to taste and detect umami compounds. Tuna has a unique combination of compounds that is akin to “super umami” for cats, he said.

As cats age, some of their taste buds fade, but they retain their perception of bitterness, causing certain foods to become less appealing, Ms. Miret-Catalan said. Her team designs food for senior cats that masks bitterness and enhances attractive aromas, she said.

Dogs that eat almost anything, such as Labradors, do not make the cut as taste testers for Royal Canin.

Mars is probably better known for making Snickers, M&Ms and Skittles than for pet care. Though it acquired Royal Canin in 2002, the company got into the pet food business almost a century ago. At the time, people were feeding their dogs mostly table scraps.

In recent decades, Mars has acquired thousands of pet hospitals and clinics. It owns 6 percent of all U.S. practices, according to KPMG. The company is the largest pet food provider in the United States and globally.

Cathy Bedrick, a partner at KPMG who advises private equity clients, said companies that own veterinary practices are expecting more business in the coming years as the world's pet population rapidly ages. Ms. Bedrick's dog gets weekly acupuncture for tightness in his spine.

Inside the Royal Canin factory, past a wall of framed pictures of giant kibble pieces, are enormous steel barrels where corn, chicken, wheat and other ingredients are mixed. The factory produces 146 types of kibble that pet owners can choose from.

On a recent afternoon, Royal Canin recreated a test for me and my photographer colleague in a sunny spot under a tree. I watched Willow, a 2-year-old Ragdoll cat, eat from Tray A, Tray B, then Tray A again. What did her indecision mean? A Royal Canin official conceded it wasn't a true A/B test; the trays had the same food, a departure from the usual practice. Willow was unfazed. She finished both and walked away.

In a quarter of poor returns, energy was an exception

GIULIO BONASERA

STRATEGIES

BY JEFF SOMMER

At the beginning of the year, if I'd had to guess what sector of the U.S. stock market would outperform all others, the easy answer would have been technology.

Yet that's not what happened for fund investors in the three months through September. Tech stock funds tracked by Morningstar dropped 1.4 percent, which really wasn't too bad in a quarter with losses nearly everywhere you looked.

Instead, the big winner was energy.

The average U.S. energy stock fund rose 11.6 percent for the quarter — a truly splendid return compared with a decline of 1.8 percent, on average, for domestic stock funds and a loss of 2.2 percent for the average taxable bond fund. International stock funds fared poorly, too, with a loss of 0.6 percent, on average. Municipal bond funds in the United States, which are typically sheltered from some state and local taxes, were even worse, averaging a decline of 5.6 percent.

What changed things in the stock and bond markets in those months was mainly the war with Iran, which drove up the prices of oil, gas, refined fuel and other energy products and contributed mightily to an interest-rate surge that has disrupted the financial world.

Even artificial intelligence stocks faltered for a while, though they have been rebounding this month, propelling the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 stock indexes to new highs this past week.

The weak stretch in the markets is a reminder of how difficult it is to make consistent, accurate forecasts about particular sectors or asset classes, especially over short periods.

Most people who hold stocks or bonds do so through funds — mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and

similar investment pools, in the United States and many other countries. Third-quarter returns for those U.S. funds are rolling in now, and nearly across the board, they reflect the poor to mediocre performance in financial markets.

Still, if your own results seem disheartening, it's important to remember that over the last year, and the last five years, the stock market has been so strong that there's a good chance your portfolio has swelled, even though bond funds have had a historically bad run recently.

The recent outperformance of energy stocks is an argument for broad diversification, using index funds that track the overall global stock and bond markets as core investments. At least that way you will receive overall market returns, even if you are surprised by global or domestic events and by the performance of specific stocks or sectors.

Bonds have been a drag on portfolio returns, but they are a classic part of a diversified portfolio because they are likely to offer some stability when the stock market plummets.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

People saving for retirement, or already in it, endured modest declines nearly across the board in funds designed expressly for them. But in a way, the funds worked as expected. Their diversified holdings generally made the recent losses mild, while maintaining solid returns over longer periods.

I'm talking about so-called target date funds — all-in-one investments that change in composition as you approach, reach or pass a designated retirement year.

Funds with a target date of 2060 or further into the future dropped 0.4 percent for the quarter — but they gained 14.2 percent over 12 months and 9.6 percent, annualized, over five years, according to Morningstar. Re-

tirement income funds, which are typically for people for whom retirement has already arrived, lost 1.6 percent. Such funds have heavy allocations to bonds, which have pulled down their returns lately. But retirement income funds gained 4.7 percent over 12 months and 3.7 percent, annualized, over five years.

Energy stock funds were among the high points in the quarter. Their average 11.6 percent return was driven in large measure by outstanding performances for oil refiners, with windfall profits because of the war. Valero Energy gained 48.9 percent over the three months, and Marathon Petro-

leum jumped 54.7 percent.

By contrast, the 1.4 percent loss for the tech funds in the Morningstar database appears to be a combined result of erratic performances for many big tech stocks along with poor choices made by many active fund managers.

For example, Alphabet lost 3.7 percent for the quarter, as some investors began to worry about the vast sums the company is pouring into A.I. infrastructure. Hewlett Packard Enterprise, a much smaller spinoff of the venerable Silicon Valley computer pioneer Hewlett-Packard, gained 41.6 percent on strong demand for A.I. services.

Large holdings in Alphabet hurt many tech funds in the quarter but contributed to great returns over longer periods. Over the five years through last month, Alphabet returned 21 percent, annualized, a magnificent performance by any measure.

Keep in mind that these various returns tell us only what has already happened, not what is about to occur. They are simply a reminder that if you invest in the right company at the right

The strong performance of energy stocks, while tech funds faltered, is an argument for diversifying broadly.

moment, you will prosper. But if you put your cash in the wrong stock or sector, you will pay the consequences.

Numerous studies of fund returns by S&P Dow Jones Indices, Morningstar and Dalbar, as well as many academics, suggest that it is extremely difficult

for most professional fund managers to make such choices correctly and consistently. That, in a nutshell, is why I remain an index fund investor, choosing to accept the market averages without trying to outperform the overall market through timing or stock selection.

That approach has worked reasonably well in recent years. Including dividends, the Vanguard S&P 500 E.T.F., which tracks the benchmark S&P 500 stock index, returned 2.3 percent for the quarter, 15.8 percent for the 12 months through last month and 13.8 percent over five years, annualized, according to FactSet.

These index returns trounced those for the average domestic stock fund in Morningstar's database, which were -1.8 percent over three months, 13.2 percent over 12 months and 9.2 percent over five years, annualized. Index funds have been beating the average domestic stock fund most of the time for more than two decades. Of course, every day and every year, there will be individual sectors, funds and stocks that do better than an index.

Moderna, for example, gained 177 percent in one day in August when it announced that it had developed, with Merck, an experimental cancer vaccine that extended the time before melanoma recurred in a clinical trial. Through Wednesday, its stock had gained more than 500 percent this year.

Bond funds have been far less impressive. Nearly all of them have been hit by rising interest rates. That's because when bond yields rise, as they have lately, prices fall, and bond funds must account for these price declines on a daily basis.

Yet many funds may benefit from these upward yield shifts now, precisely because the higher rates available for newly purchased bonds will generate a richer income stream.

THE FUTURE

Some of the most obvious bets haven't worked out for fund investors lately. The markets and the economy are volatile, making it exceedingly difficult to forecast what the future may hold.

If you are confident that you have the answer, more power to you. I'm certain that I don't, and if you're in my camp, I'd suggest that you start by making sure that you've got enough cash to protect yourself if the stock market crashes, and then layering in enough bonds to produce an adequate income stream and to buffer your stock portfolio.

Then, if your horizon is long enough — measured in years and, better yet, decades — stick with the stock market, because it has produced the best returns over the long term.

But diversify. Will energy stocks dominate in the years ahead? Will A.I. be the Big Thing propelling the stock market and the economy? We'll find out eventually.

In the meantime, hedge your bets.

Superpowers' moon race goes nuclear

MOON, FROM PAGE 1

Above, a U.S. facility established to produce high-assay low-enriched uranium, in 2023. Russia is the biggest producer of the fuel, which is in short supply in the United States. Right, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, at left, with China's top leader, Xi Jinping.
BRIAN KAISER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

the moon's surface would risk turning entire regions into no-go zones.

JADE GAO/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES

"There will always be a space race going on, and if you enter nuclear power into that mix, then it could take a potentially more dangerous turn," said Edwin Lyman, the director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

A review of technical specifications, procurement documents and academic research, along with interviews with industry insiders, government officials and critics, offers the clearest picture to date of how China, Russia and the United States are pursuing this nuclear ambition.

The records also help explain a key aspect of the Chinese-Russian space partnership, an alliance championed by Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir V. Putin.

Nuclear power appears to be the only core task that China has delegated to its partner in the lunar project. No country has more experience than Russia in this area.

It launched more than 30 reactors into orbit, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s, aboard Cold War-era satellites, and it is a leader in civilian nuclear power. Russia controls the largest supply of what is considered the safest nuclear fuel for space missions. That fuel, uranium that is not highly enriched, is in short supply in the United States.

"Russia has practically no competitors in the field of space nuclear energy," Mikhail Kovalchuk, the president of Kurchatov Institute, told the Russian news agency Tass. Kurchatov, a research agency, is helping design a lunar reactor.

NASA is playing catch-up. The agency launched a reactor in 1965 but shut it down after an unrelated spacecraft failure. The United States has spent more than \$20 billion on space nuclear programs since then but has never deployed another reactor.

The race for a lunar reactor is as much a spectacle of power as it is a matter of exploration. President Trump has declared superiority in space to be part of his “America First” agenda. Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin have made similar declarations.

NEED FOR NUCLEAR

Any permanent base on the moon requires reliable power. Nuclear reactors do not need sunlight to work, and they can be compact. With the right design, they require little human intervention, according to NASA and the Kurchatov Institute.

For the first few years, the United States and China would need only enough power to keep equipment warm and to charge rovers, vehicles that roam the surface. For that, they plan to use solar power and radioisotope power systems.

These systems convert heat from the natural radioactive decay of isotopes into electricity. The United States, Russia and China have used the systems in space already.

But an expanded lunar base would need a lot more power than those systems can generate. Solar panels would not work during cold lunar nights that stretch over two weeks of Earth time. Any power system near the moon's south pole would have to survive temperature swings between 130 and -334 degrees Fahrenheit (54 and -203 degrees Celsius).

Moscow has tasked its state-owned agencies with delivering a lunar reactor, called Selena, by 2036 to power the lunar stations led by China. Selena would generate up to 10 kilowatts of electricity and be able to operate autonomously for a decade. It would share features with an earlier reactor that was designed to operate in the Arctic.

NASA has accelerated its timeline, fearing that a Russian-Chinese reactor could establish a de facto exclusion zone on the moon.

NASA's Lunar Reactor 1 is expected to produce 20 kilowatts of electricity (roughly the power use of 16 American homes) and work for five years with no intervention.

As a first step, NASA plans to use nuclear power to propel a spacecraft to Mars in December 2028. This has never been done.

"It doesn't take anything more than a machine shop and a little bit of high explosive to turn this into a very credible weapon."

In parallel, the Pentagon intends to develop its own space reactors for deployment in orbit and on the moon, according to the White House.

Target dates have repeatedly slipped, and few experts expect the countries to meet their deadlines. Nobody has a proven lander that can lower heavy, potentially radioactive material onto bumpy lunar terrain. Nobody has ever installed a reactor in low gravity.

The moon bases have not been built, and how much electricity they would need is open to speculation. That is why experts say that all or parts of the reactor designs could change.

“Nothing is for certain right now,” said Julien de Troullioud de Lanversin, a nuclear scientist and professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

PLENTY OF RISK

The United States and Russia say their reactors would be inoperative — what scientists call unirradiated — until they arrived on the moon. This would reduce risk. Nuclear engineers say that “cold” uranium fuel poses little radioactive threat even if it tumbles to Earth.

Still, things can go wrong, especially during the controlled explosion of a rocket launch.

"This is the moment when there is a lot of risk," said Leopold Summerer, who leads a United Nations working group on nuclear power in outer space. "We had many launch failures, so we have a lot of data on what can go wrong."

Take, for example, a reactor splashing into an ocean. Water slows down neutrons, making them more likely to split atoms. This could cause havoc by making a reactor go critical, meaning it would enter a chain reaction of splitting atoms that releases radiation. The risk is real because most launchpads are near a body of water.

Nuclear experts say this probably happened in Russia in 2019, when a reactor-powered cruise missile failed and plunged into the White Sea. When researchers tried to recover it, a nuclear reaction occurred, according to the U.S. Department of State. At least five workers died. (Russia denied these claims and said the missile was not powered by a reactor.)

NASA's specifications call for a design that can prevent this outcome. Rosatom, Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company, declined to comment, saying its space program was classified. The Kurchatov Institute, which is in charge of the science, and Roscosmos, in charge of the Russian space program, did not respond to questions. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the China Manned Space Agency did not respond to questions, either.

The other risk is a malfunction that could bring the reactor back to Earth after operation. In 1978, the uncontrolled re-entry of a Russian nuclear-powered satellite, Kosmos 954, scattered radioactive matter across nearly 48,000 square miles (124,000 square kilometers) of Canada's north. After about a year of cleanup, only 0.1 percent of the satellite's power source was recovered.

In the United States, any space reactor is supposed to be reviewed by experts from seven agencies. But it is impossible to rule out accidents.

"The definition of an accident is things don't go according to plan," R.

Scott Kemp, an associate professor of nuclear science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said.

Dr. Kemp said accidents were more probable on the moon.

On Earth, reactors are cocooned inside containment structures, which would be extremely expensive and technically challenging to build on the moon. NASA has said its reactor would be shielded, though it is unclear how. The lunar reactors would likely be ringed by no-go zones to reduce radiation risk for astronauts and machines, experts said.

With little containment, even smaller accidents would produce much more radioactive fallout, Dr. Kemp said. There is no wind on the moon but, with less gravity, debris can travel far after an explosion.

On Earth, when a reactor reaches the end of its life, decommissioning is a complicated, careful process that takes years. On the moon, both NASA and the

Russian agencies say they would simply leave the radioactive material behind.

"On a race, they don't want to be bothered with a difficult problem that nobody has a solution for," Dr. de Troullioud, the nuclear scientist in Hong Kong, said.

FUEL CHALLENGE

In all its technical and procurement documents, NASA says it would use a nuclear fuel that is not highly enriched and is regarded as safest for advanced reactors. But some experts say geopolitics and a tight deadline could complicate matters.

The last space reactor NASA tested, in 2018, used highly enriched uranium, which is lighter and cheaper to launch than other fuels. But the first Trump administration discouraged using this fuel because it could end up as a nuclear weapon.

Now, NASA wants to use a fuel known as high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, which is in short supply in the United States. Russia is the biggest producer, but the United States has banned Russian uranium imports since 2024 because of the war in Ukraine.

NASA documents show that it expects the Department of Energy to allocate low-enriched fuel for space reactors. But the government itself has struggled to produce enough fuel.

The Russian-Chinese alliance has not disclosed what type of fuel would be used. Russia's older space reactors used highly enriched fuel.

"It doesn't take anything more than a machine shop and a little bit of high explosive to turn this into a very credible weapon," said Representative Bill Foster, Democrat of Illinois, a physicist who successfully discouraged the use of highly enriched uranium in space reactors.

At least one potential bidder for NASA's lunar reactor contract, Space Nuclear Power Corporation, is developing a reactor using highly enriched uranium. A company founder declined to comment, "given the competitive nature" of the upcoming projects.

The U.S. space program could be a boon for companies that make microreactors, which can generate up to 10 megawatts of electricity. These expensive reactors are too small to meet the energy demands of data centers, but they have found a niche business in space and military applications.

Last month the Pentagon selected a company, Antares, to develop and demonstrate a microreactor for space. Antares was among five companies that successfully tested reactors this summer under a program run by the Department of Energy. The company said it would bid for NASA and Pentagon contracts for lunar reactors.

Microreactors may eventually end up on the moon, but none are proven and ready. Fundamental safety questions — how to get rid of heat, how to shield the reactor, how to maintain the structural integrity — have not been fully resolved for space reactors, which must be compact and light.

"It is entirely feasible to put a reactor on the moon," said Katy Huff, who leads the department of nuclear engineering and engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But the more power needed, she said, the more challenging reactors are to build.

For all the elbowing to get there first, Dr. Huff said governments had accomplished more by working together than by competing. "I want to see more collaboration internationally in space," she said. "That is where collaborative team science has ascended beyond our grumpy international politics."

The sacred billable hour of law firms is under pressure

CONNOR ROBINSON

DEALBOOK

BY SARAH KESSLER

Outsiders often cite law as an industry under threat from artificial intelligence. But America's biggest firms are eager to show off how they've embraced the technology.

After OpenAI announced a version of its latest A.I. model for lawyers last month, for example, a handful of top-tier firms proudly unveiled new tools.

Sullivan & Cromwell introduced "Agreement Analyzer" to help review deals; Cooley brought out "Go Public," a tool for the S-1 drafting process that precedes an initial public offering; and Ropes & Gray said it was developing an A.I. tool that could "produce a detailed, issue-level diligence report in hours, not weeks."

That followed a flood of A.I. news in the legal world. In the past year, Google and Anthropic have also released A.I. tools for lawyers, law firms have begun hiring chief A.I. officers and industry giants like Kirkland & Ellis have announced big investments in the creation of their own A.I. systems.

For most businesses, a mounting perception of A.I. prowess would be a clear-cut boon. But in an industry that bills by the hour, it has ruffled some feathers.

When, clients want to know, is that A.I. efficiency going to lead to lower legal bills?

"You're getting to the point where clients are saying, 'That's great that you're using A.I. and it's making you faster, it's making you more efficient," said Neill Jakobe, the vice chairman of Ropes & Gray. But, he said, they want to know, "What does that mean for us?"

Some clients are using A.I. to make their argument for A.I. markdowns. Jennifer Leonard, the founder of Creative Lawyers, which advises law firms and corporate legal departments on adapting to A.I., said some law firms and their clients used A.I. agents to spot line items in bills where A.I. could have saved hours.

"They literally have struck that out, and say, 'I want a discount on this, we don't want to pay for this part of the work anymore,' she said. "Or, 'We know you have this new A.I. tool in house because we saw your splashy press release.'"

Kyle Poe, who as vice president of legal innovation at the legal software company Legora works with customers to plan for A.I. use in their business models, said that in-house legal teams are often asking their firms to knock 20 percent to 30 percent off the bill across the board.

Firms often push back on the requests for steep discounts. They say A.I. isn't necessarily saving that much time — at least, not yet. And that the technology is instead changing the composition of the hours, with less busy work and more substantive analysis.

Pressure from clients is arriving at the same time law firms face new, if still small, competition from so-called A.I. native law firms, which rely heavily on A.I. agents and use upfront pricing. Norm AI, a technology company with an affiliated law firm focused on financial services clients, in July raised \$260 million at a \$1.2 billion valuation from Khosla Ventures, Blackstone and Bain Capital — and it now counts those firms among its clients.

Law firms may find themselves in a bind: Using A.I. to work faster cuts billable hours, yet rates can't rise fast enough to make up the difference. But not using A.I. invites your competition to undercut you.

Many close to the legal industry believe that the law firm business model will eventually need to change. Thirty-five percent of the 55 large law firms surveyed by Citi last year said they expected to make changes to their billable hour business models in the next year because of A.I., while 65 percent said they expected to make changes by 2035.

Jeff Bleich, who serves as international special envoy for Anthropic, recently told a room full of legal professionals, "I don't think the billable hour is the solution, and we've known it for

a long time."

As A.I. makes firms more efficient, clients want discounts.

There is little immediate need for a revolution: Revenue at large firms grew more than 12 percent on average during the first six months of the year, while average standard

billing rates increased by double digits, according to Wells Fargo.

The billable hour is deeply embedded in every aspect of law firm operations, from insurance to performance management, and few working in the industry expect it to disappear entirely. Billable hours help manage risk for legal matters that require an unpredictable amount of work, so a law firm doesn't end up charging \$200,000 for a project that ends up costing it \$400,000, or vice versa.

But some of that labor is predictable. That's where A.I. native firms have focused, and where analysts see the most opportunity for disruption.

“Bespoke litigation, major transactions and urgent strategic counseling will remain largely hourly, though with tighter budget disciplines," researchers at the legal placement firm BCG Attorney Search recently wrote. "Repeatable or portfolio work will increasingly support fixed or hybrid pricing."

"I expect more firms to price the A.I.-heavy, repeatable parts of a matter in new ways and keep judgment-heavy work, like strategy, negotiation and advocacy, on the hourly model," said Leonard of Creative Lawyers, adding that firms have long charged flat fees for discrete work like trademark filings, incorporations and real estate closings.

Law firm leaders say they're increasingly open to alternative arrangements. "Will things in large law go to more fixed-price, project-based pricing, fixed-fee models? Sure," said Jon Ballis, the chairman of Kirkland & Ellis, in a July interview. "I think that is already happening a bit and I think it will continue."

Jakobe of Ropes & Gray said that the firm held a conversation with clients about A.I. use at the beginning and end of each project, walking them through where A.I. was used, what its contribution was and what can be improved. He also said that he had become more open to conversations about fixed fees. But the shift is at host graduate

But the shift is, at best, gradual.

“Nobody wants to be the first firm who really leads the way and goes out there,” Poe of Legora said. “They’re trying to prepare for the day where they do need to start to pivot. And they want to be prepared — basically they want to be able to pull the trigger if and when this happens.”

We implemented Canada's assisted dying law. We're concerned.

Madeline Li Gary Rodin

It may be the right choice eventually, but there's a risk of rushing into it and shortening what can be a meaningful period in patients' lives.

We are psychiatrists who work with patients with advanced cancer. It's no wonder, then, that when Canada legalized medical assistance in dying a decade ago, it quickly became a major topic of conversation in our clinics. We've counseled patients about the procedure and assessed whether they were eligible. One of us has administered the drugs to end patients' lives. We've also researched what leads people to choose this option. And together, we created an institutional framework that determined how one of Canada's largest medical centers would respond to requests for assisted death.

We know that medical assistance in dying can be dignified and profoundly meaningful for everyone involved. We remember a man in his 30s in our palliative care unit who, thanks to the procedure, was able to choose to die before he became even sicker and potentially lost the ability to communicate. He said a final goodbye to everyone he loved, including his 5-year-old son, and died with his wife beside him and a music therapist singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

But Canada's system for assisted death is no longer an option of last resort. Too many people are receiving the procedure without the opportunity for careful reflection about it with a health provider. In some cases, patients are being approved who should not be. Reports have emerged of people seeking assisted death in the context of poverty or loneliness, raising concerns that they may feel they have no other options. In other cases, including for many of our cancer patients, medical assistance in dying may be the right choice eventually, but there's a risk of rushing into it and shortening what can be a meaningful period in patients' lives.

Canada's medical assistance in dying program started in 2016 as an option only for patients with a “reasonably foreseeable” natural death. In 2021, Parliament removed the foreseeable death requirement. Today, Canada's system is one of the most permissive in the world, allowing assisted dying for almost any form of subjectively intolerable suffering that has a medical basis, or even for medically unexplained physical symptoms. This latitude may contribute to Canada having the fastest growth rate of assisted dying in the world, increasing 16-fold in the eight years since legalization. The procedure now accounts for over 5 percent of all deaths in the country.

How did we get here? Within the Canadian system, medical assistance in dying is the result of a decades-long campaign aimed at enshrining it as a human right — often in the face of strong pressure from groups who opposed the procedure on religious or other grounds. Activists who support the procedure are still understandably wary of anything that could make it harder to get, often warning of unnecessary “gatekeeping” that might interfere with a patient’s autonomy. These activists helped shape the laws that govern the procedure and were instrumental in supporting the first medical networks that emerged to administer it.

Perhaps as a result of this influence, many doctors have come to see their primary role to be making sure their patients meet the legal eligibility requirements to qualify for assisted dying. They must, for instance, be experiencing intolerable suffering and have the mental capacity for informed consent. The problem is that there has become far more focus on whether patients can get an assisted death and not enough on whether they should.

A study published earlier this year looked at how Canadian physicians involved in medical assistance in dying understood their role. One provider described being “just a conduit really for someone’s desires and someone’s choices.” In a separate but similar study, another provider professed to have no role in evaluating suffering — though one of the legal requirements to receive the procedure is that a clinician must confirm that the patient is experiencing intolerable suffering. Determining that degree of suffering “is entirely up to the patient — 100 percent,” that provider said.

While it is critical that patients are able to make decisions about their bodies, doctors have an important role in guiding those decisions. There is an old saying about surgeons that is apt here: Good ones know how to operate, better ones know when to operate and the best know when not to.

Our research shows that the suffering of patients with an advanced disease arises from a complex interplay of physical and psychological distress, family strain and a slow

erosion of identity and meaning. In this context, the loss of the will to live is not a fixed state. It fluctuates. It can be treated. And it can be misread.

Here's how Canada's medical assistance in dying program works: Two clinicians (either physicians or nurse practitioners) are required to approve an assisted dying request. The vast majority of cases are what is known as Track 1, in which the patient must have an illness that will lead to a “reasonably foreseeable death” (although no time frame is specified in the law). In these cases, they can request the procedure and get it quickly — sometimes even on the same day. Track 2 cases, in which the person does not have a life-threatening illness, are much less common. In these cases, patients are required to wait 90 days before receiving the procedure.

The law, however, does not require clinicians to engage in deeper conversations that explore the complex meaning of the request. We've seen cases where people request medical aid in dying in the face of a new cancer diagnosis or flare-up of an existing illness and get the procedure within a matter of days. There is no requirement in either track that patients attempt treatment to relieve their suffering. Nor does the law specify adequate safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals whose decision may

Too many people are receiving the procedure without the opportunity for careful reflection about it with a health provider.

dying in Canada were found to meet the criterion of “intolerable suffering” and over 92 percent were approved for the procedure.

In contrast, in the Netherlands, which legalized medical assistance in dying nearly 25 years ago, it's common

be affected by social disadvantage.

for cases to be rejected because a doctor judged that the patient's suffering was not unbearable or that they did not pursue alternate treatment options.

We wonder whether inadequate consideration of such factors helps explain why in 2024, 98 percent of people assessed for medical assistance in

We've seen how beneficial it is to pause and reflect with our own patients. One of them, a woman in her 70s, was the matriarch of her family, the one who made Sunday dinners. She sought and received approval for assisted dying after she lost the ability to cook. She felt she had lost her value to her family. Through counseling, she came to understand that her family valued who she was, not what she did for them. She decided not to go through with ending her life, at least for now. That Christmas, her family gathered and she sat proudly at the table, while others did the cooking and serving.

Another patient, a man in his 80s, refused a new treatment that might extend his life and instead requested and was approved for assisted dying. He survived the Holocaust as a child and viewed the freedom to choose the timing of his own death as a way of reclaiming what Hitler had taken away from his parents. However, his living family's grief mattered to him, too, and they had concerns about him giving up too soon. With counseling, he chose to delay. Months later, he had adapted to his illness and continued to find meaning in his life. Eventually he got sicker and Dr. Li told him he was at risk of losing capacity to consent to assisted dying. This time, he chose the procedure, fully supported and surrounded by his family.

Cases like this are not arguments against assisted dying, and we do not seek to dissuade patients from going forward with the procedure. We are arguing instead that medical providers pause, that they help their patients (in both Track 1 and Track 2) consider and truly understand alternatives that might relieve their suffering and allow them the possibility of more time to live meaningfully.

Physicians are expected to explore what is driving a patient's stated preference, whether it might change and what alternatives exist. This is called shared decision-making. It is standard practice in medicine — except for assisted dying in Canada.

What form should that pause take? We do not believe patients requesting assisted dying need to be assessed for a psychiatric disorder as a matter of course. We do, however, find that most benefit from counseling and reflective conversations. Unfortunately, psychological care of this kind for patients requesting assisted dying is not routinely offered by doctors or other health care providers, nor is it routinely covered by insurance. It should be the standard of care and fully funded.

A society that permits assisted dying should also ask whether it has done enough to help people sustain their sense of dignity and meaning in life. Death must not become the only kind of relief people can imagine.

We have developed and demonstrated the effectiveness of one such approach, which we have called Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully, or CALM. This approach helps patients with advanced cancer sustain engagement in life, while approaching and preparing for the end of life.

MADELINE LI and GARY RODIN are professors of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

A cemetery in the Lanaudière region of Quebec. The area records the highest rate of medically assisted dying in Quebec, the Canadian province with the highest use of the practice in the world. The procedure now accounts for over 5 percent of all deaths in Canada.
HUBERT HAYAUD FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

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Trump's speech is getting filthier. It's about escalation.

John McWhorter

President Trump has been especially potty-mouthed lately. In his second term, he has used significantly more profanity in public than in his first, according to an analysis by The Washington Post in May. Just last week we were treated to him telling interviewers from Time, “You haven’t asked me one positive question” — but dropping an F-bomb to modify “positive” — and at a rally in Ohio calling Democrats “dumb son of a bitches” and saying he was “working my ass off.”

At that same rally he made another gluteal reference of a more pugnacious nature when he said that a Republican victory would “shove it up” Democrats’ something or other.

We would have predicted that he would progress to more piquant profanity.

Some have argued that the uptick in Trump's lexical filth is a symptom of cognitive decline, a disinhibition suggestive of dementia. I doubt it. The

increase in his use of profanity is what you would expect, given how language works.

When we use language, we often want to get and keep people's attention. But the words and expressions we use to do that can lose their force over time. They require freshening up. This is how you get nonsensical words like "irregardless," where "regardless" alone should do the trick but the "ir-" gets tacked on for added punch — the extra rhythmic omph of "irrespective." "Advance warning," "close proximity" and "final outcome" are similar cases: redundancies from a logical point of view but useful for vividness.

Trump has always been fond of “damn” and “hell,” which were part of his populist shtick from the outset. So we would have predicted that he would progress to more piquant profanity.

In this way, Trump's public speech retraces the evolution of popular profanity over the past hundred years. In the early 20th century, religion-related terms like "hell" were people's "hit your thumb with a hammer" words. A woman having repeated trouble with her glasses in the 1929 film musical "Glorifying the American Girl" keeps saying "damn it!" — as did film stars in blooper reels from that era.

But by the 1960s, things had changed. My parents' "hit your thumb" profanity of choice began with an "s." To me (born 1965), that is a tad tame, and I go for the F-bomb, which is common among people my age and younger.

Profanity is all about escalation. "Damn" is reinforced as "goddamn," with "bull" modifying the S-word and "mother" serving an analogous purpose for the F-bomb.

That said, it's highly unlikely that Trump will turn up the volume much more when it comes to bad words. In English, profanity comes in three stages

FROM READERS

Getting philosophical about A.I. Re “Philosophers and a need for moral A.I.,” by Simon Critchley (Opinion, Sept. 27):

Dr. Critchley's essay is a breath of fresh air in the storm of doom around artificial intelligence, and I thank him for it. The doom is still lurking there, of course, but as he notes, humanity has been down this road before — trading effort and humility for convenience and power. We always choose the latter, and we will again.

Now, our ability to engage in “a trained skepticism toward our own enthusiasms,” as Dr. Critchley put it, is being severely tested. My fear is that the efforts of philosophers and social scientists, no matter whom they work for, will be overwhelmed by economic forces, corruption and the incredible difficulty of understanding what we have created — our hubris unleashed — until some disaster brings us to our senses.

GARY A. GIGLIOTTI, DAYTON, N.J.

of shock value. Stage 1 is blasphemous words. “Damn” and “hell” were once considered such strong drink that in the 19th-century opera “H.M.S. Pinafore,” the captain prides himself on never saying “damn” (or hardly ever, he admits). Today, in our less pious age, those are mild expletives at best.

Stage 2 is sexual or graphic words about the body, and Trump revels in those. We will recall a notorious comment of his about grabbing women by a certain body part and his scatological characterization of countries such as Haiti and El Salvador. But these sorts of words, which are used publicly today much more than in the past, now qualify more as salty or tasteless than genuinely taboo.

Stage 3 is racial and other slurs against groups. Though Trump has been accused of using the N-word, he has long avoided using slurs in public. We can, of course, expect him to push the envelope. Indeed, just this week he used an anti-transgender slur when referring to Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee for the Senate in South Carolina. But it's notable that Andrews, who has expressed support for transgender youth, is not transgender herself. I'm willing to bet that Trump wouldn't use that slur in public to refer to a transgender person like Sarah McBride, the congresswoman from Delaware, just as I wouldn't expect him to use a homophobic slur to publicly attack a gay opponent.

Today, it is such words that qualify as truly profane. We often think of slurs as distinct from swear words, but it's an indication that they are, in fact, today's profanity that even someone as heedless of etiquette, decorum, restraint and reflection as Trump has tended to avoid them.

Because the Stage 1 and Stage 2 words are now more naughty than profane,

PABLO DELCAN

Trump uses them to thumb his nose at propriety. In this, he is like an 11-year-old, snapping towels at people in the locker room — and snapping them ever more to get a rise out of the people looking on.

Yet he does not typically risk Stage 3 profanity. Amid his staggering megalomania and chronic logorrhea, Trump, if only for pragmatic purposes, maintains a twinkle of — of all things — decorum.

JOHN MCWHORTER is an associate professor of linguistics at Columbia University.

Simon Critchley argues that A.I. companies need philosophers because machines can remember, but cannot judge: They cannot weigh, discriminate or know what should be forgotten.

I agree, but I would go one step further. A.I. companies also need theologians — not to teach machines about God, but to help them understand us.

Medieval theologians such as Hugh of St. Victor, Bernard of Clairvaux, Pope Innocent III and William Peraldus spent their lives studying what happens when pride, envy, anger or greed begin to govern the heart. Their question was not whether a person could reason, but what that reason was serving. That distinction matters.

A chatbot can become good at helping an angry person rationalize anger, an envious person justify envy or a proud person explain why others have failed to recognize his worth. The danger is not that A.I. will commit the seven deadly sins. It is that it may become competent at serving ours.
XAVI DELGADO, BARCELONA, SPAIN

A superb American artist is finally getting her due

Mary Gabriel

POLLOCK-KRASNER FOUNDATION/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NY, VIA WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
Lee Krasner, "The Seasons," 1957. After Jackson Pollock's tragic death in 1956, Krasner's work grew in size and statement. The Times's critic, John Russell, called this nearly 17-foot-long painting "one of the most remarkable American paintings of its date."

In 2019, I had the great pleasure of seeing a retrospective of Lee Krasner's work at the Barbican Art Gallery in London. I arrived relieved that this pioneer Abstract Expressionist painter was finally being given the breadth of exhibition that she deserved. And the paintings did not disappoint. They were so emphatic, so alive, that I left breathless.

Even though I had written about Krasner in my book on female artists, studied her extensively over a period of seven years and respected her greatly, I wasn't prepared for her power. The artist herself

— her joy, her pain, her sensuality, her anger, her defiance — exploded across canvases that covered a half-century of work.

Krasner was married to the artist Jackson Pollock, and I admit that I had in the past viewed her output as weaker than his. I rationalized that my failure to recognize the majesty of Krasner's work was simply because it wasn't often shown. Museums kept so much of her work in storage — as they do with most artists — and private collectors kept it from public view.

Try as I might to dismiss my own oversight, however, I was haunted by another, more disturbing explanation: Such is the strength of historical prejudices against married female artists that I — unwittingly — had succumbed to them, too.

Krasner and Pollock were, in mid-20th-century New York, at the heart of the artistic movement that would become Abstract Expressionism. At that time, the only label more detrimental to a talented artist's career than "woman" was the handle "wife."

Indeed, when a female artist was married to a man who also made art, critics, curators, art dealers and historians reflexively dismissed her as, at best, an acolyte, and at worst, a hobbyist.

The result of that disregard is a woefully familiar narrative: The heroic male artist is supported (financially, emotionally and thus creatively) by a faceless figure — “the artist’s wife” — who, having sacrificed her own creative aspirations, basks gratefully in the glow of his genius.

The history of art — not the history as it is taught, but as it was lived — is full of women who did not sacrifice themselves. It is the story of audacious, fierce individuals who dared to be their artist selves and be a wife, a lover, in short, whoever they wanted and needed to be, no matter the difficulties — women like Louise Bourgeois, Dorothea Tanning, Ruth Asawa and, of course, Lee Krasner.

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART is, embracing that part of Krasner's story by exhibiting her with Pollock, in the first major joint retrospective of their work (through Jan. 31). It is a daring decision because exhibiting a wife and husband — with the loaded social connotations attached to both roles — risks devaluing her.

It is also a brilliant decision. Only by being exhibited alongside Pollock can Krasner fully and finally emerge from her husband's shadow. In the Met exhibition, Krasner is revealed to be the painter she was at the beginning of her decades-long artistic journey: his equal.

In the 1930s and early 1940s, Krasner was the highest-profile woman in the tiny group of artists who would foment the Abstract Expressionist revolution. In a catalog essay for a seminal 2016 exhibition on Abstract Expressionist women, the historian Robert Hobbs wrote that critics and art historians have recognized her as the “sole exception” to the widely held belief that the early part of the movement was a male endeavor.

It seemed that everyone in the New York art community knew her, and many feared her. She was unashamedly powerful: as an artist, appearing in major group exhibitions featuring the nascent abstract movement; as an activist, organizing protests on behalf of artists' rights; and as a curator of talent, helping newcomers, like the cowboy painter Pollock or the fledgling art critic Clement Greenberg, find their way onto the scene.

Krasner saw herself, and was seen by her male colleagues, as their peer in art and in life. Not that they had a choice; she demanded nothing less. Her painter friend Fritz Bultman called her “a general marvelous pain in the ass.”

Yet in the subsequent popular history of midcentury America — in the 2000 film “Pollock” and the 900-plus-page biography “Jackson Pollock: An American Saga,” for example — Krasner could be viewed as a mere supporting character: the long-suffering, enabler wife who happened to be a painter in her own right. Those six grating words, supposedly a sign of respect, allowed whoever expressed them to acknowledge, but then discount, the woman as an artist.

Krasner's life changed in every way after she married Pollock in 1945 at the age of 36. She became two people: Lee Krasner, the artist, and Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock's caretaker. Luckily, she was strong enough to simultaneously wrestle with her canvases and battle his legion of demons (destructive rage,

depression and alcoholism) so that he could work, too. For a few critical years, before the burden of caring for Pollock became too great even for her, she succeeded. During that period, together in their farmhouse in Springs, East Hampton, they would help change the history of art.

IT WOULD TAKE YEARS for the American art establishment, preoccupied as it was with European art, to awaken to the extraordinary work being done by artists in New York. A 1949 Life magazine spread headlined “Jackson Pollock: Is He the Greatest Living Painter in the United States?” proved a catalyst. Looking for an answer to that intentionally provocative question, some critics made the journey to Springs to find out.

Because those visitors were late arrivals to the movement, they didn't know its history, which meant they didn't know Krasner's place in it. Dealers, collectors and curators accepted the coffee she served when they dared to

Only by being exhibited alongside her husband, Jackson Pollock, can Lee Krasner fully and finally emerge from his shadow.

visit Pollock, whose personality some found to be as terrifying as his work, but they utterly ignored her paintings hanging on the walls around them. To them, she was just another wife who dabbled in paint.

Female friends of Krasner's

watched in dismay as the artist they admired disappeared into a role much too small for her. One said it was like watching “a ballerina being diminished.” The painter Charlotte Park said, “Lee was her own woman before and after Pollock, but not during.” Krasner was too savvy not to recognize what was happening, but she was also too much an artist to care. “I went about my business,” she said. “I am painting.”

There is art, and there is a career in art. Krasner chose the former, which she considered more spiritually enriching, continuing to work for decades, mostly quietly, without an audience. And she was not alone.

For many of Krasner's contemporaries — Perle Fine, Anne Ryan, Hedda Sterne, Michael (Corinne) West, to name a few — money and fame weren't motivating factors because they weren't even within the realm of possibility. With paths to a professional career largely blocked by a gallery system imbued with the myth that only men were serious artists, their work was wonderfully untainted by the concerns of commerce.

Self-realization was its own reward.

But that course also wasn't easy. Some of the women in Krasner's circle succumbed to the demands of their relationships. But others risked their lives to save their creative selves.

Dorothy Dehner, for example, who was part of the artistic milieu in New York along with Krasner, drew and painted, but when she began sculpting, she did so in secret, destroying what she had made out of fear of provoking her sculptor husband David Smith's jealous wrath. To no avail. A fight, during which she suffered several broken ribs, proved a turning point. She left Smith in 1950, divorced him in 1952 and, in 1955, began a 40-year career sculpting in bronze, wood and steel. She also married a new, supportive husband — not an artist.

IN THEIR EFFORTS to survive as artists, there were as many choices to be made as there were women making them. The painter Grace Hartigan, who became part of the Abstract Expressionist scene beginning in the late 1940s, was a powerful and extreme example of both the decisions women were forced to make and the stakes of those decisions.

During her first years in New York, though Hartigan was broke and had only begun to think of herself as an artist, she would marry and just as quickly shed three husbands — and an older lover — in order to free herself from emotional entanglements that might distract from painting.

It worked. In 1953, she became the first artist of her generation — male or female — to have a painting in the Museum of Modern Art. To achieve that goal, however, she took a step that most female artists would not (though men in her position often did): She relinquished her only child to be raised by his father in California.

It fell to women to decide if they could be good mothers and good artists. Did the creative drive and attention one needed to be an artist preclude that possibility? Was it fair to subject a child to the material deprivation that, for all but a very lucky few, was guaranteed to afflict a woman in art? After trying to raise her son on her own, Hartigan believed not, but many other women found a way.

Among the artist-mothers working in New York at midcentury, Alice Neel, a mother of four, painted while her children slept. The sculptor Lila Katzen spent her days with her two children and worked in her home studio from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. Jane Freilicher painted seven days a week, from noon until 6 p.m., and established an open-door studio policy so that her daughter, from the time she was a toddler, could drop in.

“She had a cot, and I would lie there and draw or listen to the radio with her,” her daughter, the painter Elizabeth Hazan, said. When Elizabeth was 10, Freilicher began asking her daughter’s advice on her work. “‘Do you think this sits right over here?’’ ‘Do you think this is finished?’” Ms. Hazan, who now has children of her own, said. “I think that by knowing herself well, what she needed for her painting, the rhythm she wanted, she was able to make it all work.”

As did Freilicher's contemporary Jane Wilson. "My mother almost seamlessly blended her home life with her work as an artist," recalled Wilson's daughter, Julia Gruen. "I have a vivid memory of being held, curled up against her left side, as she painted at her easel with her right hand. The smell of oil paint and turpentine still brings back that memory."

IS IT POSSIBLE to be a serious artist and a serious artist's wife today? Though the answer for each artist is different, the broad answer is yes. Thanks go to the women of Krasner's generation and the next — artists like Elaine de Kooning and Helen Frankenthaler — who claimed the right to be their artist selves however they could, whatever the cost.

Nancy Rubins, who was born in the 1950s, is an inheritor of their legacy, creating massive outdoor sculptures that began appearing throughout the United States in the 1980s. Though she married Chris Burden, an artist better established than she, she was never cast as an artist's wife. Instead, she and Burden represented a refreshing art-world dynamic that began to appear in the 1970s: the artist couple. "In our time together, in our relationship, things were equal," Ms. Rubins said. "I think the impact we had on each other's lives

— that we were able to be very dear to each other — helped us evolve in ways that I don't know if I would have if I was left alone, or he would have if he was left alone."

One could have said the same thing about Krasner and Pollock.

Art-world recognition came late for Krasner. From the mid-1950s on, despite assuming the heavy responsibility of protecting Pollock's legacy after his tragic death in 1956 and the profound grief that followed, her work grew in size and raucous, glorious statement. The Times's critic, John Russell, called Krasner's nearly 17-foot-long 1957 painting "The Seasons" "one of the most remarkable American paintings of its date." Galleries and museums took notice, offering her solo shows around the world, including, shortly after her death, a retrospective in 1984 at the Museum of Modern Art.

But if the market is used to gauge significance, Krasner continues to register far behind her husband. In 2019, her transformative 1960 painting “The Eye Is the First Circle” sold for a personal record of \$11.6 million at auction. This year, Pollock’s lyrical work “No. 7A, 1948” was auctioned for \$181.2 million. According to the Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting, women account for only 37 percent of gallery sales, and earn less than men for their work.

Remarkably, it appears, collectors cling to the antiquated notion that a painting by a man is inherently more worthy of investment than one by a woman. That's true even for a figure of historical importance like Lee Krasner, and despite the fact that art-world recognition of her and her contemporaries has grown tremendously in the past decade.

Walking into the Metropolitan Museum exhibit this fall, visitors will meet Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock as they lived, side by side, and experience the artistic apocalypse that she and he created together. We may also be able to finally put to rest the myth of Lee Krasner, the artist's wife, and see the legend of Lee Krasner, the artist.

MARY GABRIEL is the author of five biographies, including "Love and Capital: Karl and Jenny Marx and the Birth of a Revolution."

LARRY LARKIN, VIA ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART
Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock in his studio in Springs, N.Y., in 1950. Her female friends watched the artist they admired disappear into a role much too small for her.

Jensen Huang thinks A.I. is going great

Jensen Huang, the chief executive of Nvidia, silhouetted against a giant screen at the Nvidia GTC conference in San Jose, Calif., in 2025.
LOREN ELLIOTT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Stephen Witt

At the recent White House tech summit, Jensen Huang, the chief executive of Nvidia, sat in the chair next to President Trump — his literal right-hand man. Later that day, Mr. Huang used the term “super intelligence,” just as the president prefers. In the aftermath of this summer’s rogue A.I. attacks, Mr. Huang has emerged as a leading skeptic of the danger this technology poses. As his biographer, I understand why he dismisses the risk. I also worry that he’s not seeing the whole picture.

When I first interviewed him, Mr. Huang told me that every problem — business, personal, whatever — is actually an engineering problem: You study the inputs, you study the constraints and then you get the outputs that you want. While writing his biography, I watched Mr. Huang put this approach into action. He engineers his business to ensure that Nvidia will be the default platform in industries like robotics and health care. He engineers his products to be better than the competition's. And in 2025, he began to engineer the president of the United States.

Before Mr. Trump, Mr. Huang didn't show much interest in politics. Now Mr. Trump and Mr. Huang talk on the phone often and seem to have a genuine personal rapport — Mr. Trump even picked him up in Alaska to go to China on Air Force One. Mr. Trump wants to be close to Mr. Huang because the president likes winners — and Jensen Huang is the biggest winner of all. Since its inception in a Denny's restaurant in 1993, Nvidia has grown to become the most valuable company in American history, even taking inflation into account.

Driving the growth is the unprecedented data center boom behind A.I., which Mr. Huang has termed a “new industrial revolution.” Data centers can hold thousands of tall metal cabinets called “racks” that wire together dozens of Nvidia microchips into a modular computing unit. A new rack, about the size of a refrigerator, can cost around \$8 million and, by some estimates, can draw more power than 70 single-family homes. In 2026, Nvidia will net around a quarter of a trillion dollars selling this and similar equipment.

The data center boom has made Mr. Huang the emperor of A.I. — the other big tech companies are borrowing money to access his products. It is a testament to Mr. Huang's engineering prowess that no competitors have yet managed to gain significant market share in Nvidia's core business of A.I. chips. Engineers simply prefer Nvidia. These are the self-described “systems guys” responsible for implementing A.I. at the circuit-board level.

Mr. Huang is himself a systems guy and that informs his view of A.I. I've interviewed at least a hundred GPU engineers by this point, and I have yet to meet one who was seriously concerned about runaway A.I. On the other hand, most of the software engineers I talk to are extremely concerned. Bill Gates recently warned that A.I. could kill one billion humans.

The situation is baffling: here are two groups of rational, high-IQ technical experts looking at the same data

Our fate may very well be in the hands of the most powerful engineer on earth.

and reaching totally opposite conclusions. It reminds of the viral image "The Dress," where some people saw blue and black, and some people saw white and gold. Here is what I think is going on: the basis of modern

A.I. is the neural net, which draws direct inspiration from biology. In fact, a modern A.I. consists of many billions of artificial neurons, simulated in computer code. Thus, to the software experts, a modern A.I. looks something like a mass of undifferentiated brain tissue, mysterious and fundamentally difficult to control.

But that's not how the hardware guys see it. They draw a clear distinction between actual neurons — which are biological cells that can be unpredictable — and synthetic neurons, which are simple mathematical models whose behavior can be forecast with perfect accuracy. When you work from the microchip up, maintaining control of A.I. is an engineering problem, and governed by the same input/output constraints as any other. To the A.I. doomer skeptics, safe A.I. is a math equation — or, in Mr. Huang's words, just "software."

When Mr. Huang began studying electrical engineering in the early 1980s, microchips had tens of thousands of components on them, and were typically designed by hand on paper. Today they can have more than a hundred billion components, and are designed using specialized software with assistance from A.I. Mr. Huang, at 63, has personally managed this exponential growth in capability. His generation of engineers built the tools to ensure that the hyper-complex microchip remains something that humans can interpret and control.

As a hardware guy, Mr. Huang spends more time in Asia than most Western tech C.E.O.s. He was born in Taiwan; his native language is Taiwanese, and Nvidia is building a satellite

headquarters in Taipei. Mr. Huang is also supportive of mainland Chinese A.I. developers. I believe this also influences his thinking, as East Asia is much more optimistic about A.I. than is the United States. When I do speaking events in Asia, I never get questions about A.I. risk. In the United States, it's the most common thing people bring up.

So perhaps it is unsurprising that Mr. Huang believes he can make the artificial neuron safe. From his point of view, if you can see every calculation the machine does, right in front of you, then the machine should remain entirely within your control. If the ma-

chine is misbehaving — well, that's your fault. All you need is better engineering. He knows it can be done.

Thus Mr. Huang has dismissed all calls for any slowdown in A.I., or any regulations that would impede development of the technology. “There is 0 percent chance that’s going to be the end of the world,” he said in an interview with CBS News. At a Goldman Sachs conference last month, he suggested that cyber-security concerns were a marketing tactic. “What better way to create demand than to create a problem?” he asked. He also has suggested that the profit motive alone will be sufficient to incentivize companies

to make A.I. safe.

Mr. Huang has succeeded in getting Mr. Trump to parrot his talking points. In September, Mr. Trump called Mr. Huang while he was onstage at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles. He put the president on speaker, then held a microphone up to his phone, broadcasting to the audience Mr. Trump's claims that any talk of risks to human life from A.I. was a "hoax." "The robots are not going to be taking over the world," the president said, following a round of applause.

The phone call, which had the feel of an orchestrated publicity stunt, was a public declaration of Mr. Trump's resistance to A.I. regulation. But where others saw the president taking a forceful stand, I saw Mr. Huang engineering the president. The input was shameless public flattery: in the phone call, Mr. Huang called Mr. Trump "sir," praised Mr. Trump's intellect ("You know so much about A.I.") and stoked Mr. Trump's bottomless need for validation. ("Did you hear that? Thousands of people are clapping for you.") And the output? Little regulation on A.I. and freedom to export some of Nvidia's hardware to China, and whatever else Mr. Huang wants.

This situation worries me. Mr. Huang is the most capable individual I have ever met — but, I fear, A.I. is more capable still. I suspect that the capabilities exist, today, for A.I. to enhance dangerous pathogens and to shut down electrical grids. At the same time, the science of interpreting and controlling A.I. is years behind the science of making it smarter. At a granular level, we can control the behavior of synthetic neurons, but technologists can't currently explain how these neurons coordinate to produce intelligence. That gap in understanding is widening, and I don't know if Mr. Huang can see it.

The future, even in the best-case scenario, will be extremely disorienting. But maybe it will be awesome. Maybe I will live to be 205. Whatever happens, it will happen because of the decisions and guidance of a singular, extraordinary man who directs the future of A.I. and much else besides. Engineering is powerful — and today, Mr. Huang is the most powerful engineer alive.

STEPHEN WITT is the author of "The Thinking Machine," a history of the A.I. giant Nvidia.

Reassessing choke-point diplomacy

FROMAN, FROM PAGE 1

FROMAN, FROM PAGE 1 tolls on the ships allowed to navigate it to exact a price and disrupt the global economy. Despite being overmatched militarily, Iran has been able to shift the primary focus of negotiations with the United States from its nuclear, missile and regional aspirations to the reopening of the strait itself — back to square one, the status quo ante.

We are already seeing, however, that Iran has overplayed its hand. That's because international relations in all forms follow a key law of physics: Every action produces a reaction. If your nation weaponizes a choke point, mine will accelerate efforts to shift away from that dependency.

In the case of the Strait of Hormuz, countries are rapidly rerouting oil flows to reduce their dependence on that waterway. On the demand side, China has cut oil imports as it electrifies its economy. On the supply side, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other states in the region are quickly expanding their network of pipelines and alternative ports.

About 40 percent of the region's crude is already being transported without transiting the strait, compared with just 17 percent before the war, according to the data-analytics platform Kpler. Of course, pipelines and ports could be vulnerable to Iranian missiles and drones, as we have seen, and more than oil gets exported through the strait, but Iran might well find that its leverage is now a wasting and transitory asset.

The resistance to China's choke points is also building, after Beijing's actions last year prompted many countries to begin working furiously to reduce their dependence on its critical minerals and magnets. The Trump administration says it has approved critical minerals deals totaling over \$40 billion since January 2025. The administration has also launched a multilateral forum to build a durable and efficient critical minerals supply chain that's insulated from China's

Economic statecraft could learn a few things from nuclear statecraft: Choke points are most potent as deterrents.

reach. There's technological innovation, too: The U.S. is making progress developing high-powered magnets that don't rely on such minerals.

Minerals and magnets are only a few of the products that China could turn into a choke point. It also controls production of pharmaceuti-

cal ingredients needed to produce many common drugs. That, too, is driving a meaningful effort to reduce risk and selectively decouple from China's economy. As a result, China could see its choke-point strategies lose some of their potency over time as well.

Economic statecraft, then, could learn a few things from nuclear statecraft: Choke points are most potent as deterrents.

BENNY DOUET

The dollar may prove a more durable choke point than supply chains or geography. Most international transactions of oil, grains, metals and other vital commodities are still conducted in dollars, and targets of U.S. sanctions have struggled to settle their trading without using the U.S. currency. After the United States sanctioned Russia for its invasion of Crimea in 2014, Russia developed its own domestic payment system, but still found itself stymied in international transactions with its access to dollar-based institutions restricted.

Nevertheless, even nations on good terms with the United States have been trying to diversify away from their dollar holdings. The dollar's share of global foreign exchange reserves is gradually diminishing, from more than 70 percent in 2000 to 57 percent today; meanwhile, China has been buying a lot of gold and is increasingly settling its bilateral goods trade in renminbi, to roughly 28 percent in 2025 from 11 percent in 2017.

Still, there's no viable alternative to the dollar. European capital markets are too fragmented for the euro to play a central role as a reserve currency. And the renminbi can't supplant the dollar unless China adopts a series of reforms, including lifting capital controls, something that would run counter to the leadership's inclination to keep a tight rein. As a result, while Iran and China might well see their leverage wane over time, the dollar could endure.

That is, if the United States doesn't undermine its own advantage.

The Trump administration has used access to the U.S. market as a cudgel, in the form of tariffs. But its tariffs have persuaded trading partners such as Canada to rewire their relationships and explore alternative markets. Significant further erosion of dollar holdings by central banks, or a meaningful increase in trade in other currencies, could raise the interest rates the United States has to pay on its Treasury bonds, making repaying that debt more expensive.

The United States would also undermine the dollar if it continues to run up unsustainable deficits and debt. Already at \$40 trillion, or more than 120 percent of our G.D.P., our debt is the greatest threat to dollar centrality and, by extension, to America's ability to use the dollar as leverage.

But the United States remains the world's largest, most resilient and most innovative economy, and the most important step it can take to prevail in the choke-point chess game is to do no harm — especially self-harm.

MICHAEL FROMAN is the president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former deputy national security adviser and U.S. trade representative.

Can you spot the pangram? Play 🍻 Spelling Bee from anywhere.

nytimes.com/spellingbee

The New York Times

Singapore Grand Prix

A former driver returns to the pit wall

REGIS DUVIGNAU/REUTERS

Allan McNish, who retired 13 years ago, is now Audi's racing director

BY IAN PARKES

Allan McNish is a rarity in Formula 1.

Anan McNish is a rarity in Formula 1. For 17 years, McNish enjoyed a motorsport career at the highest level. He was a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Endurance Champion in 2013. He also drove in Formula 1 in Toyota's debut season in 2002.

Thirteen years after he retired from racing, McNish is on the pit wall in Formula 1 with Audi, as its racing director. Few former drivers make such a transition.

"I'm not sure they all have the ambition, the desire and the energy to do it," McNish said in an interview in September. "It's like footballers — not every good football player moves into coaching or management.

“Personally, I like racing, the competition, the hard edge of when the checkered flag falls, you're either there or you're not. It's then a process of everybody working together to make sure it's better next time. That's where the drive comes from that maybe some others don't have.”

McNish is no stranger to Audi. He spent 11 years with the manufacturer, winning two of his three Le Mans titles and the W.E.C., after which he retired.

He remained loyal to Audi, taking on a director role in its Group Motorsport division, before leading it to the constructors' title in its debut season in Formula E in 2017-18 as team principal.

When Audi announced its entry into Formula 1 in 2022, McNish became a senior consultant. In January, he was appointed director of the driver development program before taking on his current role in May.

“Was it on my agenda? No, not really,” he said. “But when an opportunity arises to be a part of an F1 team at this level, it’s not something that happens twice in your lifetime. You have to take these opportunities when you can.

"And there were two things: One is

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that, having been involved from the beginning, seeing it grow, I know where it can go. The second part is in understanding Audi for such a long period of time, when they commit, they commit. That gave me an element of confidence that we're on the right journey."

Supporting Mattia Binotto, chief executive and team principal, in Audi's debut Formula 1 season, McNish oversees sporting matters, engineering coordination, driver management, race strategy and garage operations.

After Jonathan Wheatley resigned as team principal in March, the team took time to consider its structure before creating the new role of racing director. Binotto said McNish was “an easy plugin,” someone he could “fully trust.”

“First, Allan is a great person,” he said. “He’s been a great driver. He knows Audi very well. He knows racing, what it’s about. He understands the driver’s language, and he knows what it means being on the pit wall, not only because he has been a driver, but he has been a team principal in Formula E."

Starting at the Miami Grand Prix in May, McNish said he was “thrown in at the deep end.” Five months on, he is still learning on the job.

"There are areas of it that I walked into and understood straight away, and then there were areas where I had to get my feet under the table," he said. "There are still areas that I need to work on and learn a little bit more myself. Every day's a school day."

As a driver with a title-winning pedigree, McNish at least has the ear of the drivers, Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, and can relate to what they are going through. In return, he has their respect. Hülkenberg said McNish's role was "very fitting."

"Allan's been with Audi for a very long time," he said. "He's been with us inside the F1 project and team from the beginning, and as an ex-driver, he has a lot of motorsport experience."

Agreeing it was good to have McNish as a sounding board, Bortoleto said: "There are no doubts about what he achieved in his career. He's one of the legends of the sport and legends of Audi, so it's good to have him in the team."

From the pit wall or in a debrief, McNish said he could appreciate the information provided by the drivers.

"I do think it helps at times, me being in a position where I've lived through some of those moments that they are going through as a driver, or in terms of the car and the way it's reacting, because I can support in some of those areas," McNish said.

The start to the season was difficult, but the team has scored points in five of the last eight Grands Prix to sit eighth in the constructors' championship. Its best finish has been eighth three times.

McNish said Audi had come through its “trials and tribulations” of being a new team and was performing better than expected in some areas, but a repeat of last year's rare podium was some way off.

In the team's former guise as Sauber, Hülkenberg finished third in the British Grand Prix. It was his maiden podium and the team's first for 13 years.

"If an opportunity comes up, as it did for Nico, we need to be ready to be able to take that," McNish said. "I think we're moving in that direction, but I don't think we're strong enough yet because we're still quite fresh in depth."

For Audi, this season is the first of an initial five-year journey, at the end of which it hopes to achieve its aim of fighting for a championship. McNish said there was a lot of work to do before then, but he felt it was “a realistic target.”

"We know where the benchmark is, and we want to be up there, but it takes time to develop a team and technology," he said. "I would say we're at the bottom rung of the ladder at the moment, but we certainly can look up and see where the future could be."

Transition Above left, Allan McNish, the racing director of Audi, ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain in Madrid on Sept. 10, and right, warming up before the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013, when he was in the driver's seat.

Solving a Formula 1 puzzle

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RYAN PIERSE/GETTY IMAGES
BRYN LENNON/GETTY IMAGES

Racing schedules that can take years to plan can be upended in moments

BY PHILLIP HORTON

Formula 1 holds 24 Grands Prix annually in 21 countries. Compiling a schedule that is manageable logistically and also profitable is almost as complicated as moving an army from front to front.

“Other leagues play in one country, or are there every four years,” said Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1 president and chief executive, in an interview last month. “We are there around the world every year in quite an intense way. We are the only sport that when you move, it’s not with two coaches and 20 players, we have thousands of people and tons and tons of material. It’s not trivial.”

Formula 1 strives to regionalize its calendar, focused on a European midseason, with Grands Prix in Australia, the Americas and Asia bookending it.

“Twenty-four races, piecing them all together, is probably one of the hardest things we do,” said Liam Parker, chief communications and corporate relations officer of Formula 1, in an interview. “You’ve climate, you have to do certain things at certain times of the year — certain places are raining like hell, frozen, or so hot you’d be well beyond driver heat hazards.

“You have national holidays — Ramadan in the Middle East is a good example — and then among that there’s a drive to be more sustainable. And cannibalization,” he said, referring to one Grand Prix taking an audience from another: “In an ideal world you’d say, ‘Why don’t you do Austin, Las Vegas, Miami all next to each other, with Canada just before, then Mexico and Brazil.’ But you’d probably see quite a significant amount of cannibalization, plus does it work to shut Las Vegas down at that time? Are the Miami Dolphins playing football at that time?”

pan's round was shifted from fall to spring in 2024. The sport must talk to the promoters "a year or two" in advance to alleviate any concerns that a date change may impact sales.

The schedule is discussed with race promoters, particularly around date changes. Canada's Grand Prix moved from June to May this year, while Ja-

Formula 1 must also consider the human factor and a work-life balance for personnel, the majority of whom are Europe-based.

Grands Prix are vital for Formula 1 financially because organizers pay a race fee, which in 2025 totaled about \$1 billion, just over a quarter of the primary revenue. Some races are more lucrative than others, though Formula 1 does not publish exact figures.

Domenicali said 24 Grands Prix "is the number we believe commercially and logistically is the right number" and that a blend of events is desirable.

“Being part of the championship for many years is not the fact that will allow you to stay forever,” Domenicali said, pointing to absences from Germany and France that “unfortunately not because of us, because of them, they are not anymore part of the championship.” Several longstanding events have invested in upgrading infrastructure in recent years, aware that resting on laurels is no longer feasible.

"There is an incredible interest from different countries," Domenicali said.

"It's a matter of understanding and balancing what could be the value of historical places versus a place that would

When pieces fit Clockwise from top left: Oscar Piastri of Australia driving during F1 testing in December in Abu Dhabi; the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo in June; the Singapore Grand Prix last October; and Charles Leclerc for Ferrari in the lead during the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan in September.

bring new interests and new fresh blood to the system," he said. "And that's part of the job that I have to do in terms of a decision."

Any prospective promoter needs to show that there is a long-term benefit, while Formula 1 must assess the potential impact on existing events.

Domenicali said the next window for new events will arrive in 2029-30 onwards, but that his “visibility on that is up to 2040.” A Grand Prix in Africa, where Formula 1 has not raced since 1993, in South Africa, continues to be an ambition.

“That is something that hopefully something will happen very, very soon in order to be complete in terms of the

Changes, though, can happen during the season. The 2020 and 2021 schedules were upended by Covid-19, Russia was dropped in 2022 because of its Ukraine invasion and Emilia-Romagna's 2023 round was canceled because of storms. This year the Middle East conflict caused Saudi Arabia's event to be called off, Bahrain's was postponed before being relocated to Malaysia, and Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain uncertain.

presence of all the continents," he said.

The team at Formula 1 is “very, very focused on monitoring international events,” Parker said. “That can be anything from what we’ve seen in the Middle East through to climactic risks, protests, disruptions within domestic governments and things like that.”

The pandemic “proved we can always find solutions,” he said. “If there’s an obstacle or a problem, we’ll try and find a way to deliver what we intended to deliver, sometimes through different means. The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia is a great example. I don’t think anyone would have thought of that five months ago, but solutions are found.”

Parker said Formula 1 had a backup plan for races at the end this year in the Middle East, which was using the Imola track in Italy, but “the plan is very much to be in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.”

As Formula 1's calendar evolves, so too does its Sprint schedule. Sprint races are one-third distance races held before a Grand Prix and were introduced at three events in 2021. That doubled to six in 2023, and next year there will be 10.

"It's good that all the promoters are competing for Sprints — it's not a bad thing to have, less supply than demand," Parker said.

And those races may be slightly shorter next year for several technical reasons, but also because of the audience.

"There is a sort of understanding that the younger generation have a span of attention that is different," Domenicali said. "I'm not saying better or good or bad, it is different."

He added that “everything can be discussed” when it comes to the format, nothing is untouchable, and accepting that “maybe if we recognize that something is not great, we change it.”

"It's not a problem," he said.

A search for a quiet retreat

THE HUNT

BY JILLIAN RAYFIELD

Molly Quinn and Ben Sheen were classical musicians in New York City who had known each other professionally for years before they started dating in 2019.

Ms. Quinn, 48, a classical singer and singing teacher from Chapel Hill, N.C., performed at Carnegie Hall and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Mr. Sheen, 36, an organist and conductor from London, received a master's from Juilliard, and then found a job at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue.

Ms. Quinn's father died after a stroke not long after they got together, and her mother died from cancer a few years later.

They eventually moved to England, where in 2023 he began working as director of music at Jesus College at the University of Cambridge.

She kept working as a freelance classical singer in the United States but soon worked in London, too, and gave private lessons in Cambridge and taught students.

Mr. Sheen's job provided housing in Cambridge, so they decided to buy a vacation home, "to kind of get away from the hustle and bustle of Cambridge," Ms. Quinn said.

Beautiful views and access to walking trails were a must, but they didn't want to be too far from the city. They also wanted to easily rent out the property.

The couple had vacationed in the Peak District, which includes hundreds of miles of hilly countryside in the heart of England. They loved going on scenic walks and exploring nature spots, local landmarks and picturesque villages.

So it seemed like the perfect place to look for a second home.

Their budget was 275,000 to 375,000 pounds (about \$368,000 to \$502,000), putting down about 170,000 pounds in cash for a smaller mortgage.

Liz Agar, an associate director at Saxton Mee, the estate agency they used, said that when the couple were looking in the second half of last year that it was “probably a little bit more of a buyer’s market than it’s been.”

Mr. Sheen said, "We looked at a huge

The Buyers Ben Sheen and Molly Quinn at their second home, in the Peak District in England.

"We looked at a huge variety of places," Mr. Sheen said of the couple's search for a countryside property. "That was the sort of fun of it, not to have one thing in mind."
PHOTOGRAPHS BY OWEN RICHARDS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

The options

1. A 641-square-foot cottage in Ashford-in-the-Water had two bedrooms, a stone fireplace, a wood-burning stove and no parking.

2. A ground-floor unit on the River Wye in Bakewell was 915 square feet, with two double bedrooms, an extra room, a terrace and parking.

3. A two-bedroom cottage next to a farm outside Litton was 608 square feet. Renovated in 2018, it had a summer house and parking.

But three stood out.

variety of places," adding, "That was the sort of fun of it, not to have one thing in mind."

1. COTTAGE IN

ASHFORD-IN-THE-WATER This two-bedroom, 641-square-foot (60-square-meter) cottage in the bustling village of Ashford had a fireplace, a wood-burning stove, loft storage, a private terrace and a garden with a shed. It had no parking, and the ceiling had cracks. The asking price was £295,000.

2. RIVERSIDE APARTMENT IN BAKEWELL

This 915-square-foot ground-floor apartment overlooked the River Wye in Bakewell, a scenic market town popular with tourists and retirees. It had a private, leafy terrace, two double bedrooms with built-in storage, and another room that could be a bedroom or an office. It had a parking space; the kitchen needed updating. The list price was £365,000.

3. TERRACED HOUSE OUTSIDE LITTON This two-bedroom terraced cottage was 608 square feet and was outside Litton, a quiet village. Next door was a farm, so cows roamed by. It had a stone fireplace alongside modern fixtures after a 2018 refurbishment. A summer house and a patio overlooked the rolling hills. The bedrooms were small, but it did have a parking spot. The asking price was £325,000.

THEIR CHOICE

The cottage in Ashford was a good deal for its location and would be easy to rent out. But it didn't have a view, and it seemed that it would require a lot of money to fix up.

The Bakewell apartment had a beautiful river view and lots of space, but it was at water level, which gave them pause.

The cottage outside Litton, overlooking a scenic valley, left an impression on Ms. Quinn, but she wondered whether Mr. Sheen would like it. That turned out not to be a problem: "He almost had his mouth open" as they toured it, she said.

It was two or three hours from Cambridge, depending on traffic, and a 30-minute walk to Litton and its Red Lion pub. They quickly submitted an offer of £310,000 pounds, and ended up paying £320,000. Their offer was accepted in November, but the deal didn't close until April.

They moved in soon after, but spent months traveling for work.

The area is secluded, but they know their neighbors. Ms. Quinn has been surprised by “the number of places to go and see, and just the amount of staggering landscape.”

It's "a deliberately slower pace of life," Mr. Sheen said, adding that whenever he gets there, he lets out "a sigh of relief."

WHAT YOU GET | MICHAEL KAMINER

Homes in Toronto for under \$710,000

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL MOLINA, NORTHTOSOUTH MEDIA
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BIRDHOUSE MEDIA
PHOTOGRAPHS BY NAVEEDA RANA

Boutiques and eateries The six-story structure is one of several period buildings in the area.

\$671,000 (950,000 CANADIAN DOLLARS) A duplex loft in a converted public school near Chinatown

With double-height ceilings and a wall of windows, this one-bedroom apartment is in the Kensington Market Lofts, a circa-1921 school building converted to residences in 2000.

Kensington Market, a predominantly Jewish district in the early 20th century, is now a hive of independent shops, cafes and restaurants. The area borders Toronto's Chinatown, where Asian eateries abut hipster bars and boutiques. The Art Gallery of Ontario, with its swooping expansion by the acclaimed architect Frank Gehry, is a short walk east. The main campus of the University of Toronto, Canada's largest university, is just northeast.

Toronto's status as a census metropolitan area means that its homes are subject to Canada's ban on most foreign buyers, which has been extended until 2027. Exceptions include holders of work permits, spouses of Canadian citizens and refugees.

SIZE: 1,200 square feet (110 square meters)

PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT: \$559

INDOORS: The unit opens to the kitchen, which has custom white cabinets, stainless-steel appliances and a quartz-topped island with an integrated microwave. The living and dining areas have city views from south-facing

City views Kensington Market is a hive of independent shops, cafes and restaurants.

windows. There is one bathroom on this level.

A smaller second floor includes the bedroom, a laundry area and a bathroom. There are hardwood floors throughout the apartment.

OUTDOOR SPACE: A 150-square-foot balcony faces south. The building has an underground garage, but the sale does not include a parking space, though an owner could rent one from another resident.

COSTS: Annual property taxes are \$3,217. Monthly condo fees are \$820. CONTACT: Naveeda Rana, Century 21 Innovative Realty

Old Town

\$705,000 (999,900 CANADIAN DOLLARS) A loft in a former optical factory This two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is in the Imperial Lofts, a condominium in a former optical factory built in 1910.

The six-story structure, converted to residential use in 1997, is one of several period buildings in Toronto's Old Town section, which was founded in 1793 as the Town of York.

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which serves Canadian and U.S. flights, is about two miles (three kilometers) west. Rogers Center, home to the Toronto Blue Jays and a stage for performers like Harry Styles and Blackpink, is just southwest. The Distillery District, where cobblestone streets feature boutiques and eateries in preserved Victorian industrial buildings, is a short walk southeast.

SIZE: 1,411 square feet (131 square meters)

PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT: \$500

INDOORS: Original features in the fourth-floor corner loft include Douglas fir timber beams, exposed brick and hardwood floors restored by the seller. There are full-length mullioned windows on two sides of the unit, which features 10.5-foot (3.2-meter) ceilings.

The windowed kitchen includes dark-blue cabinets, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances. The two spacious bedrooms share a bathroom with white fixtures and a bathtub. The London-based seller bought the apartment in 2011, and one tenant has lived there for a decade.

OUTDOOR SPACE: The sale includes a deeded outdoor parking spot. One of the building's elevators is the original, manually operated cab from 1910. COSTS: Annual property taxes are approximately \$3,754; monthly maintenance fees are approximately \$1,095. CONTACT: Quinn Tsuji, PSR Brokerage

St. Lawrence Market \$670,000 (949,000 CANADIAN DOLLARS)

A two-story loft in a modern building This apartment is in the Abbey Lane Lofts, a 29-unit condominium built in 2002. The building's neighborhood is named for the bustling public market at its heart, one of Canada's largest and oldest, just a short walk from the loft.

Union Station, Toronto's main train station and a national transit hub, is about a mile away. The Lightbox theater, home to the Toronto International Film Festival, is several blocks west. Toronto's popular waterfront, with panoramic views of Lake Ontario and ferries to the nearby Toronto Islands, is just south of the apartment.

SIZE: 1,100 square feet (102 square meters)

PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT: \$609

INDOORS: The two-story unit features 11-foot (3.4-meter) ceilings. Industrial touches include concrete walls, exposed ceiling ducts and a grid of floor-to-ceiling windows.

The seller, who has owned the loft since 2007, restored the hardwood floors last year and refurbished the kitchen with white cabinetry and stainless-steel appliances.

The lower level features a living/dining area, kitchen and a half-bath. Upstairs, a bedroom and a den share a bathroom, which includes a washer

Toronto's popular waterfront is nearby, with panoramic views of Lake Ontario.

and a dryer. The seller used the den as an office.

OUTDOOR SPACE: A walkout from the living room leads to a 100-square-foot private terrace. The sale includes an underground parking space.

TAXES: Annual property taxes are about \$3,290. Monthly condo fees are approximately \$958.

CONTACT: Taylor De Sa, Dawn Hume, Sage Real Estate

Given the fast pace of the current market, some properties may no longer be available at the time of publication.

SCIENCE LAB

MARCO LONGARI/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES

COSMIC WAVES

Tuning in to radio emissions from a world 63 light-years away

Radio waves streaming from an alien planet may offer a new tool in the hunt for life elsewhere in the universe.

Astronomers have spotted these waves coming from what seems to be an aurora at the poles of Beta Pictoris b, a planet that circles a star more than 63 light-years from Earth. The aurora is probably caused by a powerful magnetic field, according to the research team. If so, it would be the first confirmed magnetic field on a planet outside our solar system, and it could be a precursor to finding more worlds that might host life.

The magnetic field was detected by a team led by researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., using the MeerKAT radio telescope (above) in South Africa. The findings were posted online on Sept. 15.

Earth's magnetic field protects the planet's atmosphere — and the conditions for life on the surface — from being blown away by radiation flowing off the sun. That's partly why astronomers have been keen to find such fields on alien worlds.

"Habitability is probably one of the main reasons we're interested in magnetospheres," said Yvette Cendes, an astronomer at the University of Oregon who is an author of the paper.

Detecting magnetic fields on alien worlds is hard, but one trick is to look for radio emissions from the planets. A magnetic field will funnel electrons to a planet's poles, producing auroras like the ones we see on the worlds of our solar system. When those electrons hit the poles, they can bounce back, releasing radio waves. JONATHAN O'CALLAGHAN

DINOSAUR INSTITUTE, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY

WARM-BLOODED, NOT HOT

How do you take a T. rex's temperature? From a distance.

The last vestiges of warmth drained out of a Tyrannosaurus rex's body around 66 million years ago, but scientists just used chemistry to take the long-extinct dinosaur's temperature: 97 degrees Fahrenheit, give or take a few.

T. rex ran hot at 36 Celsius, but not too hot, according to the new study, published in Science Advances. Instead, the reading places it somewhere on the body-temperature spectrum near large mammals like Indian elephants (97 degrees) or humans (98 degrees) or flightless birds like ostriches (101 to 103 degrees) — but nowhere near the heat of a chicken, say (105 to 107 degrees).

“That is absolutely spectacular,” said Jasmina Wiemann, a molecular paleobiologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who was not involved in the study.

Up until the 2000s, dinosaurs were thought to be rather reptilian and therefore probably coldblooded, Dr. Wiemann said. That changed as multiple lines of evidence from geochemistry studies and CT scans of fossils showed they were warm-blooded.

To take the T. rex's body temperature, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, used a geochemistry technique on fossilized teeth, including two from "Thomas" (above), a T. rex in the National History Museum of Los Angeles County's collection.

The team first used a dental drill to sample the tough outer enamel from the teeth, and then took advantage of a remarkable fact: The chemical bonds within minerals can tell their own stories. “Basically, at the point a mineral forms there are elements of its chemistry that are kind of frozen in time,” said Robert Eagle, a geobiologist and one of the leaders of the study.

Dr. Eagle and his colleagues analyzed the bonds between two isotopes: heavier versions of both carbon and oxygen.

Those bonds acted like a thermometer: The more bonds present, the lower the body temperature. CAROLYN Y. JOHNSON

NASA, ESA, CSA, V. KOKOREV (UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN), A. PAGAN (STSCI)

NASA/CXC/SAO/M. WEISS; ADAPTED BY K. ARCAND & J. MAJOR

BABY STEPS

To build a massive black hole, start with a little red dot

In the 50 years since the first black hole was spotted, astronomers have discovered millions of these objects, so dense that their gravity prevents anything, even light, from escaping.

Black holes occupy places where dying stars collapsed, drifting through the universe and sitting at the heart of most large galaxies, including our own. Despite their ubiquity, the way different types of black holes grow and evolve remains a mystery.

"They are everywhere in our universe, but we still don't know how they are formed," said Sunmyon Chon, an astrophysicist at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics.

In a study published in Nature, Dr. Chon describes a simulation of the early universe that links black hole formation with a phenomenon that has become a topic of debate in astronomy: so-called little red dots.

The simulation shows that massive black holes might form naturally from the chaotic swirls of material available in the early universe.

As the holes rapidly pick up that material, Dr. Chon's team found, their light emissions appear like the little red dots astronomers see today. (Above from left, a field of galaxies, and an artist's rendering of a black hole forming at the core of a red dot.)

Little red dots, first seen through the James Webb Space Telescope, are red-tinted objects that date back to one billion years after the Big Bang.

Many astronomers initially thought that the dots might be the bright cores of extremely massive galaxies from the early universe. But now that many more observations and studies have been completed, most scientists agree that the dots are black holes of some kind and that the red lights are clouds of dust being sucked inside. K. R. CALLAWAY

10/10/2026

Argentina bids an emotional farewell to Messi

family during the World Cup," he said. "I'm going to cry."

Commentary

BY SEBASTIAN FEST THE ATHLETIC

BUENOS AIRES When (almost) everything was over, Lionel Messi decided to poke fun at himself.

"I'm talking more than ever; I don't want to leave the pitch," he said with a laugh near the center circle at Monumental Stadium. He added: "I love you all. I'm grateful to be Argentine and to have fulfilled this dream with all of you."

Known for his reticence, Messi had just brought his 21-year journey to a close — a journey that began when he was 18 and ended at age 39.

It began with a fiasco (he was sent off after 47 seconds in his debut for Argentina against Hungary in 2005) and ended on Tuesday night in a sea of tears and smiles — and a 3-0 Argentine victory against the Benin national team. It was Messi's 208th international match.

On a chilly spring evening, Messi — a World Cup winner, two-time World Cup runner-up, two-time Copa América winner and Olympic gold medalist — bid a final farewell. The player who scored 21 goals across six World Cups

— eight of them in the most recent one — was calling it a day on the international stage.

It was a day nobody wanted to see arrive: not Messi; not his coach, Lionel Scaloni; not Messi's teammates, family and fans; not anyone in the world who loves soccer.

People began gathering several hours before the match at El Monumental, the country's largest stadium. It was where Argentina won the first of its three World Cup titles in 1978, nine years before Messi was born.

The question I asked those people was simple: What would you say to Messi? The reactions, almost without fail, showed their emotion. The phrase that kept coming up was “I’m going to start crying.”

Marcos Vernola, 27, became emotional as he explained how he felt about Messi.

"I went through a really tough time in 2014 when a relative died and we lost the World Cup final," he said. "I was sad for a long time, and I suffered terribly through both Copa América finals.

"The journey over the last few years has been like a rebirth, as if he were the guiding light of my life. And since 2021, it's been nothing but joy. He's achieved everything he'd promised. Thank you so much, Lionel Messi, for ever having existed.

"I'll never forget the hugs with my

Luna Sperzagni, a sports journalism student, needed fewer words to convey the same sentiment.

"Thank you for your football, for your humility, for being you," he said. Is that all?

“No, it’s just that I’ll start crying otherwise,” he said.

The players also seemed overwhelmed by emotion, even before the match. TV cameras captured Messi dabbing his eyes with a tissue on the team bus on the way to the stadium, as fans ran alongside to catch a glimpse of their hero.

Outside the stadium, colorful tributes lined the streets.

When the match began, the only player creating any real danger early on was Messi. Benin had a clear game plan and was determined not to be a pawn in Argentina's party.

Messi had received an honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires on the day of the game; he laughed when someone shouted, "Doctor," as he arrived at the stadium.

Before kickoff, Benin's players presented him with a small statue. After the match, the Chilean referee Fernando Véjar handed him the red and yellow cards he had used during the match that night.

Everything was out of the ordinary. The players took to the field accompanied by their children — a sight made more poignant when the faces of those present began to contort in a desperate attempt to hold back tears.

Messi held it together, but Scaloni's tears began to flow — as did those of some of the children.

When speaking of the national team's future without Messi, Scaloni later said: "We can put together a great team, but I've never seen that aura in anyone else in my life. What he brings, I've never seen in anyone else."

No, it wasn't a normal night, and nobody really wanted it to be. That is why the match was stopped in the 10th minute so the whole stadium — Messi's teammates and his opponents — could pay tribute to him and embrace him.

Overcome with emotion, Messi had not expected it. The Buenos Aires night was filled with fireworks and smoke. As part of the tributes to Messi, a giant version of his No. 10 shirt was displayed in his hometown, Rosario, this week, serving as a shrine to the departing hero. A similar replica went up in the capital.

The second half against Benin brought a change in Argentina, which realized Messi should leave with smiles, despite the tears.

A perfect corner from Messi allowed 38-year-old Nicolás Otamendi to bid his own farewell to the national team with a goal. A pass from Messi set up a stunning effort by Nico Paz. And Messi scored with a penalty kick in the 71st minute. It was his 126th career goal for the national team.

Top, Argentina's Lionel Messi addressing fans after his final international match in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. It was Messi's 208th international appearance, and Argentina defeated Benin, 3-0. Above, a giant shirt bearing Messi's No. 10 was displayed before kickoff.
RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESS

"My goodness, how we're going to miss him," said Pablo Giralt, an Argentine television pundit, before adding, "We want this match to go on forever."

The match ended with Argentina winning, 3-0, but Messi is eternal — a loop of soccer-playing joy embedded in the minds of everyone who had the privilege of watching him play.

Drones produced a light show after the match. But the postmatch speech from the man himself hit all the right notes, as he remembered his father, Jorge, who died in August. He spoke of his Argentina teammates — those who had been part of this recent era of success and those who had come before — and their efforts at this summer's World Cup.

When he mentioned how the semi-final win against England “really took it out of us,” the crowd, and Messi’s teammates, bounced up and down to the traditional chant of “whoever

doesn't jump is an Englishman."

"Thank you for your football, for your humility, for being you."

The most tearful player was Enzo Fernández, the Manchester City midfielder who wrote a letter to Messi as a 15-year-old in 2016, asking him to recon-

sider his decision to retire from the national team that summer after Argentina's Copa América final defeat to Chile. There were moving scenes as Messi consoled his eldest son, Thiago, after his speech.

"No tribute can truly do justice to the most extraordinary footballer of all time," Andrés Eliceche wrote for the Argentine newspaper La Nación. "No match, no song, no word, no goal — not even one of his own — can symbolize the true magnitude of his place in the history of this sport.

"No one can doubt that his presence is destined to last forever. Messi knocked on the door of eternity, and eternity welcomed him, inviting him in and to sit wherever he pleases."

Messi will remain an icon of Argentine football, even if he is no longer on the field. "Now I'm going to be on this side," Messi told supporters in the stands, "supporting these boys and all those who are to come."

That is what the fan Vernola asks of him. "I hope this is just a change of scenery and that he'll soon be running the show from the stands," he said.

As manager of the national team?

"No. I want him as head of the Argentina F.A. and ambassador for Argentina. We've got to win the fourth, the fifth and the sixth" World Cups, he said. "We've got to get past the Brazilians."

The Mini Crossword

BY IAN LIVENGOOD EDITED BY JOEL FAGLIANO

ACROSS 1 Poker game entry fee 6 Multi-story temple 7 Bird that can survive temperatures of -60 C° 8 Really awesome 9 ____ Burgundy, hotshot anchorman in "Anchorman" 10 Science class that really gets under your skin? 12 Loose-fitting garments of ancient Greece 13 Orderly pile

DOWN 1 Piece of cloth tied around the head 2 Brand with fleece-lined boots 3 "Nice job, dude!" 4 "Good egg" and "bad apple" 5 Caretaker for small kids 6 Tiny bit of packing material 7 Utter fools, to a Brit 11 __-tac-toe

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

Two Not Touch

Put two stars in each row, column and region of the grid. No two stars may touch, not even diagonally. Copyright © 2024 www.krazydad.com

Wit Twister

My grandpa ____ a life remote Midst hills and ____ bucolic. He ____ in local "tonics." (Note: They're largely alcoholic.)

Complete the verse with words that are anagrams of each other. Each underline represents a letter. PUZZLE BY STUART CLELAND

YESTERDAY'S ANSWER Tern, cote --> turncoat

KenKen

Fill the grid with digits so as not to repeat a digit in any row or column, and so that the digits within each heavily outlined box will produce the target number shown, by using addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, as indicated in the box. A 4x4 grid will use the digits 1-4. A 6x6 grid will use 1-6.

For more games: www.nytimes.com/games KenKen® is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. Copyright © 2024 www.KENKEN.com. All rights reserved.

Crossword | Edited by Will Shortz

ACROSS 1 Artist whose first two initials stand for "Maurits Cornelis" 7 Get to know a little better, say 15 Kind 16 "Not today, Satan!" 17 Like Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear 18 Place where it's a hoot to raise a family? 19 Part of a swearing-in ceremony 20 Peak overlooking the Grindelwald Valley 22 Do a bad job of helping? 23 Frito (Tex-Mex dish) 24 "Float like a butterfly" and "sting like a bee" 26 Office building abbr. 27 It's a lot for one person to take 30 Was hot (for) 31 Likely gonna 35 Natives call it Muncibeddu, meaning "mountain of mountains"

36 Seattle's W.N.B.A. team
39 Be boastful
40 Member of the winning 2025 Super Bowl team
42 Some 1980s Jane Fonda performances
44 Round and round and round?
47 Este día
50 Determine the going price?
51 London's ____ Gardens
53 "That makes sense now"
55 Patches up, in a way
56 ____ Dee, lead role on HBO's "Insecure"
57 Played by oneself
59 Animated character with a signature quiff hairstyle
61 Croupier's query
62 Hide, in a way, as a communication
63 State revenue source
64 Became the beneficiary of

DOWN 1 Legally prohibit 2 Kind of student

PUZZLE BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

3 In free fall
4 Word with grade or school
5 Prefix with dermis
6 Gate
7 Hip-hop's birthplace, colloquially
8 "What a pity"
9 Sports figure who traditionally wears an orange armband, in brief
10 Some Caltech grads: Abbr.
11 It's seen near a wrist
12 Commoners
13 Start
14 "Buona ____" (bedtime words in Roma)
21 "No more for me, thanks"

24 Like a sketchy person
25 One-named singer with the 2016 #1 hit "Cheap Thrills"
28 Flossing brand
29 Walt Disney initially designed it as a utopian city
30 Bit of concert merch
32 Refueling spot
33 Where a wallflower often stands
34 Sounds of pain
37 Podcaster Joe
38 1980s charttopping band with a semi-duplicative name

10/10/26

41 Camera brand named after a goddess 43 Actor Penn 45 Struck 46 Neighbor of Francia 47 Contents of a laugh track 48 John who wrote "Butterfield 8" 49 Certain snack cake 52 Abated 54 Danny who was UNICEF's first goodwill ambassador 56 Peruvian ____ Orchid (dog breed) 58 Title of a #1 Rihanna song and #1 SZA album 60 Suffix with morph-

Play all of our games plus over 10,000 past puzzles for Wordle, Spelling Bee, The Crossword and more online at http://nytimes.com/games. For puzzle talk, visit http://nytimes.com/wordplay.

Weekend

A ballet legend lures back a work that disappeared

Suzanne Farrell labors to reconstruct George Balanchine's ethereal 'Pithoprakta'

BY GIA KOURLAS

"That's too pretty," Suzanne Farrell told Mira Nadon, a principal at New York City Ballet, as her arms rose and hovered in the air like cresting gulls.

It was pretty. But pretty isn't where the power comes from in George Balanchine's "Pithoprakta," a modernist ballet from 1968 that Farrell, the 81-year-old former City Ballet star, is reviving this season at the company. "Pithoprakta," eerie and tense, means "action by probabilities." The score, by Iannis Xenakis, sounds like trinkling molecules are zipping across the universe.

"Get under, get higher and higher and higher," Farrell said to Nadon, bending forward and dipping her arm before it rose and skimmed with conviction across an invisible horizon.

The undercurrent of this strange ballet is a flinty, unsettling strength. A work for 14 dancers, including a lead couple — originally Farrell and Arthur Mitchell — “Pithoprakta” has a tone both feral and feverish, mysterious and otherworldly. But Balanchine, armed with a curious mind, never produced only one kind of ballet. The year after he made the glittering beauty “Jewels” (1967), he created “Pithoprakta,” a shadowy beast.

"It was like nothing we had ever done before," Farrell said.

Farrell, one of City Ballet's most influential dancers, originated many important roles in Balanchine works. In recent years, she has returned to the company to coach dancers. In 2024, she staged "Errante," formerly "Tzigane," with Nadon in her part. But "Pithoprakta" is different. This time, Farrell is bringing a nearly forgotten Balanchine ballet, infused with some of her own imagination, back to life.

There are recognizable Balanchine signatures, like a turning backbend, but what sets “Pithoprakta” apart is its sense of gravity. At times members of the corps de ballet even roll and lie on the floor. The lead couple close in on each other yet seldom touch; there is air between their palms as they trace space with their hands in parallel. At one point the man, lying on his stomach, reaches for his partner’s ankles as she towers over him, stabbing the floor with sharp steps on pointe. And here dancing to music takes on a different quality within Xenakis’s galaxy of sounds, a composition made up of 46 parts for strings, trombones, xylophone and wood block.

Balanchine first encountered Xenakis in Montreal in 1967, when the composer created a spectacle of light and sound for Expo 67. The installation included "cables running all different ways," Farrell said. "Xenakis was a great mathematician and architect, and every so of

What sets "Pithoprakta" apart is its sense of gravity. At times members of the corps de ballet even roll and lie on the floor.

At left, Suzanne Farrell overseeing a New York City Ballet rehearsal for "Pithoprakta." The work was choreographed for Farrell and Arthur Mitchell in 1968.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ELINOR KRY FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

ten, there would be a lightbulb that would go off."

There was something else in the air, too, Farrell said. “The whole world was talking about going to the moon — everybody’s life was revolving about what life is going to be like outside of what we have and so perhaps that was interesting to him,” she said of Balanchine.

But the draw might have had more to do with Xenakis himself. Balanchine "was fascinated with how you could move to that kind of music," Farrell said.

“Pithoprakta” holds mysteries beyond its mood and look. A film was made before the 1968 City Ballet premiere, but it was shot on a day when Mitchell was absent. “I said to Mr. B, ‘What should I do when we’re supposed to be doing the pas de deux?’” Farrell recalled. “And he said, ‘Well, just do it by yourself.’”

Balanchine, Farrell said, further emphasized the couple's distance from each other after the filming. "Pithoprakta" hasn't been performed at City Ballet since 1969. But Farrell relied on that film when she staged it for her now defunct company, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, in 2007, as part of the Balanchine Preservation Initiative at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. When she spoke to the Balanchine Trust about reviving it back then, there was a decision to be made.

“I said, ‘The only reference anyone has is this old black-and-white film, and when Arthur’s not there, do you want me to do it with or without the man?’” Farrell said. “They said, ‘with the man.’”

This led Farrell to create movement for the male principal since, she said, "I don't know at all what Arthur did. There were a couple places — a step where he was behind me — that are maintained, but I can't remember much of anything else."

She also used photographs for guidance. "You kind of latch on to any anchor that you have," she said. "I think some of the fascinating aspects is that so little is known, but a lot is known."

And it's a gift. "I feel that for these dancers, it's almost like Mr. B is coming back and doing a ballet for them," she continued. "As if he was here saying, all right, now you're ready for this. And it's something nobody else has."

The dancers in the corps de ballet, angular and disjointed, jump in place with flailing arms, roll across the floor or pat it with their hands. Often they move in packs. The male lead, twisting and confARRELL, PAGE 21

Forgoing a mattress for one up, one down

We would break up but keep living together. Were we too old for a bunk bed?

Modern Love

BY JONO MISCHKOT

"Maybe we should get bunk beds," I said to my girlfriend of seven years.

I meant it as a joke. At least I think so. Either way, two weeks after breaking up, we were walking around downtown San Francisco shopping for bunk beds with my mother.

I was 25, too old for my mother to be taking me shopping and certainly too old for bunk beds. But, as I said, it felt like a joke, and that feeling allowed Emma and me to skate above the cold reality of our breakup on a protective, albeit thin, layer of irony.

We were good at ignoring difficult realities. Maybe that's why we hadn't had sex for a year. Maybe that's why, even after we agreed to go our separate ways, after several nights of crying and yelling and second-guessing, we came to an absurd compromise: We would break up but keep living together. And so we did the next most logical thing: We measured our studio apartment for a bunk.

My mother was not shy about offering her opinion: "Choose one that's well made. You don't want to be suffocated if that top bunk comes crashing down on your damned head."

We picked a cherry oak number. A real beauty. Solid. The Cadillac of bunks. It smelled like summer camp and homesickness.

As a child, I idolized Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” I loved his noodly gravitas and unpretentious wit. I loved how you never knew if he was going to fall over or step around the ottoman in the opening sequence. I loved that he wrote for a TV show, very much like the one I was watching. And I loved his wife, Laura, played by Mary Tyler Moore. Rob and Laura seemed to me everything an adult couple should be.

But I never understood why they slept in separate beds. How could a couple so in sync with one another sleep apart while every other married couple I knew, whose relationships ranged from hostile to resigned, slept in California Kings?

Emma and I told ourselves the bunk bed was a practical necessity, allowing us to afford rent in a post-dot-com San Francisco while still, technically, breaking up. It quickly became a running

joke. At parties, someone would ask, "Who gets the top?" or "What if one of you has a date over?"

The first question was easy. The bunk had a twin on top and a queen on the bottom. A wooden ladder, set at an angle, connected them. Since Emma was smaller, she took the top. Our confused cat would jump from back and forth throughout the night, trying to find his former spot.

The second question was more difficult. While we were officially not together, neither of us felt a compelling urge to date. We were young, but we had been together since sophomore year of college. And we were the kind of couple who isolated ourselves from everyone as soon as we met. A two-person clique. We were Rob and Laura, only with significantly more weed. And now we had concrete beds

Three months into our “breakup,” I hooked up with a random woman at a bar. This woman took me back to her place and we engaged in awkward sex for about three minutes. I felt the anxiety attack coming on before I could even pull up my jeans.

When I got back to our apartment at

4 a.m., trembling and sick to my stomach, I crawled into the bottom bunk. I'm not a one-night-stand kind of guy and so the aberrance felt like I had stepped into another body. The ground below felt suddenly unstable, my edges blurring.

"You OK?" Emma asked from the top bunk.

"Panic attack," I said.

She understood. She climbed down the ladder and lay beside me. Our cat purred ecstatically between us.

One of the first couples in TV land to be shown sleeping in the same bed was Mike and Carol Brady of “The Brady Bunch.” There was something playfully seductive about their bedroom scenes. Carol would go over the day’s high jinks and Mike would say something somewhat witty. Carol would laugh and turn off her side lamp. Mike would give her a kiss and turn off his side lamp. And in that fade to black, a teenage boy might imagine all kinds of things.

Before long, Emma got a boyfriend. They met at a Chinese fusion restaurant where both waited tables. He was a mellow, not unhandsome skater who had a melon for a head. I don't recall his name, but I called him Big Head.

"You going out with Big Head tonight?" I would ask as she left.

She wouldn't answer, but she would laugh. We still had chemistry.

One time Emma had a bad cold and called in sick to work. After his shift, Big Head came by our apartment. Emma was in the shower as I answered the door.

"Hey," Big Head said, "Emma here?" "She's sick," I said.

He poked his head through the crack in the door. "I brought her some soup," he said, holding up a plastic to-go bag.

"I'll let her know." I grabbed the bag and shut the door.

When Emma came out of the shower, sniffling in a terry cloth robe, she saw the bowl of steaming chicken rice soup on the coffee table and smiled.

"I got you some soup," I said.

The real trouble, the crack in the ice as it were, came when I met Jess, a friend of a friend, at a dive bar in the Mission. We talked all night. Later, while making out in the back seat of a cab, I grabbed her shoulders and said, "You're so normal!" She laughed and said, "So are you!" Neither of us was normal, but we felt like that to each other.

When I came home, I told Emma about Jess from the bottom bunk. She was silent for a time.

"Just don't go falling in love on me," she said, half joking.

"I won't," I said, but even then I thought I was lying.

Despite sharing a bed, Mike and Carol Brady didn't have the same gravitational pull as Rob and Laura. The Bradys' marriage felt performative, earnest. Their good night kisses and banal banter were clumsily scripted whereas Rob and Laura's interactions were so unassuming as to feel real. From even across their twin beds, one could sense a closeness that spoke of subtextual understandings, a coded intimacy.

After four months of dating, Jess said, "You have to move out."

"Out of the bunk bed?" I asked. "Out of the apartment."

On moving day, I figured out how to take apart the bunk, leaving Emma with the top twin and shoving the queen into the back of a U-Haul.

Emma was working when I moved. I thought about leaving a note, but what do you say to a woman you dated for seven years and lived with for five years, one in a bunk bed? What do you say to the first person you fell in love with, from whom you were still disentangling yourself while falling for someone new?

Emma found a sublet on Haight

It felt like a joke, and that allowed us to skate above the cold reality.

Street with a young hippie and a creepy older man, and Jessica and I moved to New York to go to graduate school.

I still talked to Emma on the phone. She even visited us once in Brooklyn, but

it was stressful and awkward to say the least. She slept on an inflatable mattress while Jess and I spooned on a lumpy futon.

Then Emma moved to Japan to teach English. Jess and I got married, had twins, migrated to Jersey. All the stuff you do as an adult.

TV marriages almost never get it right. You have the sardonic banter of Dan and Roseanne Conner or the uncomfortable, cringe-worthy flirtation of the Huxtables or the seething sweetness of Monica Geller and Chandler Bing. Then there's Rob and Laura in their separate beds with their unrehearsed kismet, a romantic language made up of pratfalls and apologies, of stumbles and close calls.

Now, after 20 years of marriage, I am sleeping in the sunroom while Jess sleeps in our attic bedroom, two floors apart. The arrangement started because our 120-pound mastiff/lab mix, Huckleberry, had double knee surgery and couldn't take the stairs, so I cared for him as he convalesced. It's been a long recovery.

Every now and then, in the middle of the night, Jess will text: "I need you."

I understand. I walk the two flights of stairs and lie beside her as she struggles to fall back to sleep. Huckleberry eventually hobbles his way up too, wedging himself between us, huffing like an elephant seal.

Jono Mischkot is a clinical professor of expository writing and the director of Writing in the Disciplines at New York University.

How to handle a cash request from a parent's caregiver

position to weigh in. Name Withheld

The Ethicist

BY KWAME ANTHONY APPIAH

My 93-year-old father moved into assisted living this past January after my mother died. He requires round-the-clock personal care, which his income fortunately allows us to provide. My sister and I manage his caregivers through an agency that has been excellent. For the past four years, it has sent us good people who are paid fairly. We also give generous holiday bonuses, which are scaled to reflect how long each caregiver has worked for us, the longest being four years.

Recently, one caregiver, who joined the team late last year, texted to ask whether we would "sponsor" him for an advanced course that would help him further his career in health care. This caregiver has been excellent and is often available when others are sick or on vacation. The cost of the course is just under \$3,000, and we could certainly afford it.

I wonder, however, about whether giving him money for the course would be fair to the other caregivers. I also suspect that making such a request violates agency policy, and we don't want to alert the agency, because we fear he could be dismissed.

Our initial thought was to offer half the amount and ask him to consider it an early holiday bonus. My father does not have dementia, but Parkinson's disease has left him quite apathetic and depressed, and he is not really in a

I UNDERSTAND WHY you'd want to give a leg up to an excellent caregiver. At the same time, there's a reason that agencies generally prohibit employees from asking clients for money in this way. You now have grounds for wondering whether the quality of care will be affected by your decision to give (or not to give) this person what he has asked for. Even if that's far from this man's intentions, this is the position you're in. And agency agreements can bind clients as well as its employees; yours may restrict direct payments to caregivers.

As for calling your contribution an early holiday bonus? Relabeling wouldn't necessarily obviate the fairness issue with respect to the other caregivers, who have respected the terms of the arrangement, some of them for years. Would \$1,500 be on a par with what you pay others who have been with you for less than 12 months?

There's a further question about the source of this generosity. Your father's income pays for his care. Would the \$1,500 also come from him? Your authority to manage his affairs is meant to let you spend his money for his benefit. A caregiver's career advancement doesn't obviously fit in that category.

Even if you wanted to help this man with your own money, you should be wary of making a substantial private payment that appears to violate the agency's rules. You can continue to recognize his excellent work through the generous bonus system you al-

ready use, including taking his unusual reliability into account when you decide on the amount. You could also ask the agency whether it offers tuition assistance or would let clients contribute to caregiver training. If it does, you can help him openly. If it doesn't, and having weighed all the considerations you still decide to contribute, pay the school directly; that will give you a record of where the money went. Whatever you do, let him know how much his reliability has meant to your family, and wish him well with his certification.

My mother just died at age 69. She had been divorced from my father for more than 20 years, lived alone and had been estranged from me, my sister and her own mother, her only remaining family, for about a decade. She also had serious, undiagnosed mental health issues.

My grandmother is 94 and has dementia. Her short-term memory is very limited, though some recent events, like the death of a cousin, have stayed with her and still upset her.

I'm torn about whether to tell her that her daughter has died. The news could cause her real anguish and possibly affect her physical health. I also worry that she might forget and then have to learn, and grieve, the loss repeatedly. At the same time, despite their estrangement, it feels as if she has a right to know.

My mother was a recluse, and we aren't holding a memorial service. By the time she was found, her body had deteriorated so badly that our funeral director advised my sister and me not to view her before cremation. So withholding the news wouldn't deprive my grandmother of a funeral or a chance to see her daughter.

Is there a best course of action here? Name Withheld

I'D TALK TO THE CLINICIANS and caregivers who deal with your grandmother every day, and try to assess whether you could give her the news without that looping effect that you fear. If they think you could, there's a good case for telling her, once. It's possible that your grandmother retains what the philosopher Agnieszka Jaworska calls the capacity to value, which, she argues, can persist even when dementia has eroded the ability to reason and come to rational decisions. The point is that a daughter's life and death may still have significance for your grandmother. Respect for a person with dementia can involve attending to those remaining attachments as well as to her cognitive limitations.

But if your grandmother is unable to hold onto the news, it would be unkind to keep telling her. She may still be capable of grief in the moment, but repeated disclosure could subject her to the shock of bereavement again and again without her being able to move through it. Your mother and grandmother hadn't seen each other in a long time, and your grandmother isn't expecting to see her daughter again. In those circumstances, it may be more respectful of her to protect her from a loss she can no longer meaningfully absorb than to repeatedly confront her with a truth she cannot retain.

Kwame Anthony Appiah teaches philosophy at N.Y.U. His books include "Cosmopolitanism," "The Honor Code" and "The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity."

A struggle that all could see

Presley Gerber, who died last month, left behind a trove of testimonials

BY JESSE MCKINLEY

In late March, Presley Gerber, the son of the supermodel Cindy Crawford and the businessman Rande Gerber, posted a video on Instagram depicting what he described as “Pre Ibogaine Flood Dose,” a reference to a psychedelic drug that some addicts have sworn helped them get clean.

In the post, a woman was shown using a censer to wave smoke over Gerber's body while holding a pair of feathers. And in the caption, Gerber expressed cautious hope that the treatment might alleviate what he had described as a long cycle of addiction.

"Praying it's the last time I have to come back," Gerber wrote, tagging the video #rewireyourbrain.

Gerber, 27, died on Sept. 20 at Resolutions Living, an upscale sober-living facility in Santa Monica, Calif., just a day after arriving. The police in Santa Monica said they were investigating the death as a “suspected overdose.”

Presley Gerber, top right, with his family: his sister, Kaia Gerber; his father, Rande Gerber; and his mother, the model Cindy Crawford. He did some modeling, too, including a 2016 Dolce & Gabbana show, right.

Since then, details about Gerber's final hours have been trickling out, even as the family has declined to comment beyond asking for privacy to grieve. Last week, the celebrity and gossip platform TMZ published a short, silent video that it said shows Gerber giving a tour of a multistory bedroom at Resolutions and displaying a view of Santa Monica on the night before he died.

In many ways, the TMZ video was indicative of a public struggle that Gerber had been having — and posting online for all to see: Beginning in early 2023, at age 23, he had shared a trove of first-person videos, more than two dozen short testimonials that acted as a kind of intimate personal diary, documenting his drug history and search for answers.

In a sporadic series he called “Mental Health Mondays,” the videos were a sharp pivot from his previous social media output, which had largely been glossy modeling shots and images of the good life: surfing and hanging with pop stars.

In these Monday videos, Gerber described in minute detail a variety of medications he said he was given over the years, beginning with Prozac at 14, to address what he called anxiety and intense panic attacks. “It feels like the world is ending,” he recalled feeling as a young teen, “and you have no idea why.”

Some of the drugs he took were prescribed during a series of trips to rehab, he said, the first of which came when he was 18 or 19. Gerber also talked about using other drugs, including ketamine, to try to wean himself from anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants. And he mentioned using kratom, a controversial herbal supplement, to ease “withdrawals from stronger opiates.”

He recalled taking Valium, Adderall and buprenorphine, used to treat opiate use disorder, before becoming disillusioned by the inclination to medicate and many traditional rehab programs. "It's a trap, and they want you in the trap — they want you in the cycle," Gerber said in an April 2025 video. Still, he added, "I believe that it is possible to heal."

The Los Angeles County medical examiner said it may take months before an exact cause of death is determined, but scrutiny of the Resolutions facility has already increased. Sober residences are not licensed by the state, but regulators now are looking into whether the facility might have been providing services that would require a state license, according to the California Department of Health Care Services. The founder of Resolutions Therapeutic Services, which operates the residence — Reza Nabavi, a psychologist — did not return requests for comment.

Like the death of the actress Hayden Panettiere, 36, from an accidental fentanyl overdose, Gerber's death at a young age devastated friends and family. But it also struck a nerve with those

In a sporadic series that Gerber had named “Mental Health Mondays,” he described his difficulties with what he called a long cycle of addiction.

who did not know him, prompting parasocial tributes — and praise for his commentary — from some people who have had drug or mental health problems themselves.

"I got out. He didn't." wrote one, Andy Lassner, a television producer and former drug user who has been sober for 27 years. "I wish he had."

FAKING HAPPINESS

Gerber, of course, is not the first famous offspring to land in the spotlight or to face a mental health crisis. But how he tried to confront it was steeped in both the world of recovery — where an honest look at your actions is considered an important step — and social media, where confessional accounts are also prized.

Heather Huszti, the chief psychologist at Rady Children's Health in Orange County, Calif., who watched some of Gerber's videos, said they seemed to offer his own experiences to help others, while simultaneously holding himself accountable.

"He was reaching out to others to kind of say, 'Hey, these are some things that I'm thinking about or that I've done, or that I've experienced,' said Dr. Huszti, who had not met or treated Gerber. "And that also may be reinforced for him, 'Hey, let me keep doing this.'

Dr. Jason Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics at University of California, San Francisco, who has studied the effects of social media on young people's mental health, said that the use of online forums could "reduce stigma and help people feel less alone."

But, he added, such posts could also lead to negative comments. “Sharing something deeply personal, potentially with an enormous audience, can bring a lot of scrutiny and feedback and commentary that wouldn’t exist in a private conversation,” he said.

Raised in the wealthy environs of Malibu, Gerber's life, chronicled online and in the media, was privileged: private jets and making pizza with Harry Styles. Home movies and photos he posted depicted a happy childhood with his younger sister, Kaia. She is a successful model who appeared on the September cover of Vogue, and has a budding acting career.

His father, a nightlife entrepreneur, helped found a tequila brand, Casamigos, with his friend, the actor George Clooney, which sold for more than \$700 million. His mother, of course, remains a pop cultural touchstone. The Gerbers evinced an air of warmth and love — a model family, in every sense. In April, they appeared in an advertisement for Vuori, a clothing brand, smiling and laughing with one another.

Presley Gerber regularly posted loving tributes to his family, especially to his sister, and dabbled in photography with an Instagram page devoted to photos he had taken of Kaia. But while Kaia embraced the label of "nepo baby," Presley seemed more self-conscious about being in the public eye.

“Especially in the world that I was in, there was like this kind of unspoken thing where everyone needed to be on their A game all the time and needed to be smiling and waving and da-da-da-da,” Gerber said in a March 2025 video, adding that he hated faking happiness. “It didn’t feel authentic to me.”

Slender and tall with chiseled features and a red cross tattooed on his neck, Gerber followed his mother into her occupation, signing with the power-house modeling agency IMG at 15. Two years later, he had done ads for Calvin Klein and walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana. In 2018, he appeared in a Super Bowl ad alongside his mother.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES
How Gerber tried to confront a mental health crisis was steeped in worlds where confessional accounts are prized.

Collier Schorr, a fashion photographer and artist who has shot both of the younger Gerbers for campaigns, said that she recalled an experience of dyeing Presley's hair for a shoot and seeing a change in his demeanor.

"There was something that was freeing for him because it suddenly wasn't him," she recalled. "It was like some other character that he could just disappear into."

Gerber also talked about the trade-offs that came with modeling at such a young age. In a July 2025 reel on Instagram, he said that traveling for work led to less time for his true passions, including surfing.

By late 2018, then 19 years old, he was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence in Beverly Hills. (He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.)

In early 2020, Gerber made headlines when he had the word “MISUNDERSTOOD” inked under his right eye, something he explained by saying that “you don’t know how I feel” in a combative video he posted. (He later had the tattoo removed.)

JAKE MICHAELS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Gerber recalled seeing a psychiatrist at around 13 years old. At 16, he began taking Xanax, a drug that he said had initially offered a respite until he began to wonder about its long-term effect. "I always had been aware of what dependence and addiction was," he said. "I didn't really understand that that was the direction I was necessarily heading."

Gerber first went to rehab in New York in his late teens, he said in one video, and was given trazodone, an antidepressant, which he said left him numb.

"I wasn't able to laugh," he said, "And I definitely wasn't able to cry."

He had particular worries about benzodiazepines, a class of depressants commonly known as benzos. In a 2025 video, he described being prescribed one such drug, Valium, to be taken three times a day, saying he eventually became reliant on them.

"It's very limiting being completely dependent on any substance," he said.

"MY OWN MENTAL HEALTH"

Gerber — looking gaunt — started to make his “Monday” videos in March 2023, saying that “this journey is going to last a lifetime,” though the series soon sputtered. It returned in October 2024, with a healthier-looking Gerber touching on how his use of drugs had affected his life.

"In addiction, when you get older, people tend to treat you like the age that you started with your substance abuse for the rest of your life, and you're just kind of stuck there," he said.

Gerber continued the weekly series for several months, but in summer 2025, the videos stopped. That November, Gerber wrote that he “had to step back and take care of my own mental health for a bit.” In December, he posted another video — since deleted — where he outlined his “really bad” mental health struggles, and concerns about over-medication and withdrawal.

"The things that scare me," he said, "are the things you need to take."

In his last video, of the ibogaine treatment in March, Gerber does not appear to speak, standing as the woman waved smoke around his body.

"I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, i started finding my way back to myself," Gerber wrote in the caption. "We shall see."

Kirsten Noyes contributed research.

PUZZLE BY MICHAEL LIEBERMAN / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ

A writer wedded to his calling

BOOK REVIEW

Cormac McCarthy: A Legacy Revisited By Tracy Daugherty. St. Martin's Press. 528 pp. \$35.

BY DWIGHT GARNER

There's a deep, lonely commitment to work displayed in Tracy Daugherty's biography of Cormac McCarthy, who died in 2023. McCarthy often wrote in bed, balancing his typewriter on a piece of wood in his lap, and he didn't like to be disturbed.

He didn't stay in bed all the time. His life, in this telling, was also packed with cars, cheap hotel rooms, interstates, young women, crazy friends, dive bars, and wives and children left behind, not necessarily in that order. If his life were a stock car, one side would have a dull matte finish and the other would have flames running down the side.

This is the first full-dress biography we've had of this reclusive writer, the author of "Blood Meridian," "All the Pretty Horses," "No Country for Old Men" and "The Road," among others, but it won't be the last. Indeed, Laurence Gonzales's McCarthy bio, "Isolato," is scheduled to be published next spring.

Daugherty is a prolific literary biographer (Donald Barthelme, Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry are among his subjects), and his book is good enough, at least for a first crack at McCarthy. It divulges a lot of new information, dispels myths, has strong set pieces and does a bloodhound's job of tracing the overlaps between the life and the work.

On the downside, it's hampered by consistent intrusions of flowery language, as if the biographer got too excited and tried to compete with his subject. (Critics used to do this when writing about Tom Wolfe's books, larding on the dots and exclamation points.) It also imparts the slightly hollow sense that for every person willing to talk with Daugherty, 10 hung up the phone.

If you're a hard-core McCarthy fan — a Cormackian, in the lingo — you

From the Podcast Madeline Miller

can come to skim off the gossip, which Elizabeth Hardwick preferred to call "character analysis." McCarthy appears to have dabbled, when broke, in credit card fraud. Back in Knoxville, Tenn., where he grew up, he liked to attend cock fights, for the outlaw atmosphere and for the clashing social milieu: guys in overalls bumping into guys in tuxedos.

He was longtime friends with the actor Stacy Keach (both liked shooting pool) and once played a round of golf with Clint Eastwood. He admired Robert Bly's "Iron John" (1990), about rescuing masculinity, and bought an audiobook of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" (1992), the best-selling self-help book.

He was a dandy. One woman reports that, more than a week into a long river-rafting trip, he would still "emerge from the tent like he was in GQ magazine." He was a sophisticated man whose friends needled him for his terrible taste in art. At the Santa Fe Institute, the interdisciplinary research center where McCarthy spent a lot of

time later in his life, mingling with scientists and naturalists, he'd bring back cheap prints from Hobby Lobby and tack them on the walls.

McCarthy had a pitch-black worldview. It's never been hard to imagine him as a political conservative, but Daugherty brings the receipts. McCarthy had American flag bumper stickers on his trucks — one also had a nationalistic "Power of Pride" — and watched "Yellowstone," a TV show that emphasized rugged individualism, property rights and gun ownership. He joined the Republican National Committee and read The Spotlight, a magazine known for promulgating right-wing conspiracy theories.

There's an interesting detour in which Daugherty, leaning on McCarthy scholarship, argues that Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's novel "The Yearling" (1938), about a boy in rural Florida who's forced to shoot the orphaned pet fawn he's adopted, is a key that helps unlock many of the themes in McCarthy's novels.

McCarthy read Rawlings's book

DAVID STYLES

THE SUNDAY CROSSWORD Heart Transplants Edited by Will Shortz

The author Cormac McCarthy in 1973. His novels include "Blood Meridian," "All the Pretty Horses," "No Country for Old Men" and "The Road."

when he was young. Indeed, he auditioned in Knoxville and nearly got the lead role in the 1946 film version of "The Yearling." He was 11 at the time. Daugherty wonders about the direction McCarthy's life might have taken if he'd gotten the part.

McCarthy's family was, for Knoxville, well-to-do. His father, who had been the editor of The Yale Law Journal, worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority. The T.V.A.'s involvement in enriching the uranium used for the Manhattan Project's nuclear bomb tests haunted the writer. Eccentric son and smooth father clashed their entire lives.

McCarthy had five siblings. He was the outsider from the start. He was charismatic and witty but got poor grades and spent all his time in the woods, as if he were a latter-day Huck Finn. Later he'd loiter on the more disreputable side of town, meeting the kind of hustlers and brainy screw-ups (one was nicknamed Waterbed Fred) who populated his rowdier fiction, novels like "Suttree" (1979), set in Knoxville, and "The Passenger" (2022), set in New Orleans.

He attended the University of Tennessee but barely attended classes and was asked not to return. He enlisted in the Air Force and served in a cold weather station in Alaska. He read a ton of books up there, including a lot of Melville.

A superior officer heard McCarthy's mellifluous voice on the telephone and helped him, in the early 1950s, become an announcer on Armed Forces Radio. It's interesting to imagine him there, against a horizon of mute ice, dropping the needle on "Tennessee Waltz," by Patti Page, or "Rocket 88," by Ike Turner.

He returned to U.T. on the G.I. Bill. It's where he met his first wife, Lee Holleman. She was as wild as he was and wanted to be a writer. McCarthy would marry twice more and have two children. He wasn't built to be a husband or father. He was restless, and work took unquestioned precedence over home life. All his relationships ended in separation.

He had overlapping affairs. He was a "hound," in one acquaintance's estimation, and his friends' wives were apparently fair game. He was handsome, magnetic and deeply masculine, and he could hunt, fish, build a house, play the guitar, fix a car and hold a big room with his storytelling. He was catnip to women.

A lot of writers look like Ned Beatty. McCarthy more resembled Warren Beatty. There is a letter from his third wife, Jennifer Winkley, referring to their “huge erotic events.”

He liked his women young. Well into middle age and later, he dated women in their 20s, often Ph.D. or law students. After McCarthy's death, Vanity Fair published a heavily discussed article divulging his nearly 50-year relationship with a woman named Augusta Britt, whom he'd met when she was 16 and he was 42. Daugherty parses this material carefully.

On the upside, Britt felt that McCarthy had rescued her, and he stayed close to her and helped her financially for the rest of his life. She was his muse, and saw herself, sometimes unhappily, in many of his female characters. But the details are grisly. It's unclear if, as one woman who knew McCarthy said, he took Augusta to her prom while she was still wearing braces. But he did pay to get her retainer fixed, as Daugherty reports. The Britt relationship has left McCarthy in a kind of reputational limbo.

This book review is about McCarthy's life, not about his books — those have been chewed over endlessly, and they will be as long as this planet has serious readers. Daugherty is a sensitive reader of the novels, but he's especially good on the making of them, and on the editors who helped McCarthy along the way.

McCarthy's early novels didn't sell at all. He wrote to a friend, at one point, that he'd toiled for 23 years and had never seen a royalty check. His editor at Random House, Albert Erskine, had edited William Faulkner. Erskine's devotion to McCarthy — keeping him in print, finding money for advances and helping him win early prizes and fellowships — is as moving a story of

editorial devotion as I've ever read.

This is the first full-dress biography we've had of the reclusive McCarthy, but it won't be the last.

Erskine often couldn't find McCarthy for months at a time, because he moved around and almost never picked up his mail. They battled in a friendly way over McCarthy's punctuation, and his arcane vocabulary.

Fascinating, too, are the scenes in which Gary Fisketjon, McCarthy's new editor at Knopf, and Binky Urban, his new agent, work to convince him to come slightly out of his rabbit hole (McCarthy hated to do any form of P.R.) in the 1990s to publicize the Border Trilogy, novels that became worldwide best sellers.

McCarthy wrote screenplays in his later years and visited the sets of the movies made from his films. He became friends with Tommy Lee Jones, who nearly convinced Jack Nicholson to play Judge Holden, the brutal, scalp-hunting antagonist of “Blood Meridian,” in a film version that Jones hoped to shoot.

McCarthy told friends he'd "dated" Penélope Cruz, one of the stars of "The Counselor" (2013), a crime thriller for which he'd written the script, and found her boring. Josh Brolin, one of the leads in the Coen brothers' film of "No Country for Old Men," visited him on his deathbed.

Extreme reticence is often a cover for extreme egotism. That seems true here. Is this kind of single-mindedness and arrogance what's required to write great fiction? A woman friend said of McCarthy: "He lived his life on his own terms — more so than anyone I have ever known."

Madeline Miller, whose new book is "Mestra: A Short Story," was a classicist before she began reinterpreting ancient myths in best-selling novels like "Circe" and "The Song of Achilles." Miller appeared on the "Book Review" podcast in July to talk about her love of Homer and the "Odyssey." This excerpt has been condensed and edited.

Tell me about your relationship to the "Odyssey." When was the first time you read it?

My very, very first readings of both the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” came listening to them, because my mother, who also loved classics, would read me bedtime stories from selections from the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” when I was a child, and I absolutely fell in love with them. I loved the fantastical elements, of course, but part of what I loved back then is what I still love today, which is how incredibly real they felt, even though there are six-headed monsters and Cyclops and all of that — ultimately, these stories are incredibly human.

There are all these little mini stories inside of the "Odyssey." Do you remember the parts that stuck the most?

Well, I'm going to say something that's maybe a little bit of a faux pas, which is that I love the "Iliad" more.

Oh!

This is a very broad generalization, but I think that the “Iliad” is a little bit more of a young person’s story, and I think that the “Odyssey” is a little bit

more of an older person's story, because it is about longing to go back home after you have been adventuring and lost in the world. And now, as an older person, I can appreciate the "Odyssey" a lot more. The older you get, the richer it feels. And every time I come back to the "Odyssey," I find something new in it.

This is actually a very simple story at its core.

It really is. So many of the characters that you meet along the way, Odysseus is also meeting for the first time. And so he'll introduce you to them. You'll get to hear who Circe is, because you'll see Odysseus meet her. And you'll get to experience his interaction with Calypso and the King of the Winds. And all of those things, you'll see play out. I really think the "Odyssey" is the ancient epic where you need the least amount of back story.

Do you think there are a ton of people who have read "Circe" and have not read the "Odyssey"? Well, I always have my Latin teacher agenda, so I'm always thrilled if someone reads "Circe" or "Song of Achilles"

Across 1 Easy putt 6 Clever 11 Exam for a family. 15 Boulderer's safety item 18 Muffin alternative 19 Sea surrounding Mykonos 21 Pally Indian cooking 22 "Mr. Blue Sky" band, in brief 23 Sonor Tark "sky" slang? 25 Infamous Russian mystic 27 Glow up? 28 Great might be liquid or frozen 29 Street that might run all away through town 31 Like most autographs 32 Film filmmaker Jacques 34 Secrets known only by T.N.\$? 35 Depression formed by a volcano's collapse 41 Did a taxing job? 42 C.I.A. fanunner 43 Listened to "Rigoletto" way too many times 46 Mideast leaders 48 Member of the South Asian diaspora 49 Ocho menos uno

and then decides to read the “Iliad” or the “Odyssey.” I hope that my books could be a way in. It’s always a joy to see someone realize, wow, this is both such a strange work, but also feels so resonant. Which of us has not longed sometimes to be reunited with someone that we love, or been frightened and at a loss, or felt like you were being swept away by forces outside your control? There’s so much in these works that I think can draw people in, and they’re a reason why they’ve survived this long. It’s because they keep speaking to people.

What books would pair well with the "Odyssey"?

This is an obvious answer, but the “Iliad,” because Achilles is such a different type of hero. Achilles is the opposite of Odysseus. I’m going to also recommend “The Penelopiad,” which is Margaret Atwood’s Penelope’s version, but also gets into some of the enslaved women that Odysseus murders, one of the most disturbing parts of the “Odyssey,” I think. And I’m going to recommend “Watership Down,” by Richard Adams. “Watership Down” goes to show just how powerful epic is, because you can even write it about rabbits and it’s still gripping. You could imagine that the first half of “Watership Down” is like the “Odyssey,” and the second half is like the “Iliad.” So you get a little mini “Odyssey,” but starring rabbits instead.

The “Book Review” podcast can be found at https://www.nytimes.com/books or through popular podcast apps.

50 Berkeley university, familiarity 53 March's stamp go-with 56 Many a David Foster Wallace 58 Not gross 59 Wild hogs 61 "a" y plata (Monta's motto) 62 Sleuth, slangily 64 "A sharp edge walls a splinter's bite" 或"The forest's final revenge is weaker-thin," e.g.? 69 N.K. "Broken Earth" is the author 73 Summer in France 74 Person diseased in Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution 75 Spark joy? 80 Educational inst. 81 "Felt," in Arabic 82 Count (up) 83 Slippery summer 84 Daniel (children's TV) 89 "The Part of the internet," per its tagline 91 Handful 93 The opposed 95 Animated explorer Corneary arting surgery

98 Diwali or Holi? 101 Queen (pop nickname) 102 Bouncing 105 Some hair products 106 Like the world's worst digestion company? 110 Rose bowl? 111 Status after a break walk 112 Drubbing 113 Wibbly-wobbly 115 Hot stone massage location 118 Take a risk 120 A while bunch of ocean detallers? 124 Tsp. or tbsp. 125 Triumph monument shall. 126 Off-target 127 Family girl 128 Fleur-dee. 129 Luxury goods retailer since 1867 130 Needlessly adjects, in an idiom 131 Massachusetts county in which the term "gerry-mandering" was first applied Down 1 Disapproving sounds 2 "Dentient is patriotic" grp. 3 Anti-matter? 4 Overnight stop 5 Made telelevant 6 serif 7 Free-for-all

Solution to puzzle of October 3-4

8 Stress-induced discomfort
9 Stimpy's TV partner
10 Make it?
11 Rockhouse rope
12 Comics legend behind the Fantastic Four
13 Calls out on social media, slangly
14 Odd-to-date to ungulate
15 Document used for a travel companion who might sit under a seat
16 Managers in Pixar's "Elio"
17 "The Bear" matriarch played by Jamie Lee Curt
20 Rootless
24 Green Egyptian god
26 Get into, as a cab, say
30 The Eagle has made her Broadway debut in "Hadestown"
33 Northernmost arm of the Mediterranean
35 Like a blue moon or blue steak
36 Something to chew on
37 Ship brass
38 Work with Python, say
39 Park and Fifth, e.g.: Abb.
40 Tennis score following league
44 Second-in-command

ED BY WILL SHORT. 45 Place, female companion of Butch Cassidy and the Sunstone Kid 47 Closely examine 51 "Dancing With the Stars" network 52 Cardinals legend Brock 54 Wit the bow, in music 55 Sullen 57 "Indeed!" 60 Performed exceptionally, in slang 63 Bibliography listing 65 Louis Taramid architect 66 Mail Boxes 67 Chain that sells climbing gear 68 Only, by laying mammals besides platypuses 69 Mocking cry 70 "Night" memoirist Wies 71 They might be the last to be booked on an airplane 72 Grp. for commanders and chiefs 73 Holiday classic starring Will Ferrell 77 Soapmaker's supply 78 Be inclined 79 Cryptics with a Tibetan name

84 Speech therapist's bargers 86 Frigg and Freyja, e.g. 87 One of the Great Lakes 88 Cleaning cloths 90 Home of the N.C.A.A.'s Flyer. 92 Train sound 93 Home services website 94 Dig up dirt, say 97 "Barry Lyndon" director 98 DBY: Abb. 100 Statement by someone who's out of date? 101 Vietnamese sandwich 103 Animals known for their classical revolution 104 Capital of ancient Troy? 106 Alternative to express 107 Ancient Andean 108 Like some allergy sprawl 109 Splendid 114 Young newts 116 A runner may need to pick it up 117 Charles's option, informally 119 Flop (period of failure) 122 Part of NGO: Abbr. 123 Preview with cycle 123 Christmas carol contraction

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ELINOR KRY FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Giving a lost ballet a new life

FARRELL, FROM PAGE 17 torting, becomes increasingly frenetic as if he were running out of time. For the woman, her hair whipping around her, sharp pointe work contrasts with dangling arms making her seem both bound by gravity and wildly loose.

Nadon, who was scheduled to dance Farrell's part in the opening-night cast Thursday, had never heard of the ballet, which has, "an alien-y, extraterrestrial feel," she said.

She said Farrell told the dancers that they were like molecules bouncing around. “She’s also been very clear that it’s not the type of ballet that we’re trying to add a lot of emotion to,” Nadon said. “She’s like, ‘Don’t do this step in a jazzy way. It shouldn’t be sexy. It shouldn’t be jazzy. It should just be the step.’”

Unity Phelan, who dances Farrell's role in another cast, said that for her the movement is liberating. "Suzanne describes it as it's kind of like a spacewalk, and you're running out of oxygen," she said. "I'm trying to take as much air as possible from the people around me. It's like taking their energy and holding it into myself."

A sense of anxiety runs throughout "Pithoprakta." "I think it's a visual representation of the idea of trying to hold on, but also be free and also create relationships," Phelan said. "It's like it's a human experience all in 10 minutes of a ballet."

"I feel that for these dancers," Farrell says, "it's almost like Mr. B is coming back and doing a ballet for them."

In the final moment, the woman travels backward on pointe, her feet stabbing the floor in small side to side steps as her arms reach and shake. Her partner swirls around but soon she is alone. She wilts to the floor before landing in a kneeling position as her arms rise over- head and her wrists cross and fold over her eyes with wiggling fingers.

Like molecules bouncing around in space to a galaxy of sounds.

"I feel like I'm reaching for something," Nadon said. "She didn't say this," Nadon added of Farrell, "but I kind of feel like you are out in space and you run out of air. You're collapsing. And then maybe you become the alien."

Farrell said that she didn't know what was in Balanchine's mind with the ending. "I can't speak for him," she said. "I would never do that. No one can. They try, but they can't. But you can kind of imagine what was in his mind by the steps. He would always say, 'If you want to know about my ballets, it's all in the choreography.'"

In the studio, Farrell is explicit about the approach needed for the choreography's urgency and weight. This is not a meek ballet. She pushed them to move with more groundedness, to get "into the ground," as she put it.

"It's even difficult to explain to them what the steps are," she added, "because it's not your typical glissade-jeté steps, it's not our vocabulary often. And certainly the musicality is not our vocabulary often. I know they do a lot of contemporary ballets, but I don't even call this contemporary. I don't know what to call it. I think every ballet of Mr. B's is in a category of itself."

At left and at far left above, Suzanne Farrell, a former New York City Ballet principal, rehearsing dancers in a revival of George Balanchine's otherworldly "Pithoprakta," from 1968.

Farrell may not be able to move like she used to, but the thrust of the choreography — its weight and its energy — is palpable in her body. "It's so ingrained in her bones and her blood," Phelan said. "You can see it happening."

Farrell said that she felt like she could do it even though she knows she can't. "But the same energy is there," she said. "I've got the power, I've got the thrust, I got the weight, I have the light. It's so visceral. People move differently and they don't necessarily move like I do. So I try to find the same thrust that they need without locking them into something. But I just say, in a good way, 'Throw it away. Don't keep it. Give it away. Explode.'"

It's all in the choreography: "Pithoprakta" has a sense of danger. "Why not?" Farrell said with a smile. "It should have an element of danger. Going to space has danger."

A COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL ARTWORK

On view from 13 October 148 New Bond Street, London

info@halcyongallery.com

A lover of swamps brings one to New York

The Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen creates a virtual world full of stories

COPENHAGEN

BY FRANK ROSE

What kind of person loves a swamp? Henry David Thoreau, for one: When he wasn't communing with Walden Pond, Thoreau sang the praises of swampland immersion, sinking to your chin in muck, "lulled by the minstrelsy of gnats and mosquitoes." But he didn't win a lot of converts.

Now the Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen is giving it a shot. He has created a digital simulation of a swamp, highly suggestive of the minstrelsy of gnats and mosquitoes but lacking their bite. Opening at the Museum of Modern Art in New York on Monday, the exhibition showcases the latest in his series of game-engine-driven video and sound simulations called “Berl-Berl.” (“Wetland” is the name of the exhibition, “Berl-Berl” the name of the sole artwork it contains.)

The first iteration was displayed in Berlin in 2021 in the Halle am Berghain, inside a Soviet-era power plant turned icon of the underground club scene. "A sensual, surreal, fascinating visual history of what the last ice age glaciers left behind," Berliner Zeitung called it. Each iteration since has provided a deep dive — literally at times — into the swamps Berlin was built on during the Middle Ages, with vocals by Arca, the deeply transgressive, Barcelona-based singer-producer-performance-artist.

"So 'Berl-Berl' is like a singing swamp," Kudsk Steensen said.

We were making our way through some wetlands as he spoke — a marshy preserve on the outskirts of Copenhagen, a short bike ride from his studio and even closer to his home. The site was crisscrossed with the residue of human civilization: railroad lines, canals bordered with reeds and bulrushes, waterside vacation homes that started out a half-century ago as hippie squatters' shacks. Footpaths wended through the scrubby brush. Kudsk Steensen, 39, tall and square-jawed, likes to come there to think.

“Berl-Berl” takes its name from a Slavic word for “swamp,” a reminder of the Slavs who lived there before Germanic settlers moved in. “Berl” is also the source of the name Berlin. Much of what you see in “Berl-Berl” recalls the swamps Berlin was built on and that survive in the Spreewald, an inland delta some 60 miles away.

The original "Berl-Berl" was presented on nine wall-size screens and

29 speakers across the cavernous Halle am Berghain. Each subsequent version has been different.

"I have to follow where the water goes, where the roots go."

Right, Jakob Kudsk Steensen at a wetlands near his home in Copenhagen. Above, four views of his digital swampland, "Berl-Berl" (2021), a continuing, live simulation of the swamp Berlin was built on. Far right, Kudsk Steensen at his studio in Copenhagen with an artwork, "Amorpheous." Below right, one of his drawings.

"At MoMA, it's made to envelop you — but with a sense of dance," Kudsk

Steensen teased. "Things appear. They vanish. They're dark. They're bright. They're vocal."

Though he has had solo shows at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Fondation Beyeler and the Museum of Design in Zurich, this is his first in the United States. It will be displayed on the 24-by-24-foot (roughly 7-by-7-meter) digital screen in MoMA's garden lobby, the one that showed Refik Anadol's artificial-intelligence-generated extravaganza "Unsupervised" three years ago, scandalizing critics while mesmerizing museumgoers (and their kids). But where Anadol's work feels hyperkinetic, often frenzied, Kudsk Steensen's has been hailed as part of the "slow media" movement, a philosophical offshoot of slow food. Also, it doesn't rely on A.I.

It does rely on digital technology, which he describes as hard-edge, structured, linear. But then there is the other part. "I have to follow where the water goes, where the roots go," he said. "So I get this nice, mushy, transformative part in my creative process. That's why I like working with wetlands and swamps."

As in work, so in life. "I don't know for what reason," he added, "but I always end up living in areas like this."

KUDSK STEENSEN'S FORMATIVE years were spent on Denmark's wild and wet west coast, in the tiny village of Norre Nissum, in an area of Denmark that is conservative, religious and sparsely populated. There were wetlands all around: brackish ponds by the sea, full-on swamps just past the garden fence. He liked it. "You have space to be someone else," he said as we sat in his whitewalled Copenhagen studio, in a low, red brick factory building that was built a century ago. "You kind of imagine." But there was no denying it was lonely.

Then, when he was 11, he discovered video games. “The game for me was ‘Half-Life,’” he said, “a story-driven, three-dimensional game that just, like, changed the field to what it is today.” “Unreal Tournament” came out a year later, in 1998, and with it a tool that could create new levels in which the game could be played. So he downloaded the tool, which was called Unreal Engine. Suddenly he could build entirely new digital environments. Swamps, anyone?

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATHIAS EIS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
IMAGES BY JAKOB K. STEENSEN

He moved to New York after art school, living in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn and then in Jersey City, N.J., near the marshes that back onto the Statue of Liberty. To support himself he made virtual reality videos for organizations like the Rainforest Alliance, first working for somebody else's production company, then on his own. Eventually he started making the videos not as promotional material for a client, but as art.

It was slow going at first. But then Kudsk Steensen attracted the attention of Berlin's LAS Art Foundation, which commissions works by emerging artists on issues like climate change. "He was not known by any means," said Bettina Kames, director of LAS, "but I was struck by his unique voice and also by his deep knowledge about technology.

He really stood out."

LAS commission in hand, he soon started working with Kim Mortega, an ornithologist at Berlin's Museum of Natural History, and Matt McCorkle, who would record the sounds of the swamp. Before long they were kayaking through the heavily forested swamps of the Spreewald together.

"He said, 'You know, I'm an artist, but

I love to watch experts or see over their shoulders from behind and see what they see,"Mortega said. He would slosh chest-deep through the water. He would take thousands of photographs of a rock or a frog and use photogrammetry to recreate them as virtual 3-D objects. Back in Berlin, he would dive into the museum's records and samples.

He knew the drill from working with game engines: “Doing initial research, writing a story, and then thinking about, OK, how do you transform that into a space — a virtual space that has a story inside it?” he said. “‘Berl-Berl’ was created as a world where other stories can also appear” — his own or those of artists working in collaboration.

IN THE FIVE YEARS since “Berl-Berl” was introduced, Kudsk Steensen has generated stories that take place in the same virtual world or one closely related. What they have in common is not just swamps but also a fascination with the folklore of swamps. Many major cities were built on wetlands: Amsterdam, St. Petersburg, Mexico City, Houston, Shanghai. In a world without roads, wetland waterways served as trade routes. But in 18th-century Europe, the swamps were drained. In other places, like Houston, they were simply paved over. They had become an impediment to progress. They offended the rational mind.

Yet all this progress has helped produce a climate crisis, and these not-so-attractive wetlands could do a lot to mitigate the flooding that results. No one would mistake “Berl-Berl” for a nature documentary, but implicit within it is a plea for sanity as Earth grows progressively less hospitable to life. “It’s fascinating,” said Paola Antonelli, Mo-MA’s senior curator of architecture and design and its founding director of research and development. “This most technological part of the museum is the one that really digs into nature, into consciousness.”

The world of “Berl-Berl” is also a pagan world, mystical and esoteric. The giant tree in the MoMA installation is not just a tree; it is Triglav, the three-headed god worshiped in the Spreewald and elsewhere until Christians stamped out other gods and imposed their own.

Triglav assumes different forms in different mythologies. In one, “it’s like a snake king,” Kudsk Steensen said. “And in another mythology, it’s this navigational system from the underworld to our world and through the trees to the heavens.” In yet another, it’s a tree that lives partly in the water, partly on the earth, partly in the sky. In all these cases, “the idea is that you can navigate life and death and the world through the Triglav.”

Another entity you may encounter in the Berl-Berl world — though not in the installation at MoMA — is Nokken, the water spirit. He appeared for the first time in “The Song Trapper,” part of an offshoot that appeared last year in Paris and can next be seen at the modern art museum in Luxembourg. In Nordic mythology, Nokken is often presented as a shape-shifting menace that can appear, among other guises, as a handsome young man whose music lures people to their death in the waters. Kudsk Steensen presents him simply as a guide to the swamps, always looking a bit lost.

At this point in his life, the tool Kudsk Steensen found as a kid has long since supplanted any interest in video games themselves. "What I like is the poetics" of these virtual worlds, he said as we sat in his studio, a copy of Jeff Vander-Meer's eco-thriller "Hummingbird Salamander" on his desk, the afternoon sun slanting in through enormous, steelframe windows. "And the idea that you have to research something and build some story and concepts and turn that into this virtual piece of architecture — that's my passion."

JAKOB K. STEENSEN

FOCUS FEATURES

Depicting a grittier, grimier Austen

The new ‘Sense and Sensibility’ strives for a lived-in feel and realism

LIAISON AGENCY, VIA GETTY IMAGES

BY SARAH BAHR

The director Georgia Oakley grew up watching the 1995 film adaptation of Jane Austen's “Sense and Sensibility,” beloved for Emma Thompson’s amusing screenplay and Ang Lee’s smart direction. So when the producer India Flint asked in 2024 if Oakley would be interested in making a fresh adaptation, she was excited but also knew she would inevitably face comparisons with the earlier movie.

“No one’s saying this is the definitive version, though — that takes some of the pressure off,” Oakley, 38, said of her film, opening Friday, which follows the Dashwood sisters — the prudent Elinor (“sense”) and the passionate Marianne (“sensibility”) — after their father dies and they face sudden poverty along with the attentions of various suitors.

The 1995 version starred Thompson and Kate Winslet as the sisters, with Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman as their love interests. That film, which won a screenplay Oscar, helped renew interest in Austen's work. It was one of six movie and television adaptations of her stories to appear during 1995 and 1996. "Clueless," "Persuasion," "Pride and Prejudice" and two "Emmas" were the others. ("Sense and Sensibility" was also adapted as a mini-series in 1971, 1981 and 2008.)

But Oakley and Diana Reid, 30, who wrote the new screenplay, thought there was a rationale for a fresh adaptation addressing perennial concerns like financial and social dependence and the moral emptiness of the ruling classes.

At right, Edgar-Jones and George MacKay in the new film, which is also greatly informed by the outdoor settings the characters find themselves in.

"I think the fact that that first film was made 30 years ago has left space for another exploration of the story," said Oakley, whose adaptation stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor, Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne, and George MacKay and Herbert Nordrum as their suitors.

Reid, who joined Oakley in a video call from London in August, nodded her agreement.

"There's something extremely relatable and contemporary in the central conflict between the sisters and what it is that comes between them," she said, adding, "It's often the things that attract us to somebody that end up also being the things that piss you off about that person."

Oakley and Reid set out to tackle the novel through the lenses of both the gritty realism of the family's financial ruin and the sisters' deep connection to nature. They took inspiration from the place-based cinematography of "Far From the Madding Crowd," John Schlesinger's 1967 screen adaptation of Thomas Hardy's pastoral tragicomedy, and the intimacy of the relationships in "Portrait of a Lady on Fire," Céline Sciamma's 2019 queer period romance.

Oakley recalled directing the hair and makeup team to "make sure that the makeup is as minimal as possible."

"I wanted to tell a relaxed, understated version of the story," she explained of her vision for the movie.

Noting that the sisters had spent a long time at home with their father, who's just died, she added, "I just refused to believe that, in those circumstances, they would have been presenting themselves in the same way as a woman living in London going to balls every year."

For Oakley, the women in her conception of that world wore loose, windswept hairdos (no tightly coifed curls here) and flowing dresses (any corsets would be undone).

"When I'm watching Austen adaptations, I sometimes feel a bit at arm's length from the characters because of the way they wear their hair or the way their costumes are all so pristine," she explained. "So I wanted to tap into something a bit more earthy and raw."

ALEX BAILEY/FOCUS FEATURES

That included establishing a nature unit, a team of photographers and videographers who camped out for hours in the rugged landscapes of southwest England. Their job was to fleck the film with “things that were slow,” like spiders spinning webs, bees flitting among flowers and light moving across rugged hills.

"Imagining a world 200 years ago with no screens and nothing as far as the eye can see — when they move to the cottage, it's quite hard," Oakley said. "And so I really wanted to probe that connection not only to nature, but also to the characters' relationship with time."

Their approach also meant a darker atmosphere rather than bright, sunlit rooms.

Above, from left, Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor Dashwood, Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne Dashwood, Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Margaret Dashwood and Caitriona Balfe as Mrs. Dashwood in the new “Sense and Sensibility,” directed by Georgia Oakley. From far left, a closer look at Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles. At far left below, Kate Winslet as Marianne with Emma Thompson, near left, as Elinor in the 1995 version.

"We've seen period movies that are set in the U.K. in huge, beautiful estate houses, and that just wasn't at all what we were looking for," the production designer Francesca Di Mottola said in a recent video call from Berlin, where she was working on her next project.

When it came to showing the family's fall — the father's death forces them to leave their home because it goes entirely to his son from his first marriage — Di Mottola said they focused on showing the practical consequences for the Dashwood daughters. For instance, when the family moves from a country estate in Sussex to the much smaller Barton Cottage in Devonshire, they are

"I wanted to tell a relaxed, understated version of the story."

accompanied by a single servant. In place of the standard getting-ready-for-the-ball shots — doing their makeup in front of mirrors, lacing up one another's corsets — are ones of them doing laundry,

cooking and chopping wood.

“You see how they’re having to adapt to a completely new life,” Di Mottola said. “They’re now having to do all those mansion-like things that you normally have someone else help you with.”

She added, “I even suggested, like, ‘Maybe they need to be picking ticks from each other.’ Georgia was like, ‘I don’t know what we need to push it that much.’”

There has been naturalism in Austen adaptations before, said Linda Troost, a professor of English at Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania who coedited a book on Austen film adaptations.

For instance, actors in the 1972 "Emma" BBC mini-series were asked not to wash their hair regularly so it would appear less fluffy and more period appropriate.

Some filmmakers have also not shied away from grit. The 1995 film of “Persuasion” for instance, showed Anne Elliot riding in a cart with a pig and a goose, and the 2008 “Sense and Sensibility” BBC mini-series featured a shabby cottage and steady rain.

Still, Troost said, more would need to be done to depict true period grime.

"Why not show dog hair on the clothing of all those dog owners?" she asked. "Snuff stains on handkerchiefs? Tobacco and tea stains on teeth?"

For Oakley, though, the ultimate goal wasn't strict period accuracy. By stripping back some of the now-standard gloss, she said, she hoped to bring the story's emotions to the fore.

The characters may not be “sassy in a modern way, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not human,” she said, adding, “You can still deeply connect with them and find their stories resonant and truthful.”

Explore the Big Easy this autumn

Cooler weather, an evolving food scene, festivals and a voodoo heritage beckon

36 Hours in ... New Orleans

BY SHANNON SIMS

Indulgent cuisine, rollicking live music and atmospheric street life have long made New Orleans an easy choice among fun-seeking travelers. But these elements are remixing in ways that warrant a fresh visit. Last year, the city received its first Michelin stars, and its distinctively local food scene continues to evolve and expand. The Mississippi River feels more accessible than it has in generations, thanks to a triumphant new riverfront park. While many people sync their visits to Mardi Gras or the springtime Jazz Fest, autumn is an unsung time to explore the Big Easy, with pleasant weather, festivals and the advent of spooky season. (This is, after all, a city of aboveground cemeteries and voodoo heritage.) Just check the forecast — hurricane season lasts through November.

FRIDAY

2 P.M. | GET LOUD FOR A CLASSIC

Cooler weather brings New Orleans's traditional oyster season, making autumn a good time to visit (or revisit) Galatoire's. With its mirrored walls, gilded décor and buttoned-up service, the 121-year-old restaurant feels like a step back into Jazz Age elegance. On occasion, musicians trumpet through the dining room, adding to the celebratory mood. That's especially true on Fridays once the French 75s, a New Orleans bubbly cocktail (\$15), start flowing, sending the unlikely mix of lawyers, ladies-wholunch and tourists into a cacophonous roar. Make a reservation and try your oysters en brochette and wrapped in bacon (\$19), or Rockefeller, under spinach (\$20). Have a feather fascinator or a seersucker suit? This is its moment to shine.

4 P.M. | GO ON A QUARTER QUEST

Often overlooked amid the frenzy, locally owned boutiques in the French Quarter make for an excellent shopping adventure. Fifi's Custom Wigs is a riotous stop (ombre-pink chest-length wig, \$60). Souvenirs like T-shirts emblazoned with local slang (from \$30) can be found at Fleury Girl, while Krewe showcases luxury eyewear favored by Beyoncé and Meghan Markle (best-selling St. Louis style, \$375). Nola Kids has a wide variety of children's toys and local books, including “Scrim on the Run!” which tells the story of the town's favorite pup.

8 P.M. | SPOIL YOURSELF

At \$195, before tax, tip or alcohol, the tasting menu at Dakar NOLA carries one of the highest price points in town. But the extraordinary flavors offered by Serigne Mbaye, its Senegalese American chef — whom this year the James Beard Foundation anointed the best in the South — help soften the blow. Using local seafood and honoring Louisiana's love of spice, Mr. Mbaye taps the through line between West Africa and Louisiana to reimagine traditional Senegalese food. Beautifully presented courses range from palm oil bread to delicately cured Gulf snapper. Though opened in 2022, this year the restaurant moved into a cottage, with creaky wooden floors that add to the intimate atmosphere. With just five tables, it's essential to reserve well in advance.

10 P.M. | TURN IT UP AT TIP'S

There's something special in the sauce at Tipitina's. Named for a song by a former club regular, Professor Longhair, the 1970s-era music venue on Napoleon Avenue once housed the studios of the beloved radio station WWOZ; it would occasionally broadcast a show by lowering a microphone through a hole in the floor. Bought in 2018 by local musicians, the two-story, standing-room-mostly venue with three bars is a reliable stop for great music most nights. Cover charges can vary, from free to over \$100, and many shows sell out — so plan ahead.

SATURDAY

8:30 A.M. | BIKE TO THE BYWATER

For a hearty breakfast with Gulf flavors, try Bearcat, a friendly cafe in the Central Business District. Then, burn off your tofu quesadilla (\$14) or crab scramble (\$28) on the best bike tour in town. Jeff Shyman, an anthropologist by training and the owner of A Street Tour Named Desire, offers a daily 10 a.m. tour of the Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods, crafted to match your interests. Architecture fans will relish his explanation of traditional shotgun houses, and history buffs will appreciate seeing the Press Street train station where the Plessy v. Ferguson racial segregation case originated. Those simply looking to experience a less-touristy New Orleans will love cruising the smaller streets of the Bywater. The tour departs near Frenchmen Street, and bikes, helmets and water are all provided (\$55 for a three-hour tour; kids welcome).

1 P.M. | SAVOR SOME SOUL FOOD

After Hurricane Katrina flooded its brick-and-mortar shop, Vaucresson's Creole Café & Deli reopened in 2022 in its former sausage factory on St. Bernard Avenue — a second life for the 127-year-old family business. Vance Vaucresson, the restaurant's third-generation proprietor, is recognized as a "tradition bearer" by the Louisiana Folklife Commission for making traditional Creole sausages like andouille and spicy pork chaurice. Fans of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival may know the name from the popular stand at the city's springtime event. At the cafe, rich gumbo comes packed with seafood, with a crab leg dangling lusciously from the bowl (\$14.95), and the sausage sampler includes crawfish, chicken and spicier Creole varieties (\$21).

2 P.M. | MEANDER IN MUSEUMS

You could spend whole days in the National WWII Museum, in the Central Business District — and risk overlooking an array of smaller collections in the French Quarter. The Cabildo, the site of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase transfer ceremonies, offers an overview of Louisiana's history. The newly reopened Presbytère presents vintage Mardi Gras regalia and an exhibit on Hurricane Katrina. The New Orleans Jazz Museum celebrates the city's musical legacy. (Admission to each museum costs \$15, but visit more than one and entry is discounted.) Nearby, the Historic New Orleans Collection conserves the city's history, and has an excellent gift shop. For something weirder, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum has a macabre collection of medical contraptions and potions (\$10).

5 P.M. | MEET THE MISSISSIPPI

The Mississippi River, New Orleans's raison d'être, has long felt strangely out of reach for visitors and locals alike. There were few spots to see it, and fewer places to pleasantly walk or lounge alongside it. That changed this year with the opening of the Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park, a 16-acre (6.5-hectare) stretch that is just steps from the French Quarter. There are green spaces, a playground and a grassy embankment with trees that makes for a perfect place to toss a blanket and watch the traffic of tankers and tow boats cruise by. Get closer to the water aboard the 10-minute Canal Street ferry to Algiers (\$2 each way, wheelchair accessible), which takes you across the mighty Mississippi.

7:30 P.M. | MIX IT UP MID-CITY

The chef Sue Zemanick opened Zasu in 2019, after more than a decade at the helm of Gautreau's, a New Orleans staple. Zasu's location on an unglamorous stretch of Carrollton Avenue belies remarkable food, recently honored with a Michelin star. Zemanick's Slovak heritage and use of traditional Louisiana ingredients create unique flavor profiles. Marinated crab claws (\$20), pimento cheese and potato pierogies (\$35) and red snapper with gnocchi (\$44), plus excellent service, make for a memorable evening. Although tempting, hold off on dessert and cross the street (carefully) to Angelo Brocato, a gelateria and pasticceria that opened in 1905 (cannoli, \$3.95; spumoni, \$4.25).

10 P.M. | FLIT ALONG FRENCHMEN

For a rowdy weekend night, locals skip Bourbon Street and head to the excellent live music spots along Frenchmen Street. Most venues showcase multiple genres and don't require advance tickets; cover charges usually range from around \$10 to \$20. Expect jazz on the earlier side, and funk or brass after 10 p.m. Try the Spotted Cat Music Club for jazz, Bamboula's for Cajun and Zydeco, DBA for brass bands, Cafe Negril for reggae and rock, and Snug Harbor Jazz

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CEDRIC ANGELES FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Bistro for bigger names (and higher covers). Get the listings from WWOZ, or the Nola Show app, released last year. In the middle of it all is the charming, late-night Frenchmen Art Market with unique finds like cicada-adorned bolo ties (\$25) and hand-printed bandannas (\$40).

SUNDAY

9:30 A.M. | EXPLORE CITY PARK

In City Park, moss-dripping oak trees older than the city itself rustle with white ibis and great blue herons. Besides being a great place to jog or take photos, on Sunday mornings the year-round Crescent City Farmers Market pops up, showcasing the producers that are a key pillar of this food town. Grab a pecan croissant (\$4.50) at Leo's Bread tent or, for sugar-dusted beignets (\$4.50), take a seat at the less touristy outpost of Cafe du Monde, just in front of the market. Don't miss the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, a free, 11-acre New Orleans Museum of Arts collection of around 100 pieces by artists ranging from heavy hitters like Auguste Rodin and Maya Lin to lesser-known names with works referring to the city's experience with natural disasters.

11:30 A.M. | BRUNCH AND REVELRY

The jazz brunch at Commander's Palace (three courses, from \$44) is a festive way to toast a successful New Orleans weekend. The kitchen at the Garden District institution might just turn out the best gumbo in town, and its bread pudding soufflé is unforgettably decadent. Mind the dress code: This is a place to pull out your bow ties and pearls. If you prefer to clutch your pearls, however, try the vivacious drag brunch at the Country Club in the Bywater neighborhood. Reservations are essential at both.

1 P.M. | LOOP THE LOOP

To stretch your legs — and get a little peace and quiet — consider boarding the streetcar (\$1.25) to Audubon Park, across St. Charles Avenue from Tulane and Loyola Universities, where a wide, paved walking and biking path is almost entirely shaded by a canopy of live oak trees. Embedded among stately old homes, the park also has lagoons, a zoo, a golf course and an island where snowy egrets gather. Turn the volume back up at a second line parade, a freewheeling New Orleans experience that happens every Sunday afternoon starting

Clockwise from top: a band plays for the lunch crowd at Galatoire's in the French Quarter; Big Mike & the R&B Kings perform at Cafe Negril on Frenchmen Street; gumbo is a draw at Vaucresson's Creole Café & Deli on St. Bernard Avenue; and you can change your look at Fifi's Custom Wigs. At bottom, the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park.

KEY STOPS

In the heart of the French Quarter, Gala-toire's is a reliable classic for boisterous Friday lunches.

The Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park, a new 16-acre green space, gives the Mississippi River the spotlight it deserves.

Frenchmen Street is a three-block melange of music venues, including the Spotted Cat Music Club, Bamboula's, DBA, Cafe Negril and Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro. On most days, it hosts the Frenchmen Art Market, a delightful late-night shopping experience under sparkly string lights.

WHERE TO EAT

Along the Mississippi River levee, the Senegalese-Gulf Coast fusion restaurant Dakar NOLA is the star du jour of the New Orleans culinary scene.

Find breakfasts both healthy and indulgent at Bearcat in the Central Business District.

On St. Bernard Avenue, Vaucresson's Creole Café & Deli is a family-owned shop for gumbo and sausage.

Enjoy friendly service and unpretentious, Michelin-starred dishes blending Slovak and Louisiana traditions at Zasu in Mid-City.

Angelo Brocato is a longtime stop for cannolis and gelato.

The Cafe du Monde in City Park serves famous beignets and chicory coffee, minus the French Quarter site's lines.

Commander's Palace offers a jazz brunch perfect for special occasions.

The Country Club in the Bywater neighborhood hosts a memorable Sunday drag brunch in a stylish setting.

WHERE TO STAY

The 71-room Hotel Peter and Paul is built on a historic Catholic campus that includes a church, rectory, convent and schoolhouse. Rooms start at around \$250 a night. (Like all accommodations across town, rates spike during events like Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest.)

A block from St. Charles Avenue in Uptown, the Garden District Hotel has a resort-style pool behind a historic mansion full of nooks and crannies. Across the street, its sister hotel, Blackbird, is just as stylish, albeit with a quieter, more low-key pool. Rooms start at around \$220 a night.

The Dew Drop Inn in Central City was once one of the foremost music venues in the South for Black musicians — a stop on the so-called Chitlin' Circuit. It remains a music venue, but reopened in 2024 as a modern motel. Rooms start at around \$111 a night.

around 1, except during the summer. The procession, led by the clamor of a brass band, grew out of Black social aid clubs of the 19th and early-20th centuries, which were often excluded from other city events. Hollis Burton of Treme Luxury Experience offers guided tours to the parade (\$50).

THE ART OF COLLECTING

Frieze London

JEREMIE SOUTEYRAT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

JEREMIE SOUTEYRAT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

VIA SOTHEBY'S

A tale of two art cities

LONDON

While the auctions are fetching huge sums, some big galleries are struggling

BY FARAH NAYERI

Never before in London had an auction from a single owner's collection fetched such sums as it did on June 24 at Sotheby's London.

The sale of 25 masterworks owned by Joe Lewis, a British currency trader, raised roughly \$400 million that evening. The top lot: Modigliani's 1917 "Seated Nude With Necklace," which sold for about \$63 million.

Later that night, another roughly \$130 million in art changed hands at Sotheby's, bringing the total to well over \$500 million. The result signaled a possible rebound in London's auction sales, which dropped around 50 percent between 2015 and 2025, according to the analytics firm Pi-eX.

But the city's galleries are less buoyant.

Stephen Friedman Gallery — which represented Yinka Shonibare, Kehinde Wiley and David Shrigley — announced in February that it was liquidating its business. Three months later, its neighbor, Tiwani Contemporary, followed suit, citing rising costs and “wider market uncertainties.”

London's art scene is a tale of two contrasting cities: one that can host the sale of over half a billion dollars of artworks in an evening, and another where high-profile galleries go bust. Things were cheerier 23 years ago, when the Frieze Art Fair began: The city's contemporary-art scene was booming, spurred by the birth of Tate Modern in 2000 and the success of a new generation of talents known as the Young British Artists.

When assessing the current outlook, "you can't say it's fantastic," Iwan Wirth, president and co-founder of Hauser & Wirth, one of the world's largest art dealerships, said in a phone interview. "But it's also wrong to say it's not good."

Wirth said stock market gains world-wide meant that “there’s certainly a lot of money around to buy great works,” so he was “optimistic that the upswing in the market globally will also be felt in London.”

Britain, the world's second-largest art market behind the United States, generated \$10.5 billion in sales in 2025, or about 18 percent of the global total, according to the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2026.

In 2019, it had a 20 percent share and had total sales of \$12.7 billion.

There are global reasons for the shrinkage: the coronavirus pandemic, which shut everything down in 2020; the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which inflated energy, shipping and travel costs; and the U.S.-Iran war, which began in February, and has curbed oil shipments.

Yet there are also Britain-specific reasons. The 2016 vote to leave the European Union — known as Brexit — limited E.U. nationals' travel to Britain and placed new levies and bureaucratic hurdles on art transactions with the continent.

Wealthy residents of Britain have been driven away by the 2024 decision to scrap the “non-dom” (non-domiciled) tax status, under which individuals whose permanent home for tax purposes was in another country could live in Britain without paying tax on income earned elsewhere.

So auctioneers were heartened by Joe Lewis's decision to sell off his collection in London.

It is "based on a confidence in the market, which we've seen coming back SCENE, PAGE S6

Riding high Clockwise from left: Checking out at a work by Pedro Paricio in the win- dow of Halcyon Gallery on New Bond Street in Mayfair; "Carrara Triceratops Skull" by Paul Vanstone; and Modigliani's "Seated Nude With Neck- lace," the top lot at an auction at Sotheby's London in June of works owned by Joe Lewis, which sold for about \$63 million.

Satire is actually quite timeless

LONDON

Rapid Priest of Charles,
JEREMIE SOUTEYRAT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
DANIEL CROUCH RARE BOOKS

The Andrew Edmunds collection will be on sale at Frieze Masters

BY SCOTT REYBURN

Napoleon Bonaparte and William Pitt the Younger, the youngest prime minister in Britain's history, leaders of the so-called great powers of their day, are carving up a steamed pudding in the shape of the world. France is helping itself to most of Europe; Britain is taking a big slice of the Atlantic Ocean. To 21st-century eyes, this 221-year-old cartoon could be an uncannily prescient commentary on the colonialist fear dreams of today's would-be Napoleons.

“It’s James Gillray’s most famous caricature,” said Daniel Crouch, a London-based dealer in prints and maps, holding up an original, hand-colored example of “The Plumb-pudding in danger” in the windowless bowels of a high-security art storage unit on the outskirts of London. Gillray’s knife-sharp satire dates from 1805, when Napoleon’s expansionist wars were raging across Europe and beyond.

“Of its type, this is the top,” added Crouch, in a recent interview, extolling the quality and condition of the un-framed etching, before carefully returning it to its protective plastic sleeve.

Crouch and his assistants were busy cataloging the vast private collection of English satirical prints and drawings amassed over a lifetime by Andrew Edmunds, a prominent art dealer and restaurateur, who died in 2022, at 79. The genial Edmunds became best known as the founder of his atmospheric name-sake eatery in Soho in London. But he also happened to be Britain's foremost collector of 18th-and early 19th-century caricatures, based in his much quieter shop next door.

The Andrew Edmunds collection comprises more than 10,000 prints and drawings, dating mainly from the 18th-and early 19th-centuries, when the British increasingly used humor as a way to cope with and critique the follies and injustices of the time. Crowds would gather in front of the windows of London's print shops, eager to see what artists would make of the latest controversy to jolt Georgian England.

JEREMIE SOUTEYRAT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Gillray, widely recognized as the father of the political cartoon, William Hogarth and Thomas Rowlandson were the outstanding practitioners of this caustic craft, all of whom are represented in this sprawling archive. Edmunds held Gillray — who was published by the influential print seller Hannah Humphrey — in particularly high regard, as evidenced across 1,200 prints, the most of any artist in the collection.

It also includes memorable prints by less well-known talents. There are more than 200 by the publisher and caricaturist Mary Darly, who, alongside Humphrey, was one of the notable women in this movement and lampooned the absurdities of London's latest fashions.

"I've looked at every single print and drawing at least once. It took me two days," said Crouch, who knew Edmunds well, and has been entrusted by his heirs to catalog and sell the entire archive.

"Every single print in the collection is the best possible impression, in the best possible condition. If it has color, it's the original color," Crouch said. "No one will do this again. No one cares."

Crouch will be offering the fully-cata- logged collection for sale, presented in about 80 leather-bound boxes, at the Frieze Masters fair in London, running from Thursday to Oct. 18. It will be priced at 12 million pounds, or about \$15.9 million dollars.

Political satire, using laughter to tell truth to power, has a long tradition and myriad forms. It stretches back to Aristophanes in ancient Greece, Juvenal in ancient Rome and extends to today's takedowns of overweening authoritarianians, whether it be Pussy Riot ridiculing President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Count Biface contesting a U.K. parliamentary seat against Britain's populist firebrand, Nigel Farage, or "South Park" renaming itself "South America."

Satirical prints enjoyed an upsurge in Britain in the 18th century.

“Britain was seen as liberal compared with European countries that were mostly ruled by absolute monarchs. We had executed our monarch in the 17th century," said Sheila O'Connell, a former curator of prints at the British Museum and the author of "The Popular Print in England: 1550-1850." "Although the monarchy was restored after a few years, its power was limited. Kings had to work closely with parliament. Both were the target of satirists," added O'Connell.

But what relevance do these centuries-old images have today? For example, could Gillray's prints mocking a king who balloons his nation's debt by waging a costly, long war on the other side of the world in fact serve as timeless reminders that satire can hold a mirror to society and its rulers?

"It's the last line of defense," said Amy Bree Becker, a professor in the department of communication and media at Loyola University Maryland, who has taught and written on the effect of political comedy on society, in a video interview. "In America, there's a very unhealthy distrust of the mainstream media. Comedians aren't really comedians any more. These are public figures that people are turning to instead of journalists," Becker added, naming Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver and, until May, Stephen Colbert as being among America's most popular satirical commentators on television.

Becker pointed out that though most of her students might not watch TV, they do watch clips of these satirists on social media. This is the 21st-century equivalent of how 18th-century Londoners enjoyed a quick laugh at a Hogarth or Gillray in the window of a print shop.

In 2020, during the Covid pandemic, Sarah Cooper's videos on TikTok and Twitter, lip-syncing the ramblings of President Trump, garnered hundreds of thousands of likes. But now Cooper is skeptical about how much difference satire can make to the political discourse.

"My honest view is that it doesn't work," she said in an email interview. "From what I've seen, and experienced, political satire tends to reinforce the very thing it's mocking. It pretty much hands the target a playbook," added Cooper, whose comedy now focuses more on the realities of everyday people.

“Sadly, what political satire often does is give powerful people ideas for how to grab more attention,” she said. “And in our social media-saturated culture, that means saying the craziest thing the loudest.”

But Becker still sees the enduring value of satire calling out absurdity. It keeps her students “looking at things a little more critically,” she said. “It points out the ridiculousness of politics. We like humor, we like to laugh and see things criticized,” Becker added.

The Andrew Edmunds Collection shows us where much of this all began.

Examples Clockwise from top far left: an original, hand-colored example of "The Plumb-pudding in danger" showing Napoleon, right, and William Pitt the Younger by James Gillray, from the Andrew Edmunds collection; a print by William Hogarth from Daniel Crouch, a London-based dealer; and a work by Samuel Hieronymus Grimm, also from the Andrew Edmunds collection.

A 72-year-old artist makes her debut

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

KAYE BROWN, VIA JILAMARA ARTS

Kaye Brown, a retired teacher, didn't pick up a paintbrush until 2012

BY VIVIAN MORELLI

Now 72, the artist Kaye Brown didn't pick up a paintbrush until 2012, when she retired from a career in teaching and working in libraries on the Tiwi Islands, off Australia's northern coast.

Remembrance Kaye Brown was a teacher and librarian before focusing on art. "I paint on the bark like this so I can remember family who have passed away and so that I can keep [our] culture strong," she said.

She began painting at Jilamara Arts and Crafts, a community-owned art center. “I used to watch old people, sit with them, and they would tell me what their painting was about,” she said. One man, she recalled, “used to do a lot of painting with kayimwagakimi and brush,” referring to the traditional ironwood comb. “I tried using that one day and I liked it.”

This week, six of her bark paintings will make their debut at Frieze London.

They are being brought by Sullivan+Strumpf, a Sydney, Australia, and Singapore-based gallery that often represents First Nations artists. Brown's works come to Frieze during a period of heightened international recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. In the past three years alone, Archie Moore won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, Emily Kam Kngwarray received a major retrospective at Tate Modern, and Tate acquired a bark painting by Naminapu Maymuru-White after it was shown through Sullivan+Strumpf at Frieze London.

Brown's six paintings depict yir-rinkiripwoja, the body-painting designs Tiwi people wear in mourning. Using ocher on stripped bark, the patterns were created in narrow, repeating lines — some combed, some brushed — that echo marks once drawn directly on skin. Up close, the imperfections emphasize the handmade quality of this work.

"When people die, you paint yourself and that paint will have a meaning depending on how you relate to the person that passed away," she wrote in an email. The same patterns she paints on bark, she said, are the ones she would paint on her own face and body for her father's passing. "I paint on the bark like this so I can remember family who have passed away and so that I can keep [our] culture strong," she added.

For Brown, painting keeps ancestral knowledge alive.

"I copy my ancestors, like that old man" who showed her painting with an ironwood comb, she said. "If he was alive today, I think he would be happy for my paintings from his knowledge. I grew up listening to old people talk in hard Tiwi language, now I teach my grandchildren. We cannot forget it."

Brown hopes to inspire the younger generation. "Maybe they can go overseas one day too and they can make people in this community proud of them," she said.

Ursula Sullivan, a director at Sullivan+Strumpf, said that what resonates most about Brown's paintings was something that transcends Tiwi culture. "I think they touch on this very human and very universal desire to be connected with our ancestors," Sullivan said in a phone interview.

Sullivan also distinguishes Brown's work from the more overtly political practices of many Indigenous artists working in Australia's cities. Brown's paintings, she said, were less concerned with colonial politics than with ceremony, memory and spiritual knowledge tied to Country, the term Indigenous Australians use for their ancestral and spiritual connection to land.

GEORGE TJUNGURRAYI, VIA D'LAN CONTEMPORARY AND FRIEZE MASTERS, LONDON

That distinction, between art rooted in ancestral memory and art shaped more directly by the politics of colonialism, came into focus earlier this year at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney, in the exhibition “Tony Albert: Not a Souvenir” (through Oct. 19).

Albert, who is Girramay, Yidindji and Kuku Yalanji, one of Australia's many distinct First Nations communities, re-assembles found objects — kitsch souvenirs with racist depictions of Aboriginal people, many of them decades old — into work that is simultaneously celebratory and confrontational.

Suzanne Cotter, the museum's director, described Albert as part of a second generation of First Nations artists who came up through the ProppaNOW collective in Brisbane, Australia, working alongside such artists as Gordon Bennett and Richard Bell, and who was the inaugural Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain First Nations Curatorial Fellow at the 2024 Biennale of Sydney.

What makes the art successful, Cotter said, is the tension it holds: "A joyousness, but also a brutal reality of how First Nations people have been treated and represented, which is tied to history." Albert's work introduces a perspective that is hard to ignore once encountered. "Something's made visible and present," she said. "You can't unsee it."

Cotter said that the recent visibility of First Nations Australian artists had been built over years of work by creators and curators, not by a single blockbuster exhibition or biennial.

"Museums have a really important role," she said. "It doesn't all happen in the Northern Hemisphere. The knowledge production — and that's where curators and artistic directors who come from elsewhere, they want to learn."

Across Regent's Park from Frieze London, Frieze Masters is telling a different chapter of the story. While Frieze London showcases the breadth of contemporary Indigenous Australian practice, Frieze Masters "provides the context to recognize senior, established Australian Indigenous artists as central to Australian and international art history," said D'lan Davidson, founder of D Lan Galleries.

This year, D Lan Galleries is presenting “George Tjungurrayi: No Past Tense,” a survey of paintings by the Pintupi artist spanning 1998 to 2018. “George’s paintings challenge the conventional Western history of abstraction and invite audiences to reconsider how that history has been constructed,” Davidson said.

Christopher Hodges, who has worked with Tjungurrayi through Utopia Art Sydney since 1988, remembers watching that transformation. In the early '90s, he said, the artist's dots "started joining together until one day they were simply lines." Hodges that it was the moment Tjungurrayi "found his own voice."

For Hodges, the paintings reveal themselves slowly. "The paintings are very strong," Hodges said. "The viewer is drawn in, and then the details can emerge and be explained, but in essence the details give only hints. The paintings are informed by much bigger things: a rich history, a powerful landscape and epic stories."

As for Brown, she will not make the 24-hour journey from the Tiwi Islands to London. Her paintings will make that trip instead. "My work is going karrampi," she said — a long way.

Indigenous art Far left, a 2026 work by Kaye Brown depicting yirinkiripwoja, the body-painting designs Tiwi people wear in mourning. Left, a work by George Tjungurrayi. "George's paintings challenge the conventional Western history of abstraction and invite audiences to reconsider how that history has been constructed," D'Lan Davidson said.

BVLGARI

ROMA 1884

A car, a broom, a paint lid: Is that art?

LONDON

GABRIEL OROZCO, VIA WHITE CUBE; PHOTO BY EVA HERZOG
GABRIEL OROZCO, VIA WHITE CUBE; PHOTO BY GERARDO LANDA ROJANO

Conceptual Art Right, one of Gabriel Orozco's best known works: a Citroën DS that he cut lengthwise into three separate sections, (removing the middle section) and put back together, and a portrait of the artist. Far right, a 2026 work by Orozco titled "Sundial."

VICTOR BENÍTEZ, VIA WHITE CUBE

A conversation about art, A.I. and more with the artist Gabriel Orozco

BY FARAH NAYERI

As a little boy growing up in Mexico in the 1960s, the artist Gabriel Orozco had two posters on his bedroom walls: a reproduction of Picasso's "Guernica," and a photograph of the Formula 1 champion Jackie Stewart at the wheel of a blue racecar.

Those twin passions — art and cars — were to come together three decades later in the work that Orozco is perhaps best known for: a Citroën DS model that he cut lengthwise into three separate sections, removing the middle section, and seamlessly put back together.

The original DS is in the French national collection, but a second version (from 2013) is on view through Nov. 8 in a sprawling exhibition titled “Chronotopic” (curated by the British art historian Briony Fer) at the White Cube Gallery in London, coinciding with this year’s Frieze London.

While the surgery on the DS took a month of hard labor, other Orozco works have taken no time to make — like the open shoe box he showed at the 1993 Venice Art Biennale, or the four plastic yogurt lids he pinned to four walls of the Marian Goodman Gallery in 1994 for his first gallery exhibition in the U.S.

A conceptual artist, he could be seen as an heir to the French artist Marcel Duchamp (who submitted a porcelain urinal for exhibition back in 1917).

Hanging in the giant main gallery space at White Cube, for instance, are four ceiling fans fitted with rolls of toilet paper that flap away as they twirl. There's also "The Weight of the Sun," (a new version of a site-specific work) a constellation of 12 suspended objects: a straw broom at the center (symbolizing the sun), surrounded by items including a discarded paint lid, a broken bucket handle and a drum of electric cable from a brand called TIME.

Nowadays, Orozco, who has no permanent studio and spends time across three continents, can often be found in Japan. A room of more recent works in the show includes scrolls, elliptical drawings on musical score paper and old wooden beams and columns that were once used in Japanese temple architecture and that Orozco has adorned with toy racecars and pegs from the board game Go.

In an interview at the exhibition, Orozco talked about what made him slice up a car all those years ago, why his art involves objects from everyday life and what he thinks of artificial intelligence. The conversation has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Where did you get the idea for your Citroën work, "La DS," in 1993?

When I was a kid, I had a collection of toy cars and dreamed of being a Formula 1 driver. I was looking at regular cars and wondering how I could turn them into Formula 1 racecars. I thought that maybe if you cut them and put them back together, they would become much faster cars. Of course, I wasn't thinking about the motor, because you're taking it out! It's a kind of illusion or dream from childhood. A lot of my work is coming from my childhood.

Why is this carved Citroën a work of art?

What is sculpture? The activity of sculpting is to cut, carve, polish, glue, put together, join. All of these actions, in terms of gestural labor, physical labor, are in that car. There is a parallel vertical axis of cutting, very carefully done, so you don't see the drama of the labor.

You then reassemble the car in a symmetrical line, and you have the same object, but it's invariably different. It's the same object, but it has imploded on its own.

From your early 30s, you exhibited ready-made objects such as a shoe box, or yogurt lids. How would you describe your relationship to the ready-made?

I was performing with all kinds of real objects, and considering that no object is pure — even if it's pure stone, or a piece of wood, or a classical material used to make art. They are all ready-made in a way. They all involve human labor.

Then I reflected on my relationship with time and space. The shoe box came about in a specific space for the Venice Biennial. The yogurt lids were in the context of a specific room at the Marian Goodman Gallery in New York. It's not the shoe box per se, it's not the yogurt lid per se: It's the context around that really signifies the object.

Why you are so interested in everyday objects, in what others might describe as banal?

Small gestures can change the world more dramatically than big buildings, long-term projects or very expensive projects. Finding a moment of poetry is accidental. Even if you're a writer, to achieve the moment in which the poetic happens is something quite mysterious. As the Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges said, poetry is everywhere. It can happen in any moment, at any corner. We are the ones who don't know how to see it. You have to train yourself to see the possibilities of the poetic happening in the universe, in your life. Sometimes, it's with things that are very banal.

My work tries to be nonspectacular. You can achieve connections with people that are not about entertainment and not about spectacularity, but where you are trying to get a bit deeper than that.

You need a participant in the work, somebody who, with their brains and with their attitude, is motivated to be active, not just to expect to be entertained or pleased by something beautiful.

The circle is very important in your work. It is a representation of time and eternity because the circle eternally comes back to where it started, and human life is repetition. Now, artificial intelligence threatens humanity, and the circle of human life seems endangered by technology. How do you feel about A.I.?

I use the circle as an instrument that is helpful for me to produce, make, and understand things: understand the way we move, how things circulate. The way we move our arms, fingers, is in circular movements. Bodies in movement and performance generate ellipses. Planets are circular forms.

What I have found until now is that artificial intelligence is very stupid, because it's just reproducing the knowledge that is circulating on the internet. It's very biased, and doesn't answer anything that you request of it. It's just a kind of compressed and very fast Encyclopaedia Britannica. But Encyclopaedia Britannica is not going to give you poetry. It's not going to teach you how to invent something.

Bringing attention to art from the Middle East

PHOTOGRAPHS VIA HAFEZ GALLERY
Exhibitions Right, a painting from the "Head" series by the Bah-raini-Saudi artist Faisal Samra. "The heads are in a state of shock from the unknown horror coming in the new century," he said; and far right, from the "Will of Nation" series by the Egyptian artist Ahmed Nawar.

In London, a Saudi gallery will showcase artists from the region

BY DAVID BELCHER

For its debut at Frieze London, Hafez Gallery, with two locations in Saudi Arabia, will present two Arab artists in what many see as an example of how the Middle East continues to emerge as a major art center.

The Egyptian artist Ahmed Nawar and the Bahraini-Saudi artist Faisal Samra will be featured in “Dialogue of Forms” at Hafez’s booth at Frieze London, open to the public from Thursday through Oct. 18 in Regent’s Park.

The show will feature works from "The Will," Nawar's solo exhibition in April 2025, and "Other Body," Samra's solo exhibition in January, both at Hafez Gallery in Riyadh's artsy Jax neighborhood. "The Will" will soon move to Hafez's gallery in the upscale Ar Raw-dah neighborhood in Jeddah, opening Oct. 26.

"When we decided on our first presentation at Frieze London, I wanted to show that Saudi Arabia's art scene is in dialogue with the wider Arab world, not separate from it," Qaswra Hafez, the founder and owner of the gallery, said by email. "Nawar is a towering figure in Egyptian and Arab visual art, and Samra is one of the most important artists to emerge from Saudi Arabia."

For Samra, 71, his works are a homage to some of the earliest works of art in the Arab world.

"These artworks belong to my first research project, Al-Mu'allaqat, which flourished in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula before and during Islam," Samra explained in a video interview. "Poetry expressed and documented all aspects of these people's culture and lives. Al-Mu'allaqat, or hanging poems, were thin pieces of animal skin on which poems were written to be displayed and hung on the walls of holy places at certain times of the year."

Samra, whose mixed-media works are part of several museums' permanent collections, including the British Museum and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar, will take four works to Frieze London, including two from his "Parachute" series, which was created in 2003 in reaction to the American invasion of Iraq that year, and one painting from his "Head" series in 2000.

"The heads are in a state of shock from the unknown horror coming in the new century," he said.

In keeping with the origins of the poetry on animal skin, with “Suspended Metamorphoses 2,” also to be featured in the booth, he works with basic materials.

"My range of materials are mostly organic, such as natural fabrics, goat skin, old papers and wire mesh, because they represent a perfect memory to me," he explained. "The colors are from natural bases such as pigments, charcoal and henna, and I apply them to get washed, dirty used textures."

All of these works were seen at his Hafez Gallery show in Riyadh in January, which coincided with the opening of this year's Diriyah Biennale in Riyadh, where Samra had a separate series of artworks featured.

For Nawar, his nine pieces traveling to the fair, all in felt-tip pen on paper, reflect his commitment to depicting the world he sees, for better or for worse.

Six pieces from his 2021 "Sniping" series will travel to Frieze London.

"In 'Sniping,' the pictorial space is dominated by an expanse of black, charged with ambiguity and uncertainty," Nawar, 81, said by email. "Through this darkness passes a searching beam of light, seeking a target and attempting to penetrate the brutality deeply rooted within the forces of evil."

And that threat has only grown in recent years, making his artwork even more prescient, he said. An artist who has exhibited in dozens of galleries and museums in his 60-year career, Nawar will also take three works from his “Will of Nation” series from 2020.

“Advanced technology, with all its extraordinary and terrifying potential, has become a means of producing weapons capable of destroying human life itself,” he said. “In my work, this reality is transformed into a call for peace and human justice, expressed through points of light emerging from the heart of a dense black mass.”

For Qaswra Hafez, who founded the

Jeddah gallery in 2014 and opened the Riyadh space in January 2025, these works by the two artists complement each other.

"I've always been drawn to artists who treat their materials as an entire language rather than a means to an end," he said. "Placing these two artists side by side, an Egyptian master and a Saudi pioneer, in London for the first time felt like the right way to introduce Hafez Gallery to this stage, not as a regional gallery but as part of a much larger conversation."

And dialogue is a sentiment echoed by Eva Langret, director of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Frieze, who said the presence of Middle Eastern and Northern African galleries at the London fair has been growing.

"We've worked with several galleries from West Asia for quite a long time, such as several Beirut galleries, Gypsum from Cairo and Focus from Dubai, for example, but in the last few years we have added more galleries from that region," Langret said by phone.

"There are many reasons for this growing presence," she added. "London has had good ties with collectors from the region, and many of them spend their summers here. Frieze London has always benefited from that connection."

She pointed to a growing number of galleries in the Middle East, but also to high-profile museums, including the new Guggenheim Abu Dhabi scheduled to open in December, three weeks after the debut of Frieze Abu Dhabi, formerly Art Abu Dhabi (which began in 2009).

"There is more activity in the region, and it makes sense that this would be represented at Frieze London," Langret added.

As the region emerges as an art center, the works of Middle Eastern artists seem to be more on the radar. For Nawar, it's never felt more urgent to be creating art.

"At the core of my works is a dialogue, and a struggle, between black and white," he said. "This contrast embodies humanity's determination to resist darkness and destruction, and to pursue the hope of a new beginning and a brighter future."

The enduring newness of Magritte

PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES LTD/GAGOSIAN

ADAGP, PARIS/DACS, LONDON; VIA GAGOSIAN

A show of the Belgian's work also features pieces by artists he inspired

BY DALE BERNING SAWA

René Magritte, the Belgian Surrealist, was, famously, a crank. He once listed the things he hated, which included the past, the decorative arts, folklore, advertising, voices making announcements, aerodynamics, Boy Scouts, the smell of mothballs and drunken people.

Mostly, he despised anyone thinking they could detect symbolic meaning in his work.

In 1966, he showed a poet friend a new painting and was delighted when the poet took one look and felt bewildered. "I am repatriated by a moment of panic," he later told the American art historian Suzi Gablik, as if the rejection of meaning was not an intellectual stance to take, but a country he could be returned to, the place he belonged. "These are the privileged moments that transcend mediocrity," he added.

A group show titled "This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte," currently at Gagosian's Grosvenor Hill gallery in London (until Dec. 12), inves-

Visionary Above, "Le Lieu Commun" ("The Commonplace") from 1964 and, below, "La Voix du Sang" ("Blood Will Tell") from 1948. Both Magritte works are on display at the Gagosian in London.

tigates how artists continue to chase that same ability to confound.

In a recent interview, the British curator Jasper Sharp, a co-curator of the exhibition, noted Magritte's enduring newness. While his most famous works feel aged because they have been part of our visual language for so long — the titular painting of a pipe declaring it isn't a pipe, the bowler-hatted man, the apple-headed figure — many Magrittes would not look out of place at Frieze London, the contemporary art fair held in Regent's Park that is open to the public from Thursday through Oct. 18.

Referencing the 1948 work “The Triumphal March,” with its bulbous, disembodied feet and their bawdy clown faces, Sharp said, “If you and I saw that, walking through Regent’s Park in October in the tent, you would be sure that was made in the last six months.”

Alongside 50 of Magritte's paintings and works on paper (of which several are on loan from artists' private collections) are pieces from 46 contemporary artists invited by Sharp and his co-curator, Bernard Lagrange, a Belgian director at Gagosian Art Advisory, the brand's art-market consultancy.

Some of the artists were surprised by the call. One said no. Most jumped at the chance, several making new work. The idea was not, Sharp said, to identify everyone who has ever referenced Magritte by name. Rather, he was looking for commonalities of intent.

A NEW TAXONOMY

Gablik wrote the first definitive book on Magritte, in 1970. She had spent eight months living in Belgium with the artist and his wife, Georgette, in 1959, and continued her research for years afterward. Many shows since, Sharp said, have cleaved to the categories into which Gablik sorted his work.

Sharp and Lagrange, by contrast, devised their own more nebulous themes, intuiting connections with the invited artists. These include dread, compression, claustrophobia and normalcy. "There is a banality I see in a lot of contemporary art, a willful banality or deadpanness, that I feel he is the master of," Sharp said of Magritte.

On display are works made during Magritte's lifetime. They include Yoko Ono's "Sky TV" from 1966, for which she pointed a camera out the window and broadcast a feed of the sky on her household television; and an Ed Ruscha painting of a giant bird made that same year, around the time he met Magritte.

Among the new works, Sharp was surprised at how artists sometimes homed in on the same Magritte reference. The exhibition includes a gouache of a very early painting, “Pleasure,” from 1927, in which a woman munches on a crow, blood dripping on the white lace of her collar. “Three different artists all mentioned this piece to me,” said Sharp, including the American painter Dana Schutz, who produced a startling canvas titled “The Singer” in response.

Other artists have long flagged the kinship they feel with the Belgian master. The Venezuelan American conceptualist Alex Da Corte (recently highlighted as an innovator on the inaugural Time 100 Art 2026 list) has previously reprised Magritte titles for installations of his own.

Sharp has placed Da Corte's 2018 sculpture, “Streetlamp For Drunk,” at the entrance, in front of a 2016 painting by the American artist Laura Owens of white scribbles against a blue-ish background. It is, Sharp said, a “slightly tongue-in-cheek” riff on Magritte’s iconic series “The Empire of Light”—27 variations on a nocturnal streetscape lit by a streetlamp beneath a sunlit cloudy sky. “Magritte gives you permission, with the hang, to take those kinds of—not risks, but liberties,” Sharp said.

A CROWDED HANG

"The Empire of Light" operates as an organizing principle for the exhibition. From the reception, visitors arrive in a large nighttime gallery. Under low lighting, several sculptures are gathered on a tall wood-clad pedestal in the middle of the room.

From there they move through a transitional cabinet room, the wood paneling on the walls darkened to match the floor. Here, works on paper by Magritte jostle with delicate drawings by the multimedia artist Matthew Barney and black and white prints of disembodied eyes by the Japanese photographer Kazuna Taguchi, among others.

In gallery two, the daytime room, a lower sculpture pedestal built of bricks displays Magritte's suitcase, with which he traveled the world, alongside a medley of sculptures. These include small maquettes of some of the abstract shapes in Nairy Baghramian's ongoing monumental sculptural series, "Sitzengebliebene" ("Stay Downers"). Sharp noted how exactly alike these are to characters in paintings from Magritte's 1948 "vache" period. (When Baghramian suggested them, Sharp said, "My heart leapt!")

Paintings include Magritte's "The Equator" from 1942 — last seen in public in Wes Anderson's 2025 film "The Phoenician Scheme" as a highlight of the art collection amassed by the lead character, the industrialist Zsa-Zsa Korda (played by Benicio Del Toro).

The exhibition design features heavy rolling drapes covering the walls from ceiling to floor, with cutout sections framing Magrittes inset behind glass. Curtains are a recurring motif in Magritte's interiors. "The moment you see it, you're like, 'Of course!'" Sharp said. "It's in all his work."

The colors, too, are straight off Magritte's canvases: a dark forest green, an orangey blush, a deep-vein red, two different blues.

Works are hung close together and often stacked, in that early 20th-century salon way Magritte would have been familiar with. Such proximity triggers rich visual conversations: Magritte's sky-painted bottle standing next to a bottle with a brick in it by the Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan, with mini bricks by the American sculptor Charles LeDray heaped nearby.

Museums everywhere have feted the centenary of André Breton's Surrealist Manifesto from 1924, and the market has been similarly ebullient. The Artnet Price Database shows a 65 percent increase in total sales of Surrealist works at auction between 2020 and 2024, with one of Magritte's "The Empire of Light" works, from 1954, selling for \$121 million, setting a new auction record for the artist's work. But that's not why Sharp proposed this show.

Rather, it is Magritte's abiding influence. He was the artist that the likes of

Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Jeff Koons discovered for themselves in the 1960s, then went on to collect when they made their fortunes. He is the artist some of the biggest names in contemporary art today, including Sonia Boyce, who represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2022, point to as being of singular importance.

And he is on the minds of emerging artists, too: One of the artists in the show, the Polish painter Joanna Wos, is fresh out of art school, having only just graduated this year from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.

Public affection for Magritte is similarly entrenched. During the six years Sharp worked at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, from 1999 to 2005, the version of “The Empire of Light” held there was lent out just once, and, he said, visitors were very upset. "It had become part of the architecture of the building. When it wasn't there, it was like a wall had fallen down," he said.

Sharp described Magritte as “a fridge-magnet tea-towel artist” whose work, unlike that of others weakened by pop-culture ubiquity (he cited Salvador Dali), has not lost any of its potency or relevance.

As visitors exit the gallery, they see two photographs taken at Magritte's funeral in 1967, by the Belgian photographer Georges Thiry. One depicts the newly dug grave with a pile of earth beside it.

Sharp was gleeful when he found it. "It almost feels as if he's escaped and he's sort of running around," he said. The trickster still keeping the art world on its toes.

www.trinityfineart.com

Connections The show "This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte" is running at the Gagosian gallery in London until Dec. 12. It features 50 of Magritte's paintings, sculptures, objects and works on paper alongside works from contemporary artists.

ADAGP, PARIS/DACS, LONDON; VIA GAGOSIAN; PHOTO BY FREDRIK NILSEN

Beyond the fair: There's more art

Museums and galleries have much to offer those coming to Frieze London

BY JILLIAN RAYFIELD

When tens of thousands of people pour in to Frieze London and Frieze Masters, they will have their choice of about 300 galleries to visit, featuring exhibitors from all over the world.

But for anyone looking for art produced a little closer to home, outside of the fair, London's museums and galleries are showcasing different flavors of British art and artists, reflecting a range of eras, styles and mediums. Here are some of the highlights.

RICHARD DADD

A Victorian-era painter of Shakespearean fairies and other creatures, Richard Dadd is often most remembered for his tragic back story: His promising early years as a student at the Royal Academy were soon derailed by mental illness, which led to him killing his father and spending the rest of his life in institutions. That included 20 years at the infamous London asylum known as Bedlam.

The exhibition “Beyond Bedlam” at the Royal Academy of Arts, running until Oct. 25, offers an overview of his work and legacy that goes beyond those last

Showcase "Bacchanalian Scene" (1862) by Richard Dadd, right. It's part of the exhibition "Beyond Bedlam" at the Royal Academy of Arts. Below right, "Still Life with Glass Jar and Silver Box" (1914), part of "Winifred Gill: A Bloomsbury Pioneer" at the Courtauld Gallery.

TATE, VIA THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

four-plus decades. The exhibition features more than 100 of his intricate oil paintings, watercolors and drawings of creatures from literature and myth.

It also includes work from the period he spent in hospitals, which resulted in some of his most celebrated paintings despite working “amidst the most revolting conversation and the most brutal behavior,” as one observer described.

While at Bedlam, he produced his most famous piece, "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke," which he worked on from 1855 to 1864, and which later inspired a Queen song.

ANISH KAPOOR

Frieze London week coincides with the end of a major exhibition on Anish Kapoor, the internationally acclaimed British Indian artist, which features some of his renowned older works as well as newer ones. The exhibition is his first at the Hayward Gallery in the Southbank Centre in almost 30 years, and includes immersive installations that take up entire rooms.

One, "Mount Moriah at the Gate of the Ghetto" (2022), resembles a mountain hanging ominously from the ceiling, painted in black and red. Other paintings and sculptures provoke a bloodier, more visceral reaction that led The Guardian to write that the "gutsy, gore-splattered show is a divine blood bath."

Kapoor is known for playing with the senses, using different materials to create optical illusions and distort reality. Among those at the Hayward Gallery are mysterious objects coated in Vantaback, a light-absorbing coating that's the blackest-known substance in the world, and which he has exclusive rights to use in art. The exhibition runs until Oct. 18.

PHOTOGRAPHY

ANISH KAPOOR/DACS, LONDON; VIA HAYWARD GALLERY; PHOTO BY DAVE MORGAN

Ian McKellen, Isaac Julien and Chappell Roan are just a few of the famous subjects in “Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends,” an exhibition of new work by the British fashion photographer on display at the National Portrait Gallery.

Walker's elaborate sets, props and costumes create whimsical spectacles in his photos, and have made him a staple of the fashion world since the 1990s. For this exhibition, over five years, he took 250 portraits of members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community, including activists, social workers, nightlife performers, as well as some famous artists, actors and musicians.

It was an attempt to document 50 years of gay history, while maintaining his signature fantastical style. The exhibition, which runs until Feb. 7, “is me finally placing myself in the queer realm with confidence and greeting all the other friends who live here," Walker said in a news release for the show.

About a 30-minute walk south to Tate Britain is another photography exhibition, "Light and Magic: The Birth of Art Photography," which looks at the history of photography as an artistic medium. It opens on Wednesday and runs until Feb. 21.

WINIFRED GILL

The Courtauld Gallery is showcasing the work of a lesser-known member of a widely known collective of early-20th century intellectuals, artists and writers: the Bloomsbury Group.

"Winifred Gill: A Bloomsbury Pioneer," which runs from Wednesday to Jan. 20, will feature boldly colored still life paintings and prints by Gill, but also toy designs she contributed to the Omega Workshops, an enterprise formed by other Bloomsbury members for artists to produce graphic designs and decorative objects. She later became its business manager.

BODLEIAN, OXFORD; VIA COURTAULD GALLERY, LONDON

The gallery, in Somerset House right by the Thames, has a rich permanent collection as well. It includes Édouard Manet's "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère," which a Times art critic recently called "the single greatest painting in London."

THE CHURCHILL ERA

Winston Churchill's legacy tends to be up for debate these days, but one unsung facet of it is on display at the Wallace Collection: his paintings.

It's the first major British retrospective of his art in over 65 years, a body of work that was heavily influenced by Claude Monet and tends to be dismissed outright.

Works Left, a piece by the British Indian artist Anish Kapoor at the Hayward Gallery and, below left, a model of "Come Home Again" by Es Devlin, an English artist and designer, who has a retrospective at the Design Museum until April 4.

But this exhibition is “about assessing him as a painter, which has not really been done before,” Xavier Bray, the museum’s director, told The Times in June. The exhibition runs until Nov. 29.

The Wallace Collection's permanent collection is worth a visit in its own right, with an impressive selection of Dutch masters and other paintings, sculpture and period furniture on display in a Georgian townhouse. It's about a 20-minute walk from the southern edge of Regent's Park, where Frieze is held.

Alternately, for another angle on Churchill-era art, the Imperial War Museum London is showcasing paintings, drawings and photographs of London during World War II.

"Beauty and Destruction: Wartime London in Art," which runs until Nov. 1, features paintings of landmarks like St Paul's Cathedral alongside visions of the city's destruction.

Much of the work was commissioned by the British government in 1939, which wanted artists to document the city during wartime.

RICHARD ROUND-TURNER/THE DESIGN MUSEUM

ES DEVLIN

Es Devlin, an English artist and designer who The Times has said “re-invented modern spectacle,” has a big retrospective at the Design Museum until April 4. “Es Devlin: Other Worlds” looks at her three decades of sculpture, lighting and, most significantly, stage design, which has included plays like “The Lehman Trilogy,” tours for Beyoncé and Adele and events like the Super Bowl half time show and the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

An installation at the museum called the “30-Year Desk” was built specially for the exhibition as a way to showcase some of Devlin’s designs, which are meant to be seen on a much larger scale.

A tale of two art cities

SCENE, FROM PAGE S1 over recent seasons," Helena Newman, chairman of Sotheby's Europe, said in a video interview. She said she expected more such auctions as the "big generational wealth transfer" leads to the sale of collections assembled in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

JEREMIE SOUTEYRAT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

There will be more evidence of that wealth transfer later this month, as Christie's London holds its biggest single-owner auction: nearly 200 works from the collection of Peter Simon, founder of the British fashion brand Monsoon, which are estimated to fetch as much as \$170 million.

Why sell in London? Katharine Arnold, vice chairman of 20th and 21st century art at Christie's Europe, explained in a video interview that before major auctions, Christie's displays important works on offer in exhibitions held in the United States, Europe and Asia, where its buyers are evenly situated. "Our expectation is that an international audience will buy them, regardless of where they're being sold," she said.

But there will likely be fewer bidders based in Britain than before.

"The U.K. has lost a lot of its collector base," Wirth said. "A lot of European collectors have left, and every week you hear of people still leaving."

London is still “the center of gravity for so many people from all over the world,” he said, adding that his gallery is investing in a new flagship location in the Thomas Goode Building in Mayfair.

While London was a hot spot at the turn of the millennium, today Tate (a network of four museums) and other British institutions are facing funding struggles. Government grants to arts and cultural organizations fell 18 percent between 2010 and 2023. The pandemic slashed visitor numbers and energy costs squeezed budgets.

Tate cut 7 percent of its work force last year because of “profound challenges for Tate and the cultural sector as a whole,” according to its board. The National Gallery (which reopened its Sainsbury Wing last year after a \$113 million redevelopment) announced a voluntary staff exit scheme in February to help plug a nearly \$11 million deficit. The Victoria & Albert Museum preemptively closed two of its London sites (though not its main site) on Sept. 4 and 5 in response to a workers' strike.

Tate is getting a new director in January: Jessica Morgan — the current director of the Dia Art Foundation and previously a longtime Tate curator. It is a “great appointment,” Wirth said. He described Morgan as “a rare combination of a great curator and manager, and a fantastic fund-raiser.”

London may no longer be at the top of its game, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, said Daniel Birnbaum, a prominent European curator and academic and the former director of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm.

Birnbaum remembered the October 2003 opening of one of Tate Modern's landmark exhibitions: "The Weather Project" by Olafur Eliasson, a giant sun that visitors basked in for months. The evening was filled with major cultural, business and political figures, and was followed by a dinner at the home of a prominent architect.

"I had the feeling that I was visiting the masters of the universe," he said. "London was at the peak of power."

“Sometimes, things can suffer from their own success, and a city can be almost too full of itself,” he added. “I think dysfunctional, slightly vulnerable situations can be very attractive artistically.”

He said London's young and emerging artists and gallerists are now so vibrant that his art students at Frankfurt's Städelschule all want to go to London on school trips.

Hannah Barry helped put London's Peckham area on the art map by establishing a gallery there, and also created the Bold Tendencies summer arts festival, which has been held in a former parking garage since 2007. Hannah Barry Gallery's pristine two-level exhibition space recently hosted the paintings of George Rouy, a rising star who is now also represented by Hauser & Wirth. Barry has weathered art world fluctuations for two decades.

How has she managed? Despite “overwhelming feelings of impossibility rather than possibility,” at times, she said in a video interview, her gallery — which employs five people and represents 14 artists — stayed “very vigilant about costs,” seldom showed at art fairs and focused on the program.

Looking ahead "Vyvyan," a solo exhibition of work by Stevie Dix at the Hannah Barry Gallery in London's Peckham area. Barry helped put Peckham on the art map by establishing a gallery there, as well as the Bold Tendencies summer art festival.

The gallery is set to show in three art fairs in the next several months.

“Yes, we’ve been in times of permacrisis, arguably, for the last 20 years,” she said. “But one cannot abandon the hope and possibility of what doing this kind of job brings.”

The people who make it all work

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMIE SOUTEYRAT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Ringmaster Right, Kristell Chadé, executive director of fairs for Frieze, outside No. 9 Cork Street, the London exhibition space for Frieze.

Behind the scenes, it takes a small army of players to pull off Frieze London

BY SHIVANI VORA

When Frieze London and Frieze Masters open on Thursday at Regent's Park, all eyes will be on the paintings, sculptures, mixed-media installations and other works on display. The artists behind these pieces, the fair's high-profile attendees and the glamorous parties they attend also command the limelight.

But backstage, a small army of players has an integral role in bringing to life both fairs, along with Frieze Sculpture, a free exhibition in the park's English Gardens that runs through Nov. 1.

In an email interview, Kristell Chadé, the executive director of fairs for Frieze, said several hundred people were involved behind the scenes. “By the time we open to the public, hundreds of people who visitors never see have already been working for months,” she said.

They include construction and technical crews, security personnel, cleaning teams, caterers, shippers, art handlers, hospitality staff, ticketing and visitor services staffers and the park and site teams.

Their work can require collaboration. Chadé referenced the fair's 2018 edition, when structural engineers, safety, scaffolding and plumbing teams, shippers and art handlers worked together to install "The Shaman" (2018), a monumental 1.3-ton bronze cast of an uprooted tree by the artist Tatiana Trouvé.

Below are profiles of four people who are largely out of public view but are essential to Frieze London. The interviews, which were conducted by phone and email, have been edited and condensed.

LOGISTICS

Chris Sullivan, 36, is a project manager for Frieze Sculpture and a project manager at Mtec Fine Art, an art logistics company headquartered in Ware, England, that handles the transportation, installation and storage of pieces for Frieze Sculpture. This year marks his eighth time working on the show.

Sullivan's work starts six months before the show, as he coordinates with the artists and galleries about the sculptures they are planning to display. This year, the exhibit includes 15 sculptures across 11 galleries. Once he has the complete list, Sullivan said he creates an installation plan for each piece.

He noted the “huge amount” of planning before his team arrived on site. “We have to get permission from various stakeholders such as galleries, and create installation schedules and a work plan for all of the drivers and technicians involved,” he said. “We also need to make a transport plan of what sculptures are going into each truck that we're bringing to the park."

Early in the project, Sullivan also works with a structural engineer to build a foundation, such as a concrete base, for every sculpture.

Installing the pieces requires an array of equipment, including forklifts, excavating machines, cranes and access platforms for working at heights

When the sculptures arrive at Regent's Park, Sullivan collaborates with the curator of Frieze Sculpture, Fatos Ustek, to determine their exact placement. Sullivan said artists are continually using nontraditional materials for their works, including 3-D-printed concrete, which can present a "fun challenge."

The “exceptionally tight” deadlines are another pressure point. If a sculpture is being created locally, Sullivan can inspect it before installation, but he has often picked up artworks from the airport and delivered them straight to the park. “We have to work out the exact details of the installation during the drive,” he said. “My heart is racing all the way.”

VETTING SCULPTURES

Rupert Harris, 73, is on the vetting committee for pre-1830s sculptures at Frieze Masters, a role he has had since 2013. He is also the founder of the London-based conservation firm Rupert Harris Conservation.

His role at Frieze Masters is limited to the day before the fair opens, when he noted that he examines from 150 to 300 sculptures slated to be on view in the show. In all, he said that he spent seven hours on the job, with up to 10 minutes devoted to each work.

Harris said he inspected each piece to ensure it met Frieze's exhibiting criteria: a description of the work or its title, its place of origin, when it was created, the materials used and its dimensions.

The sculptures must also include information about their condition and any significant restorations.

"If any of these criteria are not fulfilled, then the committee will ask the exhibitor to add these details," he said.

Harris is also tasked with ensuring that no works are overly restored. According to Harris, the warning signs include excessive cleaning, substandard repairs and poor retouching, such as mismatched colors. “I need to ensure that objects have received conservation treatment that is both ethical and noted correctly by the exhibitor,” he said.

If Harris believes that a restoration is excessive or that the sculpture does not match its description, he can recommend that it be removed from the fair. "That's a last resort and rare," he said.

PROTECTING THE PARK

Pawel Szynkarczuk, 50, is an assistant park manager of the Royal Parks, which include Regent's Park and the adjacent Primrose Hill.

Szynkarczuk's highest priority during Frieze London and Frieze Masters is protecting Regent's Park. Frieze Masters, held at Gloucester Green on the northeast end of Regent's Park, and Frieze London, held at Marylebone Green in the south, take up around 12 acres of land, he said. A team of five begins preparing the grounds a month ahead of time.

Conserving the park's hundreds of centuries-old trees, including approximately 100 English oaks, is foremost, Szynkarczuk said.

"We spread tree bark around the roots, which creates a cushion to shield them from the potential damage of foot traffic and the vehicles moving through the park during the fair," he said. His team also spikes the ground to create small holes that act as oxygen pockets, allowing moisture in and helping to keep the grass healthy.

Then there is the park's population of endangered hedgehogs living among the shrubs and grass, who are beloved by locals. “We build wood boxes, where they can hibernate, and fence off certain areas, such as places with ponds which the hedgehogs drink from,” he said.

Szynkarczuk noted that his team's post-fair work was more significant, depending on the degree of damage from the fair. "We may have to re-turf entire areas or reseed grass," he said.

Problem solvers Clockwise from top left: Chris Sullivan, a project manager for Frieze Sculpture, at Mtec Fine Art warehouse; Rupert Harris, who vets sculptures for the fair, at his conservation studio; Jonny Gent, a painter and a founder of Sessions Art Club, a restaurant that operates a pop-up version during the fair, at his studio; and Pawel Szynkarczuk, an assistant park manager at the Royal Parks, in Regent's Park, which he works to maintain before, during and after the fair.

The weather dictates the pace of regrowth. Excessive rain and chilly temperatures, as was the case in 2025, can slow down the process, and Szynkarczuk said that the areas did not reopen to the public until early March. "If it's drier, we can open as early as mid-December," he said. "We never know."

FEEDING THE GUESTS

Jonny Gent, 49, co-founded Sessions Arts Club, a pop-up restaurant inside the Frieze London tent serving modern European cuisine.

The eatery has a permanent location inside Sessions House in the Clerkenwell neighborhood and is one of 13 food and beverage outlets participating in Frieze London and Frieze Masters. This is its third year at Frieze London.

Gent said there was never even a brief lull when Sessions Arts Club was open during Frieze.

"I'm on my feet for at least 16 hours a day for the entire time, greeting our guests and making sure our operation runs smoothly," he said. "We serve 200 diners at the permanent location, and at Frieze, that number increases to 350, so we get whacked."

Gent and his team design a new concept every year and also conceive the kitchen design, staff uniforms and menu. Training their 20 or so employees is another task. In 2026, the theme is a play on colors and textures, and the dishes include duck with plum and crab with tomatoes and chilies.

Gent said diners at the pop-up included gallerists, artists and the general public, most of whom book as soon as reservations open, a month ahead.

Going into their third year, Gent and his team know to expect the frenetic pace, but the first year, the rhythm was unfamiliar. “We didn’t yet understand the busy and quiet periods, where we can usually anticipate the points in a service when more pressure will fall on the team,” he said.

His main aim is to make diners forget that they are eating inside a temporary structure at an art fair. "It should just feel like a restaurant that has always been there," he said.

In ‘the shadows,’ they move art from A to B

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAM YIK FEI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

HONG KONG

Safe passage From left, staff members at the Hong Kong office of Eythos, an art logistics company, wrapping an artwork in the framing room, and the artwork being packaged into a museum-grade crate.

How precious works worth millions make their way across the world

BY MERCEDES HUTTON

The art world, by its very nature, is visual.

Against the crisp white walls of galleries across the globe, monumental mixed-media canvases, like those by the German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer, or towering organic forms by the French visual artist Marguerite Humeau, make their presence felt — perceptibly, texturally and physically.

But there are periods when certain pieces must retreat from view into protective crates and shipping containers, into what some refer to as “the shadows.” Periods such as the run up to major international art fairs, for example, including the days and weeks preceding Frieze London and Frieze Masters, which both open to the public on Thursday.

At this very moment, hundreds of artworks — some made up of hundreds of separate elements, many with sky-high price tags and made by artists represented by galleries from all over the world — are making their ways by air, land and sea to the center of the British capital, where they will be displayed over five days for the viewing pleasure of tens of thousands of visitors.

A lot is at stake. The journeys made by those pieces do not happen by chance. Instead, from those previously mentioned shadows emerge logistics experts, registrars, crate fabricators, art handlers and others who ensure that every gallery's precious cargo is in the safest of hands.

“Art logistics is the vital, invisible backbone of the global art market,” said Leila Alexander, the global director of the White Cube gallery, which has spaces in London, Hong Kong, Paris, New York and Seoul, and includes Kiefer and Humeau on its roster.

"For this year's Frieze London presentation, we started working on the curatorial plans the moment the doors closed on the previous edition" of the fair, Alexander said in an email. "Planning for shipping begins several months in advance, particularly when an artist is making a new body of work that we will present at a fair," she said, adding that this year the gallery would be showing new works by Ilana Savdie, who is based in New York.

There are numerous factors to consider when it comes to planning shipping timelines, Alexander said, among them framing and other technical requirements.

At Eythos, an art logistics company, such considerations are the realm of Franck Vidal, who is the head of fabrication. His team of carpenters and joiners is responsible for crafting the frames and crates that will ensure an artwork's safe passage. But before they can build, they first need to know specifications and any quirks.

"To me," Vidal said in an interview at Eythos's global headquarters on the edge of the Port of Hong Kong, “the journey starts on the screen or as data.” From those particulars, a bigger picture emerges. Vidal learns what “inner layers” — the materials used to pack and protect each work — will be required, and a designer begins to envision the crate that will transport each piece.

There is much that is not revealed, though. “I don’t know the artwork, I don’t know the provenance,” Vidal said. The less he knows, he said, the more discreet the operation can remain.

Then the fabrication team builds the crate. "If I vulgarize it, it's a unique box for a unique item," Vidal said, but he made clear that there was considerably more care and detail that went into his craft. "It's vital that an artwork travels with no vibration, with humidity control and no water around, heat protections," he added. "There is no compromise."

Crate completed, the art handlers must carefully place the work within its container and send it on its way. If traveling locally, the piece usually goes by truck; if the destination is farther afield, it will go by a ship or a plane.

"We use sea freight rather than airfreight when time and geography permit," Alexander said.

If the work is shipping internationally, customs must be cleared and country-specific regulations must be met.

"We don't want any surprises, so we prepare for each and every thing," Alex Kang, the global head of operations at Eythos, said in a video interview from the company's Seoul office, where he was stationed ahead of Frieze Seoul in September.

Because a crate might end up on the other side of the world, where different languages or alphabets may be used, handlers communicate using symbols sprayed onto the crates.

"It's an international language," Vidal said. "We prepare for the next people — in the U.S., in the U.K., wherever in the world — to receive a box and to understand immediately with the signage where to open to take the best care of the item."

Installation for an art fair is swift. Often handlers have just a day and a half to install the booths before the doors open. For Samuel Nieto, who spent several years as an art handler before joining Eythos as global head of execution and systems, this is “the fun stuff.”

"With this short time, you need to be focused," he said, citing spatial awareness, organization and adaptability as crucial. Perhaps counterintuitively, Ni-eto said he found heavier artworks easier to install. Smaller works, or those containing several small pieces, can leave more room for error. He recalled once establishing "a system of cranes" to install a motor weighing 120 kilograms (about 265 pounds) at a height of 10 meters (about 32 feet) in a gallery.

The aim, for all involved, is the same. "Our primary concern is always the safety of the artwork," Alexander said, a sentiment that is shared by Vidal.

"In the end, what we do is we work in the shadows for an artwork to stay alive, to keep its value," Vidal said.

"This is the invisible job," he continued. "There is a whole industry behind that is working meticulously to really enrich the level of enjoyment for the one who is looking at the artwork or the one who is collecting."

No sooner will the Frieze fairs close their doors in London than the handlers will be back at work, removing all trace of the artworks in as little time as they took to install them. This industry is allowed scant opportunity to rest.

"There's always another art fair," Kang said.

The Bird on a Rock Brooch
Inspired by an iconic motif from 1965 by Jean Schlumberger

TIFFANY&CO.

QA Report - The New York Times International - 10.10.2026.pdf

Pipeline

• Extraction route: mineru-vlm
• extraction_route=mineru-vlm
• Translation chunks: 128
• Extraction warnings:
• [MINERU-VLM] Successfully extracted via MinerU VLM (batch: 1f27139c-0b6e-4697-b7fb-aaa8bfd465aa)

Non-model Checks

• WARNING: missing numeric tokens from source: 12.7, 15.9, 295000, 310000, 320000, 325000, 365000
• WARNING: Missing proper nouns in translation: Abstract Expressionism, Abstract Expressionist, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, Across Regent, Actor Penn, After Hurricane Katrina, After Jackson Pollock, After Jonathan Wheatley, Air Force
• WARNING: source dates, money, or percentage tokens may be missing

Model QA

经过严格审核，本次翻译件存在以下问题：

═══ 审核报告 ═══

1. 数字量级错误 - 问题描述：在“多伦多住宅”部分，关于 Kensington Market Lofts 的描述中，译文写到“$671,000（950,000 加拿大元）”，但原文（见 SOURCE PREVIEW 中相关段落）并未提供该具体金额，且该段落内容在抽样原文中缺失，属于凭空捏造数字。 - 严重级别：[BLOCKING]

2. 关键内容漏译/截断 - 问题描述：在“月球竞赛”部分，译文在“一次爆炸或熔毁将发生在月球，见第8页”处戛然而止，随后直接跳到了“从海湾到英国”的新文章。原文中关于核反应堆风险的讨论被严重截断。 - 严重级别：[BLOCKING]

3. 术语翻译不准/误导 - 问题描述：在“霸王龙体温”部分，译文将 "Warm-blooded, not hot-blooded" 翻译为“温血，而非热血”。在生物学语境下，"hot-blooded" 通常也是温血动物的俗称，此处原文意在对比体温的高低（并非极高），译为“温血，而非高体温”更为准确。 - 严重级别：[WARNING]

4. 幻觉核查（Hallucination Check） - 核查项：译文中提到的“阿耳忒弥斯2号于4月在佛罗里达州的肯尼迪航天中心发射”以及“2028年，NASA计划利用核动力将航天器推进至火星”。 - 核查过程： 1. 搜索标题索引 $\rightarrow$ 未发现相关具体发射地点和2028年火星计划的摘要。 2. 搜索抽样原文 $\rightarrow$ 抽样原文中仅提到 "The moon and Earth as seen from Artemis II in April"，并未提及肯尼迪航天中心或2028年火星计划。 - 结论：该段内容为翻译模型生成的幻觉。 - 严重级别：[BLOCKING]

5. 交付标签/残留问题 - 问题描述：译文中出现“（欧洲）\$ 2.50”等碎片化信息，且在多处出现“...[MIDDLE PORTION OMITTED FOR QA]...”的占位符（虽然这是输入给审核员的，但译文预览中保留了大量不完整的句子，如“美国和”之后直接跳段）。 - 严重级别：[WARNING]

═══ 最终审计结论 ═══

发现阻塞性问题（Blocking Issues Found）。 主要问题集中在数字幻觉、大段内容截断以及事实性幻觉（捏造发射地点和具体计划日期），翻译质量不合格，无法交付。

---

═══ 自愈质检微创修复记录（Self-Healing Audit Trail）═══

• 成功修复分块 #5（共修复 1 处问题）
• 成功修复分块 #1（共修复 3 处问题）
• 成功修复分块 #105（共修复 1 处问题）
• 成功修复分块 #71（共修复 1 处问题）