All posts by She Seeks Serene

My Journey of Reimagining Life, Love and Education

Food Culture: Germany’s Love Of White Asparagus

Even the ancient Greeks, wealthy Romans and Emperor August were big asparagus fans. Presumably, the Romans with their expansionist campaigns were behind its quick spread in Europe, including in Germany.

Today, Germany is one of the leading producers of asparagus in Europe. But why are Germans so crazy about the “white gold”? Our reporter Brant Dennis visits an asparagus farm during harvest, to see what exactly makes this funny-looking vegetable so popular.

Morning News: January 6 Attack, Ukraine Eastern Front, Crypto Flaws

The House Jan. 6 committee reconvenes for another public hearing. Russia appears close to capturing a key Ukrainian city in the eastern part of the country. And crypto-currency could be vulnerable to security threats.

Cover Preview: Scotland Magazine – July/Aug 2022

SCOTLAND MAGAZINE

Published six times a year, every issue of Scotland showcases its stunning landscapes and natural  beauty, and delves deep into Scottish history. From mysterious clans and famous Scots (both past and present), to the hidden histories of the country’s greatest castles and houses, Scotland‘s pages brim with the soul and secrets of the country.
Scotland magazine captures the spirit of this wild and wonderful nation, explores its history and heritage and recommends great places to visit, so you feel at home here, wherever you are in the world.

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Driving Tour: Naarden To Nieuwkoop, Netherlands

The Gooi is an area around Hilversum, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a slightly hilly area characterised by its green landscape, its historical charm, the wealth of its inhabitants, and its villas. The Gooi is known in the Netherlands as the home of the rich and famous.

Places and Interesting points along the route ———- • 0:00 – Naarden, Netherlands • 11:53 – Bussum, Netherlands • 13:46 – Hilversumse Meent, Netherlands • 16:44 – ‘s-Graveland, Netherlands • 19:11 – Ankeveen, Netherlands • 29:25 – Kortenhoef, Netherlands • 32:37 – Oud-Loosdrecht, Netherlands • 40:02 – Loenen aan de Vecht, Netherlands • 42:38 – Nieuwersluis, Netherlands • 46:03 – Breukelen, Netherlands • 1:04:46 – Woerdense Verlaat, Netherlands • 1:08:01 – Noorden, Netherlands • 1:16:02 – Nieuwkoop, Netherlands

Route Info ———- ◎ Drive Date: May 2, 2022 ◎ Start: Naarden, Netherlands ◎ End: Nieuwkoop, Netherlands ◎ Drive Distance: 40 km / 25 mi ◎ Drive Time: 1 Hour 18 Minutes ◎ Route: https://goo.gl/maps/xrnUu2shHT6jkDPN6

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – June 27, 2022

Victoria Tentler-Krylov’s “Sidewalk Connoisseurs”

The artist discusses urban spaces and classic Russian children’s books.

New York may be a city where a person can, for the amount one might reasonably expect to pay for a month’s rent in many parts of this country, partake in an hours-long omakase experience featuring toro topped with osetra caviar and uni served with white truffle. Its temples of art may house some of the most renowned—and well-insured—art in the world. But it is also a city that embraces the epicure of the hot dog and the patron of the sidewalk artist. I recently spoke to this week’s cover artist, Victoria Tentler-Krylov, about city planning and sketching people on the subway.

Opinions: Globalization Remade, Latin America Mired, Battle Tank Fix

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, the remaking of globalisationLatin America’s vicious circle (9:55), and does the tank have a future? (17:55).

Electric Transportation: GM Is Going All In (CNBC)

CNBC Marathon revisits General Motors’ shift into the electric vehicle market. GM is one of the largest automakers in the world with a range of models falling under its four brands, Chevy, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC.

Chapters: 00:00 Why GM’s all-electric future is a big gamble (Published September 2021) 15:17 The rise of electric boats (Published April 2022) 27:13 Why GM says its Ultium platform will drive EV dominance (Published May 2022)

The automaker made its name selling gas burning cars but in January 2021, it made a stunning announcement. The company said it “aspires to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035.” This means that GM intends to stop selling gas-burning cars. General Motors says it wants to lead electric vehicle sales in North America by 2025, and vows that its new Ultium battery platform will drive that dominance.

Not only are cars going electric but so are boats. General Motors recently invested $150 million in one start-up, Pure Watercraft, to build an electric pontoon boat. And several others are working to bring their own battery-powered offerings to market. CNBC Marathon brings together the best of CNBC on YouTube.

Dorset Views: Is This Thomas Hardy’s Wessex?

Thomas Hardy’s depictions of a fictional Wessex and his own dear Dorset are more accurate than they may at first appear, says Susan Owens.

We feel a frisson when a real place plays a key part in a novel. The Cobb at Lyme Regis will always be associated with silly Louisa Musgrove and her tumble in Jane Austen’s Persuasion and Knole in Kent with Virginia Woolf’s hero-heroine Orlando. Thomas Hardy, however, took the use of known locations to another level. He may have invented the characters in his novels, but he made them walk along actual roads, look across valleys at real views and live in recognisable villages and towns — sometimes, even in identifiable buildings.

For all its operatic symbolism, Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891) is a novel in which practical footwear matters. Among its heart-breaking moments is when Tess’s walking boots are discovered stuffed in a hedge where she had hidden them, mistaken for a tramp’s pair and taken away, forcing her to walk many miles back home along a rough road in pretty, but thin-soled, patent-leather ones.

A map depicting Hardy’s Wessex by Emery Walker, drawn for Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Credit: BBC / Album

Those who live in the country come to know land by ear as much as by eye. Hardy’s characters are expert in this — even in the dark and when drunk, as in Desperate Remedies (1871): ‘Sometimes a soaking hiss proclaimed that they were passing by a pasture, then a patter would show that the rain fell on some large-leafed root crop, then a paddling plash announced the naked arable.’