Category Archives: Views

Architecture Tour: Ridge Residence In Los Angeles

The Local Project (September 8, 2023) – Ridge Residence by Hsu McCullough is an architect’s own home. Conceived as an experimental, pavilion-style form in Los Angeles’s Sherman Oaks neighbourhood and designed by owners and architects Peggy Hsu and Chris McCullough, the experimental, Japanese-inspired house embraces its topography and provides a feeling of solitude in California.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Experimental Japanese-Inspired Home 00:54 – The Private Location 01:14 – External Materials 01:36 – An Original 1960’s Home 01:52 – The Functional and Balanced Design of the Kitchen 02:50 – The Internal Material Palette 03:48 – Integrating Japanese Wet Rooms 04:06 – Showcasing Collections 04:41 – Working with Dark and Brawny Materiality

Peggy and Chris – an avid collector – were drawn to the site’s potential for an experimental, Japanese-inspired architecture. Peggy says, “the area is less densely populated on the hillside and most properties have deep backyards. Ours frames an uninterrupted view of Fossil Ridge Park – it can never be developed and there are no homes, just a natural landscape featuring hillside oak trees and unique wildlife.” The interior design of this Japanese-inspired house features a textural materiality, and plants blur the boundaries between inside and out. Inside, texture, art and materiality converge in a layered interior.

An architect’s own home can often lead to experimental and deeply personal design outcomes – a sentiment that rings true in this house. The kitchen sits beneath a picture window that captures western sun and provides sightlines to the street. Given its proximity to the living room, its aesthetic relationship to the rest of the home was an important experimental consideration. As such, Peggy and Chris looked to Fisher & Paykel for appliances, tapping into the company’s integration capabilities and refined aesthetic to match their experimental vision.

The New York Times — Friday, Sept 8, 2023

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Ukrainians Embrace Cluster Munitions, but Are They Helping?

A Ukrainian soldier firing a 155 mm howitzer, the type of weapon used to launch cluster munitions, in the Donetsk region in March.

The weapons, banned by most countries over human rights concerns, are “not a magic wand,” but some Ukrainian troops say they are making a difference in fighting Russian forces.

How a New City Council Map of L.A. Turned Into a Political Brawl

The University of Southern California campus, in City Council District 9 in Los Angeles.

Blatant political gerrymandering occurs in cities across the country, many of them run by Democrats. In Los Angeles, a scandal over a racist recording was only the tip of the iceberg.

‘They Blew Our Lives Up’: South Sudanese Flee War in Sudan

Hundreds of thousands fled a grisly civil conflict years ago to settle in Sudan, to the north. With war now raging there, they are streaming home to a country ill-prepared to take them back.

A Colorado City Has Been Battling for Decades to Use Its Own Water

Lawsuits, protests and fierce disputes over who controls water in the parched American West have held up a crucial pipeline.

The New York Times — Thursday, Sept 7, 2023

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Biden Administration to Bar Drilling on Millions of Acres in Alaska

Caribou near a pipeline in Alaska this spring.

The administration will cancel oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and set aside more than half of the National Petroleum Reserve.

In Its First Monopoly Trial of Modern Internet Era, U.S. Sets Sights on Google

The 10-week trial, set to begin Tuesday, amps up efforts to rein in Big Tech by targeting the core search business that turned Google into a $1.7 trillion behemoth.

Bedtime Check-Ins and Verbal Abuse: Women’s Life in Spanish Soccer

More than a dozen women described sexism ranging from paternalism to verbal abuse. “What you really need is a good man,” a former national captain said players were told.

As Abortion Laws Drive Obstetricians From Red States, Maternity Care Suffers

Some doctors who handle high-risk pregnancies are fleeing restrictive abortion laws. Idaho has been particularly hard hit.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Sept 6, 2023

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North Korea Finds New Leverage in the Ukraine War

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un with Russia’s President Vladimir V. Putin in Vladivostok, Russia, in 2019. Russia has long been a crucial ally for the isolated North Korea.

Kim Jong-un is likely to seek missile and warhead technology in an expected visit to Russia, and he is already getting a public embrace he has long sought.

Ex-Leader of Proud Boys Sentenced to 22 Years in Jan. 6 Sedition Case

Enrique Tarrio led the Proud Boys during a period when far-right extremists moved from the fringes toward the center of conservative politics.

The prison term for Enrique Tarrio was the most severe penalty handed down so far to any of the more than 1,100 people charged in connection with the Capitol attack.

At Yale, a Surge of Activism Forced Changes in Mental Health Policies

For decades, the university required students seeking medical leaves to withdraw and reapply. A campus suicide set off a cascade of revisions.

Can Kenya Bring Order to Haiti? Doubts Are Swirling.

The African country has volunteered to send forces to Haiti as its security crisis spirals out of control. But the plan is facing pushback.

Travel Tour: Cycling The Atlantic Coast In Norway

MatthewNorway Films (September 5, 2023) – In early May 2023, Matthew Tolley set off to document Norway’s most famous long-distance route. The Atlantic coast, which is part of the Eurovelo 1, is perhaps the most spectacular coastline in the world.

This 6 episode series will take you beyond what you may have seen on YouTube before. We pull out all the stops to capture this unique area in all its wonder and beauty.

Landscape Design: Tour Of Boulder House In Sydney

The Local Project (September 5, 2023) – In Sydney’s Watsons Bay area, Creative Director at Wyer & Co. Anthony Wyer designs the landscape architects own family home.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Landscape Architects Family Home 00:45 – A Coastal Location 01:11 – A Walkthrough of the House 01:59 – The Fundamental Features 02:43 – Behind the Interior Design of the Home 03:30 – Weathering All Seasons and All Conditions 04:20 – The Plant Palette 05:00 – A Mediterranean Inspired Design

“When designing a garden, I believe it comes down to balance – balance of hard surfaces, soft surfaces, understanding the natural environment and the plant palette,” says Anthony of his approach to the house, which sits on a corner allotment.

On arrival, one is immediately met with a beautiful mature olive that overhangs the entrance, setting the scene for a home that clearly interacts with its garden and foliage. The interior design of the landscape architects own family home was designed with the help of interior designers Marco Meneguzzi and Tamsin Johnson, who saw the vision for the interior spaces align with the vision for the garden. It is the garden of the landscape architects own family home that is most impressive.

Anthony takes cues from both local and Mediterranean architecture and sensibilities to create an immersive outdoor retreat. One of the main features was the boulder in the rear garden – an impressive natural element central to the whole design. Other key features include a cabana structure covered in greenery, with its own planted roof, a fireplace, an open pergola that is waterproofed and a pool.

Whilst there is an expression of style, at the core of the garden is pragmatism and comfort, ensuring the outdoors can be enjoyed without needing to withstand the elements. The front, multi-tiered garden of the landscape architects own family home is elevated, faces the street and acts as an extension of the interior entertaining space. A plant palette of mature trees is used to create vibrancy and scale, which is combined with hedging and underplanting to imbue the home with softness.

The New York Times — Tuesday, September 5, 2023

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Kim Jong-un and Putin Plan to Meet in Russia to Discuss Weapons

A photograph released by North Korean state news shows Kim Jong-un, right, with Sergei K. Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, in July. Mr. Kim is expected to travel to meet President Vladimir V. Putin in Russia.

Russia seeks more weaponry for its war in Ukraine, and a North Korean delegation recently traveled to Russia by train to plan for Mr. Kim’s visit this month, officials say.

E.U. Official From Sweden Imprisoned in Iran for Over 500 Days

An advertisement featuring Johan Floderus.

The case of Johan Floderus, kept under wraps for more than a year, has become part of Iran’s “hostage diplomacy” as Tehran seeks concessions from the West.

A Conservative Push to Save Ken Paxton

The effort to help the Texas attorney general, whose impeachment trial starts Tuesday, is part of an ongoing struggle over the Republican Party’s future.

Faced With Evolving Threats, U.S. Navy Struggles to Change

A new generation of cheaper and more flexible vessels could be vital in any conflict with China, but the Navy remains lashed to big shipbuilding programs driven by tradition, political influence and jobs.

New Museum Exhibitions: ‘Manet/Degas’ At The Met

Photo collage of two paintings, with the words Manet/Degas overlaid on top; Left of boy wearing pink shirt and hat sitting on a red couch with a dessert; Right: Two people wearing tan and black sitting at a table against a tan wall.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (September 4, 2023) – This exhibition examines one of the most significant artistic dialogues in modern art history: the close and sometimes tumultuous relationship between Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas. Born only two years apart, Manet (1832–1883) and Degas (1834–1917) were friends, rivals, and, at times, antagonists who worked to define modern painting in France.

Manet/Degas

Manet/Degas - Yale University Press London

September 24, 2023–January 7, 2024

Through more than 150 paintings and works on paper,  Manet/Degas  takes a fresh look at the interactions of these two artists in the context of the family relationships, friendships, and intellectual circles that influenced their artistic and professional choices, deepening our understanding of a key moment in nineteenth-century French painting.

Manet/Degas is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris.

The New York Times — Monday, September 4, 2023

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Zelensky Replaces Defense Minister, Citing Need for ‘New Approaches’

The Ukrainian defense minister wearing  a green jacket and standing with his arms crossed in a doorway.

The fate of the defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, had been the subject of increasing speculation in Ukraine. It was the biggest shake-up in Ukraine’s government since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Never-Ending Nightmare of Ukraine’s Dam Disaster

Environmentally, economically and in terms of pure human suffering, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam unleashed untold damage. Months later, many communities are still reeling.

Amid Rain and Mud, Climactic ‘Burn’ Is Delayed at Burning Man Fest

Officials urged campers to conserve food and water on Sunday, as the police investigated one death. The annual burning of a manlike figure was postponed.

China to Its People: Spies Are Everywhere, Help Us Catch Them

As Beijing tries to enlist the “whole of society” to guard against foreign enemies, the line between vigilance and paranoia fades.

Travel Tour: Heidelberg In Southwestern Germany

DW Travel (September 3, 2023) – A tour of Heidelberg, located on the Neckar River in southwestern Germany. It’s known for venerable Heidelberg University, founded in the 14th century, the Gothic Heiliggeistkirche church towers over the cafe-lined Marktplatz, its Altstadt (Old Town) and the red-sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle, a noted example of Renaissance architecture, stand on Königstuhl hill. 

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro at the Old Bridge 00:43 Heidelberg’s old town and the Neckar 01:52 Why students love Heidelberg 02:42 The Ruprecht Karl University 03:10 Meeting Ariel Noriega from Mexico, Philosophy student, visiting the campus 05:08 The historic auditorium 05:44 Caféteria Zeughaus, how to find accomodation 07:35 Heidelberg castle 08:35 Old student prison, Studentenkarzer 09:39 Meeting Áine Fellenz from Ireland, Politics student