Tag Archives: December 2022

Christmas 2022 Views: A Design Tour Of A 17th Century Palazzo In Venice

House & Garden (December 16, 2022) – Cook and author Skye McAlpine welcomes us into her 4,000 square-foot Italian apartment — part of the 17th-century Palazzo Gradenigo — just off the Grand Canal in Venice. Layered in history,

Video timeline: 00:00 – Inspiration: “It’s imperfect perfection” 02:00 – Living Room: “It’s where the real Christmas moment happens!” 05:20 – Kitchen: “I love the way that food brings people together” 07:50 – Breakfast Room: “It feels like a chocolate box…” 08:53 – Dining Room: “It feels very ramshackle”

Skye McAlpine’s Venetian sanctuary maintains plenty of the palazzo’s original details, such as the 18th-century fresco in the living room and the decorative flowering of rocaille in the breakfast room. As we’re guided into the light and airy kitchen that is set apart by its high-beamed ceilings, Skye McAlpine reveals a staple festive treat… a snowy panettone cake from her cookbook ‘A Table For Friends’. In the grand dining room, Skye’s dinner table is layered with a mixture of small plates over larger plates from her ‘Tavola’ tableware collection, which is inspired by ‘la dolce vita’ or ‘the sweet life’. The snowy panettone takes centre stage as it is served on a cake stand which towers above the rest of the festive treats, to complete her “over-the-top” Christmas table.

“Life is slower here. It’s unchanged, it’s like a time capsule,” McAlpine explains as she contrasts between her life in London and the Venetian way of living. “I think that’s part of the charm, it really is like stepping back into a different era”. Watch the full episode of Design Notes with Skye McAlpine, as we tour her slice of an Italian palace that is expertly decorated for the Christmas holidays.

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Humor: Most ‘Liked’ New Yorker Cartoons In 2022

A selection of The New Yorker's instagram cartoons.
By Colin Stokes December 15, 2022

The New Yorker (December 15, 2022) – Over the past year, The New Yorker has participated in this sublime tradition by generously sharing a large number of cartoons on our  Instagram  accounts, and we have been gratified to see that many people have “liked” them. We are so glad that we were able to bring some cheer into your life. To anyone who has not clicked Like on every post: well, let’s just say that we hope you get coal in your stocking.

I'll Be Fine All Alone In The Dark by Harry Bliss

I’ll Be Fine All Alone In The Dark by Harry Bliss

Youre Creeping Everyone Out Drawing by Joe Dator

by JOE DATOR

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360° Views: Kalyazin Bell Tower, Volga River, Russia

AirPano VR (December 2022) – The Kalyazin Bell Tower is a Neoclassical campanile rising to a height of 74.5 metres over the waters of the Uglich Reservoir on the Volga River opposite the old town of Kalyazin, in Tver Oblast, northwestern Russia.

There are about eight dozen cities and towns along the banks of the great Russian river Volga. One of them is Kalyazin, which may not be among the largest places, but it has a very peculiar history.

News: Rising Covid Rates Hit China’s Economy, U.S.-Africa, EU-Asean Summit

The latest on China’s economic agenda as loosening coronavirus rules are leading to rising infection rates. Plus: the Biden administration looks to reassert US influence in Africa, first-ever summit between the leaders of EU and Asean member states, and Andrew Mueller with What We Learned.

Front Page: The New York Times – December 16, 2022

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How a Sprawling Hospital Chain Ignited Its Own Staffing Crisis

Ascension, one of the country’s largest health systems, spent years cutting jobs, leaving it flat-footed when the pandemic hit.

New Federal Rule Has Done Little to Stem Spread of ‘Ghost Guns’

Sellers of key components of the untraceable homemade firearms have been interpreting the rule in the narrowest possible way.

In the World of Wrestling, a Heavy Hitter Steps Into the Ring

The owner of the Los Angeles Lakers believes WOW — Women of Wrestling can be an engine of female empowerment. Her performers, known as “superheroes,” are breaking new ground in the historically male-centric space.

Bribery Case Cracks Open European Parliament — and Finds Hidden Cash

Prosecutors say the glamorous lifestyle of a European lawmaker masked a Qatari corruption scandal. It exposed how vulnerable Brussels is to foreign influence.

Research Preview: Science Magazine – Dec 16, 2022

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Science Magazine – December 16, 2022 issue:

2022 BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

Golden eye

A new space telescope makes a spectacular debut after a troubled gestation

Tarantula Nebula captured by JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument. In this light, the young hot stars of the cluster fade in brilliance, and glowing gas and dust come forward.

Seen with JWST’s midinfrared instrument, the newborn stars of the Tarantula nebula fade into the background while clouds of dust and gas take center stage, including hydrocarbons that will later form planets.NASA; ESA; CSA; STSCI; WEBB ERO PRODUCTION TEAM

RUNNERS-UP

Perennial rice promises easier farming

AI gets creative

Preview: The Economist Magazine – Dec 17, 2022

All weekly editions | The Economist

The Economist – December 17, 2022 issue:

A looming Russian offensive

Ukraine’s chiefs, in an unprecedented series of briefings, tell The Economist about the critical months that lie ahead

What China can still do to avoid an enormous covid death toll

It must treat hospitals as a precious resource and start stockpiling drugs

Why are the rich world’s politicians giving up on economic growth?

Even when they say they want more prosperity, they act as if they don’t

Winners: The 2022 Nature Photographer Of The Year

Nature Photographer of the Year is a Nature Photography contest that celebrates the beauty of nature photography.

polar bears
Winner of the Human and Nature category and Overall Winner | Dmitry Kokh/NPOTY 2022

A group of polar bears exploring an abandoned Soviet village in the Arctic has won Nature Photographer of the Year 2022.

Winner in the Mammals category | Sascha Fonseca/NPOTY 2022

Sascha Fonseca won the Mammals category with a fabulous photo of the endangered snow leopard.

Highly commended in the Landscape category | Raul Mostoslavsky/NPOTY 2022

Inside Views: Rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral

NOVA PBS Official (December 2022) – Following the April, 2019 fire that almost destroyed Paris’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral, a team of engineers, masons, and timber workers set out on the daunting challenge of restoring France’s historic landmark.

Video timeline: 00:00 Introduction 02:10 The Aftermath of the Fire of Notre Dame 05:25 Current Efforts to Rebuild Notre Dame 07:13 Rebuilding the Roof of Notre Dame 14:12 Recreating Notre Dame’s Spire 19:40 The Use of Iron in the Structure of Notre Dame 26:00 Studying Notre Dame’s Stained Glass Windows 33:47 Hazards of Restoring the Burnt Cathedral 36:20 Cleaning the Limestone Vaulting 41:41 Carpentry Practices for Roof Restoration 45:06 Historic Changes to Stained Glass Window 49:47 Racing to Complete Notre Dame Before 2024

The program traces the dramatic human and technical challenges of the project’s first three years, going behind-the-scenes with carpenters shaping lumber for the new roof and spire, stone masons repairing gaping holes in the vault, and artisans who use traditional techniques to restore stained glass windows. A symbol of the nation’s identity and resilience, Notre Dame gradually rises from the ashes, thanks to a restoration project like no other.

Preview: New Scientist Magazine – Dec 17, 2022

ISSUE 3417 | MAGAZINE COVER DATE: 17 December 2022 | New Scientist

New Scientist (December 17, 2022) issue:

How reindeer eyes change colour in winter to help them see in the dark

It turns out reindeers’ amazing night vision is thanks to a strange ‘mirror’ in their eyes called the tapetum lucidum that is extra sensitive to UV light

How a US civil war shipwreck became a template for marine conservation

The USS Monitor, an iconic piece of military history, sank 160 years ago. Now a marine sanctuary, the wreck has become an unlikely testbed for ocean conservation

NASA’s asteroid redirection spacecraft was a smashing success in 2022

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test aimed to change the orbit of the space rock Dimorphos, and it did so perfectly