Category Archives: Reviews

Travel & Food: “Bellevue” Area Of Zurich Is Home Of Legendary “Kronenhalle Restaurant” (Podcast)

In 1924, Hulda and Gottlieb Zumsteg took over the erstwhile “Hôtel de la Couronne” on Rämistrasse 4, at the corner of Bellevue in Zurich. They reopened as the Restaurant Kronenhalle. Under the skilled management of restaurateur Hulda Zumsteg it soon became the meeting point of writers and artists.

Restaurant Kronenhalle Zurch MenuThe restaurant became popular with the local establishment and names such as Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, James Joyce, Richard Strauss, Max Frisch and Friedrich Dürrenmatt also graced the guest list. The Kronenhalle owes as much to its renowned guests as to Gustav Zumsteg, Hulda’s son, who followed in his mother’s footsteps, while putting his own inimitable stamp on it. His passion for art contributed to the Kronenhalle’s considerable prominence. Since 2005, his estate is being administered by the Hulda und Gustav Zumsteg foundation according to his last will.

Kronenhalle website

Health Research: Type 2 Diabetes Caused By “Overflow Of Fat” From Liver To Pancreas

From a Newcastle University news release:

“When fat cannot be safely stored under the skin, it is then stored inside the liver, and over-spills to the rest of the body including the pancreas. This ‘clogs up’ the pancreas, switching off the genes which direct how insulin should effectively be produced, and this causes Type 2 diabetes.”

Newcastle Clinical ResearchThis latest paper builds on previous Newcastle studies supported by Diabetes UK showing exactly why Type 2 diabetes can be reversed back to normal glucose control. Those studies led to the large DiRECT trial which showed that Primary Care staff can achieve remission of Type 2 diabetes by using a low calorie diet with support to maintain the weight loss.

A quarter of participants achieved a staggering 15 kg or more weight loss, and of these, almost nine out of 10 people put their Type 2 diabetes into remission. After two years, more than one third of the group had been free of diabetes and off all diabetes medication for at least two years.

In 2020, this approach to management of short duration Type 2 diabetes is to be piloted in the NHS in up to 5,000 people across England, and a similar programme is being rolled out in Scotland.

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Classic Cars: “1965 Corvette L76 Stingray”

From Wikipedia:

1965 Chevrolet Corvette L76 Stingray interiorFor its third season, the 1965 Corvette Sting Ray further cleaned up style-wise and was muscled up with the addition of an all-new braking system and larger powerplants. 1965 styling alterations were subtle, confined to a smoothed-out hood now devoid of scoop indentations, a trio of working vertical exhaust vents in the front fenders that replaced the previous nonfunctional horizontal “speedlines,” restyled wheel covers and rocker-panel moldings, and minor interior trim revisions. The 1965 Corvette Sting Ray became ferocious with the mid-year debut of the “Big-Block” 396 cu in (6,490 cc) engine producing 425 hp (317 kW).

Ultimately, this spelled the end for the Rochester fuel injection system, as the carbureted 396ci/425hp option cost $292.70 to the fuel injected 327ci/375hp’s $538.00. Few buyers could justify $245 more for 50 hp (37 kW) less, even if the FI cars offered optional bigger brakes not available on carbureted models.[18] After only 771 fuel injected cars were built in 1965, Chevrolet discontinued the option. It would be 18 years until it returned.

Classic Driver logo1965 also added another 350 hp small block engine (Option L79) which used hydraulic rather than solid lifters, a milder camshaft and a modestly redesigned smaller oil pan.[19] Otherwise, the 350 hp engine was cosmetically and mechanically identical to the 365 hp engine (Option L76) solid lifter engine. The smaller oil pan allowed this high output small block 350hp engine to be ordered with optional Power Steering for the first time amongst the optional stable of higher output small block engines. Power steering was previously only available with the lower 250 hp and 300 hp engines.

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New Neuroscience Books: “Physical Intelligence” By Scott Grafton (Jan 2020)

New Fiction Books In 2020: “The New Life Of Hugo Gardner” By Louis Begley

With an ominous oncologist’s report hanging over his head, Hugo decides to get away for a bit, to a conference in Paris. There, a new romance blooms and HugThe New Life of Hugo Gardner by Louis Begley March 2020 releaseo finds himself wondering if growing old in Paris might be the perfect antidote to the drama he left behind in New York. Unflinching, witty, and urbane as ever, Louis Begley delivers a spot-on satire of the world of New York’s aging elite, and uncovers the unexpected delights a late-in-life change can offer.

After four decades of what he believes to be a happy, healthy partnership, Hugo Gardner’s world is overturned when he learns that his wife, Valerie, is not only requesting a divorce but has left him for a younger, more vital man. Hugo, an octogenarian political writer and retired journalist for Time, must rethink the way he’s lived, and reassess how he’d like to spend his remaining years.

Reconsidering past relationships in his mind, with years of distance, Hugo begins to see things in a new light: Valerie, whose youth and ambition eventually came between them; his children, whose support might be more financially than emotionally motivated; and his friends, who, like him are rapidly aging before his very eyes.

Publisher

Mobility In The 2020’s: Top 15 Electric Bikes (Video)

If you haven’t been up on the world of electric bikes you may think that bikes with motors are bulky, ugly contraptions with little power. But electric bikes are quietly revolutionizing commuting and fitness around the world, setting a newer, higher standard for versatility and strength for today’s riders. In this video, we’re bringing you 15 Electric Bikes Changing the Way We Travel in 2019-2020.

Classic Car Nostalgia: “1963 Plymouth Valiant”

From Wikipedia:

1963 Chrysler Plymouth Valiant Signet 200 interiorThe Plymouth Valiant (first appearing in 1959 as simply the Valiant) is an automobile which was manufactured by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation in the United States from the model years of 1960 through 1976. It was created to give the company an entry in the compact car market emerging in the late 1950s. The Valiant was also built and marketed, without the Plymouth name, worldwide in countries including ArgentinaAustraliaBrazilCanadaFinlandMexicoNew ZealandSouth AfricaSweden and Switzerland, as well as other countries in South America and Western Europe. It became well known for its excellent durability and reliability, and was one of Chrysler’s best-selling automobiles during the 1960s and 1970s, essentially keeping the company afloat during its hard economic times.

Classic Driver logoThe Valiant was totally reskinned for 1963 with a 0.5 in (13 mm) shorter wheelbase; it had a wide, flat hood and a flat square rear deck. The upper belt feature line ran from the rear body, in a gentle sweep, to the front fender tip. Here it was ‘veed’ back and down to the trailing edge of the front fender. The roofline was flatter and sharpened in profile. The grille was a variation of the inverted trapezoid shape that characterized contemporary Chryslers, with a fine mesh insert. Advances in body structure, many accessories and a new spring-staged choke were promotional highlights. The Valiant was offered as a 2-door hardtop and convertible, a 2- or 4-door sedan, and a 4-door station wagon. The hardtop and the convertible, with manual- or optional power-operated top, were offered only in the high V200 and premium Signet trim levels.

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1960’s Television: “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1964) Celebrates 55 Years

From a Smithsonian Magazine online article:

When the special finally aired in 1964, it became such a hit that it has been rebroadcast every year since, making it the longest-running Christmas special in history. Even today, the special still punches above its weight; when Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer aired on CBS in 2016, it beat every show except This Is Us. In 2017, more viewers tuned in to watch Rudolph than A Charlie Brown Christmas, which ran on ABC in the same time slot.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x19l9n1

Reindeer and dentists, puppets and LED light bulbs, Gene Autry and General Electric—these odd pairings might not seem to have much in common. But each played an important role in the making of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, a classic Christmas special currently celebrating its 55th straight year of annual reruns. Before Rudolph lit up the small screen, a series of tragedies, twists of fortune and lucky coincidences allowed his tale to endure through decades—eventually ensuring a place in holiday tradition.

Smithsonian website

Art & Innovation: “Gweilo” Scupltured Lighting By Partisans Design, Toronto

Gweilo is a new collection of custom lights by PARTISANS. Inspired by the idea that light itself could be harnessed and manipulated to create a physical sculpture, PARTISANS developed a design that alters light at its source. Gweilo reimagines illumination to architectural effect.

As spectral sculptures that fold and bend like light rays themselves, the pieces function as accents, dividers, or centerpieces, gracefully delineating space to create an
ethereal atmosphere.

Gweilo Lighting Sculptures Partisans Design

Each Gweilo light is handmade using thermoforming, a technique that allows etched optical grade acrylic sheets to be custom-shaped while they are still in their hot plastic
state. The sheets are heated to just under 400°C, at which point they become molten and pliable. They are immediately removed from the heat source and sculpted to produce a
variety of distinct folds and curves. When the metal extrusion containing an embedded LED strip is affxed to the cooled sheet’s edge, light is diffused across the etchings, amplifying the luminescent output. The result is an infnite set of silhouettes and sizes that emulate the vital movement of light.

Website 

 

 

Podcast: Top Christmas Songs In France, England, Germany, Japan & U.S.

Top Christmas songs from the world’s top 5 music markets as selected by Monocle Magazine.

5. France – Johnny Hallyday (“Mon Plus Beau Noël”)

Johnny Hallyday Mon Plus Beau Noel Christmas Song Album cover

4. England – Pet Shop Boys (“Always On My Mind”)

Pet Shop Boys Always On My Mind England

3. Germany – Helene Fischer  (“Stille Nacht”)

 

Helene Fischer Stille Nacht

2. Japan –  Yamashita Tatsuro (“Christmas Eve”)

Tatsuro Yamashita Christmas Eve Japan

1. United States – Mariah Carey (“All I Want For Christmas Is You”)

Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas Is You United States

Monocle website