UK Election 2019: Labour Manifesto Launch – BBC News

BBC News Nov 21, 2019

Jeremy Corbyn has launched Labour’s general election manifesto and vowed to transform the United Kingdom if they win. He unveiled the wide ranging plans in Birmingham promising what he called a ‘green transformation of the economy and a ‘manifesto for hope’. There’d be big tax increases on higher earners and companies to pay for the plans. The BBC’s Political Editor, Laura Kuenssberg, Political Correspondent Alex Forsyth and Economics Editor Faisal Islam report.

Hill interjects, “Could I actually say something?” to address partisan divisions

CBS News Nov 21, 2019

Several Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee chose not to ask National Security Council expert Fiona Hill any questions, instead using their time to speak at length about their view of the impeachment proceedings. “Could I actually say something?” Hill said after Rep. Brad Wenstrup finished speaking. “I think that what Dr. Wenstrup said was very powerful, about the importance of overcoming hatred and certainly partisan division,” she said. “I think all of us that came here under legal obligation, also felt that we had a moral obligation to do so. We came as fact witnesses.”

A look at Fiona Hill’s most striking impeachment testimony moments

Washington Post Nov 21, 2019

Former National Security Council Russia adviser Fiona Hill testified on the fifth day of impeachment hearings against President Trump on Nov. 21. Read more: https://wapo.st/33475nH.

Fiona Hill Testifies About Harms Of GOP Conspiracy Theories

WGBH NewsNov 21, 2019

The Democrats brought their last witnesses in the public impeachment hearings Thursday, with President Trump’s former top Russia adviser Fiona Hill using her time to directly confront Republicans on the committee who have used the television time to push false conspiracy theories about Ukraine and the 2016 election. Jim Braude was joined by retired federal Judge Nancy Gertner, now a professor at Harvard Law School; and R.J. Lyman, senior fellow at the Niskanen Center.

Trump impeachment hearings: Sondland testifies about quid pro quo

Published on Nov 20, 2019
At U.S President Donald Trump’s impeachment hearing today, Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified he withheld Ukrainian aid at the “express direction” of Trump. The White House claimed his testimony exonerates the president.

Is tourism harming Venice? | DW Documentary

DW Documentary Jul 2, 2018

Venice is threatened by mass tourism. Some 30 million visitors a year come to the city in Italy, making their way through the narrow streets. With an infrastructure more and more tailored to the needs of tourism, the city’s remaining residents feel left behind. During high season an influx of up to 130 thousand tourists a day means the city authorities have scant resources to cater for the more mundane needs of residents. A constant flotilla of small boats ferry passengers between city landing stages and giant cruise liners moored in the lagoon. Air quality in Venice is often worse than busy city centers. Within the last generation the number of residents has dropped by nearly a third. The Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Square have become the main attractions in this Venetian Theme park providing locals with jobs in the tourist sector, but little else. Rents are sky high, Airbnb rules the roost. More and more historical buildings have been taken over by hotels. Shops, bars and restaurant cater almost exclusively to tourists. But residents are fighting back and now there are over 30 local initiatives trying to stem the tides of mass tourism.

How Leonardo da Vinci made a “satellite” map in 1502

Vox Apr 11, 2019

It was a feat of technological and symbolic imagination. And it was pretty accurate, too.

Leonardo da Vinci’s known for his art and inventions — but also his groundbreaking maps, like this one of Imola, Italy. In this episode of Vox Almanac, Vox’s Phil Edwards explores how it was made.

Further reading:

1) John Pinto’s History of the Ichnographic City Plan is useful to understand the history of these maps.
2) Check out Portraying the City in Early Modern Europe: Measurement, Representation, and Planning by Hilary Ballon and David Friedman for more info.
3) If you want to dig deeper into early maps, Jessica Maier’s Mapping Past and Present: Leonardo Bufalini’s Plan of Rome is fascinating.

Please email Phil if you have trouble finding any of these papers.

Drafting 1502’s equivalent to a “satellite” map was a massive undertaking, and Leonardo managed to pull it off. His early map helped Italian politcian Cesare Borgia construct an idea of the town of Imola that was far more accurate than most contemporary maps. Through the use of careful measurements of angles and pacing out distances using a primitive odometer, Leonardo managed to create a map that was very close to accurate.

This map — an “ichnographic” map — was a step forward in portraying how maps could work to represent geography. Though it’s marked with some inaccuracies, it’s stunningly precise for the time and pushed forward the art of mapmaking. Leonardo’s Imola remains, even today, a remarkably useful guide to the city.

In Vox Almanac, Senior Producer Phil Edwards explains the world through history’s footnotes.

Why Gordon Sondland’s public testimony was ‘extraordinary’

PBS NewsHour Nov 20, 2019

Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, testified to the House Wednesday that there was a quid pro quo with Ukraine and that he followed President Trump’s orders to work with Rudy Giuliani. Sondland also implicated Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence in a pressure campaign. Nick Schifrin, Yamiche Alcindor and Lisa Desjardins join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

Sondland Testifies That ‘Yes,’ There Was A Quid Pro Quo

WGBH NewsNov 20, 2019

E.U ambassador Gordon Sondland testified in a highly-anticipated public hearing today, saying that there was indeed a quid pro quo directed from the White House to Ukraine, conditioning a much-desired White House invite for Zelensky on that country announcing investigations that could benefit Trump politically. Sondland’s account was the most direct implication of President Trump thus far in the weeks-long impeachment inquiry. To discuss, Jim Braude was joined by George Price, former senior special agent at the DOJ; and Ben Clements, chair of the group Free Speech For People and author of ‘The Constitution Demands It: The Case For The Impeachment Of Donald Trump.’

The world is poorly designed. But copying nature helps.

Vox Nov 9, 2017

Biomimicry design, explained with 99% Invisible.

Japan’s Shinkansen doesn’t look like your typical train. With its long and pointed nose, it can reach top speeds up to 150–200 miles per hour. It didn’t always look like this. Earlier models were rounder and louder, often suffering from the phenomenon of “tunnel boom,” where deafening compressed air would rush out of a tunnel after a train rushed in. But a moment of inspiration from engineer and birdwatcher Eiji Nakatsu led the system to be redesigned based on the aerodynamics of three species of birds. Nakatsu’s case is a fascinating example of biomimicry, the design movement pioneered by biologist and writer Janine Benyus. She’s a co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute, a non-profit encouraging creators to discover how big challenges in design, engineering, and sustainability have often already been solved through 3.8 billion years of evolution on earth. We just have to go out and find them.

This is one of a series of videos we’re launching in partnership with 99% Invisible, an awesome podcast about design. 99% Invisible is a member of http://Radiotopia.fm
Additional imagery from the Biodiversity Heritage Library: https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivl…