All posts by She Seeks Serene

My Journey of Reimagining Life, Love and Education

World Economic Forum: Top Stories- April 15, 2023

World Economic Forum (April 15, 2023) – This week’s top stories of the week include:

0:15 China build’s the world’s largest container ship – Mediterranean Tessa is nearly 400 metres long. Her deck area is the size of 4 football pitches. She can carry up to 240,000 tonnes of cargo or more than 24,000 standard containers. The ship is fitted with an air lubrication system. It blows tiny bubbles along the hull to reduce its resistance in the water.This reduces the ship’s CO2 emissions by up to 4% saving around 6,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.

1:36 The first cellphone call was made 50 years ago – On 3 April 1973, Motorola engineer Martin Cooper stood on a Manhattan street and called the landline of a rival who was racing to develop the cellphone, too. This was the world’s first mobile phone call. “I’m calling you on a cellphone,” Cooper said. ‘‘A personal, handheld, portable cellphone” the race was over. Cooper’s prototype became the first commercially available mobile phone. Motorola released the DynaTAC 8000x a decade later, in 1984. It was about the size of a shoebox and cost $11,500 in today’s money. Since then, mobile technology has transformed our lives. Watch to learn more about the first mobile phone call in the world.

3:40 South Korea to pay its citizens to have children – South Korea has the world’s lowest fertility rate. The average South Korean woman will have 0.78 babies in her lifetime. While the average fertility rate in OECD countries is 1.59. South Korea’s population is shrinking as a result. More people die each year than are born. Left unchecked, the country’s working-age population will almost halve by 2070. Globally, the fertility rate is declining it stands at 2.3 today. In 2000 it was 2.7. The UN predicts the global population will peak at 10.4 billion by 2080, but a recent study suggests the peak could be much lower and could arrive much sooner.

5:01 Why sleeper trains are being revived across Europe – The EU has provisionally agreed to call 2021 the European Year of Rail. It says boosting rail travel could help the bloc reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

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The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

Aerial Travel: Landmarks & Landscapes Of Slovenia

April 15, 2023: An aerial journey through some of Slovenia’s most scenic locations, including the majestic Julian Alps, the picturesque Lake Bled, and the emerald green Soča River. You will witness the stunning beauty of the Slovenian countryside from a unique perspective, as my drone soars high above the mountains, forests, and lakes.

Filmed and edited by: Tim Roosjen

Finance Preview: Barron’s Magazine – April 17, 2023

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Barron’s Magazine – April 17, 2023:

A Fintech Offers 5% Savings Rates. Never Mind the Risks.

A Fintech Offers 5% Savings Rates. Never Mind the Risks.

Tellus’ generous accounts and disruptive business model have won serious backing. One problem: Tellus isn’t actually a bank.

Life Insurance Companies Are In a Good Spot. Their Stocks Don’t Reflect It.

Life Insurance Companies Are In a Good Spot. Their Stocks Don’t Reflect It.

Depressed valuations belie brighter growth prospects and better risk management at companies such as Primerica, Unum, and Equitable.

Advisor Teams Come in Many Flavors. How to Pick the Right One.

Advisor Teams Come in Many Flavors. How to Pick the Right One.

Wealth management teams can vary widely in culture and investing approach. Here’s what to look for.

Front Page: The New York Times — April 15, 2023

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Airman Charged in Leak of Classified Documents

People gathering outside the federal courthouse in Boston where Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, was charged Friday with two counts related to the leaking of hundreds of U.S. classified documents.
CREDITSOPHIE PARK FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Jack Teixeira, 21, was granted a top-secret security clearance in 2021, which was required for his job, the Justice Department complaint said.

Unemployment Is Low. Inflation Is Falling. But What Comes Next?

Employers have added back all 22 million jobs lost in the early weeks of the pandemic, and three million more besides.
CREDITSCOTT MCINTYRE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Despite hopeful signs, economists worry that a recession is on the way or that the Federal Reserve will cause one in trying to rein in inflation.

China’s Car Buyers Have Fallen Out of Love With Foreign Brands

Domestic companies are now selling more vehicles than their multinational rivals, which have failed to keep up with Chinese consumers’ demand for electric cars and S.U.V.s.

Ghosts Past and Present Cross Paths as War Comes to Nuclear Wasteland

Not everyone evacuated when the Chernobyl nuclear plant melted down in 1986. The few who stayed lived through another calamity when Russian troops marched in.

The New York Times Book Review – April 16, 2023

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The New York Times Book Review – April 16, 2023:

She Taught Us to Do Nothing. Now Jenny Odell Wants to Save Time.

This image shows the hands of a clock set into a circle of melting ice, suggesting time is fluid and ephemeral.
Credit…Ricardo Tomás

The author’s new book, “Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock,” urges readers to revise their conceptions of time and the world to nurture hope and action for a better future.

In Russia’s War in Ukraine, ‘Nature Has Also Suffered.’

This is a black-and-white photo of a series of manmade wooden columns sticking out of a tranquil body of water.
Early-1900s wooden poles used for salt mining on the Kuialnyk Estuary, on the northwest coast of the Black Sea.Credit…Yevhen Samuchenko

A book of photographs taken before February 2022 reveals formerly breathtaking landscapes that may never be the same.

A Time-Travel Novel Whose Thrills Go Beyond the Speculative

In this abstract illustration, three figures in an astral plain try to hold onto the flow of time, which is artistically rendered as a colorful, flowing stream.
Credit…Changyu Zou

In Jinwoo Chong’s debut novel, “Flux,” a time-warping discovery impacts the lives of three people coping with personal and systemic traumas.

Aerial Views: Copenhagen – Capital Of Denmark (4K)

Uploaded April 14, 2023: Copenhagen, Danish København, capital and largest city of Denmark. It is located on the islands of Zealand (Sjælland) and Amager, at the southern end of The Sound (Øresund).

A small village existed on the site of the present city by the early 10th century. In 1167 Bishop Absalon of Roskilde built a castle on an islet off the coast and fortified the town with ramparts and a moat. In 1445 Copenhagen was made the capital of Denmark and the residence of the royal family. In the civil and religious conflicts of the Protestant Reformation, the town was often sacked.

During the late 16th century Copenhagen’s trade began to flourish, and the city itself expanded. Among the new buildings erected were the Børsen (Exchange), the Holmens Church, Trinitatis Church, with the adjacent famous Round Tower, and the castle of Rosenborg (now the museum of the royal family). During the wars with Sweden (1658–60) Copenhagen was besieged for two years.

Fires in 1728 and 1795 destroyed many houses and buildings, and in 1807 the city was bombarded by the British. The ramparts were pulled down in 1856. Since then the city has expanded still further and incorporated many of the adjacent districts.

Filmed and edited by: Drone Snap

Architecture: ‘Round House’ In San Francisco

The Local Project – (April 14, 2023) – Working within the existing footprint of a round home, Feldman Architecture reimagines a disjointed circular structure into an innovative futuristic house. By connecting the residence to its lush surroundings and opening up spaces, the possibilities of an ocular form are realised.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Innovative Futuristic House 00:23 – The Original Home and the Vision 01:07 – A Walkthrough of the Home 01:36 – Blurring the Lines between Inside and Outside 01:58 – The Original Story of the Home 02:21 – Functioning like a Sun Dial 02:42 – Curves All Around 03:00 – Creating the Curves with a Compass 03:31 – The Materials and the Shape 04:29 – A Unique Experience for the Client and the Architects

Nestled within the picturesque San Francisco hills, Feldman Architecture renovates an introverted round structure into an innovative futuristic house that thrives in its distinctive shape, location and views. Integral to the building’s remodelling is reworking the internal spaces to make them more functional and connected to the outdoors. The edge of the house wings out towards views of the landscape and it is also anchored to the land on the west side.

To make the most of its unique position, the garage was expanded to act as a base for the house and the stairwell was moved so that it takes you directly to the upper level. Upon entering, you see a framed view of the kitchen and then immediately turn into the open plan living. Here, there is a living and dining with tall ceilings, which open out to cascading views. Suddenly, there is a blurring of the indoors and outdoors, typical of Californian architecture. The rooms within the home follow an organic theme reminiscent of the structure’s circular shape.

The rigid flow of the old house has been transformed – the innovative futuristic house welcomes a nice sense of symmetry in the redesign of the kitchen and skylight as an oculus hub in the centre of the home. This skylight functions like a sundial and moves about at different points in time, reflecting a constant interplay with light. A thoughtful selection of materials are chosen to soften the powerful geometry of the home. In terms of finishes and materiality, the residence is very minimalist.

Cinematic Travel Films: ‘Frames Of Belgium’ (2023)

(Uploaded April 12, 2023) – Brussels, Flemish Brussel, French Bruxelles, city, capital of Belgium. It is located in the valley of the Senne (Flemish: Zenne) River, a small tributary of the Schelde (French: Escaut). Greater Brussels is the country’s largest urban agglomeration. It consists of 19 communes, or municipalities, each with a large measure of administrative autonomy. The largest commune—which, like the greater metropolitan area, is named Brussels—contains the historic core of the city and the so-called “European Quarter,” where the institutions of the European Union (EU) are located.

Greater Brussels officially became the Brussels-Capital Region in 1989, during the federalization of Belgium. Along with the much larger regions of Flanders and Wallonia, the Brussels-Capital Region constitutes one of the country’s three main political divisions. As the seat of the EU, Brussels is known as the “capital of Europe,” and its significance as a centre of international governance and business makes Brussels a true global city—a status shared with such metropolises as New YorkLondonParis, and Tokyo.

Filmed and Edited by: César Hernandez