A giant wall of loudspeakers sits on the island of Kinmen, aimed at mainland China, just a few kilometers away. Built in 1967, the Beishan Broadcasting Wall was a strategic military weapon. The 10-meter-tall structure, with 48 loudspeakers, transmitted propaganda across the narrow strait to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and further, with its sound […]
Beishan Broadcasting Wall in Jinning, Taiwan Read More »
This article is adapted from the January 18, 2025, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here. You always remember your first flaming cocktail. For St. John Frizell, a mixologist and one of the owners of New York’s storied Gage & Tollner restaurant, it was café brûlot at Antoine’s in
Our Favorite Flaming Cocktail Recipes Read More »
Inside the Russian Lefty Museum, among the impressive sculptures and paintings, some tiny artworks are more than meet the naked eye. What appear to be indiscernibly tiny squares burst into life when viewed under a microscope. Less-than-millimeter in size, they are truly tiny masterpieces. The museum is home to 70 or so of these microminiature works
Russkiy Levsha (The Russian Lefty Museum) in Saint Petersburg, Russia Read More »
Built between 1786 and 1799, the Church of the Holy Family is one of the few remaining churches constructed in the French Colonial upright-log style. Remarkably, the structure is largely unaltered, and it was designated a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1970. It is also occupied by the oldest continuously operating Catholic parish in the
Holy Family Log Church in Cahokia Heights, Illinois Read More »
It’s a truism worth repeating: If you’ve done stellar costume design in a contemporary film, you may as well plan to stay home on Oscar night. It’s been 30 years since the academy has awarded a costume design statuette for work on a non-fantastical or non-period film — and that was for the fairly fantastical-if-contemporary
Oscars flashback: Sandy Powell prevails over Colleen Atwood Read More »
I’ve been off my morning workout game for some time now. Where I once bolted out of bed, ready and energized for a 6 a.m. barre class, I now face a daily battle with my alarm clock. It’s a scene many others experience—puttering downstairs and relying on coffee to perk up. I won’t lie: compared
Not a Morning Person? 15 Energizing Workouts That’ll Convince You Otherwise Read More »
At the stroke of midnight on Sunday, TikTok users in the United States were momentarily silenced, after the Supreme Court unanimously upheld a new law, which requires the social media app’s Chinese owner to sell off TikTok’s U.S. business or face a nationwide ban. Within hours of the shutdown however, President-elect Donald Trump announced that
TikTok was gone. It's back with a Trump lifeline Read More »
As the devastating wildfires began to sweep across Los Angeles on Jan. 7, frightened residents were not turning to Netflix. Local TV news broadcasts were the video go-to for residents seeking immediate information on the crisis that engulfed the region. Anchors and correspondents have spent hours in the field and on the air providing life-saving
L.A. wildfire coverage shows why local TV news matters in a crisis Read More »
Growing up, I was always someone who loved to stay active—ski racing through snowy New England winters, playing tennis well into college, and spending as much time as I could outdoors. But as I approach my 30s, I’ve realized that learning how to start working out in a way that’s both supportive and sustainable is
How to Start Working Out: A Simple Guide to Building a Sustainable Routine Read More »
To say “Am I Racist?” wasn’t designed to win over Hollywood would be putting it very mildly. Produced by the Daily Wire and fronted by conservative commentator Matt Walsh, the documentary takes a “Borat”-style comedic blowtorch to progressive ideas about systemic racism and diversity training programs. When the film opened in more than 1,500 theaters
Inside the rise of the conservative movie industry behind 'Reagan,' 'Am I Racist?' Read More »
