Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including how declining support for President Trump is shifting the momentum in several key Senate races toward Democrats, Trump’s decision to send federal forces into cities experiencing protests, Republican inaction on the pandemic and the legacy of John Lewis.
Daily Archives: July 24, 2020
Cocktails With A Curator: “Veronese’s ‘Wisdom And Strength'” (Frick Video)
In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” enjoy a traditional Negroni with Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon as he discusses “Wisdom and Strength,” one of two large allegorical paintings by Paolo Veronese that hang in the West Gallery at the Frick. Discover the hidden message behind the two principal figures in this picture: a bearded brute clad in a lion skin and a woman of noble bearing with a miniature sun above her forehead. Tune in next week for a discussion of the painting’s companion work, “Choice Between Virtue and Vice.”
Games: The Scandinavian Zen Of The “Townscaper” Video “Toy” App (CityLab)
BLOOMBERG CITYLAB (JULY 23, 2020) – Users say they enjoy Townscaper’s calm ambiance, with no background music apart from the occasional plips and plops of material falling into the digital ocean, and they derive particular pleasure from the simple mechanics of the game — left click: you build something, right click: you destroy it.
When Oskar Stalberg announced the release of Townscaper a few weeks ago, he made a point of calling it a “toy” rather than a video game — because it has no goal apart from the sheer enjoyment and satisfaction you get from seeing a pretty town rising from the sea as you click.
Even though Stalberg had figured people would enjoy his creation, he hadn’t predicted the following it would gain among both designers and game developers — and what they would create with it. So far, the $5.99 game has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews (more than 2,600 versus 35 negative ones).
Travel & Recreation: “Why RV Sales Are Speeding Up”
In the years that followed the financial crisis, sales of RVs began booming. Once considered a pretty dowdy way to travel, RVs have benefitted from slick industry ad campaigns, low gas prices, and a renewed interest among Americans of all ages. Data indicate first-time buyers are pouring into RV dealerships and shows, looking for their own happy home on the road. But long-timers say new buyers need to do their research before buying, and understand what the RV life is really about.
Coronavirus: “What It Will Take To Reach Herd Immunity” (WSJ Video)
Scientists are working at breakneck speed to develop an effective vaccine for the coronavirus. Their ultimate goal: to immunize enough of the world’s population to reach herd immunity. WSJ explains.
Illustration: Jacob Reynolds
Top New Travel Videos: “Spain – Top Ten Places”
Over the last few years I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Spain several times and I want to show you my favorite places to visit! From cliff jumping in Mallorca, to witnessing the energetic city of Barcelona, Spain has so much to offer!
Top Artist Profiles: Brazilian Watercolorist Antonio Giacomin
Antonio Giacomin 
was born in Serra Gaúcha, where, in 1980, he started in the universe of painting. It was to improve in the United States, Mexico and Europe. In 2007, he launched the book “Poesias em Aquarela”, an inventory of thematic images resulting from trips undertaken in various regions of Rio Grande do Sul.
In 2012, in partnership with the writer Nivaldo Pereira, he launched the book “Jeitos de Ser Brasil” , in which aspects of Brazilian culture were recorded. In 2014, in partnership with Marcos Fernando Kirst, he launched the work “Serra Gaúcha: O Passado Presente”. He won the contest to choose the design of the Queen’s crown at the 2014 Grape Festival. He lives and works in Caxias do Sul, where he maintains his studio.
Top Online Exhibitions: “At Sea” At David Zwirner – “Resonates Forcefully”
Yes! in the sea of life enisled,
With echoing straits between us thrown,
Dotting the shoreless watery wild,
We mortal millions live alone.
—Matthew Arnold, To Marguerite: Continued
Whether in the awesome forms of the legendary floods in Gilgamesh and Genesis, or via the more delightful but ultimately crueler torment of Homer’s Mediterranean, the sea is among art’s oldest subjects. For millennia humans have been fascinated and horrified in equal measure by mystery, eternity, and danger of which the sea seems to be a mirror: sometimes enigmatically placid, sometimes jagged with sudden storms.
Dating from the nineteenth century to the present, these works differ in media and approach, but together, they ask social, political, and environmental questions that resonate forcefully today.
New Travel Guide Videos: “San Francisco” (Monocle)
Poised on the Californian peninsula, San Francisco is an energetic enclave with a storied libertine history, undeniable entrepreneurial fervor, and vibrant cultural patronage. It may be known for its thriving technology sector, but look beyond the numbers and you’ll find a dynamic urban offering, complete with easygoing charm and dramatic natural beauty.
Dining: Interview With Private Chef Platform “APT” – Richard Lee Massey
Richard Lee Massey is the founder of Apt, a new hospitality platform in London. The reopening of London’s restaurants earlier this month was a welcome relief for many. But with physical-distancing restrictions still in place, Apt will allow groups of friends to dine in a more intimate setting.
They can choose from a host of top chefs and rent one of 98 private apartments at east London’s Town Hall Hotel for their meal.
Boomers Daily 