All posts by She Seeks Serene

My Journey of Reimagining Life, Love and Education

Health Studies: Chronic Inflammation Reduced By Exercise, Lowering Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease

From a Harvard news online release:

Massachusetts General Hospital“This study identifies a new molecular connection between exercise and inflammation that takes place in the bone marrow and highlights a previously unappreciated role of leptin in exercise-mediated cardiovascular protection,” said Michelle Olive, program officer at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Division of Cardiovascular Sciences. “This work adds a new piece to the puzzle of how sedentary lifestyles affect cardiovascular health and underscores the importance of following physical-activity guidelines.”

Scientists at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have identified a previously unknown biological pathway that promotes chronic inflammation and may help explain why sedentary people have an increased risk for heart disease and strokes.

In a study to be published in the November issue of Nature Medicine, MGH scientists and colleagues at several other institutions found that regular exercise blocks this pathway. This discovery could aid the development of new therapies to prevent cardiovascular disease.

To read more: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/11/exercise-found-to-block-chronic-inflammation-in-mice/

World Affairs Podcasts: French President In China, Demographics In Texas And Public Groping In Japan (The Economist)

The Intelligence EconomistThis week our correspondent joined Emmanuel Macron on his visit to China. The French president is stretching his diplomatic wings, and has some striking views about Europe’s place in the world. The state of Texas has been reliably Republican for decades, but its demographics are changing; could it at last turn blue? And how Japan is dealing with its epidemic of public-transport groping.

Online Ads Explained: How Google Operates Its Advertising Machine (Wall Street Journal)

From a Wall Street Journal online article:

In interviews, dozens of publishing and advertising executives said Google is doing just that with an array of interwoven products. Google operates the leading selling and buying tools, and the biggest marketplace where online ad deals happen.

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Overall, Google made $116 billion in advertising revenue last year, a 22% rise from the previous year and 85% of the company’s total revenue. Most of that ad revenue came from Google’s own properties, but the company’s vast role in brokering online ad sales off its own platforms gives it an added level of dominance.

Alphabet Inc. ’s Google is under fire for its dominance in digital advertising, in part because of issues like this. The U.S. Justice Department and state attorneys general are investigating whether Google is abusing its power, including as the dominant broker of digital ad sales across the web. Most of the nearly 130 questions the states asked in a September subpoena were about the inner workings of Google’s ad products and how they interact.

To read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-google-edged-out-rivals-and-built-the-worlds-dominant-ad-machine-a-visual-guide-11573142071?mod=hp_lead_pos8

Cinematic Short Films: “The Heartbeats Of Memory” Directed By Nono Ayuso (2019)

Filmed, Edited and Directed by: NONO AYUSO

The Heartbeats Of Memory Cinematic Poem Short Film By NONO AYUSO 2019

The Memory: Roberta Coppa
VO Artist: Chloe Dunn

“It starts with a journey.
Imagine a film that captures every instant
And for each frame, a memory.”

The Heartbeats Of Memory Cinematic Poem Short Film By NONO AYUSO 2019

Music and Sound Design: Paulo Gallo

Grading: Fran Cóndor
Compositing and VFX: Damian Todd
Graphic Design: Nico Ordozgoiti

Shot in Super 8 in Japan. April-June 2019.

The Heartbeats Of Memory Cinematic Poem Short Film By NONO AYUSO 2019

Website: https://nono.film/

Science & Civilization: The Genetic History Of Roman Empire Revealed (Phys.Org)

From a Phys.org online article:

Roman EmpireThere was a massive shift in Roman residents’ ancestry, the researchers found, but that ancestry came primarily from the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East, possibly because of denser populations there relative to the Roman Empire’s western reaches in Europe and Africa.

The next several centuries were full of turmoil: the empire split in two, diseases decimated Rome’s population and a series of invasions befell the city. Those events left a mark on the city’s population, which shifted toward western European ancestry. Later, the rise and reign of the Holy Roman Empire brought an influx of central and northern European ancestry.

Scholars have been studying Rome for hundreds of years, but it still holds some secrets—for instance, relatively little is known about the ancestral origins of the city’s denizens. Now, an international team led by researchers from Stanford University, the University of Vienna and Sapienza University of Rome is filling in the gaps with a genetic history that shows just how much the Eternal City’s populace mirrored its sometimes tumultuous history.

To read more: https://phys.org/news/2019-11-genetic-history-rome.html

Top Political Podcasts: Candidate Pete Buttigieg On Health Care, Taxes And 2020 Campaign (PBS)

Pete Buttigieg PBS Newshour Nov 6 2019Recent polls in early voting states show Pete Buttigieg’s popularity surging among Democratic voters. The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is now in the top tier of candidates vying for the chance to challenge President Trump in the 2020 presidential election. But with that growing support comes rising scrutiny. Judy Woodruff talks to Buttigieg about health care, taxes and uniting a divided country.

New Art History Books: “A Month In Siena” By HISHAM MATAR Is A “Triumph”

From a Penguin Random House release:

A Month In Siena by Hisham Matar 2019Including beautiful full-color reproductions of the artworks, A Month in Siena is about what occurred between Matar, those paintings, and the city. That month would be an extraordinary period in the writer’s life: an exploration of how art can console and disturb in equal measure, as well as an intimate encounter with a city and its inhabitants. This is a gorgeous meditation on how centuries-old art can illuminate our own inner landscape—current relationships, long-lasting love, grief, intimacy, and solitude—and shed further light on the present world around us.

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Return comes a profoundly moving contemplation of the relationship between art and life.

Listen to an excerpt below:


 
After finishing his powerful memoir The Return, Hisham Matar, seeking solace and pleasure, traveled to Siena, Italy. Always finding comfort and clarity in great art, Matar immersed himself in eight significant works from the Sienese School of painting, which flourished from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries. Artists he had admired throughout his life, including Duccio and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, evoke earlier engagements he’d had with works by Caravaggio and Poussin, and the personal experiences that surrounded those moments.

To read more: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609913/a-month-in-siena-by-hisham-matar/

Top New Travel Videos: “Through Our Lens – Mongolia” Directed By Kay Van Huisseling

Director, CreGator, Editor: Kay Van Huisseling 

Through Our Lens Mongolia by Kay Van Huisseling 2019

Hero Traveler’s favorite places to visit and things to do in Mongolia include:

UlaanBatar, Gobi Desert,  Ugly City Eagle Hunters

“Through Our Lens'” celebrates the beauty of a destination through the point of view of one of our spirited creators. Come along with filmmaker and Hero Traveler Contributor Kay Van Huisseling as he takes us on a breathtaking cinematic journey through Mongolia.

Through Our Lens Mongolia by Kay Van Huisseling 2019

Website:  https://www.instagram.com/kayvanhuiss…

Classic Car Restoration: British Icon David Gandy And His 1954 Jaguar XK120

From a Gentleman’s Journal online article:

I was involved from start to finish — with the concepting, design and specification of the car. I worked incredibly closely with the JLR team to get the exact design I envisaged. And every one of those decisions was carefully considered; from wheels and engine, to brakes, interior and suspension. We uprated the engine to 225bhp, and added better cooling. The car was changed to right hand drive, given fully adjustable suspension, better brakes, a fast-shift gearbox and bespoke interior. In all, 2,700 man hours were put into restoring it.

Classic Cars David Gandy Jaguar XK120

Classic Cars David Gandy Jaguar XK120David Gandy wears many hats. He wears his model hat. He wears his director’s hat. He wears his creative hat. Here, in fact, he’s wearing a rather nice herringbone flat cap. But we’re mostly interested, as he rolls up in his meticulous vintage Jaguar XK120, in his latest passion project — and his car restoration hat.

When Gandy, who has raced Jaguars twice in the historic Mille Miglia, decided to run a third time, he dreamt up the idea of building a one-off pre-1957 XK120 for the race. Based on the ‘lightweight’ racing versions of the 1950s and 60s, the plan was to find a car, perfectly restore it and tune it up into competitive condition in just six months. Unsurprisingly, with hat firmly on head, that’s exactly what Gandy did.

To read more: https://www.thegentlemansjournal.com/article/david-gandy-explains-how-he-restored-his-dream-jaguar-xk120/