Travel: A Tour Of Joruri-ji Temple In Kyoto, Japan

October 21, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Yurara Sarara (October 21, 2023) – Joruri-ji Temple, located in the “Kyoto Infused with Tea” region, is a temple of the Shingon Ritsu Buddhism (Nara sect) that holds 4 national treasures and 9 important cultural properties.

According to the records of the temple, the temple was opened in 1047 by Yoshiaki Shonin and enshrines the “Yakushinyourai,” the Buddha who can cure all illness. The name of the temple is said to come from “Joruri,” the realm where the Buddha lives.

The main hall of Joruri-ji is particularly long with nine Amida Buddhas enshrined inside. During the Heian period about 30 such nine-body Amida temples were built around Kyoto, but Joruri-ji is the only temple that still exists. Both the main hall and nine-body Amida Buddha are designated as national treasures.

*The Nine Amida Buddhas sitting statues are being repaired two at a time over a five-year period from July 2018.

News, Podcasts, Politics, Stories

Saturday Morning: News And Stories From London

Audio October 21, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Monocle on Saturday, October 21, 2023: Charles Hecker and Georgina Godwin discuss the Rafah border crossing opening in Egypt, turmoil in the US House of Representatives, the UK’s by-election results and hibernation season in Japan.

Plus: Monocle’s Isabella Jewell explores the Horniman Museum’s new exhibition on the history of tea, followed by a tasting of some unusual brews.

News, Newspapers, Views

The New York Times — Saturday, October 21, 2023

October 21, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Promised Aid to Gaza Is Stalled by Wrangling, as Conditions Worsen

Tents for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Friday.

Israel, Egypt, the United Nations and others are still working out the details of delivering food, water and medicine, as Israel prepares a possible ground invasion.

Biden Requests $105 Billion Aid Package for Israel, Ukraine and Other Crises

The Biden administration formally asked Congress for $105 billion in emergency funding on Friday, including $10.6 billion in military support for Israel.

The conflict in the Middle East has given President Biden a path to approving Ukraine aid that otherwise might have remained stalled.

Passion for Palestinian Cause Had Faded, but Violence in Gaza Reignited It

The Israeli bombardment of Gaza, in retaliation for a deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel, brought a new outpouring of support in the Arab world for the Palestinian quest for a state.

Republicans Vote Out Jordan as Speaker Nominee, Continuing Chaos in House

House Republicans will meet again on Monday in an effort to find a new speaker from among a flurry of new candidates.

Financial, Investing, Magazines, Previews, Retirement, Reviews

Finance Preview: Barron’s Magazine – Oct 23, 2023

October 21, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

BARRON’S MAGAZINE – October 23, 2023 ISSUE:

Brokerage King Charles Schwab Won’t Be Dethroned. Here’s Why.

For some advisors, the move to Charles Schwab from TD Ameritrade didn’t go smoothly. Chances are, they’ll stick around anyway.

How to Play Investors’ Growing Interest in Bonds

Asset managers’ shares are cheap, and the companies could benefit from an upturn in investment flows. Sizing up BlackRock, T. Rowe Price, and more.Long read

Making of a Mortgage Giant: Loopholes and Nonprofits

The Change Company was touted as a community-development leader. It became the country’s largest provider of exotic mortgages.Long read

Crypto Is Lobbying Congress Hard. It Wants More Than a Bitcoin ETF.

The crypto industry wants laws passed that clarify how it will be regulated.Long read

Why Rising Home Prices Aren’t Always Good for Retirees

Home equity accounts for almost half of the median net worth of homeowners 60 and older.4 min read

Athleisure Is Bigger Than Ever. Here’s How to Play It.

Apparel that straddles athleticwear and loungewear has become Americans’ de facto uniform. Here are the companies best positioned to profit from it.Long read

Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

The New York Times Book Review – October 22, 2023

October 20, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (October 22, 2023): This week’s issue features “Hunting the Falcon,” on this week’s cover, Tina Brown, who reviewed it, calls it “a fierce, scholarly tour de force,” adding: “The authors, a husband-and-wife historian team, are a dream pairing.”

When Courtly Love Goes Wrong, It’s Deadly

In “Hunting the Falcon,” the historians John Guy and Julia Fox take a fresh look at an infamous Tudor marriage — and find there is indeed more to know.

By Tina Brown

HUNTING THE FALCON: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Marriage That Shook Europe, by John Guy and Julia Fox

Anne Boleyn glanced over her shoulder repeatedly as she waited at the Tower of London for her executioner, a specialist swordsman who had been summoned from France. Would Henry VIII, who could spare lives as casually as he snuffed them out, spare her life on the scaffold as he’d been known to do before?

1960s London Comes Alive in a Fierce, Funny Coming-of-Age Novel

The book cover of “The Halt During the Chase,” by Rosemary Tonks, is set in a grid of purple, yellow and orange blocks.

In “The Halt During the Chase,” by Rosemary Tonks — first published in 1972, and newly reissued — a young woman goes in search of herself.

By Mary Marge Locker

THE HALT DURING THE CHASE, by Rosemary Tonks

From the first page of this clever, fishy little novel, our narrator, Sophie, is the kind of woman whose laughter is a weapon. She could scare off an assailant with one well-timed whack of her tongue. Originally published in 1972, “The Halt During the Chase” is the second Rosemary Tonks novel to be reissued by New Directions in as many years, bringing a new audience to her charming and imperfect heroines, who are all voice, half poetry and half snarl.

Art, Arts & Literature, Exhibitions, Museums, Podcasts, Reviews

Reviews: ‘The Week In Art’

Audio October 20, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The Week In Art Podcast (October 20, 2023): This week: it’s the second year of Paris +, the event that has taken over from Fiac as the leading French art fair. How is Art Basel’s French flagship faring amid geopolitical turmoil and economic uncertainty, and is Paris still on the rise as a cultural hub?

We speak to Georgina Adam, an editor-at-large at The Art Newspaper, and Kabir Jhala, our deputy art market editor, who are in Paris, to find out. The largest ever exhibition of the work of the Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto opened last week at the Hayward Gallery in London, before travelling to Beijing and Sydney next year. We talk to its co-curator Thomas Sutton.

And this episode’s Work of the Week is La femme-cheval or the Horse-Woman, a painting made in 1918 by the French artist Marie Laurencin. She is the subject of a major survey, called Sapphic Paris, opening this week at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia in the US. Cindy Kang, who co-curated the exhibition, tells us more about this landmark work in Laurencin’s life.

Paris +, 20-22 October.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine, Hayward Gallery, London, until 7 January 2023; UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 23 March-23 June 2024; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia, 2 August-27 October 2024.

Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris, Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, US, 22 October-21 January.

Arts & Literature, Classical Music, Music, Performing Arts, Videos

Classical: Maria Callas Sings ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’

October 20, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Warner Classics (October 20, 2023) – The voice and artistry of Maria Callas breath new life into the aria “O mio babbino caro”, from Puccini’s opera Gianni Schicchi, in this entrancing illustrated video designed by Matteo Cozzo.

The video opens with Maria stepping onto the stage and kneeling, as the aria is intended to be sung. It then tells the story of this poignant aria through the designer’s unique style, using the collage technique to create unique textures, expressions, and effects.

#ClassicalMusic #Opera #Puccini

Architecture, Gardens, Homes, Tours, Travel, Videos, Views

Italy Villas: Neoclassical Tour On Lake Maggiore

Video October 20, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Lionard Luxury Real Estate (October 20, 2023) – A luxurious villa of very ancient origins, among the most famous by Lake Maggiore, is for sale in the stunning town of Belgirate, on the border with Stresa.

Video timeline: 00:00 History of the Property 01:45 Private Dockyard 02:26 Private Beach 03:10 Lounge Area 04:00 Main Gate 04:15 Golf Cart 04:53 Private Chapel 05:29 Piazzale 06:04 Parking 06:58 Main Foyer 07:16 Music Room 07:54 Living Room 08:30 Study 08:54 Dining Room 09:21 Foyer 09:50 Kitchen 10:37 Smart Home 10:47 Private Elevator 11:12 Bedroom Area 12:28 Master Suite 12:44 Master Bathroom 13:16 Master Bedroom 12:23 Wellness Area 15:04 Attic Suite 15:34 Loggiato 15:50 Swimming Pool Area 16:39 Italian Style Garden 17:22 Dependance 17:56 Entertainment Area 18:25 Vegetable Garden 18:35 Outro

Its exclusive position directly by the lake, its 1,700 sqm of internal surface divided between the main house and the outbuildings, the private beach connected directly by an underground passage and the pier for private use contribute to the uniqueness of this property that belonged to the family of Napoleon III. Dating back to the early 19th century, the villa was built in a late neoclassical style on the walls of a previous religious building for Mathilde Laetitia Wilhelmine Bonaparte, daughter of Jerome, Napoleon’s younger brother.

Subsequently passed into the ownership of the Russian prince Vladimir Andrevic Dolgorukij, the property was remodeled only at the end of the last century, while the big park that surrounds it has remained intact in its original design, conceived by Anatoly Demidov, husband of Mathilde and well-known enthusiast and builder of gardens, especially in Tuscany. Its convenient natural location, in one of the towns of the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore, ensures an always pleasant microclimate, while its strategic exposure, slightly oblique to the coast, has been designed to improve the panoramic view from any internal environment, rooms included.

Adventure, Cycling, Tours, Travel, Videos, Views

Japan Tours: Bikepacking 240 Miles On Hokkaido

Video October 20, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Brompton Bicycle (October 20, 2023) – Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, is known for its volcanoes, natural hot springs (onsen) and ski areas. Rugged Daisetsuzan National Park is home to steaming, volcanic Mount Asahi. Shikotsu-Tōya National Park contains caldera lakes, geothermal springs and a Mount Fuji look-alike, Mount Yōtei. Popular ski resorts include Rusutsu, Furano and Niseko.

Culture, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Previews, Reviews, Society

The New York Times Magazine – Oct 22, 2023

October 20, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (October 22, 2023): The latest issue features In Search of Kamala Harris; Longer Commutes, Shorter Lives: The Costs of Not Investing in America and The Botched Hunt for the Gilgo Beach Killer….

In Search of Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris stands with her arms crossed.

After nearly three years, the vice president is still struggling to make the case for herself — and feels she shouldn’t have to.

By Astead W. Herndon

All the conditions seemed right for a chance to reset the narrative.

At the Munich Security Conference in February, amid rising international angst about Russia’s war in Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris led a delegation of Americans, including around 50 lawmakers from both parties. She spent her first day in Germany in seclusion, preparing for the next 48 hours: meetings with European leaders the first day and a keynote speech the next in the ornate ballroom of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof. When she emerged, head high and shoulders back, Harris exuded what her staff members have argued is a particular comfort with her role on the international stage. There, they say, she is respected.

Longer Commutes, Shorter Lives: The Costs of Not Investing in America

An illustration of various historical photographs depicting technologies in a collage.

For decades, spending on the future put the nation ahead of all others. What would it take to revive that spirit?

By David Leonhardt

Every morning in 21st-century America, thousands of people wake up and prepare to take a cross-country trip. Some are traveling for business. Others are visiting family or going on vacations. Whether they are leaving from New York or Los Angeles, Atlanta or Seattle, their trips have a lot in common.