As watchmakers celebrated anniversaries of iconic models, 2024 saw an array of limited editions and upgraded timepieces released throughout the year. Audemars Piguet Firstly, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet marked its fifth anniversary. Introduced in 2019, the initial collection included 13 references such as a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar, and a minute repeater supersonnerie. The enigmatic name "Code 11.59" stands for Challenge, Own, Dare, Evolve, while 11.59 symbolises one minute before midnight -- a moment of transition into a new day. Audemars Piguet's design team collaborated with guilloché craftsman Yann von Kaenel to reimagine the dial, which debuted on stainless steel models launched last year. The updated aesthetic now graces seven new watches in 18-carat pink gold, available in 38mm and 41mm diameters. Meticulously engraved by hand, the base dies feature concentric circles reminiscent of ripples on water. These circles are further adorned with hundreds of tiny holes, which interact beautifully with light. The dials are then coloured using a PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) or galvanic process, preserving and accentuating the contours formed during stamping. The palette includes a captivating green, a luminous light blue, and "Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50". A black dial paired with a pink-gold and black-ceramic case lends the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Chronograph 41mm a bold, contemporary look. Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton celebrated a decade of its Escale collection with a trilogy of métiers d'art timepieces and four new time-only watches, enriching a line traditionally known for its complications. The design draws inspiration from the maison's trunk-making heritage. The rose-gold three-hand models feature silvery or blue dials, whose textures evoke the finely-grained surface of the Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas. The 39mm case incorporates lugs resembling the angled, riveted brass brackets of Louis Vuitton trunks. At each quarter, angled and riveted gold markers secure the central dial and outer minuterie, whose gold studs mimic the nails along the trunks' lozine. An octagonal crown topped with a dome, resembling a trunk rivet, bears the Louis Vuitton Monogram. The platinum Escale model boasts a Gibeon meteorite dial, while a diamond-set variation features a black onyx dial. Each piece showcases the expertise at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. The self-winding mechanical movement is certified by the Geneva Observatory as a high-precision Swiss chronometer. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe commemorated the 25th anniversary of its Twenty~4 collection with a striking new purple-dial edition. Designed as an elegant, all-day companion for active women, the Twenty~4 was Patek Philippe's first exclusively feminine line. The original quartz model from 1999 featured a rectangular, art-deco-inspired "manchette" or cuff design. In 2018, Patek Philippe introduced the Twenty~4 Automatic with a round case. For its silver jubilee, the cuff-style quartz model appears in a rose gold case adorned with brilliant-cut diamonds. The purple dial is crafted through a meticulous process: embossing a concentric wave pattern onto the plate, coating it with successive layers of translucent purple lacquer, and finishing with a clear lacquer. Once polished, the result is a dial with striking depth and subtle light effects. A. Lange & Söhne The 1990s revival of A. Lange & Söhne included the launch of the Lange 1 in 1994. To celebrate the model's 30th anniversary, the German brand unveiled limited editions of the Lange 1 and Little Lange 1, with diameters of 38.5mm and 36.8mm, respectively. The iconic design combines an off-centre dial layout with an outsize date inspired by the Five-Minute Clock at Dresden's Semper Opera House. The limited editions, available in pink gold or platinum, feature 925 silver dials in blue or faced with black onyx. On the left side, the time display is offset by the outsize date, power-reserve indicator, and subsidiary seconds dial on the right, arranged along an imaginary vertical axis. Their proportions adhere to the Golden Ratio, exemplifying harmonious design. The four models are powered by a manually wound calibre with a 72-hour power reserve. Longines Longines revisited 1954, when the Conquest became its first product line to secure intellectual property protection in Berne, Switzerland. Marking the collection's 70th anniversary, Longines introduced the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve, inspired by a model from 1959. The power reserve indicator is ingeniously positioned on a central uncoiling disc, pointing to the depletion level on an external coiling disc. The self-winding mechanical movement with a 72-hour power reserve delivers magnetic resistance 10 times greater than the ISO 764 standard. Rewinding is achieved by turning the crown or through wrist movement. Housed in a redesigned 38mm stainless steel case, the commemorative model is available in three dial colours: anthracite, black or champagne.
Israeli police set to probe Netanyahu’s wife over ‘harassment of witnesses’Jonah Goldberg Among elites across the ideological spectrum, there's one point of unifying agreement: Americans are bitterly divided. What if that's wrong? What if elites are the ones who are bitterly divided while most Americans are fairly unified? History rarely lines up perfectly with the calendar (the "sixties" didn't really start until the decade was almost over). But politically, the 21st century neatly began in 2000, when the election ended in a tie and the color coding of electoral maps became enshrined as a kind of permanent tribal color war of "red vs. blue." Elite understanding of politics has been stuck in this framework ever since. Politicians and voters have leaned into this alleged political reality, making it seem all the more real in the process. I loathe the phrase "perception is reality," but in politics it has the reifying power of self-fulfilling prophecy. Like rival noble families in medieval Europe, elites have been vying for power and dominance on the arrogant assumption that their subjects share their concern for who rules rather than what the rulers can deliver. Political cartoonists from across country draw up something special for the holiday In 2018, the group More in Common published a massive report on the "hidden tribes" of American politics. The wealthiest and whitest groups were "devoted conservatives" (6%) and "progressive activists" (8%). These tribes dominate the media, the parties and higher education, and they dictate the competing narratives of red vs. blue, particularly on cable news and social media. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of Americans resided in, or were adjacent to, the "exhausted majority." These people, however, "have no narrative," as David Brooks wrote at the time. "They have no coherent philosophic worldview to organize their thinking and compel action." Lacking a narrative might seem like a very postmodern problem, but in a postmodern elite culture, postmodern problems are real problems. It's worth noting that red vs. blue America didn't emerge ex nihilo. The 1990s were a time when the economy and government seemed to be working, at home and abroad. As a result, elites leaned into the narcissism of small differences to gain political and cultural advantage. They remain obsessed with competing, often apocalyptic, narratives. That leaves out most Americans. The gladiatorial combatants of cable news, editorial pages and academia, and their superfan spectators, can afford these fights. Members of the exhausted majority are more interested in mere competence. I think that's the hidden unity elites are missing. This is why we keep throwing incumbent parties out of power: They get elected promising competence but get derailed -- or seduced -- by fan service to, or trolling of, the elites who dominate the national conversation. There's a difference between competence and expertise. One of the most profound political changes in recent years has been the separation of notions of credentialed expertise from real-world competence. This isn't a new theme in American life, but the pandemic and the lurch toward identity politics amplified distrust of experts in unprecedented ways. This is a particular problem for the left because it is far more invested in credentialism than the right. Indeed, some progressives are suddenly realizing they invested too much in the authority of experts and too little in the ability of experts to provide what people want from government, such as affordable housing, decent education and low crime. The New York Times' Ezra Klein says he's tired of defending the authority of government institutions. Rather, "I want them to work." One of the reasons progressives find Trump so offensive is his absolute inability to speak the language of expertise -- which is full of coded elite shibboleths. But Trump veritably shouts the language of competence. I don't mean he is actually competent at governing. But he is effectively blunt about calling leaders, experts and elites -- of both parties -- stupid, ineffective, weak and incompetent. He lost in 2020 because voters didn't believe he was actually good at governing. He won in 2024 because the exhausted majority concluded the Biden administration was bad at it. Nostalgia for the low-inflation pre-pandemic economy was enough to convince voters that Trumpian drama is the tolerable price to pay for a good economy. About 3 out of 4 Americans who experienced "severe hardship" because of inflation voted for Trump. The genius of Trump's most effective ad -- "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you" -- was that it was simultaneously culture-war red meat and an argument that Harris was more concerned about boutique elite concerns than everyday ones. If Trump can actually deliver competent government, he could make the Republican Party the majority party for a generation. For myriad reasons, that's an if so big it's visible from space. But the opportunity is there -- and has been there all along. Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch: thedispatch.com . Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!
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Jonah Goldberg: What if most Americans aren't bitterly divided?
It was the fourth time this season they had conceded four or more and the performance showed why they have the Premier League’s worst defence. When O’Neil and the players went over to acknowledge the visiting supporters there were boos for a run of two wins in 14 league matches. “Whatever the fans think of me, there is definitely no-none working harder than me and I will continue to do so until someone tells me not to,” said O’Neil, who is under increasing pressure with his side second bottom of the table. “I go over there to see them because I appreciate every one of the Wolves fans. They have given me unbelievable support since I arrived at the football club,” he said. “We managed to produce some unbelievable stuff last season with a team that was heavily tipped by most of the nation for relegation. We managed to enjoy it together. “Now it is tough. I was happy to go over there and look them right in the face and take any criticism they want to throw at me. “I accept responsibility for my part in that. Whatever criticism they want to throw at me will not change how I feel about them. “Everyone at this football club needs to do more. We will get back to be ready to fight again on Monday (another crucial game against West Ham, whose manager Julen Lopetegui’s tenure is hanging by a thread). “I will work with everything I have. I will back myself to get the most out of the group. I understand the drive for change (but) you never know how much of a percentage of supporters it is.” Veteran Ashley Young ended Everton’s 370-minute wait for a goal with a 10th-minute free-kick, his first league goal for more than two years, and on-loan Lyon midfielder Orel Mangala blasted home his first for the club to establish a 2-0 half-time lead. Two Craig Dawson own goals secured Everton’s biggest home league win since April 2019, but manager Sean Dyche insisted their issues up front were far from sorted. He said: “It’s our fifth clean sheet in the last eight so the consistency has been there in one degree, we just haven’t been scoring goals. That’s been the hardest thing to find consistently and we haven’t solved it yet. “Goals change everything, they change opinions. That’s what football is like.” The victory was hugely important in a month in which, having been hammered 4-0 at Manchester United, they face top-six sides Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest and undoubtedly eased some of the pressure on Dyche and his players. “I’ve told them how proud I am of them,” he added. “The challenges come thick and fast on and off the pitch and they just keep going. “It’s only a step and there are many more to go but it’s a good step and a positive step. “It’s a temporary moment in time because the next one is a big one (Saturday’s Merseyside derby).”Jonah Goldberg: What if most Americans aren't bitterly divided?
Discover a new world of possibilities with these easy steps that can revolutionize your data experience. Whether you’re an analyst or simply someone who enjoys customizing their data, these tips will enhance the way you interact with your information. Personalize Your Data Sources Navigating through data can be tedious, but did you know there’s a simple trick to tailor your data to your specific region? In just a few easy steps, you can switch the market flag to focus on data from your country of choice. This powerful feature allows you to gain insights and work with information that’s most relevant to you. Explore More with Custom Charts If you think the default charts are limiting, think again. By right-clicking on any chart, you can access an Interactive Chart menu that will reveal a plethora of additional options. This feature lets you customize charts to better suit your needs, whether you’re aiming for clearer visualizations or more intricate data analysis. Navigate with Ease The user interaction just got smoother! With the simple use of your up and down arrow keys, you can effortlessly move through different symbols, making navigation quick and intuitive. This feature is designed to enhance efficiency, especially when dealing with large sets of data. Empower yourself by making these small yet significant adjustments to your data handling routines. Dive into these features today and experience a new level of data customization and ease of use. Unlock Hidden Data Potential with Innovative Techniques In today’s data-driven world, the ability to personalize and customize your data experience is vital for gaining meaningful insights. Here are some advanced features and insights that can take your data interaction to the next level. FAQ: How to Personalize Data Sources by Region Customization is key to tailoring data insights. A commonly asked question is how to focus data analysis on specific regions. By simply switching a market flag, you can isolate data from your desired country. This customization not only refines your data set but also aligns information with regional variables, making your analysis more relevant and impactful. Pros and Cons of Custom Chart Features Optimizing your data visualization skills is crucial. Here’s a quick look at the advantages and potential drawbacks of using custom chart features: Pros: – Enhanced clarity with tailored visualizations. – Access to a wider array of chart types for complex data sets. – Improved engagement through interactive visual design. Cons: – Might require additional learning and practice to master customization tools. – Potential for over-complication if too many options are utilized without clarity. How-to: Efficient Data Navigation with Arrow Keys Handling large data sets efficiently can be daunting. Fortunately, simpler navigation techniques can alleviate this challenge. By using the arrow keys for navigation, users can move seamlessly through endless data rows. This feature significantly minimizes juggling complex commands and improves data handling efficiency. Predictions for the Future of Data Customization As technology evolves, the trend towards increased data customization will likely continue. Anticipate advancements in artificial intelligence-driven data personalization, allowing for even more precise and automated data modifications. In the future, expect platforms to offer predictive analysis tools that automatically adapt visualizations to user preferences. Market Analysis: The Trend Towards Personalized Data Tools There’s an undeniable shift towards tools that offer greater personalization features in the business intelligence market. More organizations are adopting technology that allows users to customize their data interaction, which in turn is boosting market growth. Tailored data solutions provide businesses with a competitive edge by enhancing data-driven decision-making processes. Discover more about these innovative data handling strategies and enhance your performance through customization. Dive deeper into the world of data personalization and transform how you interact with information for better insights and results. For more insights, check out Tableau for leading data visualization tools and resources.