Top New Travel Videos: “Ladakh – Land Of The High Passes” (Indian Himalayas)

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Ladakh - Land Of The High Passes Travel Video by Neomoral 2019

The Himalayan terrain, beside the Great Indus, is infamous for its harsh and cold weather; oftentimes its landscapes are even unreachable to the common people. It’s a wonder really, what exactly transpires to make this place so fascinating.

Ladakh – The ‘Land of the High Passes’ – is among the most stunning parts of the Indian Himalayas. Widely known as the cold desert, it holds within itself beauty that is pristine and glorious. Stretching from peak to peak, it is an exquisite canvas of surreal art done with celestial strokes of red, ochre and purple rocks, made over thousands of years into shapes so unexpected and so phenomenal, the eye can hardly believe.

An icon of heavenly beauty, the scenery makes people either speechless or wholly expressive. Everyone gets stunned and nobody can remain indifferent.

Ladakh induces in all, a permanent high. A rush so unhinged, you struggle to find the adjectives to talk of the imprint it leaves on you.

Website: WWW.NEOMORAL.COM

Aging: 78-Year Old Author Paul Theroux Traveled To Mexico To “Feel Young”

From a BBC Travel online article:

Paul TherouxI think of myself in the Mexican way, not as an old man but as most Mexicans regard a senior, an hombre de juicio, a man of judgment; not ruco, worn out, beneath notice, someone to be patronised, but owed the respect traditionally accorded to an elder, someone (in the Mexican euphemism) of La Tercera Edad, the Third Age, who might be called Don Pablo or tío (uncle) in deference. Mexican youths are required by custom to surrender their seat to anyone older. They know the saying: Más sabe el diablo por viejo, que por diablo – The devil is wise because he’s old, not because he’s the devil.Paul Theroux's On The Plain of Snakes A Mexican Journey

But “Stand aside, old man, and make way for the young” is the American way.

I was that old gringo. I was driving south in my own car in Mexican sunshine along the straight sloping road through the thinly populated valleys of the Sierra Madre Oriental – the whole craggy spine of Mexico is mountainous. Valleys, spacious and austere, were forested with thousands of single yucca trees, the so-called dragon yucca (Yucca filifera) that Mexicans call palma china. I pulled off the road to look closely at them and wrote in my notebook: I cannot explain why, on the empty miles of these roads, I feel young.

To read more: http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20191203-is-travel-the-secret-to-a-long-life

Top 2019 Restaurants: “Konbi” In Los Angeles .(Bon Appétit Magazine)

From a Bon Appétit online article:

Bon Appetit Restaurant of the Year Konbi Los Angeles…Nick Montgomery, who opened Konbi with Akira Akuto; both are alums of David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants in New York. American chefs talk about opening “odes” to little spots they stumbled upon in Tokyo, and while this 10-seat space is indeed Montgomery and Akuto’s ode to Japan’s konbini (24-hour convenience stores), there is a palpable intensity to their level of study that makes Konbi entirely its own.

Konbi Menu

Konbi is a daytime restaurant in Echo Park. We serve Japanese style sandwiches, seasonal vegetable dishes, French pastries, as well as a selection of coffee & tea.

Website: https://konbila.com/

To read more: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/hot-10-best-new-restaurants-2019

 

Top New Exhibits: F-117 NIGHTHAWK STEALTH FIGHTER At The Ronald Reagan Library & Museum

…the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute announced its “Operation Nighthawk Landing” project – a Reagan Foundation & Institute and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® joint effort that will soon bring an F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter to the Reagan Museum for permanent exhibition. Made possible by loan from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, the F-117 placed on display will serve as a visible reminder to the Library’s near half-million annual visitors of President Reagan’s commitment to the rebuilding of the U.S. military through his “Peace through Strength” program. The F-117 Nighthawk, Tail #803, nicknamed “Unexpected Guest,” flew more combat sorties (78) than all other F-117s combined. The aircraft entered service in May 1984, during President Reagan’s administration.

“The Reagan Library will now be one of two places in the nation where the general public can visit an F-117 Stealth Fighter on permanent display,” said John Heubusch, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. “We are deeply grateful to Lockheed Martin for their outstanding assistance in restoring the aircraft for such a meaningful display and to the U.S. Air Force for making it possible for the Reagan Library to exhibit the plane for millions of visitors to enjoy for years to come.”

The F-117 Nighthawk was the world’s first operational stealth aircraft. Between 1981 and 2008, Lockheed Martin produced 59 operational F-117s and five developmental prototypes, but the aircraft weren’t publicly acknowledged until 1988.  Known as “stealth fighters,” the F-117’s angular shape was designed to reflect radar waves and was bolstered by the use of a radar-absorbing material. Because the aircraft was only expected to operate at night, it was painted black to make it more difficult to discern against the night sky.

Website: https://www.reaganfoundation.org/library-museum/permanent-exhibitions/f-117-nighthawk-stealth-fighter/

Top Interview Podcasts: Actress Jamie Lee Curtis Talks About Her Films And Career (New Yorker)

Jamie Lee Curtis comes from Hollywood royalty as the daughter of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. She credits her mother’s role in “Psycho” for helping her land her first feature role, as the lead in “Halloween,” in 1978. “I’m never going to pretend I got that all on my own,” she tells The New Yorker’s Rachel Syme. But Curtis says she never intended to act, and never saw herself as a star: “I was not pretty,” she explains; “I was ‘cute.’ ”

Eventually, the pressure she felt to conform in order to keep working led to a surgical procedure, which led to an opiate addiction. Curtis talks with Syme about recovery, second chances, and more than forty years of films between “Halloween” and Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out.” Plus, the chef at one of Los Angeles’s best restaurants on how to build a woman-friendly kitchen.

To read more: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/tnyradiohour/articles/jamie-lee-curtis-original-scream-queen-podcast

Music Criticism Podcasts: “The Music And Morality Of Beethoven’s Mighty Ninth” (Marin Alsop, NPR)

Marin Alsop ConductorEver since Beethoven‘s iconic Ninth Symphony premiered May 7, 1824 at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna, it has remained arguably the most popular composition in the classical music canon, thanks largely to its final movement, the “Ode to Joy,” with a text by poet Friedrich Schiller.

But Beethoven’s music has become something much more than popular. With its expansive length, mold-busting design, and the inclusion of solo singers and chorus, he was proposing nothing less than a philosophy for humanity.

Beethoven, the composer-philosopher, was a man who suffered more than we can imagine and yet he retained optimism and a sense of hope that we can admire and even envy. He believed wholeheartedly in the goodness of humanity, the power of love, joy, unity, tolerance and peace to overcome and endure.

Website: https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2019/12/07/785098204/the-music-and-morality-of-beethovens-mighty-ninth?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=storiesfromnpr

Celebrity Interviews: Fashion Designer Calvin Klein (Oxford Video)

An iconic American designer, Klein has defined the last half century of fashion with his visionary minimalist design philosophy, characterised by a dedication to simplicity, comfort, and elegance. In this time, he has transformed his clothing line into a multi-million dollar global lifestyle empire, spanning ready-to-wear, fragrances, furniture, and more. He is now retired, and recently published a survey of his legendary career.

Website: http://www.oxford-union.org/

New Innovative Products: Portable “LaserPecker Pro” Engraves Almost Anything Automatically

LaserPecker Pro is upgraded with an auto-adjusting support stand that sets up and focuses in seconds. All you have to do is put the engraving target on the spot. The built-in 98ab50716ef1fc675eb017acccf35336_originalsensors of the stand will measure the distance between the laser generator and the target and automatically adjust the height to make sure the focal point is the correct distance from the surface of the object.

Before engraving, LaserPecker Pro will first show the planned trajectory of the pattern by projecting a guide laser on the target surface. Users can easily adjust the size, position, and the rotation angle of the pattern based on the preview trajectory. Once satisfied with the pattern, just press the button to burn it in!

To read more and purchase: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/laserpecker-pro/laserpecker-pro

Top Restaurants: Sydney’s “Firedoor” Leads Fiery “Australian BBQ” Trend

From a New York Times online review:

Lennox Hastie Chef of Firedoor Photo by Con Poulos New York Times“Australian barbecue” is not, however, what Lennox Hastie, the chef at Firedoor, would use to describe his own cooking. Nor is it a term that’s been used much by anyone to describe any type of cooking. Here, the word “barbecue” is generally synonymous with the American term “cookout,” and, much like the cookout, it remains an integral part of Australia’s national identity.

Firedoor, which opened in 2015, is a prime example. Wagyu with Onion at Firedoor Photo by Con Poulos New York TimesThe kitchen is powered entirely by wood — there are no electric or gas ovens, burners or microwaves. Mr. Hastie came to this style after working five years at Asador Etxebarri in the Basque Country, where the chef Victor Arguinzoniz cooks local ingredients over fire using multiple types of wood. Mr. Hastie takes a similar approach, but with pointedly Australian ingredients.

One of the restaurant’s most thrilling dishes is a whole marron — a large freshwater crayfish native to Western Australia. The marron is grilled, split open and smothered in sea blite, a coastal plant related to samphire, and sunrise lime, a hybrid citrus created by crossing the native Australian finger lime with a calamondin (itself a cross between a mandarin and a kumquat). There are plenty of smoky, charred meats on the menu as well: pork chops, duck hearts and Wagyu all get their turn on one of the many grills.

To read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/dining/australian-barbecue.html

Motor Scooter Nostalgia: “1968 Lambretta 125 E” (Classic Driver)

Description from a Wikipedia listing:

1968 Lambretta 125 EAlong with the Vespa, Lambretta was an iconic vehicle of the 1950s and 1960s when they became the adopted vehicle of choice for the UK youth-culture known as Mods. The character Jimmy from the influential scooter movie Quadrophenia rode a Lambretta Li 150 Series 3. Of the 1960s models, the TV (Turismo Veloce), the Special (125 and 150), the SX (Special X) and the GP (Grand Prix) are generally considered the most desirable due to their increased performance and refined look; the “matte black” fittings on the GP model are said to have influenced European car designs throughout the 1970s. These three models came with a front disc brake made by Campagnolo. The TV was the world’s first production two-wheeled vehicle with a front disc brake.

Pictures from Classic Driver: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/bike/lambretta/125-e/1968/478697

To read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambretta

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