Design: A Tour Of Coombe Street House, Somerset, UK

The Modern House Films (May 12, 2023) – This extraordinary Grade II*-listed modern masterpiece, set in 25 acres of gardens and ancient woodland, was designed by Peter Harland in 1935 as a home for the leading British composer Sir Arthur Bliss.

Rooted in its peaceful setting, the house was designed for family life, for creating and communing, and as a retreat for self-reflection. The music room where Bliss created some of his most revered works, Grade II*-listed in its own right, is set deep in the ancient woodland; itself a scheduled monument. A four-bedroom guest cottage and its gardens lie due west of the main house.

While retaining an overwhelming sense of quiet and seclusion, this remarkable home lies some seven miles south of Bruton and two miles from Stourhead, within easy reach of the open countryside and Somerset’s many cultural highlights.

News: Turkey Election Analysis, UK Sends Long-Range Missiles To Ukraine

The Globalist, May 12, 2023: Monocle’s Istanbul correspondent, Hannah Lucinda Smith, gives us the latest on Turkey’s elections, which will take place on Sunday.

Also in the programme: the UK agrees to send long-range missiles to Ukraine and Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, heads to the US. Plus: Andrew Mueller reflects on Donald Trump’s sexual-assault verdict and Liverpool welcomes Ukraine for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Front Page: The New York Times —- May 12, 2023

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With Pandemic Restrictions Lifted, Thousands Converge on Border

Hundreds of migrants lined up to be processed by Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso.

A policy known as Title 42 that allowed rapid expulsions of migrants ended Thursday night. But border cities had already been seeing a spike in migration.

What’s Driving Record Levels of Migration to the U.S. Border?

Migrants crossing the Darién Gap in September. As many as 400,000 people are expected to make this journey in 2023, according to the United Nations.

The United States is trying to curtail border crossings as a Covid-era immigration policy lifts this week, but it has little control over the crises in Latin America that have upended the lives of millions.

Daniel Penny Will Be Charged in Subway Chokehold Killing of Jordan Neely

Mr. Penny choked Mr. Neely for several minutes on the floor of an F train. He is expected to surrender on Friday and be charged with manslaughter.

As Covid Emergency Ends, Surveillance Shifts to the Sewers

With other virus tracking efforts winding down, wastewater data is likely to become increasingly important in the months ahead, scientists say.

Previews: The Economist Magazine – May 13, 2023

Is Chinese power about to peak? | The Economist

The Economist – May 6, 2023 issue:

Is Chinese power about to peak?

The country’s historic ascent is levelling off. That need not make it more dangerous

The rise of China has been a defining feature of the world for the past four decades. Since the country began to open up and reform its economy in 1978, its gdp has grown by a dizzying 9% a year, on average. That has allowed a staggering 800m Chinese citizens to escape from poverty. Today China accounts for almost a fifth of global output. The sheer size of its market and manufacturing base has reshaped the global economy. Xi Jinping, who has ruled China for the past decade, hopes to use his country’s increasing heft to reshape the geopolitical order, too.

Small, sensible steps could help ease America’s border woes

The art of the practical in dealing with migrants, drugs and gangs

The rehabilitation of Syria’s dictator raises awkward questions for the West

Clearer principles about how and when to ease sanctions are needed

Research Preview: Science Magazine – May 12, 2023

Science | AAAS

Science Magazine – May 12, 2023 issue: Scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) form daytime schools near the ocean’s surface and, at night, dive into cold, deep waters to hunt deep-sea prey. They keep warm while deep diving by closing their gills—effectively holding their breath.

‘It’s still killing and it’s still changing.’ Ending COVID-19 states of emergency sparks debate

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks at International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for COVID-19 meeting

Moves by WHO and U.S. usher pandemic into new phase of disease monitoring, even as coronavirus kills thousands weekly

Politics: Why America Faces Debt Catastrophe

The Economist (May 11, 2023) – As America’s government hits the debt ceiling, US politics has become a multi-trillion dollar game of chicken. If neither side backs down, America could default on its debts for the first time in history, sparking global economic turmoil. What is the debt ceiling, and how can this crisis be resolved?

Profiles: Zhang Daqian’s Rare & Exquisite Paintings

Christie’s (May 11, 2023) – From Zhang Daqian’s atmospheric masterpiece ‘Ancient Temple in Misty Mountain’ to Qiu Ying’s ‘Celestial Mountains and Pavilions’, a rare and exquisite painting that belonged to the personal collection of Zhang Daqian, enter the beautiful world of Zhang Daqian as an artist and a collector.

Works by Zhang Daqian at Sotheby’s

Chinese Paintings: The World of Zhang Daqian - YouTube

Chang Dai-chien or Zhang Daqian was one of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the twentieth century. Originally known as a guohua painter, by the 1960s he was also renowned as a modern impressionist and expressionist painter.

Travel: A Tour Of The ‘Best Passages In Paris’ (2023)

ART VISION TV (May 11, 2023) – Built for the most part in the 19th century, these arcades covered with glass roofs, created by piercing through other buildings, are a typically Parisian architectural feature. Most of them now house shopstearooms and restaurants. There are around 20 of them in Paris in the vicinity of the Grands Boulevards.

One of the oldest, the Passage des Panoramas, dates from 1799. It is home to the Théâtre des Variétés, inaugurated in 1807 and still providing entertainment. Each arcade has its own character. 

Since it was built in 1836, Passage Jouffroy has been one of the most visited covered arcades in the capital. Situated on the Grands Boulevards and in the continuation of Passage des Panoramas, it owes its charm to its beautiful iron and glass architecture (the ogive glass roof immediately catches the eye) and its marble paving, renovated in 1987.

The Passage Verdeau houses numerous antique dealers. It is in the Grands Boulevards district, takes the name of its creator. Built in 1847, it is one of the most charming covered arcades in the capital. It is the continuation of two other well known arcades: Les Panoramas and Jouffroy. These sites are great for enjoying an original walk. A number of antiques dealers and unique shops (old books, postcards, collectors’ cameras, etc.) have set up in the Passage Verdeau. 

Art: ‘This Is New York – 100 Years Of The City In Art And Pop Culture’ (MCNY)

Richard Estes. M Train on Route to Manhattan Approaches the Williamsburg Bridge. 1995.

Museum of the City of New York (May 10, 2023) – In honor of the centennial of the founding of the Museum of the City of New York as the city’s storyteller, This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture explores the many ways that the city has inspired storytelling.

This Is New York – 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture

OPENS MAY 26, 2023 – JUNE 21, 2024

It features both famous and lesser-known images of New York in film and television, song and poetry, literature, visual and performing arts, and fashion, painting a collective, moving and even funny version of a city that has captured the imagination of the world. 

The exhibition is organized around the types of places where the human-scale stories of New York are told.  It showcases the city’s bustling streets and subways, its iconic parks and waterfronts, its restaurants and nightspots, and its dense and vibrant neighborhoods. Covering the century since the Museum was founded, it illustrates both the massive changes and the enduring themes that have shaped the many stories we tell about New York. 

Travel: An Aerial Tour Of Victoria, Australia (2023)

STREAMSTAR

STREAMSTAR VIDEOS (May 10, 2023) – Victoria is a state in southeast Australia. It encompasses mountains, national parks, wineries and surfing beaches. Melbourne, the state capital, has a warren of 19th-century ‘laneways’, and a central arts precinct. The Great Ocean Road follows the coast west to Port Campbell National Park, where the Twelve Apostles are limestone stacks on the edge of the ocean.