Monthly Archives: December 2022
German Villages: Seiffen – Home Of The Nutcracker
Seiffen is a charming “Toy Story” village in eastern Germany’s wooded Erzgebirge (known in English as the Ore Mountains). Located off the beaten tourist path, minutes from the Czech Republic border, it’s the 19th-century birthplace of nutcrackers, the whimsical wooden figures that are a traditional symbol of Christmas in many cultures.
Architecture & Nature: 2022 Remodel Of The Year
Suspended between two beautiful California hills, this remodel spans a creek and boasts a waterfall in the back yard.
To build such a house anew is no longer allowed in California, but following strict guidelines, we reconceived an existing structure, transforming the relationships between home, water and land. A steel frame inserted beneath the original floors anchors the home to the rocky hillsides, thus allowing us to remove supporting columns from within the creek bed.
A human-made object in nature may exist in harmony or disparity. Our goal was to deepen this home’s connection to the environment, creating a place where our clients can live immersed within an exceptional landscape. Taking care to protect and restore the land, we suspended the renovated house between two wooded hills, where it overlooks a rushing waterfall and spans the creek below.
A third floor addition strikes a more slender profile facing east, to engage the breadth of the site. The experience is one of being in nature and also humbled by it.
The goal with this unique site was to enhance the relationship of the structure to the nearby bodies of water and the rock face. Rather than bearing down and disturbing the creek below, the new structural system has been anchored to the bedrock within the flanks of the hill, suspending the home
2022 In Review: The Biggest News Stories Of The Year
What happened in 2022?: Monocle’s head of radio, Tom Edwards, examines 2022’s biggest news stories with Isabel Hilton and Marie Le Conte including the invasion of Ukraine, the elections that grabbed the headlines, protests around the world and the obituaries that shaped the year.
Front Page: The New York Times – December 23, 2022
Trump Audit Shows Depths of I.R.S. Funding Woes
The agency lacks the resources to go after rich taxpayers. For years, a single revenue agent was responsible for the audits of Donald J. Trump.
‘Major Trustee, Please Prioritize’: How NYU’s E.R. Favors the Rich
Dozens of doctors said the nonprofit hospital pressured them to give preferential treatment to donors, trustees and their families.
Winter Storm Raises Fears and Scrambles Plans as It Moves South
The powerful storm has bombarded the eastern half of the country, prompting dire warnings to avoid dangerous conditions, and widespread flight cancellations.
Zelensky’s Weapons Wish List Goes Mostly Unfulfilled on Trip to Washington
The Biden administration continues to balk at sending U.S. battle tanks, fighter jets and long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Top New Science Books: ‘Oceans Under Glass’ By Samantha Muka (Dec ’22)
Oceans under Glass – Tank Craft and the Sciences of the Sea
Aquarist knowledge is an often overlooked but vital part of marine research
A welcome dive into the world of aquarium craft that offers much-needed knowledge about undersea environments.
The art of aquarium science
Atlantic coral is rapidly disappearing in the wild. To save the species, they will have to be reproduced quickly in captivity, and so for the last decade conservationists have been at work trying to preserve their lingering numbers and figure out how to rebuild once-thriving coral reefs from a few survivors. Captive environments, built in dedicated aquariums, offer some hope for these corals. This book examines these specialized tanks, charting the development of tank craft throughout the twentieth century to better understand how aquarium modeling has enhanced our knowledge of the marine environment.
Research Preview: Science Magazine – Dec 23, 2022
Mars’s magnetic field was long-lived, reversible
Study of famed meteorite by quantum microscope hints at planet’s prolonged habitability
Lessons on transparency from the glassfrog
Transparency in glassfrogs has potential implications for human blood clotting
Making modern medicines
The business side of drug development comes to the fore in a tale of two blockbuster blood cancer therapeutics
Siberia Views: The Nomadic Nenets Reindeer Herders
According to the Nenets legend, the humans promised the reindeer that they would protect them on their long migration from the mainland to the seashores as long as the reindeer provide humans with all their needs, including milk, fat, meat, bones, horns, and skins. The nomadic reindeer herders reside in the taiga forests of the Russian tundra and northern Mongolia.
Architecture: A Walking Tour Of New York City’s Rockefeller Center (AD)
From the history behind the towering art deco 30 Rockefeller Plaza to the iconic ice skating rink and smaller details you may not be aware of, come along as Adam explores and explains everything there is to know about Rockefeller Plaza.
Arts & Life: FT Weekend Magazine – Dec 24, 2022
FT Weekend Magazine (December 24, 2022):
Three falls in the Alps
I was tethered to my partner when we fell 200m, beginning an almost unbelievable new chapter in my life
How professors’ children are shaping the world
Zelenskyy, Macron and Sam Bankman-Fried are all academics’ kids on a global stage
He is one of Russia’s most esteemed musicians. Why he left
An audience with Mikhail Voskresensky, former head of the piano section at the Moscow Conservatory
Boomers Daily 