The BBC At 100: Nature And Sir David Attenborough

David Attenborough recounts some of his timeless moments exploring the natural world with BBC Studios’ dedicated Natural History Unit. From his first major series Zoo Quest in 1954 to the amazing advances in technology that have made shows like The Green Planet possible.

See BBC 100 Year Timeline

Following the closure of numerous amateur stations, the BBC starts its first daily radio service in London. After much argument, news is supplied by an agency, and music drama and “talks” fill the airwaves for only a few hours a day. It isn’t long before radio is heard across the nation. This black and white footage from 1922 is silent.

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – Nov 7, 2022

Person sweeping sidewalk of dry leaves and medical masks.

Inside the The New Yorker Magazine, November 7, 2022:

How Election Subversion Went Mainstream in Pennsylvania

Doug Mastriano grilling on a voting booth.

In the state’s midterms—which could determine the balance of the Senate and the integrity of the Presidential race in 2024—Democrats are fighting for the vote. Republicans are fighting to undermine it.

Was Jack Welch the Greatest C.E.O. of His Day—or the Worst?

As the head of General Electric, he fired people in vast numbers and turned the manufacturing behemoth into a financial house of cards. Why was he so revered?

Is the Multiverse Where Originality Goes to Die?

A person reading a book in a colorful room full of cultural references from different shows about the multiverse.

The concept helps entertainment companies like Marvel Studios recycle old characters—but it can also unlock new kinds of storytelling.

Opinion & Analysis: A Low Price Bar For Britain, Risky Bidenomics, Iran’s Women

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, Rishi Sunak’s promise of stability is a low bar for Britain, (10:35) the risks of Bidenomics and (18:20) will Iran’s women win? 

Front Page: The New York Times – October 31, 2022

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Senate Control Hinges on Neck-and-Neck Races, Times/Siena Poll Finds

The contests are close in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Many voters want Republicans to flip the Senate, but prefer the Democrat in their state.

Brazil Ejects Bolsonaro and Brings Back Former Leftist Leader Lula

Brazilians voted out their far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro, after a single term and replaced him with former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The Battle for Blue-Collar White Voters Raging in Biden’s Birthplace

Among white working-class voters in places like northeast Pennsylvania, the Democratic Party has both the furthest to fall and the most to gain.

Art History: ‘Still Life With Apples’ By Paul Cézanne

The Fitzwilliam Museum – This painting was executed sometime between 1877, when Cézanne exhibited for the second and last time with the Impressionist painters, and 1878, when he returned to live in Provence. Cézanne himself claimed that he planned to conquer Paris with an apple, and his paintings of this single fruit have in fact proved to be among his most admired works.

Bought by Degas for 100 francs in January 1896, it was acquired in Paris by John Maynard Keynes at the sale of the contents of Degas’s studio in March 1918. It is one of the most celebrated of all his still-lifes, and, through Keynes’s friendship with the painter and writer Roger Fry, and the circle of Bloomsbury writers, came to be crucial in the dissemination of knowledge of Cézanne’s work in England.

Walking Tour: Annapurna Base Camp, Central Nepal

The Annapurna Sanctuary is a high glacial basin lying 40 km directly north of Pokhara. This oval-shaped plateau sits at an altitude of over 4000 metres, and is surrounded by a ring of mountains, the Annapurna range, most of which are over 7000 metres. 

Annapurna is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its ascent.

City Walking Tours: Bern – Capital Of Switzerland

Bern, the capital city of Switzerland, is built around a crook in the Aare River. It traces its origins back to the 12th century, with medieval architecture preserved in the Altstadt (Old Town). The Swiss Parliament and diplomats meet in the Neo-Renaissance Bundeshaus (Federal Palace). The Französische Kirche (French Church) and the nearby medieval tower known as the Zytglogge both date to the 13th century.

Video timeline: 00:00 Preview 01:00 Intro 02:47 Nydeggbrücke 05:58 Nydeggsasse 08:31Gerechtigkeitsgasse 14:03 Kreuzgasse 14:53 Berner Rathaus 17:41 Kramgasse 23:10 Zytglogge 25:02 Kornhausplatz 27:40 stadttheater 33:33 Kirchenfeldbrucke 38:17 Einstein Museum 41:49 Kirchenfeldbrucke 45:03 Casinoplatz 47:36 Kochergasse 49:53 Bundesplatz 52:18 Barenplatz 53:48 Weisenhausplatz 58:35 Spitalgasse 1:05:09 Marktgasse 1:09:10 Münterplatz

Front Page: The New York Times – October 30, 2022

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Biden’s Agenda Hangs in the Balance if Republicans Take Congress

On a wide array of issues like abortion, taxes, race and judges, President Biden’s opportunities would shrink as Republicans vow to dismantle much of his legislative accomplishments.

At Least 151 Killed in Halloween Crowd Surge in Seoul

As many as 100,000 people were celebrating in a popular nightlife district in the center of the South Korean capital.

Russia Withdraws From Grain Deal After Drone Attack on Black Sea Fleet

The Russian move jeopardized a rare case of wartime coordination aimed at lowering global food prices and combating hunger.

Art: The ‘Dazzling’ Artist Studios Of Damian Elwes

Matisse’s Studio in Collioure

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Gauguin’s Studio in Marquesas Islands

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Monet’s Studio in Giverny

DAMIAN ELWES is a British/American artist with studios in Santa Monica and Colombia.

Elwes chooses a moment in time when an artist is at their most inventive and then examines what was going on in their studios.

Website

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Oct 30, 2022

In Barbara Kingsolver’s New Novel, an Appalachian David Copperfield

“Demon Copperhead” reimagines Dickens’s story in a modern-day rural America contending with poverty and opioid addiction.

A Literary Caper Across the Dining Rooms of Belfast and New York

“The Lemon” is the satirical debut by a team of three authors writing under the pseudonym S.E. Boyd.

Emily Dickinson, at Home in Her ‘Full-Color Life’

The poet’s house museum in Amherst, Mass., gets a vibrant, historically correct makeover, underlining that she was not just a reclusive woman in white.