Category Archives: Views

Cinematic Travel: Spirits of Yakushima Island, Japan

Aeon Video (October 2023) – A hike through a Japanese forest is a love letter to Hayao Miyazaki’s classic film ‘Princess Mononoke.’ The Spirits of Yakushima forms a gentle argument for the transportive, perhaps even spiritual power of film to pull viewers into new worlds.

Directed by Steve Atkins (https://www.steveatkins.co/)

Music by Rob Martland (http://www.robmartland.com/)

360° Travel: An Aerial Tour Lake Elton In Russia (8K)

AirPano VR Films (October 13, 2023) – A 360°  aerial tour of Lake Elton, a highly saline lake, in the Volgograd oblast (province), near the Russian border with Kazakhstan. The lake occupies an area of 59 square miles (152 square km) and is only 1–2 feet (0.3–0.6 m) deep. It is 60 feet (18 m) below ocean level. Salt, extracted from the lake since the early 18th century, is used for the production of magnesium chloride. Other minerals are located nearby.

The New York Times — Friday, October 13, 2023

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Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Worsens as Israel Prepares a Possible Invasion

Searching for survivors and bodies in a building after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Thursday in Khan Younes, in the southern Gaza Strip.

As Israel retaliates for the Hamas assault last weekend and plans a potential ground attack, its airstrikes have left Gazans without power, water and medical care.

As Israel Prepares for War in Gaza, Debate Is Over How and How Long

An Israeli tank near the town of Sderot at the border with Gaza during the seven-week war with Hamas in 2014.

The country’s new unity government agrees that Hamas must be destroyed so it can never attack Israel again, but there is little appetite for a reoccupation.

The Retired Israeli General Who Grabbed His Pistol and Took On Hamas

By rushing to confront the attackers himself, Israel Ziv has become a public symbol of Israel’s former military successes — and its failure this time.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s Closest Friends Become His Foes in Courtroom Clash

The FTX founder’s criminal trial has made clear just how much his inner circle has turned against him.

France Culture: The Gulf Of Morbihan In Brittany

FRANCE 24 English (October 12, 2023) – In the Breton language, its name means “little sea”. The Gulf of Morbihan, in the French region of Brittany, is made up of around 40 islands, all of them small paradises.

The largest of them, l’Île aux Moines, is the most popular with tourists. Others belong to private owners, who live out their desert island dream. Oysters are farmed all year round on this storm-protected inland sea.

We take a closer look. Read more about this story in our article: https://f24.my/9r7U.y

The New York Times — Thursday, October 12, 2023

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Israel Forms Unity Government and Bombs Gaza in the Wake of Hamas Attack

Palestinians inspecting damage on Wednesday after overnight Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younes, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Following the deadliest assault on Israel in half a century, the country is vowing to crush Hamas, and both sides are bracing for an escalating war.

How Israel’s Feared Security Services Failed to Stop Hamas’s Attack

Hamas fighters used earth-moving equipment to breach the border fence between Gaza and Israel on Saturday, allowing more than 1,500 fighters to surge through nearly 30 points along the border.

Israel’s military and espionage services are considered among the world’s best, but on Saturday, operational and intelligence failures led to the worst breach of Israeli defenses in half a century.

A Texas Community Attracts Migrant Home Buyers, and Republican Ire

The development near Houston offers cheap land and unconventional financing to buyers, many of them undocumented immigrants. Gov. Greg Abbott has called for hearings.

Who Runs the Best U.S. Schools? It May Be the Defense Department.

Schools for children of military members achieve results rarely seen in public education.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Oct 11, 2023

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Israel Retakes Towns Near Gaza as Its Military Readies Major Offensive

Israeli soldiers on Tuesday in the village of Kfar Azza, which was attacked by Hamas militants on Saturday.

“The next step is to move forward, go on the offense,” an Israeli general said, as the country called up more reservists in response to devastating attacks by Palestinian gunmen who killed more than 900 people.

Washington Rallies Behind Israel, but a Lasting Consensus May Prove Elusive

Mourners at the funeral of Col. Roi Levy, 44, in Jerusalem on Monday. Colonel Levy, who commanded Israel’s elite “Ghost” unit, was killed in fighting with Hamas militants after they infiltrated Israeli border towns.

Democrats and Republicans put aside an increasingly partisan divide over Israel to condemn the Hamas attack. But that support may be harder to maintain as Israel retaliates.

‘It’s Not a War or a Battlefield. It’s a Massacre.’

A Times reporter and photographer visited an Israeli village raided by Palestinian gunmen.

Nowhere to Hide in Gaza as Israeli Onslaught Continues

Residents and health authorities say that mosques, hospitals and schools are being targeted by airstrikes.

Architecture: A Modern Garden Home In Sydney

The Local Project (October 10, 2023) – Inspired by the nearby waterways and bushland, Downie North creates a garden home that not only exists in conversation with the surrounding landscape but also provides a sense of retreat.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Garden Home 01:15 – The Layout and Walkthrough of the Home 03:02 – Landscaping Features 03:28 – Utilising Concrete Throughout 03:54 – Raw and Primal Materials 04:56 – Control of The Light 05:24 – Rewarding Aspects of the Design

Defined by a gradual reveal of interior spaces, Castlecrag Courtyard eloquently encapsulates slow living. Located on the ridge of Castlecrag, a harbourside suburb just north of Sydney’s CBD, Castlecrag Courtyard features a northerly aspect and a sloping site to the south. As such, the challenge of this project was about maximising sunlight and privacy whilst opening up to the 180-degree city and harbour views.

The garden home features a north-facing courtyard, which allows natural light to enter the interior living spaces whilst creating private external areas. The house tour reveals an architectural layout that encourages circular movement, meaning one is always met with changing views. The home is made up of three levels, and, upon arrival, one is met with a bush path before entering the ground floor, which contains the main living and kitchen areas.

#GardenHome #Nature #TheLocalProject

The New York Times — Tuesday, October 10, 2023

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Israel Orders ‘Complete Siege’ of Gaza and Hamas Threatens to Kill Hostages

Israeli soldiers in a cotton field on Monday near Kfar Menahem, Israel.

Israel mobilized 300,000 reservists amid signs that it could be preparing for a major ground invasion of Gaza, and it bombed hundreds of sites, including mosques and a marketplace.

Attack Ends Israel’s Hope That Hamas Might Come to Embrace Stability

Members of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, in 2011.

Israel had considered Hamas a terrorist organization but one that could play a useful role for Israel in the Gaza Strip, which the group controls. Now, senior Israeli officials say, Hamas must be crushed.

‘I Just Hope That They Are Alive’: How Hamas Abducted 150 Israelis

Palestinian militants kidnapped scores of Israelis in an unprecedented attack that took the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into unknown territory. Their relatives recount how they were captured.

Russia’s Economy Is Increasingly Structured Around Its War in Ukraine

The nation’s finances have proven resilient, despite punishing sanctions, giving it leeway to pump money into its military machine.

The New York Times — Monday, October 9, 2023

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Hamas Attack Raises Questions Over an Israeli Intelligence Failure

Israeli soldiers in Sderot, Israel, which Hamas gunmen attacked as part of a multifaceted assault on Saturday.

American and Israeli officials said none of Israel’s intelligence services had specific warning that Hamas was preparing a sophisticated assault.

‘There Were Terrorists Inside’: How Hamas’s Attack on Israel Unfolded

Cars damaged in an attack by Hamas gunmen are seen on a road in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday.

Palestinian militants from Gaza raided Israel on Saturday, killing and abducting hundreds. Survivors have begun to recount the most complex attack on their territory in half a century.

A Shaken Israel Is Forced Back to Its Eternal Dilemma

The attack by Hamas forces Israel once again to confront the conflict that has haunted it since the creation of the modern state.

Fearing Third-Party Spoilers vs. Trump, Biden Allies Try to Squash Them

With Democrats worried that a third-party bid could throw a tight race to Donald Trump, President Biden’s top aides have blessed a broad offensive to starve such efforts of cash and ballot access.

Travel Guide: A One-Day Tour Of Vienna, Austria

DW Travel (October 8, 2023) – DW’s Hannah Hummel tours Vienna, the Austrian capital – from St. Stephen’s Cathedral to the Prater.

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:33 St. Stephens cathedral 01:02 Old Town 01:44 Hundertwasserhaus 02:31 Naschmarkt, eating Wiener Schnitzel 03:44 Meeting student Leonhard Pichler, why is Vienna so liveable? 05:04 Coffe house Demel 06:16 The Prater

Besides many more attractions, you’ll also discover why the Economist Group once again named Vienna the most livable city in the world. Which of Hannah’s stops in the video do you find most interesting?