“I want to paint like a bird sings,” Claude Monet once stated. In this episode of Expert Voices, Simon Shaw describes Monet’s direct and unmediated response to his subject matter. In The Islands in Port-Villez, one can feel just that – Monet sitting on his boat on the seine, absorbing his surroundings.
Design: French Architect Jean Nouvel’s ‘Cave Resort’ In Saudi Arabia (Video)
French architect Jean Nouvel has revealed plans for a subterranean resort and hotel that would be hidden within the rock dwellings of AlUla, a natural region of north-west saudi arabia. located deep within the sharaan nature reserve, the project references the nearby hegra — a famous archaeological location that forms the country’s first UNESCO world heritage site. set to be completed by 2024, the development will include 40 guest suites and three villas. meanwhile, a retreat summit center nearby will feature 14 private pavilions.
Artist Profiles: 84-Year Old American Minimalist Frank Stella (Video)
In this episode of Expert Voices, Lisa Dennison discusses a masterful painting created by Frank Stella in the early part of his career. In the 1950s, Stella left Princeton and moved to New York at the height of Abstract Expressionism. Despite being a progenitor of Minimalism, Stella’s gestural hand is visible in the concentric squares – most likely influenced by the Abstract Expressionists.
Frank Philip Stella is an American painter, sculptor and printmaker, noted for his work in the areas of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction. Stella lives and works in New York City.
Healthy Longevity: ‘The Science Of Aging’ (Salk Institute Video)
“Aging is such a profound part of not only the human experience but all life on Earth,” says Salk Vice President/Chief Science Officer Martin Hetzer. “It’s one of the big, untapped opportunities in biomedical research, particularly around questions on what role exercise, nutrition and cognitive stimulation play in staying healthy throughout life. It is important not to forget that getting older also comes with benefits; we want to take a holistic view of human health at all ages and understand it from all angles.”
Scientists want to answer intriguing questions: Why are some people able to “age well,” trekking up mountain ranges or rafting through white water in their nineties, while others live just as long, disease-free, but grow inexplicably frail decades sooner? Worse yet, why does advanced age sometimes diminish cognitive ability or even lead to dementia?
In numerous diseases, age itself is the major risk factor. Cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and many other afflictions become profoundly more likely the older we get. Aside from extending our life spans, scientists want to know how we can also extend our health during advanced age. What is emerging from research is that aging–loosely defined as a systems-wide deterioration of our cells, organs and genetic material that results in disease or damage–is a collective and complex process in the body.
Travel & Culture Videos: ‘Charente Region’, France
Roumazières-Loubert is known as the “city of clay”. This small town in France’s western Charente region has been turning the precious raw material into tiles for more than a century. For 40 years, Bernadette has been passionate about working with clay and says the local factory has become her second home. A little further south, the town of Chalais boasts opulent villas along the railway line: a unique architectural heritage. Jean-Louis shows us the impressive medieval castle, while Joël takes us to discover the world of traditional cattle farming, with calves fed under their mothers.
Travel Videos: ‘Comparing Different Airline Flights During Covid-19’ (WSJ)
As airports and airlines around the world continue to operate in the midst of a global pandemic, not every flight and region has the same Covid-19 protocols. Three WSJ reporters flew to different regions around the world to look at how air travel has changed.
Top Home Design Video: A ‘Storybook’, Converted Victorian Stable House In King’s Cross, London
Step through the looking glass and into the story-book inspired house of architect Sally Mackereth in King’s Cross, a playful world of mystery, discovery and fun in a former Victorian stable.
As head of her architecture and design studio, Sally draws from her 25-year career working internationally to design residential and commercial projects with her signature style, defined by material rich spaces that play with colour, texture and detail. Recent projects have included the updating of a listed artist’s studio in Chelsea, London, once the workspace of James Whistler, Augustus John and John Singer Sargent; and the interiors of pied-a-terre for an art-loving couple in Tribeca, New York City. A sense of fun and glamour runs through the practice’s work, and Sally’s own living spaces are no exception.
Kings Cross is a district in Central London, England, 2.5 miles (4.8 km) north west of Charing Cross. It is served by London King’s Cross railway station, the terminus of one of the major rail routes between London and the North.[3]
The area has been regenerated since the mid-1990s with the terminus of the Eurostar rail service at St Pancras International opening in 2007 and the rebuilding of King’s Cross station, a major redevelopment in the north of the area.
Medical Innovation Video: ‘Nerve Damage Repair’
A new recipe for patterning cells on a surface holds promise for spinal cord injuries. Video by the Office of Communications
Top Street Foods Video: ‘Osaka Pizza’ In Japan (2020)
Osaka Pizza, in Japan commonly known as Okonomiyaki, prepared in the streets of Osaka.
Health Studies: 80% Of Married Couples Share Heart Disease Risks, Poor Health Lifestyles (JAMA)
In this cross-sectional study of 5364 couples consisting of employees and spouses (or domestic partners) undergoing an annual employer-sponsored health assessment, 79% of the couples were in the nonideal category of a CV health score. This within-couple concordance of nonideal CV health scores was associated mostly with unhealthy diet and inadequate physical activity.
The study included 10 728 participants (5364 couples): 7% were African American, 11% Hispanic, 21% Asian, and 54% White (median [interquartile range] age, 50 [41-57] years for men and 47 [39-55] for women). For most couples, both members were in the ideal category or both were in a nonideal category.
Concordance ranged from 53% (95% CI, 52%-54%) for cholesterol to 95% (95% CI, 94%-95%) for diet. For the CV health score, in 79% (95% CI, 78%-80%) of couples both members were in a nonideal category, which was associated mainly with unhealthy diet (94% [95% CI, 93%-94%] of couples) and inadequate exercise (53% [95% CI, 52%-55%] of couples). However, in most couples, both members were in the ideal category for smoking status (60% [95% CI, 59%-61%] of couples) and glucose (56% [95% CI, 55%-58%]).
Except for total cholesterol, when 1 member of a couple was in the ideal category, the other member was likely also to be in the ideal category: the adjusted odds ratios for also being in the ideal category ranged from 1.3 (95% CI, 1.1-1.5; P ≤ .001) for blood pressure to 10.6 (95% CI, 7.4-15.3; P ≤ .001) for diet. Concordance differed by ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographic location.
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