Science Magazine – May 26, 2023 issue: Tongues are thought to have evolved when vertebrates first moved onto land and could no longer rely on suction to ingest food. Since then, they have helped drive animal diversification by adopting functions as varied as pumping nectar, snagging prey, shaping speech, and, in the case of Australia’s northern blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua scincoides intermedia), startling enemies.
Since first evolving 350 million years ago, the tongue has taken myriad forms, unlocking new niches and boosting the diversity of life
Twice, quarterback Patrick Mahomes has led the Kansas City Chiefs to victory in the Super Bowl, the pinnacle of U.S. football. Although most fans have their eyes on the ball as Mahomes prepares to throw, his tongue does something just as interesting.
DW Documentary (May 25, 2023) – Amidst the traffic chaos of Sri Lanka: the popular auto-rickshaws, or tuk-tuks. They’re traditionally driven by men. But increasingly, you’ll see a woman at the wheel – and this film is about three of them: Anulawathi, Thushari and Jega. Anulawathi, Thushari and Jega all do the same job: they’re auto rickshaw drivers in Sri Lanka, three women in a sector traditionally dominated by men.
Besides being a popular mode of transport, the three-wheeled tuk-tuk also provides these three women with a reliable source of income. All three were left by their husbands and had to find a way to feed themselves and their children. They were forced to challenge societal norms. After all, in Sri Lanka, men are traditioanally seen as the providers. Male tuk-tuk drivers view their female colleagues as rivals. But unsurprisingly, female customers love them. Thushari lives in the capital Colombo. She is a longtime parent and works to support herself and her two daughters.
Anuwalathi works in Kandy. She lived abroad for a few years and saved up enough money to buy her own tuk-tuk. Jega is also a single parent. She lives with her son and niece in the tourist resort of Hikkaduwa. All three women earn a steady income from the tuk-tuk business, which brings them closer to their eventual goal – independence and freedom.
FRANCE 24 (May 25, 2023) – In a small village deep in central France, the same family has run the “La Promenade” restaurant for four generations. The story began in 1960, when Lucienne created a small bistro. Then Jacky, the son, took over and won the first Michelin star in 1989.
Today, the grandson Fabrice watches over this mecca of French gastronomy, and now his son Clément is studying for his chef’s diploma. “La Promenade” is a moving family story, whose finest pages are perhaps yet to be written.
Massimo Nalli (May 25, 2023) – Trogir is historically known as Traù is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Dalmatia and the historic centre has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites for its Venetian architecture.
In 1123 Trogir was conquered and almost completely demolished by the Saracens. However, Trogir recovered in a short period to experience powerful economic prosperity in the 12th and the 13th centuries, with some autonomy under Venetian leadership. In 1420 the period of a long-term Venetian rule began and lasted nearly four centuries, when Traù (as the city was called by the Venetians) was a city with rich economy, as exemplified by numerous Renaissance works of art and architecture. On the fall of Venice in 1797,
Traù became a part of the Habsburg Empire, which ruled over the city until 1918, with the exception of Napoleon Bonaparte’s French rule from 1806 to 1814 (when the city was part of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and Illyrian Provinces). After World War I, Trogir, together with most parts of Dalmatia, became a part of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and subsequently the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Trogir has 2300 years of continuous urban tradition. Its culture was created under the influence of the ancient Greeks, and then the Romans, and Venetians.
The Economist Magazine– May 27, 2023 issue: The race to become the Republican nominee for the presidential election in America next year is properly under way. And Donald Trump has a huge, perhaps insurmountable, lead.
Hopes of depriving the former president of the Republican nomination are fading
Belatedly and nervously, the would-be assassins have been lining up. On May 22nd Tim Scott, a senator from South Carolina, became the latest Republican to announce a run for president. Greater fanfare accompanied the official declaration (on Twitter) on May 24th that Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, is joining the race for the Republican nomination. He has been widely heralded as the candidate with the best chance of defeating the favourite, Donald Trump. But even as more plotters step forward, the chances of a successful coup to overthrow Mr Trump are growing slimmer by the day.
In “wall-e”, a film released in 2008, humans live in what could be described as a world of fully automated luxury communism. Artificially intelligent robots, which take wonderfully diverse forms, are responsible for all productive labour. People get fat, hover in armchairs and watch television.
Viktor Orban and Xi Jinping bond over their anti-Americanism
To ears accustomed to a swelling chorus of China-scepticism in the European Union, the language of Hungarian diplomats is striking. Not for them the common talk of European officials about the need to “de-risk” relations with China and to treat it as a “systemic rival”. Co-operation between Hungary and China presents “opportunities rather than risks”, said Hungary’s foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, in Beijing on May 15th. Wang Yi, China’s foreign-affairs overlord, told him that relations between the countries had entered their “best period in history”.
MICHELIN Guide Films (May 25, 2023) – Travel to Estonia with the MICHELIN Guide and Kristjan Peäske, chef of MICHELIN-recommended restaurants Lee and Lore Bistro, to discover the wonders of the country’s capital.
Part stunning Old Town – comprising many architectural gems – and part creative, modern city, Tallinn is a place of contrasts and, as such, offers something for everyone. Dining out is part of everyday life here and, with easy access to every part of the city either by foot or public transport, you never need to travel far to make new discoveries.
Wanderizm Films (May 25, 2023) – Nested in the heart the winemaking region of Chianti Classico, Villa Catignano is an historic 17th century building situated within rolling hills, vineyards, and olive groves.
Chianti Classico territory’s capitals are Siena and Florence and it is shared between the provinces of the two municipalities. The zone amounts to 71,800 hectares (177,500 acres) and includes the entire territories of the municipalities of Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti and Radda in Chianti and parts of those of Barberino Tavarnelle, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Poggibonsi, San Casciano Val di Pesa.
Thursday, May 25, 2023: Florida governor Ron DeSantis launches his presidential bid, we examine the state of Hungarian democracy and French far-right politician Marine Le Pen is hauled over the coals at a hearing investigating Russian influence in the National Rally party.
The Florida governor, Donald Trump’s strongest challenger since 2016, made an unusual and glitch-marred entrance on Twitter alongside Elon Musk. He now faces a daunting clash with Mr. Trump and his scorched-earth tactics.
Hailed in the 1960s for her dynamic performances with her first husband, Ike, she became a sensation as a recording artist, often echoing her personal struggles in her songs.
American spy agencies do not know exactly who carried out the attack this month, but suggest it was part of a series of covert operations orchestrated by Ukraine’s security services.
VernissageTV (May 24, 2023) – The 18th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice (Italy), organized by La Biennale di Venezia, is titled “The Laboratory of the Future”. Curated by the founder of the African Futures Institute, Lesley Lokko, the exhibition’s spotlight is on Africa and the African Diaspora. The show runs until November 26, 2023 at the Giardini and the Arsenale.
“The Laboratory of the Future” is an exhibition in six parts. It includes 89 Participants, over half of whom are from Africa or the African Diaspora. The gender balance is 50/50, and the average age of all Participants is 43, dropping to 37 in the Curator’s Special Projects, where the youngest is 24. 46% of participants count education as a form of practice, and, for the first time ever, nearly half of Participants are from sole or individual practices of five people or less.
Across all the parts of The Laboratory of the Future, over 70% of exhibits are by practices run by an individual or a very small team. (…)” This video provides you with impressions from the Arsenale, which features works by participants such as AD-WO, Dream The Combine, Flores & Prats Architects, Gbolade Design Studio, Serge Attukwei Clottey, Adjaye Associates with Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Black Females in Architecture, among others.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
MICHELIN Guide
Wanderizm
VernissageTV
Boomers Daily 