Country Life Magazine – July 12, 2023 issue: A look at the birds everyone should see once in their life, why poets make the best naturalists, plus tartan, trout and Alan Titchmarsh.
The perfect 10
From peregrine falcon to puffin and starling to skylark, Stephen Moss selects 10 birds that we simply must see in our lifetimes
Rebels and romantics with a cause
Tartan is one of Scotland’s most recognisable exports—follow the thread from Highland dress to punk fashion with Mary Miers
To the end of Wales
Fiona Reynolds explores the crashing breakers and jagged coastline of the Llŷn Peninsula
For succour and relief
Roger Bowdler visits the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3, a monument to the extraordinary talents of Sir Christopher Wren
First, catch your trout
There is no finer riverside feast than freshly caught brown trout. Tom Parker Bowles is hooked
We will not plunder music of his dower
Mark Cocker says John Clare’s lyrical works resonate today more than ever—230 years after the peasant poet’s birth
Tourister Films (July 12, 2023) – Páros, island, one of the Cyclades (Modern Greek: Kykládes) in the Aegean Sea, Greece, separated from Náxos (Náchos) on the east by a channel 4 miles (6 km) wide. It constitutes a dímos (municipality) in the South Aegean (Nótio Aigaío) periféreia (region).
On a bay on the northwest lies the capital, Páros (or Paroikía), occupying the site of the ancient and medieval capital. The small harbour is excelled by that of Náousa on the north side. White, semitransparent Parian marble (Paria Marmara), used for sculpture and quarried from subterranean pits on the north side of Mount Marpessa, was the chief source of wealth for ancient Páros. Several of the marble tunnels have survived.
Páros shared the early Bronze Ageculture of the Cyclades. Traditionally it was first colonized by Arcadians and then by Ionians. In the 7th century BCE Parian colonies were sent to Thasos and to Parium on the Sea of Marmara and in 385 to the island of Pharos (Hvar, Croatia) in the Adriatic.
Times Literary Supplement (July 14, 2023) @TheTLS : The Republican presidential contenders; Noël Coward’s vortex; Techno-utopia; Too many elitists and more…
The Globalist Podcast, Wednesday, July 12, 2023: Monocle’s team in Vilnius tells us why Volodymyr Zelensky is critical of NATO.
Plus, the Finnish government’s racism scandal, the latest business news and how the Portuguese government is encouraging young people to pick up more books.
The alliance firmed up its plans to include Ukraine eventually, but gave no timetable, siding with President Biden and frustrating some East European members.
As Ukrainian troops inch forward in the counteroffensive, they are occupying positions abandoned by enemy troops. Says one: “It’s not very pleasant.”
Vermont Floods Show Limits of America’s Efforts to Adapt to Climate Change
The lack of a comprehensive national rainfall database and current flood maps hampers the ability to prepare for storms intensified by climate change.
Heat Down Below Is Making the Ground Shift Under Chicago
Basements and train tunnels constantly leak heat, causing the land to sink and straining building foundations. Scientists call it “underground climate change.”
The Local Project (July 11, 2023) – A beautiful house grounded within an extraordinary landscape setting, Matagouri House provides an immediate visual impact without taking away from the natural beauty of the surrounding environment.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction 00:18 – The Location of Matagouri 00:38 – The Design Process 01:23 – Defining Themes 01:56 – Inspiration Behind the Rooftop Garden 02:32 – The Client and The Brief 03:14 – The Composition of the Home 03:55 – Reflecting The Landscape 04:47 – Aspirations For The Future
Removed from the urban centre of Queenstown, New Zealand, the home sits between two natural mounds in the surrounding tussock at the foot of The Remarkables mountain range and the edge of Lake Wakatipu. Sitting upon a plateau that lies within a broader curtilage of land, interior spaces are laid out around a sheltered courtyard under an engineered timber roof plane. The main living area of the beautiful house is considered a peninsula, a singular wide space that wraps around a protected courtyard.
This courtyard has a strong sense of gravity for the overall composition of the land as it accesses the public wings of the building, including the kitchen and dining area. Bedrooms are upstairs – the elevated position and the interior design of the rooms nurture the aspect beyond the roof. As such, the powerful landscape setting is integral to the form and overall design of the beautiful house. Fearon Hay Architects draws on this in an interesting way to develop an occupation at a scale that feels comfortable for the residents.
To do this they moderate the way the house captures the view, with areas removing the view entirely – the outlook is taken away and then re-presented for its impact to be fully understood. The beautiful house remains exquisitely immersed in the landscape. For example, the engineered timber roof plane carries a planted tussock green rooftop garden and is shaped to marry into the natural landforms.
The way the home and the landscape blend into one also enables a strong sense of historic occupation. The architecture of the building isn’t read as a new structure but is instead embedded in the landscape as if it has been developed over time.
July 11, 2023: Dorte Mandrup convinced the jury with a beautiful and poetic response, expressing great consideration for the community perspectives on Inuit traditional knowledge and the healing potential for the Inuit Nunavut Heritage Centre. The design of the building is informed by the landscape and the movement of the snow and the wind. Drawing inspiration from the patterns formed in snowdrifts by the prevailing wind, kalutoqaniq, which has long served as a natural wayfinding system for Inuit, the building carves into the rocky hillside overlooking Iqaluit and follows the curves and longitudinal features of the landscape.
The Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre will be built in Iqaluit to honour the Canadian Governments commitment to the Nunavut Agreement which identified an urgent need for a territorial heritage facility. The centre will encourage the growth of local heritage and foster a network of cultural centres across the territory where the Inuit can reconnect with their heritage and find a stronger sense of identity and culture.
Thames & Hudson (July 11, 2023) – Organized chronologically, A History of the World in 500 Maps tells a clear, linear story, bringing together themes as diverse as religion, capitalism, warfare, geopolitics, popular culture and climate change.
Meticulously rendered maps chart the sequence of broad historical trends, from the dispersal of our species across the globe to the colonizing efforts of imperial European powers in the 18th century, as well as exploring moments of particular significance in rich detail.
• Visualizes 7 million years of human history. • Analyses cities and kingdoms as well as countries and continents. • Features major technical developments, from the invention of farming in the Fertile Crescent to the Industrial Revolution. • Charts the spread of major global religions, including Christianity and Islam. • Explores the increasing interconnectivity of our world through exploration and trade. • Investigates warfare and battles from across the ages, from Alexander the Great’s conquests to the D-Day offensive.
At least one person died as rain inundated New York’s Hudson Valley and the surrounding areas. In Vermont, rivers were expected to crest on Tuesday.
Putin Met With Mercenary Leaders He Had Called Traitors During Mutiny
The Kremlin’s disclosure of the meeting with Yevgeny V. Prigozhin and other Wagner group commanders hinted at the power they wield, but left many questions unanswered.
For a President and a King, the View From the Top Is Curiously Similar
Despite hints of tension between Washington and London, President Biden and King Charles III share interests and have faced comparable challenges, which might have helped smooth their meeting.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
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