Morning News Podcast: Supreme Court Hearings, Coronavirus Relief Bill

Supreme Court nominee hearings set up partisan battle ahead of election, White House seeks limited coronavirus relief bill, and Minnesota community comes together to build a disabled Navy vet a ramp.

Travel Videos: ‘Mount Jefferson Wilderness’, In Northwest Oregon

Filmed and Edited by: James Parsons

Passing through the Mount Jefferson Wilderness two weeks before it would be dramatically changed for generations. I am currently section hiking the PCT through Oregon, and just happened to do this section 2 weeks before it was overtaken by fire.

The Mount Jefferson Wilderness is a wilderness area located on and around Mount Jefferson in the central Cascade Range of Oregon in the United States. It is situated where the Willamette, Deschutes, and Mount Hood National Forests meet. 

Global News: Ant Group & Fintech, Covid Disparities, US Election (Podcast)

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: Ant group and fintech come of ageeconomic disparities after covid-19 (09:30) the US election in miniature (17:00). 

New Travel Videos: ‘Praia Da Ursa Beach, Portugal’

Set on the Atlantic west coast just north of Cabo da Roca is a little gem of a beach – Praia da Ursa. Unspoilt and wild, this little beach is often cited as one of the most beautiful in the area. The name of the beach comes from the “Rocha da Ursa” (bear rock) one of two huge sea stacks at the northern end of the beach. It is said that the rock resembles a bear with its cub, although I can’t quite see this myself!

This beach is a little off the beaten track and access is difficult to say the least. It involves a bit of a scrabble down a steep sided valley with plenty of loose rocks under foot. Maybe this is why Praia da Ursa is one of the area’s unofficial naturist beaches.

Top French Estate Tours: ‘Rochefoucauld Castle’ In Charente River Valley

The castle, part of the Rochefoucauld family fiefdom for a thousand years is concealed from the visitor’s eye. Passed the automatic entrance gates, a long tree-lined bridle path with park and woods on one side and outbuildings on the other, turns towards the end to reveal the impressive façade. The estate stretches the length of the village or perhaps the reverse.

“He who lives without madness is not as wise as he thinks”, one of François-de-la-Rochefoucauld’s maxims.

Ground floor: The entrance archway with its mosaic floor tiles leads, on one side, to a small lounge that opens into a through dining room featuring a beautiful coffered ceiling and kitchen that was moved up to this floor in 19th century. Behind the dining room is one of the four staircases and a small bedroom and ensuite bathroom.

First floor: Two more intimate lounges are to be found on the ground floor for a cosier family atmosphere. Four bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, two of which have their private toilet and a fifth one with a shower room. Two of the bedrooms are very formal, full of history and decorative features: they have seen visitors such as Charles Quint in 16th century and Queen Mum in 20th century. 

The library: Originally, a renaissance gallery linked the castle to the library and chapel. The library had always been part of an ensemble. It is located in the centre, built on the site of a former watchtower and features a vaulted ceiling.

The main courtyard: An ornamental pond is fed by water from the river thanks to a clever system bringing water up to a tank on the library roof and from where it is then poured. Under part of the main courtyard, there are large vaults, built together in 15th century with the consent of King Charles VII, with an additional defensive wall, after helping the La Rochefoucauld to reconquer their castle.

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Sunday Morning Podcast: NEWS FROM ZURICH, AUSTRIA LONDON AND BANGKOK

Monocle’s editor in chief, Tyler Brûlé, discusses the weekend’s top news with guests Rob Cox, Chandra Kurt and Eemeli Isoaho. Plus: a word from our editors and correspondents in London and Bangkok, and a check-in with Rainer Nowak, editor in chief of Austria’s ‘Die Presse’ newspaper.

Innovative Home Tours: ‘Ultra-Modern Shipping Container’ – Kamloops, BC

In this video, we’re touring a really unique and modern shipping container home in Kamloops, BC, and hearing from the family’s story of how and why they host their shipping container on Airbnb. Cathi and her husband Trevor downsized to this small space three years ago after their sons had left home and the couple has been living in it full-time ever since.

The main house has 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room, and a full bathroom. It’s built with 4 recycled shipping containers. There’s an additional studio space that’s connected to the main house with a breezeway and it is set up as a fully self-contained micro cabin, plus there’s an awesome outdoor kitchen with a dining space and wood-fired pizza oven.

Travel Videos: ‘The Blue Ridge’ In The Carolinas

Back in March, it became clear that I’d be spending a lot of time at home in the Carolinas. The nearby Blue Ridge Mountains have been the backdrop for so many of my ideas, but I’ve never made them a main character in my work. I took this year as an opportunity to do just that. This project gave me a much-needed incentive to rediscover and truly appreciate the landscapes in my backyard- I hope it inspires you to do the same.

News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious