Category Archives: Views

Travel: Himalayas Of India

Akshat Kishore Films (June 28, 2023) – The Indian Himalayan Region is the section of the Himalayas within the Republic of India, spanning thirteen Indian states and union territories, namely Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, West Bengal, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh.

“I spent 9 days on a road trip across the Himalayas , going to some of the most remote and least explored regions in India, travelling upto 17,000 feet above sea level and down to -10°C. These areas included Upper Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Kargil and Kashmir.”

The New York Times – Friday, June 30, 2023

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Supreme Court Rejects Affirmative Action Programs at Harvard and U.N.C.

Demonstrators in favor of affirmative action in Washington on Thursday.

In earlier decisions, the court had endorsed taking account of race as one factor among many to promote educational diversity.

With Supreme Court Decision, College Admissions Could Become More Subjective

Many schools have been planning for the Supreme Court’s decision for months, if not years, and have already made some moves toward “race-neutral” admissions.

Colleges have a game plan, like emphasizing the personal essay, but so do conservative groups that promise to monitor and, if necessary, go back to court.

Police Shooting in France Presents New Challenge for Macron

Protests over the fatal police shooting of a teenager come as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to restore a sense of calm after his pension overhaul ignited turbulence in the streets.

Dangerous Heat and Heavy Wildfire Smoke March Across North America

The twin threats have sickened people across the continent with little relief in sight.

Morning Views: Mont-Saint-Michel, France

MYGEMPICTURES (June 29, 2023) – Mont-Saint-Michel, rocky islet and famous sanctuary in Manche  départementNormandy  régionFrance, off the coast of Normandy.

Around its base are medieval walls and towers above which rise the clustered buildings of the village with the ancient  abbey  crowning the mount. One of the more popular tourist attractions in France, Mont-Saint-Michel was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

The New York Times – Thursday, June 29, 2023

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Smoky Skies Menace U.S. Cities, Driving Residents Indoors

Haze from Canadian wildfires blanketed the Pittsburgh skyline, as seen from West End Overlook in the Elliott neighborhood.

Across the nation’s middle, unhealthy air from Canadian wildfires sent summer campers home and left residents coughing, and asking when this would end.

Putin Moves to Punish Prigozhin Allies

A man in a dark suit sitting at a desk, holding papers and pointing forward. Behind him is a Russian flag.

Russia’s president indicates that associates of the Wagner group’s leader in government and the military will face punishment.

Something Was Messing With Earth’s Axis. The Answer Has to Do With Us.

Though you can’t feel it, Earth’s rotation is nowhere near as smooth as that of the globe on your desk.

Scientists knew the planet’s centerline could move. But it took a sharp turn sometime around the start of the 2000s.

A Night Out for Dinner Ends in Destruction and Death

A Russian missile strike on a popular restaurant in Kramatorsk, Ukraine killed at least 11 people, wounded dozens more, and showed the peril of trying to claim pieces of ordinary life during war.

Oceans: Marine Life In The Midnight Zone (BBC Earth)

BBC Earth (June 28, 2023) – A kilometre beneath the surface and beyond the reach of the sun, life can still flourish in this dark expanse.

The midnight zone is the single largest habitat on the planet, accounting for 70% of all seawater, but because of its remote location, it is poorly understood. Little is known about the animals that inhabit these waters, and even less is known about microbial life in this zone.

Travel Tour: The Hilltop Village Of Gordes, France

Tourist Channel Films (June 28, 2023) – The village of Gordes is perched on a rock at 340 metres high, in the Vaucluse département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France called the Luberon. It is the most visited locality in the Luberon and enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year.

The New York Times – Wednesday, June 28, 2023

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Putin Casts Mutiny as Proof of Solidity, as Belarus Opens Doors to Rebels

A photograph released by Russian state media showing President Vladimir V. Putin addressing members of Russian military units, the National Guard and security services at the Kremlin on Tuesday.

Belarus said it had taken in the mercenary boss Yevgeny V. Prigozhin and might welcome his Wagner troops, while Russia dropped a criminal investigation of him for the weekend uprising.

Supreme Court Rejects Theory That Would Have Transformed American Elections

Demonstrators gathered in front of the Supreme Court in 2022 to protest the case, Moore v. Harper.

The 6-to-3 majority dismissed the “independent state legislature” theory, which would have given state lawmakers nearly unchecked power over federal elections.

Russian General Knew About Mercenary Chief’s Rebellion Plans, U.S. Officials Say

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, may have believed he had support in Russia’s military.

The Unexpected Rescuers Who Found Colombia’s Missing Children

Colombia’s Indigenous Guard has long had to fight for a space in the national narrative. Today, it is at the center of the country’s biggest story.

Travel: Walking Tour Of Bad Gastein, Austria (2023)

Walking Tours Only Films (June 28, 2023) – Bad Gastein is an Austrian spa and ski town in the High Tauern mountains south of Salzburg. It’s known for the belle epoque hotels and villas built on its steep, forested slopes.

The Wasserfallweg is a path offering views of the town’s central Gasteiner Waterfall plummeting to the valley floor. Gothic frescoes adorn St. Nicholas Church. The Gasteiner Museum chronicles the town’s thermal springs and notable guests. 

Australia Design: Parkside Residence In Adelaide

The Local Project (June 27, 2023) – A house openly engaging with its surrounding context, Parkside Residence is both outwardly and inwardly focused to reference the existing formal language it is immersed within. Ashley Halliday Architects proposes a light-filled family home that combines heightened detailing with a sense of the familiar.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Light Filled House 00:42 – The Project Brief 01:11 – A Walkthrough of the Home 02:17 – Creating A Cosy Home 02:50 – The Cathedral Glass Wall 03:20 – A Focus on the Landscaping 03:56 – The Colour and Material Palette 04:41 – Experiencing the Freshness of the Home

Set within a heritage-rich area of inner south-east Adelaide, Parkside Residence is imagined as a house of considered proportions. In acknowledging its adjacent neighbours and the traditional forms in place, the proposal aims to also celebrate the silhouettes of the existing streetscape through the formation of two main gabled pavilion arrangements. Aligned perpendicularly to one another, the pair sit separated with a connective corridor space to bind them.

Whilst the home is a modern insertion within its traditional setting, by respectfully honouring the formal language of the established rooflines, the structure adds to the rhythm of the streetscape. Ashley Halliday Architects focuses on balancing both the privacy and experience of the house from within with a series of spaces that nestle comfortably. Ikon Projects crafts Parkside Residence to transition from a privately veiled home at the front to a more open collective of spaces to the rear.

The New York Times – Tuesday, June 27, 2023

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Putin Says Russia Is United Behind Him, After Quelling Rebellion

Watching President Vladimir V. Putin’s address to the nation on television in Moscow on Monday.

President Vladimir V. Putin spoke angrily of those who want “Russians to fight each other,” but his former ally, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, said the mutiny he led was not a coup attempt.

Minefields and Menace: Why Ukraine’s Pushback Is Off to a Halting Start

The Ukrainian Army is encountering an array of challenges that has complicated the early stages of its counteroffensive, especially the large swaths of minefields. But its leaders are urging patience, insisting the main push is yet to come.

Intensifying Rains Pose Hidden Flood Risks Across the U.S.

A red truck is surrounded by water on a highway with cars behind it and buildings in the distance.

In some of the nation’s most populous areas, hazardous storms can dump significantly more water than previously believed, new calculations show.

A.I. May Someday Work Medical Miracles. For Now, It Helps Do Paperwork.

Dr. Matthew Hitchcock poses for a photo in a lab coat, blue shirt and colorful bow tie.

The best use for generative A.I. in health care, doctors say, is to ease the heavy burden of documentation that takes them hours a day and contributes to burnout.