All posts by She Seeks Serene

My Journey of Reimagining Life, Love and Education

Cover Preview: Barron’s Magazine – July 4, 2022

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With Yields Above 8%, It’s Time to Get Excited About Income Investing

Our latest guide to income investing explores opportunities in categories ranging from junk bonds to TIPS and REITs.

UP AND DOWN WALL STREET

Central Bankers Talk Tough on Rates. But What if Markets and Economies Tumble?

Randall W. Forsyth

THE TRADER

Las Vegas Sands Stock Could Win Big in a Reopened China

Teresa Rivas

THE TRADER

Stocks Had a Nasty 6 Months. The Second Half Could Be Ugly Too.

Nicholas Jasinski

STREETWISE

The Home-Goods Boom Is Over, Leaving the Bed and Bath Stocks High and Dry

Jack Hough

Historic French Views: Château de Maintenon

This French Renaissance-style castle would probably have remained largely unknown if it hadn’t become home to the secret wife of Louis XIV, Madame de Maintenon. Françoise d’Aubigné – her real name – was a woman of humble origins who is often compared to Cinderella.

After Louis secretly married her, the Château de Maintenon underwent numerous transformations as she put her own stamp on it. Meanwhile, the French-style garden was designed by renowned landscape architect André Le Nôtre but was only laid out in 2013.   

City Walks: Rotterdam In Southwest Netherlands

Rotterdam is a major port city in the Dutch province of South Holland. The Maritime Museum’s vintage ships and exhibits trace the city’s seafaring history. The 17th-century Delfshaven neighborhood is home to canalside shopping and Pilgrim Fathers Church, where pilgrims worshiped before sailing to America. After being almost completely reconstructed following WWII, the city is now known for bold, modern architecture. 

Architecture: La Casa Rosa, Randwick, Australia

A modern house designed by Luigi Rosselli Architects, La Casa Rosa is the romantic reimagination of a heritage property. Combining architecture from the late 19th century with contemporary additions, the renovated home forms a considered and contemporary home.

Video timeline: 00:00 – The Local Project Print Publication 00:10 – Introduction to the Modern House 00:58 – Entering the House 01:57 – Maintaining the Existing Home 02:53 – Utilising Fluid Lines 03:25 – The Pool 04:18 – Selecting the House Colour 05:02 – What the Architect is Most Proud Of 05:41 – The Local Project Print Publication Subscription

Settled on an escarpment overlooking the Pacific Ocean, La Casa Rosa is accompanied by many other Victorian buildings. The steep roof of the modern house testifies to its roots, obviously referring to the architecture of its time. In materiality, La Casa Rosa pays homage to its past. Bricks, timber and sandstone reference the palette of the built surrounds, whilst some of the original roof tiles are used to make a tile screen.

To the rear, the tile screen breaks the western sun, but is also used in connected the original and modern roof structures. Entering through the front of the modern house, the small, original rooms are immediately revealed as the children’s bedrooms. The back of the modern house represents the contemporary addition. An open-plan living space encapsulates the kitchen, dining and sitting area, with a staircase that leads to the first floor.

Outdoors, Luigi Rosselli Architects also retains the pre-existing pool, a peanut-shaped feature that complements the landscaping concept. Incorporating the fluid lines that have become synonymous with the work of Luigi Rosselli Architects, La Casa Rosa is undoubtedly a modern house. However, the completed project sees historic architectural elements subtly blended with the latest features, establishing a cohesive dwelling that proudly represents its past.

Morning News: China-Hong Kong, New Israel Elections, Japan Heatwave

How is China marking the 25th anniversary of Beijing ruling Hong Kong? Plus: the dissolution of parliament and calls for more elections in Israel, and a record heatwave in Japan.

Cover Preview: Science Magazine – July 1, 2022

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An ash and gas plume rises from Hunga volcano, Tonga, on 14 January 2022. Global geophysical observations reveal that the climactic eruption that followed on 15 January produced a broad range of atmospheric waves, with pressure wave amplitudes comparable with those from the 1883 Krakatau eruption. While propagating over the world’s oceans, the remarkable atmospheric waves generated complex fast-traveling tsunamis. See pages 3091, and 95.

Photo: Taaniela Kula, Tonga Geological Services

United Kingdom set to abandon EU funding and go it alone
  • Horizon Europe grants held hostage over Brexit dispute

Silence greets requests to flag retracted studies

Authors and editors ignored warnings about citing noted fraudster, exposing a problem in scholarly publishing

Hidden carbon layer sparked ancient bout of global warming

Deep carbon exhumed by volcanic rift between Greenland and Europe implicated in 56-million-year-old hothouse

Previews: The Florentine Magazine – July/Aug 2022

The Florentine July/August 2022 

Love, Spritz + Gelato

My forearms are sticking to the desk as I type this month’s letter. It’s an irksome feeling that’s offset by last night’s joy of dancing wildly at a wedding and an afternoon dip in a kind friend’s swimming pool. Summer in Florence is an intoxicating mix of sweat, fun and gelato. While many of us escape to our countries of origin for as long as we can, there’s something undeniably alluring about these sun-streaked months in Tuscany. Just think back to movies such as Stealing Beauty and Under the Tuscan Sun before fast forwarding to recent Netflix films Toscana and Love & Gelato. Stereotypes aside—and there are far too many to mention in these productions (Netflix, we’re here if you fancy delving deeper into our city and region!)—summer in Florence never stops working its inexplicable magic. Yes, the wall of heat and buzz of mosquitoes may be draining during the day, but the night brings boundless pleasures, from movie nights by the Uffizi to exhibitions at just-reopened Forte di Belvedere, refreshing beers beside the Arno and brilliantly oddball cultural moments such as a wheat threshing festival in the hills (find out more about that gem on page 16).