Culture, Food & Drink, Magazines, Previews, Tourism, Travel, Views

Views: Discover Germany Switzerland & Austria Magazine – December 2022

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@GermanyMagazine December 2022 issue: White winter getaways, Germany’s apple cider route, the spa town of Bad Ragaz, a special focus on Christmas markets, an interview with actress Cristina do Rego, as well as a special look at interior design and architecture, the most innovative communication agencies, efficient digital solutions, top hotels across the DACH region, spa breaks and much more.

WHITE WINTER GETAWAYS


‘Tis the season to embrace cosiness and togetherness. And what better way to do that than to travel to hidden winter gems where visitors can leave their busy everyday lives behind? We picked three getaway ideas in Switzerland, Austria and Germany that embody white Christmas to the fullest and should be on everyone’s bucket list this winter.

ON THE APFELWEIN ROAD: FALLING FOR GERMANY’S APPLE CIDER

While the Bavarians are chugging from their MassKrugs at Oktoberfest, and those along the Rheingau are celebrating the Feder Weisser festivals, the residents of Hessen are rejoicing in a different kind of harvest.

Cities, Travel, Videos, Views

Aerial Views: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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TYLER WALKS (December 2022) – Vancouver, city, southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the major urban centre of western Canada and the focus of one of the country’s most populous metropolitan regions. Vancouver lies between Burrard Inlet (an arm of the Strait of Georgia) to the north and the Fraser River delta to the south, opposite Vancouver Island. The city is just north of the U.S. state of Washington. It has a fine natural harbour on a superb site facing the sea and mountains. Pop. (2011) 603,502; metro. area, 2,313,328; (2021) 662,248; metro. area, 2,642,825.

History

The region had long been inhabited by several Native American (First Nations) peoples when a trading post, Fort Langley, was set up by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1827 near the mouth of the Fraser River. Few people of European descent lived in the area until the late 1850s, when the town of New Westminster (now a suburb of Vancouver) was established near the site of the original fort (in 1839 the fort itself had been relocated a little farther upstream).

Thousands of miners, mostly from California, flooded into the region in the 1860s, attracted by the gold rush in the Cariboo Mountains to the northeast. Besides the Scottish, who were very influential in Vancouver’s early years, Americans had a notable impact on the city. The suggestion to name it Vancouver was made by an American, William Van Horne, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

And the city’s most-often elected mayor (nine nonconsecutive terms from 1919 to 1933), L.D. Taylor, was originally from the United States. Moreover, the first important industry in the area, a sawmill on Burrard Inlet, was owned by an American. Finally, the first major industry not reliant on local natural resources, a still-active sugar refinery, was started by an American.

Arts & Literature, Culture, Magazines, Previews, Society

Preview: The New Yorker Magazine – Dec 12, 2022

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A parent and child are silhouetted against a giant glowing Christmas tree.
Illustration by By Françoise Mouly

The New Yorker – December 12, 2022 issue:

An Anti-Abortion Activist’s Quest to End the Rape Exception

Rebecca Kiessling, photographed by Danna Singer.

For Rebecca Kiessling, helping mothers who’ve conceived children through sexual assault is part of a strategy for curtailing reproductive rights.

So You Want to Be a TikTok Star

illustration of lots of phone screens and girl holding phone

The social-media platform is transforming the music industry. Is that a good thing?

In Praise of Parasites?

A colorful illustration of a variety of parasites, including two leeches and a large tapeworm.

We think of them with revulsion, but a new book wants us to appreciate their redeeming qualities.

At Qatar’s World Cup, Where Politics and Pleasure Collide

The first ten days were soccer as it is, rather than as you want it to be.

Art, Books, Design, Magazines, Reviews

Art & Design Reviews: The Best Book Covers Of 2022

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Fast Company Magazine (December 5, 2022) – The best book covers of 2022 as chosen by the best designers in publishing.

[Cover Image: MCD x FSG Originals]

TERRAFORM, DESIGNED BY CHLOE SCHEFFE

Selected by Alicia Tatone

“This cover feels simultaneously classic and entirely new. It’s slightly reminiscent of 1970s science fiction covers (albeit much more restrained), and yet I’ve never seen anything quite like it. That custom type! That illustration! Is it a world? An eye? Something else? All of the above? As a reader, I don’t typically gravitate toward sci-fi, but this cover is so compelling that it made me immediately want to buy the book.”

[Cover Image: Knopf]

NO LAND IN SIGHT, DESIGNED BY JOHN GALL

Selected by Henry Sene Yee

“There were so many eye-catching covers this year, but the one that constantly stood out for me because of its stunning simplicity, beauty and mystery was designed by John Gall: No Land in Sight. In a sea of gorgeous covers exploding with kaleidoscopic colorful backgrounds, with elements twisting and intertwining, with the title and author type set in sans-serif condensed fonts, Gall’s cover was refreshing for its clean layout, tasteful typography, elements that are balanced and non-overlapping, in an austere monochromatic palette. Timeless.”

[Cover Images: Picador]

MRS. DALLOWAY & THE HOURS, DESIGNED BY PABLO DELCAN

Selected by Grace Han

“The whole package is stunning and smart—words I use a lot to describe Pablo Delcan’s works. The covers evoke introspectiveness and intimacy in such a beautiful way. Everything from the type to the flower placement feels considered and intentional. I love how both sides mirror and work with each other visually and conceptually.”

The best book covers of 2022

ASCESIS, DESIGNED BY DAVID PEARSON

Selected by Jack Smyth

“This cover is a feast of dualities: both a figurative scene and an abstract texture; a figure seen far off in the distance and a marbled paper viewed at almost 1:1 in scale; a formal, rigid, block colored layout, and a big, expressive interruption in the middle. The slightly muted colors are so refreshing, especially in a year when we’re reaching peak ‘pop,’ and David shows us here that you don’t need neon Pantones or massive type to create a big, bold, absorbing cover. I love that the type is almost pushed to the peripheries by the sprawl of the illustration, as if it’s something that’s happened over centuries; it makes everything feel massive in scale. Also, the silhouette of the figure is from a photo of the author, which is a perfect Pearson point of detail! There are worlds existing in this book cover, and I find it very easy to get lost in them.”

News, Podcasts, Politics, Stories

News: China Ups Online Censorship, New $60 Cap On Russian Oil, U.N.-Taliban

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December 5, 2022: China boosts online censorship and surveillance following zero-covid policy protests. G-7 sets $60 crude oil cap on Russian oil. United Nations representatives meet with the Taliban.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4u9tmjB1sbMlfwgJ6jGN2l
News, Newspapers, Views

Front Page: The New York Times – December 5, 2022

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War and Sanctions Threaten to Thrust Russia’s Economy Back in Time

While Russia’s economy has not collapsed, an exodus of Western companies is eroding hard-won progress, and experts say the worst may be yet to come.

Iran Has Abolished Morality Police, an Official Suggests, After Months of Protests

The move, which the government did not confirm, might be a concession to the protest movement that erupted after the death of a young woman in the custody of the morality police.

Warnock and Walker, at Finish Line in Georgia, Stick to Their Strategies

Senator Raphael Warnock preached from his Atlanta church and put on rallies, while Herschel Walker held a series of low-key events.

A New Clash Between Faith and Gay Rights Arrives at a Changed Supreme Court

A Colorado graphic designer says she has a First Amendment right to refuse to create websites for same-sex weddings despite a state anti-discrimination law.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Profiles, Tours, Videos

1959 Mid-Century Modern: Tour Of ‘Tracey Residence’ In San Pedro, California

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Open Space – David and Arienne are no strangers to Mid-Century Modern homes having lived in a few others years past however this one of a kind Architectural home sited upon the hillsides of San Pedro is perhaps their most special, A home built by Rolly A. Andrew in 1959.

After stepping in the home they both looked at each other and instantly knew they wanted the home, picturesque views that span from the Hollywood sign all the way past Laguna Beach, this is truly a home that was perfectly positioned to enjoy it all. Fast forward a few years, some restoration and remodeling and they share the story of what it’s like to live in such a home.

The indoor/outdoor flow alongside the walls of glass throughout the entirety of the home is something that needs to be enjoyed in person to truly understand. The Architect Rolly wasn’t particularly a well known architect and after doing some research Arienne came to find out this was Rollys first Residential project after obtaining his license. Aside from Green Hills Memorial park there isn’t much more about Rolly that David and Arienne were able to find out.

Could this be the only residential project from an architect that seemingly blended the home perfectly into the hillside or are there others out there? Driving up the coast in their restored Porsche’s to pull into the driveway of their beautifully restored home with endless views doesn’t sound like a bad day.

Nature, Travel, Videos, Views

Hawaii Views: Mauna Loa Volcano Eruption (2022)

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CBS Sunday Morning (December 2022) – We leave you this morning with Nature’s great spectacle at the Mauna Loa volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Notice that Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano in the world, was going to erupt — as it did this week for the first time in nearly four decades — came to people on the Big Island of Hawaii an hour before the lava began to flow. Public officials scrambled to alert nearby residents. Scientists rushed to predict which areas of the island might be in danger. The curious made plans to observe what could shape up to be an event of a lifetime: the exhalation of a massive mountain.

Read more at The New York Times

Aircraft, Aviation, Reviews, Technology, Transportation, Videos

Transportation: United Airlines Reveals First ‘Air Taxi’ By Archer Aviation

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CNET (December 4, 2022) – Archer Aviation introduced its first production model eVTOL that’s called Midnight, an electric air taxi designed for high-demand urban flights. United Airlines has put down a deposit for 100 Midnights to begin passenger service in 2025.

Video timeline: 0:00 Intro 0:55 Midnight eVTOL 1:54 Maker Prototype Test Flight 2:29 Archer x United 3:26 Conclusion

News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious