Hump Day Recommendations, Nov. 6, 2024

Read: Calvin and Hobbes. Tired of the existential dread that hangs over this US election like smog? Me too. Time to revisit Calvin (history’s most imaginative cartoon boy) and Hobbes (his sardonic stuffed tiger and best pal). It’s hard to top “Something Under the Bed is Drooling” and “The Revenge of the Baby-Sat.” But for my money “Scientific Progress Goes Boink” is cartoonist Bill Watterson’s masterpiece. Enjoy. You deserve it. – Willis

Watch: “Somebody Somewhere,” a slightly under-the-radar but critically acclaimed comedy series on HBO Max, starring Bridget Everett and a cast of eccentric but endearing characters living in Manhattan, Kansas. Now in its third and final season, the show follows Everett as Sam Miller, a 40-something, single woman who moves back to her hometown following the death of her sister. This series is touching, hilarious, filled with beautiful music (Everett is an amazing singer), and won a Peabody this year for excellence in entertainment. – Tony

Watch, if you haven’t already, last week’s episode of “Saturday Night Live.” If US politics has you feeling grim or overwhelmed, this episode will be a much-needed respite. – Riley

Listen: “The Pure Sound of Mountain and Water,” by Yu Shuishan. Things are … stressful right now. Why not take a deep dive into the most relaxing, non-political album I know of in this beautiful rendition of traditional Chinese guqin music. The fretless zither has been a staple of Chinese music since Confucius was just a rowdy scholar, and Yu’s peaceful, minimalistic interpretations might be just what you need today. — Matt

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine was already punching above its weight in technology—having one of the most powerful IT hubs and digitized governments in the world. Now, three years into the war, tech innovation in Ukraine has become a battlefield advantage, one that Anna Gvozdiar, Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries, says could benefit all of Europe.

- YouTube

“If the G-Zero world is winning, one of the things that's also winning is impunity,” says Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media. Speaking at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, Bremmer highlights the rise of global impunity and the challenges of deterrence in today’s volatile geopolitical climate.

Israelis sit together as they light candles and hold posters with the images Oded Lifschitz, Shiri Bibas, and her two children, Kfir and Ariel Bibas, seized during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, on the day the bodies of the deceased hostages were handed over under by Hamas on Feb. 20, 2025.

REUTERS/Itay Cohen
South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, February 20, 2025.
Matrix Images/Korea Pool

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol appeared before two courts on Thursday. His first stop at the Seoul Central District Court made him the first sitting president — he’s not yet been formally removed from office — to face criminal prosecution.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, General Keith Kellogg, meet in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 20, 2025.
Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto

Ahead of the third anniversary on Monday of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump’sUkraine envoy, Keith Kellogg,met in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss bringing the fighting to an end as Washington’s allegiances appear to be shifting toward Moscow.

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa takes the national salute below a statue of former president Nelson Mandela at the Cape Town City Hall, ahead of his State Of The Nation (SONA) address in Cape Town, South Africa February 6, 2025.
REUTERS/Nic Bothma

South Africa’s ruling coalition, made up primarily of the African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance, is showing signs of a possible crack in its government of national unity.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks to the media, on the day of a Senate Republicans' weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 19, 2025.

REUTERS/Kent Nishimura

Those of us who grew up in a Cold War world have long thought of Republicans as the US political party that is most consistently tough on Moscow.

Luisa Vieira

The shocking US pivot to Russia has sent the world through the political looking glass and into the upside-down era of Trumpland. Is the US abandoning its historic allies in NATO, Europe, and Canada in favor of … Russia? The short answer is yes, writes GZERO Publisher Evan Solomon. For now.

The Energy Security Hub @BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt Pavilion at the Munich Security Conference held crucial talks last weekend on pressing global issues to the energy transition. Over 2.5 days of controversial and constructive talks in the heart of Munich, it became clear that energy security is not only an economic and geopolitical issue but one that’s also inextricably linked to social progress and democratic values. “There is not just one way forward,” said Dr. Heba Aguib, board member of the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt. However, speed, scale, and collaboration across sectors are needed to drive the transition. “The open and collaborative approach that big tech companies are taking can serve as a model for other organizations and countries to use external expertise and resources to drive their energy initiatives, tailored to local needs,” she said. Learn more about the program here.