Shakespeare & Company: ‘Matrix’ Author Lauren Groff Interview (Podcast)

Lauren Groff is the author of six books of fiction, the most recent the novel MATRIX (September 2021). Her work has won The Story Prize, the ABA Indies’ Choice Award, and France’s Grand Prix de l’Héroïne, was a three time finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction and twice for the Kirkus Prize, and was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Prize, the Southern Book Prize, and the Los Angeles Times Prize.

She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and was named one of Granta’s Best of Young American Novelists. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. She lives in Gainesville, Florida.

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Analysis: Rise Of Sports Betting In The U.S. (CNBC)

Sports betting in the U.S. is booming. During the 2021 NFL season an estimated 45 million Americans are expected to wager at least $12 billion. Since a 2018 Supreme Court ruling, sports betting is now legal in more than 30 states.

A flood of new customers eager for risk and excitement has made DraftKings one of the nation’s biggest sportsbooks. In the third quarter of 2021 DraftKings revenue rose 60% from the year prior to $213 million. During that same period with mobile betting launching in several states the number of its monthly unique paying customers rose 31% to 1.3 million.

And the online sports betting and gaming industry in the U.S. is just starting to grow. As of 2021 only 4% of gross gaming revenue in the U.S. was generated online compared with 45% in a more mature market like the UK. The online sports betting market in the U.S. is expected to be worth nearly $40 billion by 2033. So what does the future look like for legal sports betting in America and what challenges lie ahead for sports betting providers like BetMGM, FanDuel and DraftKings?

Aging: The Importance Of Cardiovascular Exercise

Views: UNESCO Launces ‘Digital Replication’ of Historical Beirut, Lebanon

As part of its response to the explosions of 4 August 2020 at the port of Beirut in Lebanon, UNESCO through its Heritage Emergency Fund has launched a large-scale technical documentation of the city’s historical areas in collaboration with the Directorate General of Antiquities of Lebanon and Iconem. This high-definition 3D scan of the city – obtained through drones and photogrammetry – captures essential architectural data of some of the city’s affected monuments, art galleries and cultural spaces which are required by engineers and architects to plan and monitor the rehabilitation phase.

Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As of 2014, Greater Beirut has a population of 2.2 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast.

Winter Hikes: Village Of Mürren, Switzerland (4K)

Mürren is a Swiss mountain village at the foot of the Schilthorn peak, which is accessible by cable car. Featured in a James Bond film, the Piz Gloria revolving restaurant contains the Bond World 007 exhibit and has views of Mont Blanc. Near Mürren is the Lauterbrunnen Valley, with its subterranean, glacial Trümmelbach Falls. Themed trails on the Allmendhubel peak include the Flower Panorama and North Face paths.

Science: New Scientist Weekly Podcast – DEC 2

Venice Views: The Palazzo Contarini Del Bovolo (4K)

The Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo (also called the Palazzo Contarini Minelli dal Bovolo) is a small palazzo in VeniceItaly, best known for its external multi-arch spiral staircase known as the Scala Contarini del Bovolo (literally, “of the snail”).

The palazzo is located in a small, less-travelled calle (street) near Campo Manin, about half-way between Campo San Bartolo, at the foot of the Rialto, and Campo Santo Stefano.

The staircase leads to an arcade, providing an impressive view of the city roof-tops.

Swiss Views: Streets & Buildings Of Bern (4K)

Bern, also spelled Berne, city, capital of Switzerland and of Bern canton, in the west-central part of the country. It lies along a narrow loop of the Aare River. The existence of the ancient castle of Nydegg, guarding a crossing over the Aare, probably led Berthold V, duke of Zähringen, to found Bern in 1191 as a military post on the frontier between the German-speaking Alemanni and the French-speaking inhabitants of Burgundy. After the extinction of the Zähringen dynasty (1218), Bern became a free imperial city. Gradually it extended its power by acquiring surrounding territory, becoming an independent state that in 1353 entered the Swiss Confederation, which it soon began to lead. After a devastating fire ravaged the predominantly wood-built town in 1405, Bern was rebuilt with sandstone. Although much of the surrounding metropolis has since been modernized, the centre (Old Bern) still remains intact from that period.

Front Covers: Science Magazine – December 3

Morning News: Omicron & Africa, Philippines Voters, Office Parties In Japan

We discuss whether Omicron will exacerbate global vaccine inequality and the controversy surrounding a presidential contender in the Philippines. Plus: why are Japanese workers dreading the office Christmas party?