All posts by She Seeks Serene

My Journey of Reimagining Life, Love and Education

Swiss Views: The Streets And Sights Of Neuchâtel

Neuchâtel (Neuenburg) is considered to be one of Switzerland most beautiful cities. It lays in the French speaking part of Switzerland and enchants with its visitors with its happy vibes. The city is very vibrant, many people love to stroll through the various streets and alleys, do shopping or go for sightseeing.

The city is full of limestone houses, which are very characteristic for Neuchâtel, rendering this city very distinct from the others of Switzerland. A must-see are the castle and the church on the hill in the middle of the city. They are considered historic landmarks from the days when Neuchâtel still followed a royal system being under French or Prussian rule. The church’s interior is very beautiful, especially with the ceiling. Neuchâtel has a beautiful lake promenade. Point of interest are Beau Rivage and the docks with the many boats.

During Summer you even can go for swimming. Neuchâtel is best to be reached by train, although arrival by car is possible. The train station is about 15 minutes from the city centre by walk, but you may take a shortcut by bus. Neuchâtel and the entire canton are great for cheap vacations as they have some attractive budget travelers offers. If you stay in any hotel in the canton, you get a booklet full of vouchers that provide you free public transportation and entry to the museums during the date of validity. It is valid for 1 day if you stay for 1 night, otherwise as many days as nights that you booked. All in all, Neuchâtel is a wonderful Swiss city, underrated but among the most beautiful ones!

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Oct 16, 2022

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The Genre-Shattering Fictions of Alan Moore

With his first story collection, “Illuminations,” the British writer and comic-book titan works his subversive power on a smaller scale.

There’s more, of course, including Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi’s powerful novel in stories, “Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions”; Maggie Haberman’s “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America”; Buzz Bissinger’s “The Mosquito Bowl,” about a game played on Guadalcanal between two Marine regiments in 1944; and Amal El-Mohtar’s latest science fiction and fantasy column.
Don’t miss the latest entry in our “Read Your Way Around the World” series, which will whisk you to the brightly hued streets of Reykjavík, or our excerpts from Bob Dylan’s new book, “The Philosophy of Modern Song.” (In 1971, 45 years before he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Book Review opined, rather tartly, that “Dylan is not a literary figure. Literature comes in books, and Dylan does not intend his most important work to be read.”)

Cover for @nytimesbooks Junot Diaz’s review of Alan Moore’s new story collection “Illuminations”.

The New York Times Book Review

Maine Views: The Beauty Of Acadia National Park (4K)

Acadia National Park is a stunning national treasure on the coast of Maine in the USA. This “insider’s” vacation guide covers all of the best places to see and the towns and villages in the Acadia Region from Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island to Winter Harbor on the Schoodic Peninsula. Wherever you choose, the views are spectacular and nature abounds. No wonder this is one of the most visited parks in the United States and in all of North America.

Bar Harbor, a small seaside resort on the northeastern side of Mount Desert Island, has a unique symbiotic relationship with Acadia National Park. Together, they are like conjoined twins, both born of the same mother – and she is the land and ocean combined.

Historical roots are at play here, a special blend of salty air and the classic Down East character that is recognized and loved by millions. Together, these “conjoined twins” offer an unforgettable Maine vacation.

Filmed in Summer of 2022

World Economic Forum: Top Stories Of The Week

World Economic Forum ‘Stories of the Week’ for October 14, 2022:

00:15 How a Chinese village eradicated poverty – In 2017, nearly a third of villagers lived below the poverty line. Here’s how one the project saw poverty drop from 28% to zero in just 3 years.

02:28 New mosquito repellent – From 2015 to 2019, dengue fever cases in Southeast Asia rose by 46%. This new repellent may be the answer.

03:35 Australia to end species extinction – More than one in ten species have gone extinct in the past 200 years. The Australian government is now taking steps to prevent further extinctions.

05:12 Firefighters’ AI helmet – The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service trialled the helmet which could help them better locate victims and teammates in firefighting situations.

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 Views: Thung Wua Laen Beach In Thailand

The white sandy Thung Wua Laen Beach is 2 km long and lies 13 km North of Chumphon in Southern Thailand.

The “beach of the bull running across the field” is also signposted ‘Thung Wualan’. According to the legend the beach was named by hunters who killed a wild bull. This bull was so strong that it freed itself and escaped while it was being skinned. It ran “across the field”.

Beach chairs and jet skis are not allowed on this beach. The priority here lies on environmentally friendly tourist projects where they try to keep a natural balance.

October 2022: Disneyland And California Adventure

Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California, which opened in 1955; it is the only one designed and built under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, who came up with the concept of Disneyland after visiting various amusement parks with his daughters in the 1930s and 1940s. He initially envisioned building a tourist attraction adjacent to his studios in Burbank to entertain fans who wished to visit; however, he soon felt that the proposed site was too small. 

Disney California Adventure Park, commonly referred to as  California Adventure  or by its acronym DCA, is a theme park located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. The 72-acre (29 ha) park is themed after the history and culture of California, which celebrates the adventure of the state through the use of various Disney,  Pixar  and  Marvel Studios properties. The park opened on February 8, 2001 as Disney’s California Adventure Park and is the second of two theme parks built at the Disneyland Resort complex, after Disneyland Park.

Tours: St. Andrews Beach House, Victoria, Australia

St Andrews Beach House is a holiday cabin by Austin Maynard Architects informed by a passion for sustainability. The circular cabin captures sunlight and breezes while allowing nature to regrow healthily around it. The flat roof captures water for the gardens and bathrooms. Sustainable materials include timber, double glazed windows and a concrete slab contributing thermal mass to the cabin.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to St Andrews Beach House 00:37 – The Beachside Location 01:04 – The Vision Behind The House 01:24 – Taking Inspiration From New Zealand Bach’s 01:57 – A Bach Type Layout 02:16 – Sustainably Small But Mighty 02:55 – A Carbon Storage Home 03:08 – Conditional Timber Selections 03:45 – The Importance of Sunlight 04:15 – The Positives of A Circular Home 04:38 – A Demountable Home 05:16 – Proud Moments In Designing and Creating The Home

Additionally, a heat pump system heats the water and the slab, keeping the house warm during the winter. Locally sourced eucalypt timber ensures the cabin can stand against time and the coastal elements. It also contributes to the cabin’s sustainability, capturing of carbon instead of producing it. The material is used inside as well, continuing both the warm, raw aesthetic and the sustainability benefits throughout.

Designed as one structural module repeated 26 times around, the efficiency of the cabin’s construction was optimised. It is also made to be demountable, so that clients are able to either dismantle or salvage the materials for another build in future, if needed. With the importance of sunlight stressed in the brief, large louvre doors were installed to allow light to flood through, and on days when the weather is blossoming, the doors can be opened to connect the deck with the living and dining areas of the cabin.

Due to its circular structure, the beach side cabin can capture or exclude the breeze whenever there is a need, and, as the spiral staircase in the centre leads up the private bedroom spaces, circulation of air and sun can continue around the entire cabin. With a playful and sustainable rationale, St Andrews Beach House is a home away from home that gives back to the surrounding land.

Preview: New York Review Of Books – Nov 3, 2022

November 3, 2022 issue cover

Gored in the Afternoon

Getting Lost by Annie Ernaux, translated from the French by Alison L. Strayer

Annie Ernaux, the 2022 Nobel Literature laureate, has published a diary of a sublime love affair—both a quest for self-awareness and a desire to escape the self—in which she traces a familiar arc of loss.

Reform or Abolish?

American prisons are often unjust, inhumane, and ineffective at protecting public safety. Mariame Kaba and Ruth Wilson Gilmore believe they should be eliminated entirely.

We Do This ’Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba, edited by Tamara K. Nopper and with a foreword by Naomi Murakawa

Abolition Geography: Essays Towards Liberation by Ruth Wilson Gilmore, edited by Brenna Bhandar and Alberto Toscano

Then What Happened?

Yasmine Seale’s new translation of The Thousand and One Nights has a texture—tight, smooth, skillfully patterned—that make previous versions seem either garish or slightly dull by comparison.

The Annotated Arabian Nights: Tales from 1,001 Nights translated from the Arabic by Yasmine Seale, edited and with an introduction and notes by Paulo Lemos Horta

The Limits of Press Power

To what extent did newspapers influence public opinion in the US and Britain before and during World War II?

The Newspaper Axis: Six Press Barons Who Enabled Hitler by Kathryn S. Olmsted

The Media Offensive: How the Press and Public Opinion Shaped Allied Strategy During World War II by Alexander G. Lovelace

‘We Know What That’s Like’

The filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s recent arrest in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison marks the latest phase in a campaign that the Iranian judiciary has been waging against him for over a decade.

No Bears a film written and directed by Jafar Panahi

A Prisoner of His Own Restraint

Felix Frankfurter was renowned as a liberal lawyer and advocate. Why did he turn out to be such a conservative Supreme Court justice?

Democratic Justice: Felix Frankfurter, the Supreme Court, and the Making of the Liberal Establishment by Brad Snyder

The Illusion of the First Person

A historical survey of the personal essay shows it to be the purest expression of the lie that individual subjectivity exists prior to the social formations that gave rise to it.

News: Trump Subpoena, A Russia ‘Gas Hub’ In Turkey, New Italian Parliament

Vladimir Putin says that Russia could develop a “gas hub” in Turkey. Meanwhile, can Peru’s embattled President Castillo finish his term despite impeachment attempts and criminal investigations? Plus: Italy’s new parliament is convening this week to instal its 68th government in 76 years.

Front Page: The New York Times – October 14, 2022

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Jan. 6 Panel Votes to Subpoena Trump as It Wraps Up Its Case

“He must be accountable,” the committee’s chairman said as it presented a sweeping summation of its findings. But the prospect of the former president testifying appeared unlikely.

Supreme Court Rejects Trump Request to Intervene in Documents Case

Without any noted dissents, the court issued a one-sentence statement that amounted to a rebuke to the former president.

Inflation Is Unrelenting, Bad News for the Fed and White House

Inflation rose quickly in September and a key measure accelerated to the fastest pace since 1982, underlining the persistence of price increases.