The Invisibles looks at an under-reported aspect of the Holocaust. It’s a docudrama, opening in the U.S. Friday, about Jews who survived in Berlin, a city the Nazis had proclaimed “Jew-free.”
Government Reopens
In a surprise decision, the president caved to Democrats and agreed to reopen the government for three weeks without gaining any funds for a hypothetical border wall. What do you think?
This New Nordstrom Shop Is the Best Place to Buy Men’s Winter Clothing
Top Scientist Says Magic Mushrooms and MDMA Could Become Legal Medicine at Davos Billionaire Summit
At the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, British scientist Robin Carhart-Harris, the head of psychedelic research at the center for neuroscience and pharmacology at London’s Imperial College, announced that when it comes to using psychedelic drugs to treat mental illnesses, “the climate’s looking good.”
In a session at Davos called “The New Science of Psychedelics,” Carhart-Harris spoke with the editor in chief of Business Insider US Alyson Shontell to explain how psychedelic drugs — particularly MDMA and psilocybin — have tremendous untapped potential for treating illnesses where pharmaceuticals fall short.
“They work on a particular neurotransmitter system,” he says, elaborating on how psychedelics work directly with the happiness neurotransmitter Serotonin. “But it’s also associated with a range of different things — modulating consciousness, sleep, thinking, cognition.
“Psychedelics work on the system in a particular way,” he adds, and explains that the drugs directly stimulate the Serotonin 2A receptor, which encourages flexibility of mind and therefore have the unique ability to treat conditions that modern medicine fails to help.
Previous research has found that psilocybin is particularly effective at easing symptoms of severe depression, and even alleviates symptoms in people who don’t respond to multiple different treatments — and researchers want to know why and how.
Furthermore, researchers are also interested in understanding the mechanism behind how MDMA is an effective treatment in post-traumatic stress disorder.
With that said, Business Insider says that a startup backed by tech mogul Peter Thiel created “enough of the active ingredient in magic mushrooms to send 20,000 people on a psychedelic trip — part of a larger research effort by the company, called Compass Pathways, to study how psychedelic drugs could be used to treat depression.”
Furthermore, a German entrepreneur founded a company called Atai Life Sciences in November, and invested $25 million to study the therapeutic benefits and properties of psychedelics on psychiatric illnesses. Clearly, large investments are being made, and we can expect great progress in the next few years.
In fact, Carhart-Harris predicts the first legal uses of psychedelics as medicine should happen within the next few years around 2024.
“The investment is coming in, and that’s interesting that it’s commerce leading the way in terms of being visionary,” Carhart-Harris concluded. “It’s progressing well.”
For the full interview, watch the video below:
The ‘Breaking Bad’ Movie May Bring Back Bryan Cranston, Krysten Ritter, and More
Greenbrier, the Breaking Bad movie that’s supposedly going to tell the story of Jesse Pinkman‘s life after the series ended, is beginning to sound like a pretty big deal.
If at least one major fan site is to be believed the movie will feature not only Aaron Paul (Pinkman) but Jonathan Banks, Krysten Ritter, and yes, Walter White himself, Bryan Cranston.
Cranston has said all along he’d do it if the opportunity arose, so maybe that’s not much of a surprise—and who knows what form his return to Walt might take? Flashbacks.
Revenge of the Fans (RTF) is the site claiming it managed to get hold of a Greenbrier cast list, and since so many names on that list played characters that died in the show, scenes from Pinkman’s life not shown in the course of Breaking Bad would make sense.
RTF’s post on the leak speculated on the actual plot of Greenbrier with these alleged cast revelations in mind:
…I think it’s fair to assume that there will be ample flashbacks in Greenbrier. And considering we haven’t seen Cranston walking around with a shaved head as he promotes The Upside, I think it’s another safe bet that whatever scene he’s in takes place in the very early days of Jesse and Walter’s collaboration. But who knows? Maybe they got him a very convincing bald cap.
It does make sense.
The sheer number of past players on this list indicates Greenbrier is probably a big deal. In the end we won’t know what’s up until the first trailer drops—if then.
One thing seems true: a lot of people really do want to know what happened to Jesse—however troubled he was, fans of the show always felt they could pull for him with less guilt than they did for Walt.
In the fictional universe of Breaking Bad, a happy ending for one character would actually be the least predictable plot twist of them all. Fingers crossed for Pinkman.
Newseum’s Imposing D.C. Home Bought By Johns Hopkins For $372.5 Million
The deal, which remains subject to regulatory approval, represents an ambitious expansion for the Baltimore-based university — and the end of a turbulent era for the journalism museum.
(Image credit: Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images)
This Stunning Utah Ski Lodge Comes with Its Own 9-Passenger Snowcat
Located in the snowy mountains of Alta, Utah, the spectacular Alta Ski Home isn’t your typical alpine lodge–it’s a home so remote that it’s only accessible via ski, snowcat, snowmobile, or snowshoe in the winter, making for one supremely secluded luxury retreat.
Designed by AIA architects Tracy Stocking and David Hunter and built in 1993, the four-bedroom, three-bath home is spread out over 3,076 square feet, with floor-to-ceiling windows in each bedroom and a grand two-story wall of windows in the living room that looks out over stunning views of Sugarloaf and Greely Bowl.
The estate also features a large fireplace in the living room, heated sidewalks, a patio to take in the views, and a mudroom that you can ski from as soon as you step outside the door.
One of the coolest features of the Alta Ski Home is located right outside: The nine-passenger, fully-functioning PistinBully 100 Snowcat.
But the Snowcat doesn’t come with the house just for fun — it’s literally a necessity for hauling your family, guests, and groceries up the snow-covered mountain to your remote home.
In the summer, however, a simple gravel road makes for easy access, though the Snowcat definitely seems like more fun.
For a stunning ski chalet that comes with heated sidewalks, entire walls of windows, and its own Snowcat, the price is about what you might expect: $3,900,000.
Exclusive First Look at Solid Gold Skeleton-Dial Rolex Daytona
Back in November we told you about the world’s first skeleton dial Rolex Daytona, made by horological geniuses Artisans de Genève in collaboration with famed race car driver Juan Pablo Montoya.
Now Maxim.com can exclusively reveal that an even more eye-popping version of the watch is on the way, in 18k solid gold with a tachymeter bezel machined out of a forged carbon block.
Only 42 specially engraved examples of the “La Montoya” Gold will be custom made in Switzerland, priced at about $70,000 apiece. Montoya is a longtime Rolex Daytona devotee, and was awarded three of them for winning the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona race sponsored by Rolex in 2007, 2008 and 2013. He has also won the Indianapolis 500, the Grand Prix of Monaco and the Italian Grand Prix, among others.
The one-of-a-kind watch, based on the Rolex Daytona Ref. 116508, took over two years to develop. Every single piece of Rolex’s Caliber 4130 movement, some of them minute, was dismantled, refinished and angled so it could be put on display behind a polished piece of sapphire.
Artisans de Genève also added its signature solid 21k gold rotor, polished with a circular finish, while the watches 18k gold case and bracelet get ADG’s patented dual finish, a mix of brushing and sandblasting on the case and lugs. The watch’s sub-dial counters are painted with the colors of Montoya’s native Colombia.
“Artisans de Genève embodies what I wanted in somebody who would build a watch for me,” Montoya says. “They are that somebody that was happy to remove limits to how a watch should be built.” And the end result is just as exotic and extreme as one of Montoya’s F1 cars.
“The Rolex Daytona is probably the most coveted watch of all time,” Paul Altieri, founder of online luxury watch retailer Bob’s Watches and owner of one of the world’s top Rolex collections, tells us.
“And a customized Daytona is something very few people, even most collectors, will ever own, but I can certainly see this appealing to some watch guys.”
That’s because “the skeleton design is totally unique, and the fact that a true motorsports legend was involved in its creation makes it even more of a collectable piece. ” Altieri notes.
“Montoya’s career is far from over, and if he goes on to even bigger victories that could affect the value of this piece exponentially, potentially making it a great investment and an heirloom.”
So there you go – we’ve effectively helped justify spending 70 grand on this thing. Your accountant may not thank us but someday your grandchildren might. Pre-order it now with a 35% deposit by clicking here.
Sommelier Talk: A Day in the Life: Chris Cannon Remakes a New Jersey Landmark—and Himself (Wine Spectator)
6:00 a.m. Early to Rise
It’s early in the morning in Mountain Lakes, N.J., and restaurateur Chris Cannon is the only one in his family awake. His first task of the day: get his teenage daughters, Sadie and Tess, out of bed.
“To get them out of bed is like, ‘Oh my god!’ If you left them alone, they wouldn’t get up until 1:30 p.m. So I’m the one who gets up in the morning and makes them breakfast,” Cannon says.
This is a decidedly different pace of life for Cannon, who grew up on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and made his name as a heavy hitter on the New York restaurant scene. In the 2000s, he was among the hottest restaurant moguls in Manhattan, launching highly acclaimed, ultra-chic eateries Alto, Convivio, Osteria Morini and Marea with chef Michael White under the Altamarea Group umbrella. But the partnership went south, and the two parted ways in 2010.
After a brief hiatus from the restaurant world following the split, Cannon and his family moved to his wife’s home state, New Jersey. There, he began a new chapter in his career, opening a 15,000-square-foot restaurant concept, Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, in 2014.
After the children leave for school, Cannon gets in a workout and checks emails before he hits the road to get to his restaurant in Morristown, the county seat, about 10 miles away.
Courtesy of Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen
Chris Cannon’s personal touches can be seen in the eclectic décor around the restaurant.
12 p.m. From George Washington to Millionaire’s Row to Jockey Hollow
Morristown’s history goes back further than the country’s; George Washington’s Continental Army encamped here twice, and, being only 35 miles west of Manhattan, the town has long been home to the city’s 1-percenters. Mansions and ornate buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries are scattered throughout the town and surrounding areas. The Vail Mansion is a perfect example.
When Cannon first came across the Vail Mansion, located near the center of town on South Street (known as Millionaire’s Row in the late 1800s and early 1900s), it had been abandoned for over two decades. Constructed in 1916 in the Italian Renaissance style, it originally served as a museum and residence for Theodore Vail and his family. Vail was president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Co.—AT&T—and is considered by many to be the chief architect of the Bell System monopoly.
“I subsequently found out about two years ago that all the marble here is the exact same marble at the AT&T building in downtown Manhattan, which was built at the same time,” notes Cannon.
“When it came to the building, I walked in and immediately saw the possibilities,” he says; here, he decided, he’d begin anew as a restaurateur with Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen. Today, the mansion, designated a historical landmark, boasts many of its original grandiose features, such as the dramatic main marble staircase, the 17-foot-high ceilings, several fireplaces and substantial columns. Like Vail, Cannon is a collector of art. He curated and owns the eclectic art collection and decorations found throughout the mansion.
Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen comprises four different concepts on three floors: the more formal, seafood-driven daPesca on the top level, the Vail Bar and the Oyster Bar on the main level, and the Rathskeller, a beer hall and private event space, in the basement.
2:30 p.m. Tasting New Hits and Old Favorites
Carolyn DeFir-Hunter, a wine representative for importer and distributor Skurnik Wines, is no stranger to Cannon: She used to work for him at his restaurants in New York City. Their interaction is more akin to close friends than work professionals; Cannon finds out she hasn’t had lunch yet, so right away he orders her a dish of pasta from the kitchen.
In the Vail Bar, DeFir-Hunter sets up a line of wines for Cannon to taste through. The only other people in the room are bartenders preparing for the night’s opening. Cannon turns on some throwback crooner music before he and DeFir-Hunter begin the tasting, which includes grower Champagne and diverse South African, Portuguese and French wines.
Gillian Sciaretta
Chris Cannon (foreground) settles in for a tasting session with Skurnik rep Carolyn DeFir-Hunter.
When it comes to Jockey Hollow’s wine program, Cannon is the person in charge. Because of his expansive knowledge of wine and experience running wine-centric restaurants for over 30 years, Cannon has developed an acute vision of what he wants the Jockey Hollow wine program to be.
“Almost everything we buy ends up being under a 5,000-case production,” says Cannon. “It’s through continuing to taste and taste and taste that we found we always gravitate toward these kinds of wines. Most of these wines are pretty much organic, a lot are biodynamic. Some are maybe not organic or biodynamic because the wineries are so small that they cannot afford to certify themselves, but they basically are.” Cannon is also looking for wines that overdeliver for their price.
He comments as he tastes. Of the Mullineux Old Vines Swartland White 2017, he says, “I look at wines like this, and I’m like, ‘OK, this is a wine that someone who knows nothing about wine would say is delicious. And somebody who knows a ton about wine would be wowed.’”
Of the Domaine Vincent Dureuil-Janthial Rully Le Meix Cadot Vieilles Vignes 2016: “I’d rather sell you this than some shitty Meursault from some producer that’s not even that good … It’s got density, it’s got great balance.”
During these tastings, Cannon also keeps an eye out for wines that would be a fit for his Cannonball Blind Wine Dinner series, which the restaurant hosts every Friday night. Each dinner ($95 per person) consists of five courses with a different wine served blind for each course, picked by Cannon and his head sommelier, Adam Wechsler.
“It’s not a gimmick or anything,” says Cannon. “We want you to try this and that. We want you to try stuff that, the people behind this, you know this is their life. It’s not a beverage. All they think about is how they are going to make their wine better. And to me that’s magical and beautiful.”
After Cannon tastes a dozen or so wines, another wine rep appears with more off-the-beaten-path selections for Cannon to mull over. Kurt Fauerbach, a sales representative for another distributor, V.O.S. Selections, pours Cannon a splash of the Leah Jorgensen Blanc de Cabernet Franc 2017—a still white wine made from Cab Franc in Oregon—and Holus Bolus Roussanne from Black Sheep Finds in California’s Santa Maria Valley. “For a long time I hardly bought American wine,” he admits. “Now I am like, ‘Oh god there is so much good stuff!’ They finally hit their stride.”
4 p.m. Class Is in Session with Sommelier Adam Wechsler
With a wine list that changes constantly, it’s important for Jockey Hollow’s servers to be up to date and knowledgeable on the wine program, so Wechsler holds “class” for the servers every month or two. “The good thing about Chris is that nothing is so precious where we can’t open to taste it,” he says. “I have learned a ridiculous amount because he’s like, ‘Oh let me open this. Let me see what this is tasting like these days.’”
Courtesy of Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen
Upstairs, Jockey Hollow is all white tablecloth; the “bar” part is downstairs.
Today’s tasting focuses on South America, and Wechsler discusses the background, flavor profile and winemaking behind each wine.
“For me, part of it is about supporting the food; part of it is the pragmatic approach to running a restaurant,” says Wechsler after the session, of his job’s appeal. “Part of the fun of working here—especially in Morristown and not Brooklyn or Central Park South—is [it is] the future of great American restaurants. If you go to any weird, off-the-beaten path restaurant in a town that has less than 50,000 people, there’s a very good chance you are going to have an amazing culinary experience.”
Cannon has also come to appreciate the charms of smaller-town dining: “Because in New York you’re paying $250 a square foot, you can only have wines that are $90 and over on your list. You go to the best restaurants in New York and there’s nothing under $100, nothing. And here we have literally 150 wines under $60. When you’re paying 12 to 14 bucks [wholesale], you can open anything and just pour for somebody. You can just be hospitable. You’re in our house, we’re gonna pour you whatever the hell you want. Have a good time.
“In New York, it’s like a contract. ‘Hey, sit down, you’re gonna spend $300.'”
6:30 p.m. Cannonball Wine Dinner Takes Off
Cannonball Wine Dinner attendees sit among other diners upstairs in daPesca. Cannon or Wechsler pour wines from a decanter and keep mum about their identities. Once each course is complete, the wine is revealed, usually followed by guests saying, “Wow! I had no idea,” or, rarely, “I knew it!”
Tonight, Cannon can be seen working his way around the entire building: Between preparing a table for a dinner hosted by a newly minted CEO of a Fortune 500 company, talking to Cannonball Wine Dinner attendees, greeting people arriving on the main level, and overseeing the party in the basement, Cannon’s decades of experience as a multitasking master and hospitality guru show.
Time flies, and it’s not long before the clock strikes 10:30 p.m. Cannon leaves the restaurant and heads home to his family, as another day of discovering exciting wines and delivering one of the most singular dining experiences around awaits.
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Turns of Phrase to Retire
Bishakh Som humorously illustrates several turns of phrase that should not be used any longer.