Category Archives: Views

Walking Tours: Village Of Bomarzo In Central Italy

Bomarzo is a town of the province of Viterbo (Lazio, central Italy), in the lower valley of the Tiber. Bomarzo’s main attraction is a garden, usually referred to as the Bosco Sacro (Sacred grove) or, locally, Bosco dei Mostri (“Monsters’ Grove”), named after the many larger-than-life sculptures,

Video timeline: 0:00 – [Drone intro🌐] 1:30 – [Walking tour begins👣 / Via del Castello (Castle Alley)🏰] 2:50 – [Statue of St.Anselmo – [Via del Castello (Castle Alley)] 3:33 – [Porta Nuova (New Gate)🏛] 5:00 – [Entrance to the old town📸] 6:20 – [Via Borghese & Borghese Palace] 7:40 – [Piazza Duomo⛲] 8:30 – [Duomo of Bomarzo / Church of St.Maria Assunta – *tour inside*⛪☀️] 12:33 – […re-used old roman funeral statues?🏺] 13:38 – [Via Regina Elena] 14:38 – [Via della Pace (Alley of Peace)🌹] 15:30 – [Piazza G.Pepe⛲] 15:55 – [Church of St.Anselmo – *tour inside*⛪☀️] 18:34 – [Via Daniele Manin] 19:40 – [Panorama on the valley⛺] 20:50 – [Via Vittorio Emanuele] 21:10 – [Charity Exhibit for less privileged people🎈] 22:30 – [Beware of the cat!🐱] 26:00 – [Piazza Garibaldi⛲] 28:18 – [Very charming narrow passage…📸] 29:50 – [Porta Nuova (New Gate)🏰] 32:30 – […descending to the eastern part of Bomarzo…👟] 35:46 – [Piazza della Repubblica⛲]

some sculpted in the bedrock, which populate this predominantly barren landscape. It is the work of Pier Francesco Orsini, called Vicino (1528–1588), a condottiero or mercenary and a patron of the arts. The park of Bomarzo was intended not to please, but to astonish, and like many Mannerist works of art, its symbolism is arcane; for example, one large sculpture is of one of Hannibal’s war elephants, which mangles a Roman legionary, and another is a statue of Ceres lounging on the bare ground, with a vase of “fruits of the earth” perched on her head. The many monstrous statues appear to be unconnected to any rational plan and appear to have been strewn almost randomly about the area, sol per sfogare il Core (“just to set the heart free”) as one inscription on an obelisk says.

Front Page: The New York Times – February 19, 2023

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Blinken Has Tense Meeting With Chinese Official Amid Spy Balloon Furor

A high-altitude surveillance balloon was recovered this month off the coast of South Carolina.
CREDITMCS1 TYLER THOMPSON/U.S.NAVY

The meeting resumed diplomatic contact between Washington and Beijing that had been frozen since the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon.

Haley Walks Treacherous Road for G.O.P. Women

Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign is a major test of her party’s views on sexism and female leaders. Just don’t call it identity politics.

How Climate Change Is Making Tampons (and Lots of Other Stuff) More Expensive

Cotton farmers in Texas suffered record losses amid heat and drought last year, new data shows. It’s an example of how global warming is a “secret driver of inflation.”

As the Pandemic Swept America, Deaths in Prisons Rose Nearly 50 Percent

‌The first comprehensive data on prison fatalities in the Covid era sheds new light on where and why prisoners were especially vulnerable.

Village View: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin In France (4K)

February 2023- A walking tour of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, Southeastern France, between Monaco and Menton. In 2018, it had a population of 12,824. The name was changed from Roquebrune to differentiate the town from Roquebrune-sur-Argens in neighbouring Var.

Front Page: The New York Times – February 18, 2023

New York Times Front Page, New York Edition

U.S. and China Vie in Hazy Zone Where Balloons, U.F.O.s and Missiles Fly

American officials are worried China is far along in developing military technology that operates in the unregulated high-altitude zone of “near space.”

Norfolk Southern’s Profits and Accident Rates Rose in Recent Years

Safety experts say a focus on financial returns may be partly to blame for derailments and accidents like the one in Ohio.

A Homeless Student Received Aid for an Apartment. Then Came the Hard Part.

As the housing crisis deepens in Los Angeles County, one young woman learns that searching for a place of her own is more difficult than ever.

What Does It Mean to Be a Progressive in New York City?

Leaders of the leftist movement here demanded loyalty and a pledge to a new statement of principles. That’s when the trouble erupted.

Front Page: The New York Times – February 17, 2023

New York Times Front Page, New York Edition

A New Goal for Abortion Bills: Punish or Protect Doctors

The legislative calendar is packed with 300 abortion bills. “You can’t go to jail for screwing up an appendectomy,” one lawmaker said.

Federal Officials Send Help After Ohio Derailment, but Residents’ Frustrations Persist

A visit to East Palestine from the head of the E.P.A. and a White House pledge to lend more support were met with skepticism in the community.

Behind China’s Balloons, a Push for Business to Serve the Military

The Chinese government has tried to meld its military and civilian innovation, prompting a backlash from the United States.

A Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled

A very strange conversation with the chatbot built into Microsoft’s search engine led to it declaring its love for me.

Front Page: The New York Times – February 16, 2023

New York Times Front Page, New York Edition

U.S. on Track to Add $19 Trillion in New Debt Over 10 Years

Congressional Budget Office projections released on Wednesday suggested rising interest rates and bipartisan spending bills are adding to deficits.

As Lawmakers Spar Over Social Security, Its Costs Are Rising Fast

New budget projections show that the program’s spending is outpacing tax revenues as an aging population claims benefits.

As Taliban Settle In, Kabul’s Green Zone Comes Back to Life

Walking down its streets a year ago was like wandering into the modern ruins of another empire come and gone from Afghanistan. Now, the Taliban have adopted the former diplomatic enclave as their own.

Before the Gunfire, It Was Their Glittering ‘Dancing Star’

The mass shooting in Monterey Park threatened a community of ballroom dancers who share a rich history. They hope to find a way to carry on.

Front Page: The New York Times – February 15, 2023

New York Times Front Page, New York Edition

Under the Rubble: Gasps of Air, Protein Powder and Miraculous Rescues

Nine people were rescued in Turkey over a week after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated the region. The rescues were rare bright spots in one of the bleakest periods in memory for Turkey.

Earthquakes Destroy. People Rebuild.

Cities are a form of life and they need constant care to stay strong. They didn’t get that care in Turkey.

Inflation Cooled Just Slightly, With Worrying Details

Consumer Price Index inflation has been slowing compared with a year ago, but evidence is mounting that it could be a long road back to normal.

Elementary School. High School. Now College. Michigan State Students Are No Strangers to Mass Shootings.

The gunfire on Monday night left three dead and five critically injured. For some students, the familiar rituals of sorrow, anger and disbelief were playing out again.

Front Page: The New York Times – February 14, 2023

New York Times Front Page, New York Edition

Netanyahu’s Judicial Overhaul Sparks Huge Protests in Israel

As Benjamin Netanyahu’s government pressed ahead with plans to limit judicial influence, Israelis thronged to unusually large rallies.

China’s Top Airship Scientist Promoted Program to Watch the World From Above

Corporate records and media reports reveal an airship scientist at the center of China’s high-altitude balloon program. Companies he has founded were among those targeted by Washington.

They Were Told Their Building Was Earthquake Safe. It Collapsed Anyway.

Some structures promoted as being built to modern seismic codes did not withstand the quake in Turkey. One upscale tower that fell may have had a design flaw, engineers said.

The College Board’s Rocky Path, Through Florida, to the A.P. Black Studies Course

The nonprofit met with Governor DeSantis’s state officials, who asked whether the course was “trying to advance Black Panther thinking.”

Front Page: The New York Times – February 13, 2023

New York Times Front Page, New York Edition

Amnesty in Turkey for Construction Violations Is Scrutinized After Quake

Survivors and building experts say poor construction most likely exacerbated the scale of the earthquake’s destruction, as the death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 33,000 people.

What’s Going On Up There? Theories but No Answers in Shootdowns of Mystery Craft.

The U.S. and Canada are investigating three unidentified flying objects shot down over North America in the past three days. Militaries have adjusted radars to try to spot more incursions.

With Another Super Bowl Comeback, Patrick Mahomes Brightens N.F.L.’s Future

Capping a season plagued by shocking injuries and turnover among football’s most recognizable names, Mahomes, the Kansas City quarterback, dazzled in a Super Bowl win over Philadelphia.

They Are Russians Fighting Against Their Homeland. Here’s Why.

In the Free Russia Legion, soldiers repelled by Vladimir Putin’s invasion have taken arms against their home country, engaged in some of the most heated fighting in the war.

Front Page: The New York Times – February 12, 2023

New York Times Front Page, New York Edition

As Anger Swells Over Quake, Turkey Detains Building Contractors

As the death toll in Turkey and Syria passed 28,000, Ankara was coming under growing criticism for its slow response and tolerance of shoddy construction.

What the Earthquake Destroyed in the Heart of One Turkish City

The Times identified nearly 200 buildings, many of them eight or more stories tall, in central Kahramanmaras that were damaged or destroyed.

U.S. Jet Shoots Down Flying Object Over Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he and President Biden had ordered the object violating Canadian airspace to be taken down, a day after another object was shot out of the sky near Alaska.

Terror Trial Could Yield Manhattan’s First Death Penalty in 60 Years

Sayfullo Saipov was convicted of fatally mowing down eight people in a 2017 bike-path rampage in New York. Will 12 jurors vote to execute him?