Category Archives: Videos

History, Landmarks, Reviews, Travel, Videos, Views

Africa Travel: The ‘Ksars’ Of Djado, Northern Niger

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FRANCE 24 (June 5, 2023) – A long trek across the desert of northeastern Niger brings visitors to one of the most astonishing and rewarding sights in the Sahel: fortified villages of salt and clay built on rocks, besieged by the Sahara sands.

Generations of travelers have stood before the “ksars” of Djado,  wandering their crenellated walls, watchtowers, secretive passages and wells, all of them testifying to a skilled but unknown hand.

The now ruined city Djado is located on the southern end of the Djado Pleateau in the Sahara in northern Niger. It is not clear who built the complex of fortified mud buildings (ksars). The city was a part Trans-Saharan trading network of the Kanuri people whose Kanem-Bornu Empire was founded before 1000 CE and at its greater extent covered what is now Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, southern Lybia and Eastern Niger.

It is not clear what caused the abandonment of the city after the 1860s: increased desertification, conflict or even a mosquito infestation have been proposed as possible causes. Since then it has been used by Toubou nomads for the cultivation of dates. The site also contains rock drawings and carvings from 12,000 to 6,000 BCE, depicting the fauna that roved the prehistoric Sahara. The Djado Plateau was added to the UNESCO Tenative List in 2006.

Niger or the Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest.

#Niger #lostcity #Sahara

Art, Arts & Literature, Design, Furniture, Profiles, Videos

Design: Sculpted Bronze Art Of Diego Giacometti

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Sotheby’s (June 5, 2023) – Trained in the school of Art Deco decorators and sculptors, Diego Giacometti was equally attached to the discipline of pre-WWII production standards as to the classical artistic vocabulary deriving from ancient Greece, Egypt and Etruscan decorative arts .

The eminent history and personal connection of these tables and lamps to the artist and one of his dearest friends echo the oeuvre of Diego Giacometti itself— a sumptuous and timeless universe in bronze filled with the unique character and artistic prolificity of a true poet.

The featured ”Racine” Guéridon in particular figures as one of Diego’s most rare and original creations in bronze. The piece shows the sculptor’s prowess at skillfully adapting an organic motif into a strikingly abstract and perfectly balanced composition, which is simultaneously sculptural in its intent and highly functional.

Adventure, Travel, Videos, Views

Travel: A Tour Of ‘Iceberg Alley’ Off Newfoundland

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Two men wearing jackets and hats stand at the edge of a boat looking out over the water, where a curvaceous iceberg, about the size of a house, floats in the water.
Guests aboard a tour boat approaching an iceberg near the town of Twillingate, Newfoundland.Credit…Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Where Whales, Puffins and Icebergs Jostle for Your Attention

The New York Times (June 5, 2023) – Each spring, opalescent icebergs from the Greenland ice sheet pass through Iceberg Alley, off the eastern edge of Canada, on a slow-motion journey southward.

An enormous white-and-green iceberg floats off the coastline, its shape defined by jagged peaks. In the foreground is a white-and-brown church that sits close to the coast.

“I never trust the mind of an iceberg,” Cecil Stockley told me. He estimates its length, multiplies by five and keeps his boat at least that distance away.

Dave Boyd said his safety rules depend on which type of iceberg he’s dealing with. “A tabular is generally pretty mellow,” Mr. Boyd explained as we floated off the coast of Newfoundland, referring to icebergs with steep sides and large, flat tops. “But a pinnacle” — a tall iceberg with one or more spires — “can be a real beast.”

Two small buildings — one red, one green with yellow trim — sit among a tangle of wooden piers and catwalks, along with a large bleached-white whale skeleton.
Dave Boyd, who captains tour boats, also runs Prime Berth, a museum and heritage center in Twillingate. Credit…Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Barry Rogers doesn’t just look at an iceberg; he listens to it, as well. When the normal Rice Krispies-like pop of escaping air bubbles gives way to a much louder frying-pan sizzle, the iceberg may be about to roll over or even split apart, he explained.

In 1912, one such iceberg struck the starboard side of the Titanic on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Over the years, plenty of others have done lesser damage to ships, oil rigs and even the occasional unlucky — or foolhardy — kayaker.

Read more at New York Times

Adventure, Tourism, Tours, Travel, Videos, Views

Hiking Trails: ‘Shetland Way’ To Open In Scotland

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The Times and The Sunday Times (June 5, 2023) – Seabird colonies, Viking ruins and untamed wilderness await walkers on the new Shetland Way — via a new direct flight from London Heathrow. Simon Parker explores the new hiking route.

The route covers approximately 80 miles and run through up the ‘spine’ of the islands linking Shetland’s natural, cultural and community assets, opening them up to walkers and potentially cyclists too.

Travel, Videos, Views

Travel: An Aerial Tour Of The Oregon Coast (4K)

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Rishuals Films (June 4, 2023) – The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately 362 miles from the California state border in the south to the Columbia River in the north.

Videos, Views

Profiles: : “The Book Of Charlie” – A 109-Year-Old Man’s ‘Well-Lived’ Life

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CBS Sunday Morning (June 4, 2023) – When Washington Post editor David Von Drehle moved into a new home, he found his neighbor, Charlie White, was not your typical 102-year-old. Striking up a friendship, Von Drehle discovered the colorful White, who’d already lived a couple of lifetimes, had a lot to teach others about making the most of our time alive.

Correspondent Luke Burbank talks with Von Drehle about a remarkable character, the subject of “The Book of Charlie.”

#biography #wisdom

Cities, Travel, Videos, Views

Travel: A Tour Of Dali In Yunnan Province, China

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Walk East Films (June 4, 2023) – Dali is a city in China’s southwestern Yunnan province, on the shores of Erhai Lake. Its history stretches back to the kingdom of Nanzhao (8th century). The walled old city, from the Ming dynasty, contains traditional homes and towers from the Bai ethnic minority.

Video timeline: 0:00 Intro 2:52 sunrise at Erhai Lake (Longkan Wharf) 20:20 Shuanglang Ancient Town 1:00:09 Old Town of Dali 1:49:14 Grand Theater of Yang Liping 1:55:53 Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple 2:06:50 Xizhou Ancient Town 2:42:15 Shaxi Ancient Town 3:15:18 Dali Santorini Sea View Villa Area 3:38:50 Erhai Lake Bike Tour 4:13:57 Downtown Area of Dali City 4:32:02 Shuanglang Ancient Town (2nd Version) 5:01:49 Morning Tour in Old Town of Dali 5:20:26 Mountain Top Park 5:24:34 Road trip to Shaxi Town

Beyond the old city rise the Three Pagodas of Chong Sheng Temple, dating to the 9th century.The walled old city, from the Ming dynasty, contains traditional homes and towers from the Bai ethnic minority. Beyond the old city rise the Three Pagodas of Chong Sheng Temple, dating to the 9th century. 

Travel, Videos, Views

Travel: Khan el-Khalili Street Market in Cairo

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LADmob Films (June 4, 2023) – Khan el-Khalili (Arabic: خان الخليلي) is a famous bazaar and souq (or souk) in the historic center of Cairo, Egypt. Established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais, the bazaar district has since become one of Cairo’s main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike.

It is also home to many Egyptian artisans and workshops involved in the production of traditional crafts and souvenirs. The name Khan el-Khalili historically referred to a single building in the area; today it refers to the entire shopping district.

Cities, Travel, Videos, Views

Walking Tour: Sausalito In Northern California (4K)

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Traveling with Andrew Films (June 3, 2023) – Sausalito is a city in Marin County, California, across the Golden Gate Strait from San Francisco. It’s known for its Richardson Bay houseboat enclaves, built by artist squatters after WWII.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Bay Model Visitor Center has a functioning 3D hydraulic model of the Bay Area, plus exhibits about the area’s waterways. The Marin Headlands offers Golden Gate Bridge views.

Recording Date: May 2023