Category Archives: Views

Australian Architecture: Somers Beach House Tour

The Local Project (August 11, 2023) – Following a brief that required a family beach house that was not only comfortable for two but could house visiting family members, Wellard Architects has delivered a house that flows over two levels. Located on the beachfront, Somers Beach House is formed from a holistic design approach that offers the owners a sense of oasis living.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to The Perfect Beach House 00:25 – Location of the House 00:42 – Brief for the Architect 01:17 – Walkthrough of the Home 02:20 – The Staircase 02:52 – Natural Elements of the House 03:23 – Material Palette 04:23 – Shadow Play in the House 04:54 – Holistic Design Approach

Connecting the house tour over the stacked living forms is the linking external staircase, which allows the two primary users to live independently, or shut down one half of the house when not in use. Furthermore, Somers Beach House is finished with an easy garden path that leads directly down to the sheltered rear yard by Fiona Brockhoff Design and then out further towards the beach.

Upon arrival to Somers Beach House, the house tour begins on the upper level, which contains the primary living, kitchen and dining zones, along with the main bedroom and bathroom. Centred around an established banksia tree, the lap pool allows for the owners to swim out and take in the surrounding views. Moreover, the linking staircase that connects the two levels also allows for easy access straight out to the beach and back through home without leaving sand in the internal spaces of the modern beachfront home.

To complement the home, the existing boatshed that was built in the 1950s was rebuilt and remodeled to the same footprint and dimensions of the original structure. Serving as a miniature version of the main home, the boatshed is filled with minimal furniture and gives the owners a space to find respite as they look over the ocean. As the house is located on the steepest part of the site, the architect has designed the home to cantilever at the southern end to both take advantage of views and connect to the landscape.

The New York Times — Friday, August 11, 2023

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U.S. Reaches Deal With Iran to Free Americans for Jailed Iranians and Funds

President Biden has made bringing home detained Americans a priority.

Five American detainees will eventually be allowed to leave Iran in exchange for Tehran gaining access to $6 billion for humanitarian purposes and the United States freeing several jailed Iranians.

Israel’s Supreme Court Prepares to Rule on Its Own Fate

Chief Justice Esther Hayut and fellow Israeli Supreme Court judges attend a hearing at the High Court in Jerusalem in January.

The justices will be scrutinized as never before at a hearing in September on the first part of a judicial overhaul that the government pushed through Parliament, angering many Israelis.

Supreme Court Pauses Opioid Settlement With Sacklers Pending Review

A federal appeals court had signed off on the agreement, which would shield members of the wealthy Sackler family from opioid-related lawsuits in exchange for billions to resolve thousands of claims.

Dozens of Children Die Every Year in Hot Cars. Could Technology Save Them?

A moment of forgetfulness by a distracted or sleep-deprived parent can be devastating. Experts and child-safety advocates have called for interior motion sensors in all vehicles.

Travel Tour: The Mystical Beauty Of Cambodia (4K)

Clairmont Films (August 10, 2023) – Cambodia is a Southeast Asian nation whose landscape spans low-lying plains, the Mekong Delta, mountains and Gulf of Thailand coastline.

Phnom Penh, its capital, is home to the art deco Central Market, glittering Royal Palace and the National Museum’s historical and archaeological exhibits. In the country’s northwest are the ruins of Angkor Wat, a massive stone temple complex built during the Khmer Empire.

The New York Times — Thursday, August 10, 2023

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Biden Orders Ban on New Investments in China’s Sensitive High-Tech Industries

An order by President Biden will prohibit venture capital and private equity firms from pumping money into Chinese efforts to develop semiconductors and other microelectronics.

The new limits, aimed at preventing American help to Beijing as it modernizes its military, escalate a conflict between the world’s two largest economies.

Special Counsel Obtained Search Warrant for Trump’s Twitter Account

Former President Donald J. Trump departing an airplane. He is wearing a blue suit, red tie and white shirt.

The warrant, obtained in January, is the first known example of prosecutors directly searching Donald J. Trump’s communications in the federal inquiry into the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

Maui Town Is Devastated by Deadliest Wildfire to Strike Hawaii

At least six people were killed in an inferno that tore through Lahaina, leveling entire neighborhoods.

Heat Singes the Mind, Not Just the Body

Hot weather can destabilize mood, exacerbate mental health disorders and complicate drug treatment. Climate change itself is a stressor, scientists say.

Michigan Travel: A Tour Of The Upper Peninsula

National Geographic (August 9, 2023) – From mountain biking to experiencing the northern lights, join National Geographic Photographer Michael George as he explores Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The Upper Peninsula is a forested region in Michigan bordering 3 of the Great Lakes and extending outward from Wisconsin. It’s connected to Michigan’s Lower Peninsula by the roughly 5-miles-long Mackinac Bridge, which spans the Straits of Mackinac.

Sandwiched between the 2 peninsulas is Mackinac Island, a car-free vacation destination with the iconic 1887 Grand Hotel and the Victorian-era Fort Mackinac. 

Scandinavia Walks: The Baltic Sea Summerhouse

Stockholm Walks Films (August 9, 2023) – A summer walk by a cottage on the Baltic Sea. Many Swedes have summer homes, and actually prefer them to be rather old fashioned without modern comfort.

Hang up your hand washed clothes outside and take a morning swim instead of a shower no matter the temperature and forget about indoor plumbing. A traditional sauna is what saves you those cold summers when the rain keeps pouring.

FINSKA VIKEN

The New York Times — Wednesday, August 9, 2023

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Ohio Voters Reject Constitutional Change Intended to Thwart Abortion Amendment

Voting at the Miami Township Civic Center in Ohio on Tuesday.

The contest was seen as a test of efforts by Republicans nationwide to curb voters’ use of ballot initiatives.

Previously Secret Memo Laid Out Strategy for Trump to Overturn Biden’s Win

A scheme to use false electors to keep Donald J. Trump in power was perhaps the most sprawling of the various efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The House Jan. 6 committee’s investigation did not uncover the memo, whose existence first came to light in last week’s indictment.

Turbulent Waters: How the Black Sea Became a Hot Spot in the War

The Black Sea, a largely overlooked part of the war in Ukraine, is suddenly a cauldron of military and geopolitical tensions. The region is deeply important to Moscow, Ukraine and the West.

Is Social Justice for the Birds? Audubon Attempts an Answer.

A battle over the group namesake’s ties to slavery grew into a conflict over diversity, highlighting complications that have arisen in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.

Weather: ‘Vorticity 5’ – A Storm Time-Lapse Film

Mike Olbinski Films (August 8, 2023) – Vorticity 5 took two years to film. Tens of thousands of miles across the central United States, from Montana to the Texas/Mexico border. A few hundred thousand shutter clicks. Loads of McDonalds, Subway and Allsups.

The most epic, cheap motels. And countless, stunning storms. This is the first time for any movie of mine where I have tornadoes AND haboobs make appearances. The haboob (dust storm) happened in May of 2022 in southwest Kansas. It was amazing and unexpected. Of all the clips that make up this film, I’m the most proud of that one.

It was like my world of chasing in Arizona finally collided with the universe of supercells and tornadoes on the plains. I hope you enjoy this film. The colors, the storms, the lightning, the twisters and the dust. It’s everything I love, everything I am continually awestruck by no matter how long I do this.

Architecture: Tour Of Garden House, Melbourne

The Local Project (August 8, 2023) – An inspiring renovation of an existing housing estate – The Secret Garden House that is Mount Eagle Estate – has since retained its relevance to influence a recent renovation by Zen Architects of one of the estate’s original homes, a secret Garden House.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Secret Garden House 00:42 – The Original House 01:04 – The Project Brief for the Home 01:30 – The Material Palette 02:00 – A Walkthrough of the Secret Garden House 02:55 – The Kitchen 03:38 – Enhancing the Existing Garden and Landscape 04:30 – Favourite Aspects of the House

Zen Architects enhances the existing natural landscape and ties the garden back into the home. The midcentury architecture of the secret Garden House had been subjected to minimal changes over the years. Referencing the estate’s design and teardrop shape of the community gardens that once populated it, Zen Architects reflected the curved topographical gestures and fluidity with a desire to subdue the house and make the landscape the hero. Light now enters the house at every opportunity, as do views of the garden beyond.

At the front, the secret Garden House is largely in its original form, although updates have been made through furniture and by optimising thermal comfort – insulating floors and ceilings, and fitting seals and flyscreens to windows. The result is a fully electric home that captures the spirit and beauty of its original 1930s form and exceeds the contemporary 6-star home energy rating.

Upon entry, one is immediately greeted with a panoramic view of the garden beyond – Zen Architects retains the original façade and the front three rooms to provide an unassuming entry that heightens the impact of the interventions beyond. Moving into the extension of the secret Garden House, elements of the landscape – including rock forms, native vegetation and gum trees – inform the natural and organic material palette of the home.

The New York Times — Tuesday, August 8, 2023

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‘It’s Not a Sprint,’ Ukraine’s Marines Insist. ‘It’s a Marathon.’

Ukrainian troops near the southern front line.

Journalists from The Times spent two weeks with troops from brigades trained and supplied by NATO to get their take on how, and where, the counteroffensive is going.

Abortion Drives Ohio Election on Amending the State Constitution

Early voting in Columbus ahead of Tuesday’s referendum.

The election on Tuesday highlights how Republican legislators are using their power in Ohio and elsewhere.

Xi Rebuilt the Military to His Liking. Now a Shake-Up Threatens Its Image.

Xi Jinping, China’s leader, set out to clean up the military a decade ago. But now his crown jewel, the missile force, is under a shadow.

The Secret Hand Behind the Women Who Stood by Cuomo? His Sister.

For nearly two years, Madeline Cuomo quietly worked with grass-roots activists to help smear her brother’s accusers. He was “seeing everything,” she told his defenders.