All posts by She Seeks Serene

My Journey of Reimagining Life, Love and Education

Classical: Cellist Camille Thomas Plays Chopin

Deutsche Grammophon – DG (September 13, 2023) – Franco-Belgian cellist Camille Thomas plays on the Franchomme’s mythical cello – the Stradivarius Feuermann.

Chopin: No. 4 in E Minor, Largo Arr. for Cello and Piano by A. Franchomme / Adapted by Camille Thomas Listen to ‘The Chopin Project’ : https://camillethomas.lnk.to/TheChopi…

A journey in three chapters to discover Chopin’s life through the sound of the cello. The most ambitious project of the The Chopin’s sonata for cello and piano was dedicated to his friend Auguste-Joseph Franchomme. Franchomme transcribed the Chopin’s piano pieces for cello after knowing Chopin found no objection to this.

PIANO Julien Brocal

VIDEO DIRECTOR Olivier Saint-Yves

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – Sept 15, 2023

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The Guardian Weekly (September15, 2023) The issue features  Amy Hawkins looking under the lid of China’s economy and asks if it has peaked?

Desperate searches for survivors continued in Morocco’s Atlas mountains after last Friday’s 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which killed thousands of people. Peter Beaumont reports from remote villages devastated by the country’s deadliest quake in six decades.

A worse disaster still appeared to be unfolding further along the north African coast in Libya, where up to 10,000 people were feared missing after flooding caused by the collapse of two dams. Details were only just emerging at the time of the Weekly going to press on Tuesday, but you can find the latest updates here.

First there were the bewildering DNA test results, then the long-forgotten fertility blog. Jenny Kleeman tells the remarkable tale of a discovery that would change the lives of two American families for ever.

Also in Features is American author Elif Batuman’s entertaining account of what happened when she asked the AI chatbot ChatGPT for assistance with a quote from Proust, leading her down a digital rabbit hole she never could have foreseen.

News: House Impeachment Inquiry Of Biden, Germany Buys India Oil, Ugly France

The Globalist Podcast (September 13, 2023) – The US House of Representatives opens an impeachment inquiry into president Biden. Our Washington correspondent Christopher Cermak has the details.

Also in the programme: why Germany is buying more oil from India, president Macron’s plan to transform what critics call “ugly France” and how a severe lemon shortage is affecting Peruvians.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Sept 13, 2023

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More Than 5,000 Dead in Libya as Collapsed Dams Worsen Flood Disaster

In a catastrophe recalling Hurricane Katrina, a heavy storm burst through dams to unleash their waters on the city of Derna, sweeping away entire neighborhoods.

McCarthy, Facing an Ouster and a Shutdown, Orders an Impeachment Inquiry

Speaker Kevin McCarthy had long signaled he was moving toward an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

The move against President Biden, which Speaker Kevin McCarthy had been signaling for weeks, comes as some far-right House Republicans are irate over spending and threatening to depose him.

‘Wounds Will Need to Be Healed’: Collisions in a Fractured Israel

Israelis are deeply split about what kind of country Israel should be. Four encounters at four recent protests show how that division plays out in daily life.

Theaters of War That Make Up the Fighting in Ukraine

A “striking fist” in the North, and river crossings in the South. Along a jagged 1,000-mile front, the fighting is multifaceted — and relentless.

Literary Previews: The Paris Review – Fall 2023

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Paris Review Fall 2023 — The new issue features Robert Glück on the Art of Fiction: “When people would ask me—and sometimes they did—to write about them, I’d reply, ‘First, break my heart.’”; Lynn Nottage on the Art of Theater: “I embrace the fact that I write plays that are popular. Audiences make their own decisions.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Culinary: Japanese Chef Prepares Kampachi Dishes

Bon Appétit (September 12, 2023) – Japanese chef Yuji Haraguchi, owner of OKONOMI // YUJI Ramen in New York, demonstrates how he butchers an entire kampachi and transforms it into six varied dishes.

Previews: Country Life Magazine – Sept 13, 2023

Country Life Magazine – September 13, 2023: The new issue features the more outlandish and risqué techniques plants have developed to spread their seed, a magical garden restoration at Aldourie Castle in Inverness-shire, the origins of Spetchley Park, Worcestershire, and more…

Fifty shades of green

John Wright investigates some of the more outlandish and risqué techniques plants have developed to spread their seed

A Scottish fairy tale

George Plumptre is spellbound by a magical garden restoration at Aldourie Castle in Inverness-shire

An architectural accident

In the first of two articles, John Goodall explores the origins of Spetchley Park, Worcestershire

Architecture: Boonburrh House In Noosa, Australia

The Local Project (September 12, 2023) – Located in Noosa, Australia is a beach house designed by Frank Macchia, Principal at Macchia Design Studio. Boarded by lush greenery on the eastern side and a magnificent ocean bay on the northern, Boonburrh House does not dominate the site but instead respects all that was there before it.

Video timeline: 00:11 – Introduction to the Stunning Beach House 00:40 – A Magical Beachside Location 01:07 – Respecting the Original Site 01:39 – Keeping the Home Discreet 02:05 – A Focus on The Landscaping 02:23 – Influences for the Design Process 03:11 – The Living Pavilion 04:05 – The Minimalistic Material Palette 04:48 – Proud Moments of the Design Process 05:20 – 2024 Dulux Colour Forecast

However, as the beach house sat on a public block – with a busy street out front – there was a need for the designer to make the family home private, secure, nurturing and comfortable, all while being open and connected to its surrounds. As such, Frank Macchia has used a range of interior design techniques that help to keep the home discreet from passers-by. One contributing idea for discreetness was to layer the beach house within the site while the second idea was a minimisation of the material palette.

As the beach house tour reveals, the landscape of the home has played a critical role for two reasons – one being that the designer wanted to establish a connection to the magic of the garden and the second to create a sense of privacy. Alongside these elements, there were many interior design influences for the family home that were discovered while the owners were on vacation in Sri Lanka. After staying at some of Geoffrey Bawa’s homes, the owners wanted to create a pull-apart home that would reveal a series of pavilions connected by open courtyards, link ways and verandas that are either partially opened or closed.

Complemented by Noosa’s perfect climate, Boonburrh House is further supplemented with open architecture that allows the owners to turn the extra courtyards and link ways into extra rooms. Exemplifying this is the living room pavilion, which has large glass sliding doors that disappear and open the space up to immediately connect to the garden. However, the home’s true appeal is the interplay of dark and light of the interior design where the main part of the residence is given access to both eastern and northern light.

Travel: An Aerial Tour Of The Isle Of Wight, England

Natural History Museum (September 12, 2023) – The Isle of Wight is full of beautiful landscapes, from rolling hills and luscious vegetation to dramatic cliffs and golden, sandy beaches. But have you ever wondered what it would be like to see it all from a bird’s-eye view? Well now you can! So, sit back and relax as we take to the air and soar across the island’s breathtaking land and seascapes.

News: Kim Jong-un Meets Putin, Canadian Politics, Israel Supreme Court

The Globalist Podcast (September 12, 2023) – Kim Jong-un reportedly arrives in eastern Russia for arms talks with Vladimir Putin, as Moscow seeks to replenish its dwindling stockpile. Who has the upper hand and how will the meeting be portrayed for home audiences?

Plus: Israel’s supreme court prepares to rule on its own future and we discuss the British parliamentary researcher accused of spying for China.