It surprised me, but despite the coronavirus lockdown, the ice rink “Wiener Eistraum” on Vienna’s City Hall Rathausplatz was opened. Of course, with the corresponding adjustments, so that as a visitor you can hardly get to the rink. And this time there is no place to buy food or drinks. For the first time, a Community Distance Marker is being used at the ice rink, which supports people in maintaining the prescribed minimum distances and at the same time enables targeted contact tracing. Nevertheless, I made a short video so that you can see how things are going in Vienna during COVID.
Learn how our team of engineers took the mid-engine Corvette to the next level. From the development at Nürburgring to brand new architecture and technology.
From the race to roll-out coronavirus vaccinations around the world, to other concerns such as mental health and measles, BBC Health Reporter Smitha Mundasad looks at the health challenges facing the world in the next year.
NPR’s Scott Simon reflects on the legacy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The literary classic’s copyright expired on the first day of 2021.
The copyright on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby expired on the first stroke of 2021 and the book entered the public domain.
The classic 1925 novel of love foiled, ambitions foisted, class and betrayal sold fewer than 25,000 copies before Fitzgerald died. It has since sold nearly 30 million. I gave our daughter the copy I had in high school when she read it last year. The Great Gatsby has been turned into stage productions, an opera, five film versions, a Taylor Swift song and inspired innumerable prequels, spinoffs and variations.
In the public domain, Gatsby may now become even more familiar. Two new editions are about to come out and who knows what kind of projects — a Gatsby rom-com? Gatsby joins The Avengers? — might now get a green light, which recalls the imperishably eloquent last passage of the book: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.”
Gatsby’s Jazz Age Long Island may not look like a microcosm of contemporary America. Neither does Don Quixote, The Scarlet Letter, Macbeth or Their Eyes Were Watching God. We want young readers to be able to see themselves in stories; but literature can also show us that people we don’t think are much like us at all turn out to have some of the same heart, blood and dreams. That can be the power of empathy in art.
Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. In the MuseumsQuartier district, historic and contemporary buildings display works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other artists.
Video recorded: January 1, 2021, Air temperature: 0 °F / 32 °F
When you want the freedom and adventure of the outdoors, without the size and price tag of a motorhome, modern camper vans are an increasingly attractive option. From compact, tech-filled campers through to fully-equipped, rugged 4WD’s – there’s a lot to get excited about in the world of outdoor escapes. Let’s check out 10 of the most innovative camper vans coming in 2021
We enter 2021 surrounded by these rays of hope that the end of the pandemic might be in sight. But monumental challenges remain. Vaccine manufacture, distribution, and uptake are substantial pieces of a complex puzzle that must be completed to reach the 75–90 percent vaccination rate that global health experts say is key to stopping the spread.
And the virus itself is almost sure to change as it infects more people, possibly becoming more transmissible or dangerous. For instance, as I write this in late December 2020, public health officials in the UK are reporting the rapid spread of a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 that seems to be highly infectious.
This is a perfect example of the continued surprises this pandemic may yet throw at us. But virologists, epidemiologists, drug developers, and other scientists will continue to band together to study this virus and share information that can help humanity address this and future issues appropriately. In addition to careful monitoring of the virus as it mutates and spreads, I fully expect there to be regular monitoring of vaccinated individuals, further refinement of vaccine, and continued development of new COVID-19 therapies. And I can promise that The Scientist will continue to track these developments closely and provide up to date and accurate information about the COVID-19 pandemic and other scientific issues in 2021 and beyond.
The New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will be missing a key piece this year: the crowd. But for New York and other cities around the world, the show will go on. WSJ’s Jason Bellini explains how cities plan to say goodbye to 2020 amid a pandemic. Photo: Ben Hider/Invision/AP, File
Kick-off New Year’s Eve with Auckland, New Zealand, as the first major city to celebrate 2021. It is expected we will see a vast laser display followed by an impressive show of fireworks. Auckland will be one of the few cities able to bid farewell to 2020 in style, as several cities including London and Las Vegas have cancelled their December 31 displays to prevent large crowds from gathering during the Covid-19 pandemic. Australia, who celebrate New Year’s Eve just a few hours after New Zealand, will also allow events but under strict restrictions.
Club atmosphere with panoramic view: the dignified living space of the NOVA M shows its highest pretension up to each detail. First class travelling: high quality furniture surfaces, smooth leather and elegant wall covers for pure luxurious atmosphere. The timeless beautiful interior design sets new criterions in functional design and quality. Drawers and cupboards integrated with love and intelligence make tidying up very easy.
If you sleep well, you enjoy your holiday more. The very large double bed is easy to access and invites you to relaxing moments. All fits together in the NOVA M. The elegant design makes it difficult to step out the van and guarantees the interested stare of your neighbours. The kitchen has it all and is perfectly integrated in the interior of the van. No, this is no hotel bathroom. The NOVA M really features such a large bath with wood furniture, fibre glass washing basin and nice water tabs.
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