Travel: A Walking Tour In The Gardens Of Prague

April 11, 2023 – A walking tour through Prague’s most beautiful and enchanting green spaces, including the Waldstein Garden and the Vojan Gardens.

Waldstein Garden (Valdštejnská zahrada) – This strictly geometrically designed early Baroque garden was created parallel with the Wallenstein Palace construction from 1623 to 1629. At first sight, one’s eyes are drawn to the massive sala pavilion, unprecedented at the time of its construction, and an artificial cave with stalactites (grotto). In summer, the garden is the venue for concerts and theatrical performances. The Waldstein garden is probably the first palace garden in Prague built-in connection with the palace object.

The Vojan Gardens (Vojanovy sady) are considered the oldest partially preserved garden in Prague. They are a part of the former fruit garden, which originated simultaneously with demolishing an Episcopal court in 1248. At that time, it was called after its owner Pytlíkovská or Flavínovská. In 1653, Ferdinand III bought the garden and an adjacent house for the Order of Carmelite Sisters. The Carmelites built a convent with a church of St. Joseph in the years between 1673 and 1690. The garden was established around 1670, and it served as a utility garden.

Filmed and edited on April 10, 2023 by: Perception Philosophy

Wonderlands: The Blue Mountains Of Australia

Into the Wild Films (April 11, 2023) – Just 50km west of Sydney Australia, is the spectacular natural wonderland of the Greater Blue Mountains. Known best for the Three Sisters, Echo Point, Scenic World and Wentworth Falls, this documentary explores the natural wonders hidden beyond these grand panoramas.

From the incredible display of the Superb Lyrebird to the underwater world of the Sydney Spiny Crayfish. Descend into its deep dark slot canyons before flying like a bird over the Blue Gum Forest. Discover its rare and ancient Wollemi Pines and explore its mysterious sandstone pagoda landscapes. Witness temperature inversions creating seas of clouds before marveling at the carnivorous plants that inhabit the sheer cliff faces. This is the Blue Mountains as you’ve never seen it before.

Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – April 14, 2023

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Times Literary Supplement @TheTLS (April 14, 2023) – This week’s issue features @TristramHuntVA on monuments; @nclarke14 on English caricature; @HettieJudah on Action, Gesture, Paint @_TheWhitechapel; @jntod on J. H. Prynne; @rinireg on the Trump indictment – and more.

News: Macron’s ‘Taiwan Stance’ Backlash, Ethiopia Unrest, IMF Bank Warning

The Globalist, April 12, 2023: Emmanuel Macron confronts hecklers on a state visit to the Netherlands to present his vision for Europe’s future, as his comments on Taiwan spark international outrage.

Plus: unrest in Ethiopia, the cities introducing tourism taxes and the Spanish restaurant set to reopen as a museum.

Front Page: The New York Times — April 12, 2023

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California Economy Is on Edge After Tech Layoffs and Studio Cutbacks

While the California economy maintains its powerhouse status, the state’s most powerful sectors — including tech companies and supply chain logistics — have struggled to keep their footing.
CREDITJASON HENRY FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

As recession fears persist, the troubles in major industries have hurt tax revenues, turning the state’s $100 billion surplus into a deficit.

Pressured by Their Base on Abortion, Republicans Strain to Find a Way Forward

A conservative judge’s ruling on the abortion pill mifepristone, available for decades, underscored the anti-abortion movement’s efforts since Roe v. Wade was struck down last year.
CREDITERIN SCHAFF/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Some in the party are urging compromise, warning of dire electoral consequences for 2024, while other stances, on guns and gay rights, also risk turning off moderates.

An Online Meme Group Is at the Center of Uproar Over Leaked Military Secrets

Youth culture and national defense collided in a community known for edgy jokes. The YouTube celebrity it was dedicated to seemed as surprised as anyone.

Biden Administration Proposes Evenly Cutting Water Allotments From Colorado River

As the river shrinks, the Biden administration is getting ready to impose, for the first time, reductions in water supplies to states.

Healthcare: The Digital Medicine Revolution

Scripps Research (April 11, 2023) – From smartwatches and fitness bands to glucose monitors and in-home ultrasounds, the proliferation of digital devices is igniting a revolution in healthcare and medical research.

Patients can now collect thousands of data points about themselves and share that information with their healthcare providers. At the Scripps Research Translational Institute, researchers are taking advantage of new technology to study disease in novel ways.

Their projects include a platform for early detection of disease outbreaks, a sleep quality study, and even a way to predict and individual’s risk of certain disease based on their genetics. In this video, hear directly from the team about this exciting new frontier.

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Previews: Architectural Digest – May 2023 Issue

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Architectural Digest Magazine (May 2023) – “We were inspired by Venice—the architecture, the history, the monumentality,” says AD100 designer Vincenzo De Cotiis over Zoom, swinging open the shutters of the Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, a Baroque-style palace in the city where he has recently taken up residence on the piano nobile. It’s a misty afternoon in February and a few small boats are traveling along the waterway that has facilitated trade, transit, and cultural exchange for centuries. “When you’re here, you understand what happened in the 15th century,” continues the designer’s wife, Claudia Rose De Cotiis. “How Venice became a world market.”

This palazzo watched it all unfold. Likely constructed around the 15th century by the Miani family, it was bought by the Lolins in the early 17th century. Following plans by the Venetian architect Baldassare Longhena, it was rebuilt around 1630, then willed to one of their relatives, Giovanni Giustinian. The design featured a striking, rather classical façade defined by three bands of pilasters (festooned curtains above the Corinthian columns lend a dash of baroque flair), but Longhena left some traces of the medieval structure intact, like narrow peaked windows and the original floor plan.

Art: ‘Le Souffle Moderne’ Collection Features Miró, Picasso, Léger And Braque

Sotheby’s (April 11, 2023) – This collection was put together by a couple of passionate collectors who favored avant-garde works from the 1930s and 1940s, thus creating an extremely harmonious whole that perfectly reflects the taste of an era and the artistic revolutions that went through it.

The works have remained preserved in a Parisian apartment for almost sixty years, and their appearance on the market constitutes an unprecedented opportunity for collectors today”. Says Aurélie Vandevoorde, Director of the Impressionist and Modern Art Department.

Unveiling an unprecedented group of 12 works by some of the greatest masters of the 20th century, which include artists such as Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Nicolas de Staël & Georges Braque, “Le Souffle Moderne” Collections presents an exceptional ensemble embodying the artistic avant-gardes of the 1930s and 1940s.

News: Philippines-U.S. Begin Joint Military Exercises, Brazil’s Lula Visits China

The Globalist, April 11, 2023: Philippines and U.S. begin largest-ever military drills, Brazil’s Lula visits China and other top news.

Front Page: The New York Times — April 11, 2023

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The Real-World Costs of the Digital Race for Bitcoin

Bitcoin mines cash in on electricity — by devouring it, selling it, even turning it off — and they cause immense pollution. In many cases, the public pays a price.

Drug Company Leaders Condemn Ruling Invalidating F.D.A.’s Approval of Abortion Pill

A letter signed by senior executives of pharmaceutical and biotech companies condemned a ruling by Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk that invalidated the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.
CREDITSENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

More than 400 executives said that the decision ignored both scientific and legal precedent and that, if the ruling stood, it would create uncertainty for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Bank Turmoil Squeezes Borrowers, Raising Fears of a Slowdown

Borrowing and raising money are more difficult and expensive now, said Sarah Puil, the chief executive of the upscale boxed wine company Boxt.
CREDITTAMIR KALIFA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Economists are watching for the aftereffects of recent bank collapses across many industries. How bad could it get?

DeSantis Pushes Toughest Immigration Crackdown in the Nation

The Florida governor is pushing an aggressive proposal to penalize those who aid undocumented immigrants and to track costs for providing them with health care.