Tag Archives: June 2023

Culture: Country Life Magazine – July 5, 2023

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Country Life Magazine – July 5, 2023 issue: The seashore as artistic inspiration, from Constable’s wild skies to Gormley’s lonely figures; Puffins -the parrots of the sea; A history of mermaids, and more…

A shore thing – Michael Prodger examines the seashore as artistic inspiration, from Constable’s wild skies to Gormley’s lonely figures

Meet the parrots of the sea – The colourful puffin inspires amused adoration in everyone, but the big-beaked birds have a tough side, finds Ian Morton

Tripping the light fintastic – Sinister sirens who lure sailors to their deaths or beautiful beings who drag men from watery graves? Carla Passino combs history for mention of mermaids

Travel In Switzerland: From Kleine Scheidegg To Lauterbrunnen By Train

AKSense – Zurich Films (July 5, 2023) – Train driver’s view of a journey from Kleine Scheidegg mountain station of Switzerland to Lauterbrunnen village, passing through beautiful mountainous landscapes and charming chalets of Wengen.

The Wengernalp Railway is a 19.11 kilometres long rack railway line in Switzerland. It runs from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald via Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg, making it the world’s longest continuous rack and pinion railway. The name refers to the alpine meadow of Wengernalp, above Wengen. 

Filmed on June 25, 2023

Opinion: A Humbled Putin, Environmentalism Harms The Poor, The Better Flags

‘Editor’s Picks’ Podcast (July 3, 2023) A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist: The humbling of Vladimir Putin, how misfiring environmentalism risks harming the world’s poor (10:20) and some tips to design better flags (18:55).

The humbling of Vladimir Putin

The Wagner mutiny exposes the Russian tyrant’s growing weakness. But don’t count him out yet

The last pretence of Vladimir Putin to be, as he imagines, one of his nation’s historic rulers was stripped away on June 24th. A band of armed mercenaries swept through his country almost unopposed, covering some 750km (470 miles) in a single day, seizing control of two big cities and getting to within 200km of Moscow before withdrawing unharmed.

How misfiring environmentalism risks harming the world’s poor

A hungry boy walks in the shadow of wind turbines

The trade-off between development and climate change is impossible to avoid

Thank goodness for the enthusiasts and the obsessives. If everyone always took a balanced view of everything, nothing would ever get done. But when campaigners’ worldview seeps into the staid apparatus of policymaking and global forums, bad decisions tend to follow. That, unfortunately, is especially true in the world of climate change.

How to design better flags

New Mexico flag and United States flag

Some tips to avoid having an embarrassing emblem

Have you ever met a vexed vexillologist? This is someone who frets when flags are badly designed. Sadly, too many flags flutter to deceive: they are cluttered with imagery, a mess of colours and all too easily forgettable. Yet flags matter. Witness Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow banner, which now serves as a potent symbol around the world (not to mention on this newspaper’s covers). 

News: Riots Rattle France, Wagner Troops In Africa

The Globalist Podcast, Monday, July 3, 2023: Riots continue to rock France and threaten to impede preparations for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, Russia expert Jenny Mathers examines the fate of Wagner troops in Africa.

Also, the future of local news in Canada as Meta and Google block content. Plus: film critic Karen Krizanovich on the latest in Hollywood and new space technology is put under the microscope. 

The New York Times – Monday, July 3, 2023

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A Climate Laggard in America’s Industrial Heartland Has a Plan to Change, Fast

The silhouette of a person, back to the camera, with a fishing rod extended toward a river. A second rod is propped up on its own nearby. On the other side of the river is an industrial complex, with smokestacks, buildings and electrical towers.

Lawmakers in Michigan have long fought tough pollution controls. But the toll of flooding, lost crops and damage to the Great Lakes appears to be changing minds.

As 2024 Voting Battles Heat Up, North Carolina G.O.P. Presses Forward

North Carolina has grown increasingly competitive in recent elections. Donald J. Trump won the state by just over a percentage point in 2020.

Republicans, whose edge in the state has narrowed in recent years, have gone on offense politically, leading to clashes over voting access and control over elections.

Cracking Down on Dissent, Russia Seeds a Surveillance Supply Chain

An illustration shows, on the left, an image of Vladimir Putin’s face on a red background and, on the right, a hand holding a mobile phone.

Russia is incubating a cottage industry of new digital surveillance tools to suppress domestic opposition to the war in Ukraine. The tech may also be sold overseas.

A Rubik’s Cube, Thick Socks and Giddy Anticipation: The Last Hours of the Titan

Five voyagers climbed into the Titan submersible in hopes of joining the select few who have seen the wreck of the Titanic up close. But within hours, their text messages stopped coming.

The New York Times – Sunday, July 2, 2023

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Everyone Knew the Migrant Ship Was Doomed. No One Helped.

An undated handout photo provided by the Greek Coast Guard showing migrants onboard the Adriana before it capsized off the coast of Greece.

Satellite imagery, sealed court documents and interviews with survivors suggest that hundreds of deaths were preventable.

Wagner Uprising Highlights China’s Risks With Russia

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, both in dark suits, stand side by side in a palatial indoor setting, flanked by the flags of China and Russia.

Xi Jinping needs Vladimir Putin to remain in power, and Russia to maintain stability, to help uphold the countries’ shared interests and to keep challenging the United States.

Along With Conservative Triumphs, Signs of New Caution at Supreme Court

The Supreme Court’s story this term is considerably more complicated than the narrative of a conservative juggernaut that emerged the previous term.

Chief Justice Roberts delivered both landmark victories for the right and significant rulings in which he forged alliances with the liberal justices.

Hunter Biden’s Daughter and a Tale of Two Families

The story surrounding the president’s grandchild in Arkansas, who has not yet met her father or her grandfather, is about money, corrosive politics and what it means to have the Biden birthright.

The New York Times – Saturday, July 1, 2023

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Supreme Court Rejects Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan

Nearly 26 million borrowers had applied to have some of their student loan debt erased.

The proposed debt cancellation of more than $400 billion would have been one of the most expensive executive actions in U.S. history.

Supreme Court Backs Web Designer Opposed to Same-Sex Marriage

Lorie Smith said her Christian faith requires her to turn away customers seeking services to celebrate same-sex unions.

The justices settled a question left open in 2018: whether businesses open to the public and engaged in expression may refuse to serve customers based on religious convictions.

Affirmative Action Ruling May Upend Hiring Policies, Too

The Supreme Court decision on college admissions could lead companies to alter recruitment and promotion practices to pre-empt legal challenges.

18 Hasidic Schools Failed to Provide Basic Education, New York City Finds

An eight-year investigation determined that the religious schools were breaking the law by not offering thousands of students adequate instruction in English and math.

Architecture: Stonelea Farm House In Australia

The Local Project (June 39, 2023) – Responding to context and climate, the architect delivers Stonelea, an authentic, multi-generational country retreat embedded in the landscape.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Sustainable Modern Farm house 00:48 – The Brief 01:00 – Retaining the Existing Elements 01:20 – Consideration of the Carbon Footprint 01:43 – A Walkthrough of the Home 02:55 – Providing Natural Light 03:44 – Drawing Inspiration from the Site and the Landscape 04:39 – A Result of Combined Efforts and Proud Moments

Nestled in the western foothills of the Blue Mountains, Stonelea by Matthew Woodward Architecture tenderly responds to context. Continuing a long-standing interest in connecting people with landscape, Stonelea gently frames the human experience within its striking rural surrounds.

An existing cluster of workers’ cottages, each with a wondrous view across the vast valley and connection to the Coxs River below, informed the planning and articulation of the home. The home’s linear and low-lying form draws on the Australian shed vernacular. A minimalist approach to form is articulated in the generous floor plan, whilst the earthy materials reflect an affinity with the landscape.

Stonelea’s barn-like form skilfully combines hardwood timber shiplap and metal roof sheeting set on a weighty podium of local stone, embedding the house atop the slope of the river and valley panorama. The architect dexterously planned around established trees, conveying a seamlessness with the landscape that belies the age of the architecture. A simple, elongated spatial arrangement gives hierarchy and order between public and private spaces.

Ensuite guest bedrooms and a kids’ room are lined along a timber-screened walkway, flanked by a large master bedroom to the north and expansive living spaces to the south, affording acoustic separation and privacy.

Reviews: ‘The Week In Art’

The Art Newspaper (June 29, 2023): In the final episode of this season, James Goodwin, a specialist on the art market and its history, tells us about what high inflation and interest rates mean for the art market and what lies ahead.

As Spain heads to the polls in July, we talk to Emilio Silva, president of the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory in Madrid. What could the election mean for the controversial Spanish laws of Historical Memory and Democratic Memory relating to the Civil War of 1936 to 1939 and the period of Francisco Franco’s fascist dictatorship?

And this episode’s Work of the Week is a project by the Swedish duo Goldin + Senneby. The work, called Quantitative Melencolia, involves recreating the lost plate for Albrecht Dürer’s famous engraving Melencolia I. It is part of the exhibition Economics: The Blockbuster, which opens this week at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, UK.

Economics the Blockbuster: It’s not Business as Usual, Whitworth Art Gallery, until 22 October. The Manchester International Festival, until 16 July.

Italy Travel Guide: Napoli, Pompeii And Amalfi Coast

Stef Hoffer Films (June 30, 2023) – Napoli is one of Europe’s most diverse and fascinating cities, and an intriguing place to travel to. Often misunderstood, this Italian city has some of the country’s most beautiful architecture, ancient historic sites, delicious food, interesting traditions, and a friendly, welcoming people.

Located in the Southern Campania region, Napoli (or Naples) has a very different character from most other Italian cities.

In this travel documentary, I’m exploring the streets of Napoli and its surroundings. From the buzzing, narrow alleys of the old city center to the grand churches and cathedrals. From historic palaces and castles to mysterious underground tunnels. And from ancient archaeological sites under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius to one of Italy’s most beautiful stretches of coastline.