Latest news with #Austria
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
‘Artists' Journeys That Shaped Our World' Review: Going Places, Seeing Things
Seneca, that crabby Roman Stoic, once chided a disciple for believing travel could dispel his gloom: 'You ask why such flight does not help you? It is because you flee along with yourself.' The masters in Travis Elborough's jaunty 'Artists' Journeys That Shaped Our World' prove otherwise. In his tidy book, Mr. Elborough, a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster, includes 30 artists whose reasons for traveling are as varied as their destinations. Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) orbited Mount Fuji's sacred summit for years, painting the peak and the people living beneath it from dozens of locales. In works such as 'Ushibori in Hitachi Province' (ca. 1830-33, above), the mountain looms over its subjects like a watchful god. Hokusai was so moved by the sights he witnessed in his travels that he changed his name to Gakyō Rōjin Manji: 'The Old Man Crazy to Paint.' Equally mad about painting was Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), whose nocturnal wanderings around Austria's Lake Attersee led locals to dub him the Waldschrat ('forest demon'). The destination inspired his most innovative landscapes, in which nature devours a castle, the Schloss Kammer. For the Flemish painter Alexander Keirincx (1600-52), British castles proved a muse after King Charles I commissioned him to paint the royal residences in Scotland and Yorkshire. Keirincx showed the countryside surrounding these stony manors bathed in a pastoral light—a vision that stoked the popular image of the British landscape as a mythic ideal and helped create the very British genre of house portraiture. This was the landscape, however, that David Hockney (1937-) sought to escape when he decamped for California in 1964, trading rainy Yorkshire for eternal summer in Los Angeles, where he would discover the motif of shimmering swimming pools that became his trademark. Isamu Noguchi (1904-88) made a globe-trotting odyssey in pursuit of the lover who'd dumped him. Did he win her back? No. But he did see the ancient sculpture of four continents, whose influence greatly enlivened his work. Berthe Morisot's (1841-95) travels brought happier romantic tidings: In Normandy, she cultivated her plein-air technique as well as a relationship with Eugène Manet. The two were engaged while painting side by side. They honeymooned on Britain's Isle of Wight, which Morisot declared 'the prettiest place for painting.' Mr. Elborough's book makes a breezy companion to any summer wanderings.
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
‘In the Future of Yesterday' Review: Stefan Zweig's Lost World
Stefan Zweig was probably the world's most famous living Austrian before the rise of Adolf Hitler. Among the most widely translated authors of the 1920s and '30s, Zweig specialized in novellas of doomed romance whose titles sound like prompts for a Freudian case study ('Fear,' 'Compulsion,' 'Confusion') and biographies that insert the speculations of psychoanalysis into the shell of heroic lives ('Montaigne,' 'Balzac,' 'Amerigo'). In his 1934 biography of Erasmus, Zweig presents the Dutch humanist as a European without borders, a moderate in an age of fanatics. Erasmus, Zweig writes, is a 'brilliant star' who was once widely read but whose works now sit 'undisturbed upon the shelves of libraries.' The English title 'Erasmus of Rotterdam' masks the German original's admission that Zweig saw Erasmus as a study in failure: 'Triumph und Tragik des Erasmus von Rotterdam.'
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
James Bond owners say name battle is ‘assault' on 007 franchise
The owners of James Bond have called the attempt by an Austrian businessman to take control of the superspy's name across Europe an 'unprecedented assault' on the multibillion-pound global franchise. In February, the Guardian revealed that a Dubai-based property developer had filed claims in the UK and EU arguing that lack of use meant various protections had lapsed around James Bond's intellectual property, including his name, his 007 assignation and the catchphrase 'Bond, James Bond'. Nearly all of the nine trademarks being challenged relate to the merchandising of goods and services under the Bond name, which can be challenged after five years of 'non-use'. Josef Kleindienst, an Austrian who is building a $5bn (£3.7bn) luxury resort complex called the Heart of Europe on six artificial islands off Dubai, has argued the trademarks have been commercially under-exploited. Lawyers representing Danjaq, the US-based company which controls the rights to worldwide James Bond merchandising in conjunction with the UK-based production company Eon, have hit back, aiming to vigorously defend the 007 franchise. 'James Bond is a trademark of the highest reputation in the EU,' said Rudolf Böckenholt at Boehmert & Boehmert, one of the largest intellectual property (IP) law firms in Europe, representing Danjaq. 'The trademarks are also licensed for numerous consumer products and merchandise products, ranging from very luxurious products to everyday products, as well as further services. These goods and the corresponding services are covered by a number of trademarks that have been challenged and attacked by the claimant Josef Kleindienst in an unprecedented assault.' It has also emerged that Kleindienst has extended his attempt to try to take control of the spy's various brands by also submitting his own trademark for James Bond in Europe. He has not, however, done the same in the UK. The European IP law firm Withers & Rogers said this is likely to be because the 'intention to use test' that applications are submitted to is more stringently applied by the UK's Intellectual Property Office than its continental equivalent the EU Intellectual Property Office. 'Danjaq would be more likely to object to the registration [in the UK] on the grounds of 'bad faith',' said Mark Caddle, a partner and trademark attorney at Withers & Rogers. Danjaq's lawyers are putting together evidence to prove the trademarks are still being commercialised, while at the same time arguing that Kleindienst's 'non-use' challenges 'represent abuse of process'. Kleindienst was approached for comment. 'The plot thickens,' Caddle said. 'Opting for an 'abuse of use' defence suggests that Danjaq could believe that the cancellation attempt is not legitimate, and specifically, that the challenger may not be intending to use the marks commercially. While it is impossible to say for sure what the challenger's motives are in this case, the James Bond trademark portfolio and its legacy value does make it an enticing target for opportunists, and further cancellation attempts can't be ruled out.' Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Daniel Craig's last outing as 007, No Time to Die, was released in 2021 and with no announcement yet of his replacement or timeline for production of the next film, the franchise is on track to beat the previous longest gap between instalments of six years and four months. Danjaq also co-owns the copyright to the existing Bond films, along with MGM Studios, which was acquired by Amazon for $8.5bn in 2021. Days after the report of Kleindienst's legal challenges, it emerged that Amazon had paid more than $1bn to gain full 'creative control' of the franchise from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, the longtime stewards of the Bond films. With creative control, Amazon now has the power to move forward with new films and potentially TV spin-offs, without approval from the two British-American heirs to the film producer Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli, who had overseen the integrity of the character originally created in 1953 by the author Ian Fleming. In March, Amazon confirmed that Amy Pascal and David Heyman would steer the next Bond film, although no release date or lead actor has yet been named. Pascal has experience with the Bond series in her previous position as Sony's chair of film, overseeing Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. She also had producer credits on the latest Spider-Man series. Heyman is best known as the producer of the Harry Potter films as well as the Fantastic Beasts franchise and is now in pre-production on the much-anticipated HBO TV series adaptation of the stories. He is the second most commercially successful film producer of all time, with credits including Gravity, Paddington, Barbie, Wonka and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
WhatsApp Adverts Have Arrived—Is It Time To Switch To Signal?
What's going on with ads in WhatsApp, what does it mean for your privacy and should you switch to ... More Signal instead? dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images 'No ads, no games, no gimmicks.' This was the ethos of WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum. Yet 11 years after its acquisition by Meta, WhatsApp is finally doing what it said it'd never do — adverts inside the app. The new move by WhatsApp's owner Meta has been criticised by NOYB – European Center for Digital Rights, a non-profit organization based in Vienna. 'This further integrates WhatsApp into other Meta services — an originally independent app, which initially was available for just $1 per year without ads or data usage,' the organization said. WhatsApp has already been under fire for its blue circle AI, something users did not want or ask for. So what's going on with ads in WhatsApp, what does it mean for your privacy and should you switch to Signal instead? I Thought WhatsApp Promised No Ads? WhatsApp did promise no ads, but the Meta-owned app offers its services for free, which is why it has decided to start showing some limited advertising in certain sections. And the ads in WhatsApp won't appear in your messages or chats. Instead of appearing in the Chats tab, they will appear in a section at the bottom of the messaging app in a new section called 'Updates.' Businesses can promote ads in this space in a bid to gain followers for their channels or subscriber content. They can also advertise via a status update that looks similar to an Instagram story, according to the BBC. WhatsApp owner Meta has been advertising the privacy credentials of its messaging platform, and it reiterates this on a page explaining its ads decision. Using Meta ad preferences to show ads on WhatsApp is completely optional and off by default, it says. If users don't add their WhatsApp account to Account Center, Meta is using limited information to show ads on the Updates tab. That includes info like your country or city, language, the Channels you're following, and how you interact with the ads you see — which all comes from WhatsApp. However, if you link your WhatsApp account to facebook or Instagram, the ads are personalized using your data. WhatsApp owner Meta says it doesn't use the content of your personal messages, calls, and status, location shared in chats, your device contacts or your membership in groups with friends and family to show you ads. It does not sell or share your phone number with advertisers. Meanwhile, it stresses that it does not keep logs of who everyone is messaging, and your personal messages, calls and status remain end-to-end encrypted, the gold standard of security that ensures no one can see your messages, including WhatsApp. WhatsApp says it has 'no plans' to put ads in people's personal chats. What Do WhatsApp Ads Mean For Privacy? Meta is not known for its privacy credentials. After all, it runs Facebook, which is free but involves you sharing a lot of data. 'If you're not paying for the product, you are the product,' says Alan Jones, CEO, YEO Messaging, which is a competitor of WhatsApp . He says the new WhatsApp advertising model will 'use behaviour, language, location and channel-following data to deliver targeted ads.' Meta claims personal chats will remain ad-free, but that's a 'red herring,' Jones says. 'The real value lies in the metadata — what users read, follow, or click.' Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET, says WhatsApp's new move looks fine on the surface, but users should be cautious all the same. 'The ads look set to be neatly confined and encrypted chats will stay untouched, plus user experience looks set to remain unaffected for most.' However, he questions: 'How exactly will the limited data targeting look like in practice? 'And could we see gradual expansion of those data sources?' Moore asks. 'We know that micro targeted advertising is where the money really is.' With this in mind, Moore advises WhatsApp users to 'keep an eye on consent settings and as they change or update in the future.' While WhatsApp claims the new ads will be minimal and focused on just one tab, it raises several privacy concerns, according to ad blocking app AdGuard. 'Specifically, the potential for increased data collection and tracking, combined with the lack of any opt-out option, could significantly impact user privacy.' While WhatsApp assures users that it won't target ads based on private messages, calls, or group activity, if you've integrated WhatsApp with Meta's Accounts Center (e.g., by linking it to Facebook or Instagram), the company can use your ad preferences and behavior across its entire ecosystem to deliver more targeted ads, Adguard warns. WhatsApp Ads — Should You Switch To Signal? Meta's move to add ads in WhatsApp is certainly a concern for privacy-conscious users, mainly because of the precedent it could set for the future. WhatsApp says it won't ever use your chats for adverts, but remember, it is owned by a firm whose business model is based on advertising. Privacy-focused messaging app Signal is a viable alternative — it is also end-to-end encrypted, just not owned by Meta. However, it doesn't have WhatsApp's 1.5 billion user share. I use Signal as much as possible, but many of my contacts aren't signed up. If you're in a similar position, then for now, it might make sense to use it for your most private chats and for general messaging, stick to WhatsApp.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Third time lucky for a foreign Robins coach?
So City have a new head coach in Austrian Gerhard Struber. Judging by fan sentiment expressed on social media, it seems a popular appointment and certainly won't divide supporters like when Liam Manning came in for the popular Nigel Pearson in November is City's first European managerial appointment since 1998 when Benny Lennartsson was hired by then chairman Scott Davidson to "help" John Ward, who barely four months earlier had guided City to promotion back to the Championship. John had actually asked for help and wanted to bring in the experienced Ray Harford but the City hierarchy went for the 'fashionable' coach option. John actually resigned feeling his position had become untenable and the red cap wearing Swede had the worst start of any City manager in the post-war lost 5-0 to Bradford City at Valley Parade in his first game in charge and things got even worse in his second as they went down 6-1 at home to Wolves, a match remembered perhaps more for the mascot punch up between Wolfie & the Three Little Pigs!! Lennartsson won only six of his 30 league games in charge as City were you go back to 1980, City took the foreign option for the first time when hiring Bob Houghton to replace the long serving Alan Dicks. Houghton, with a young Roy Hodgson as his assistant, had a decent pedigree having guided Malmo to the European Cup Final the previous year - they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest - as City sought to make a quick return to the top flight where they had been since 1976. The die had already been cast in terms of City's fate as the financial troubles mounted by the week and the ageing side began to disintegrate. City were relegated for a second successive season and in the January of 1982, Houghton resigned before the volcano of financial despair erupted and what followed was all that we associate with the Ashton Gate hope it is third time lucky for City with a foreign coaching appointment and we are not hearing cries of "Uber for Struber" before the turn of the year. Personally, I'm excited by what I read about his preferred way of playing and as a person I think we might see someone who wears his heart on his sleeve, which will excite the Ashton Gate faithful who warm to managers who don't stay rooted within the technical more from David at the Forever Bristol City Podcast, external
