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☆ Bird Photographer of the Year 2023: Winners announced
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A breathtaking image of a peregrine falcon attacking an enormous pelican with its bright orange talons won top prize in this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition. The contest, in its eighth edition, celebrates the beauty of birds while also raising awareness of the mounting pressures they face. Photographers from all over the world entered more than 20,000 images into the competition, all vying for the £5,000 ($6,280) grand prize. Other photographers were recognized for artistic and atmospheric shots, such as an image of a blackbird silhouetted against the moon taken by 17-year-old Anton Trexler, which won Young Bird Photographer of the Year. A Eurasian blackbird silhouetted against a red moon, taken by German photographer Anton Trexler at sunrise.

Persons: Jack Zhi, ”, “, Anton Trexler, Antonio Aguti, Will Nicholl Organizations: CNN, Young, BirdLife International, Bird Locations: California

☆ Israel's workhorse Merkava tank could soon be refilling foreign arsenals depleted by the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Israel may be about to export its workhorse Merkava tank for the first time. Israel isn't selling the newest version of the 45-year-old Merkava tank family, the Merkava 5, or even the Merkava 4, which is used in front-line Israeli armored units. An Israeli Merkava tank in the Negev desert in November 1997. Israel Defense Forces/Michael ShvadronThough Israel is small, home to less than 10 million people, it's one of the world's top 10 arms exporters. If Merkava tanks are sold overseas, they may yet end up on surprising battlefields.

Persons: Yair Koles, Israel isn't, Antoine GYORI, Merkava, Mark, Michael Shvadron, Israel —, Efraim Inbar, MENAHEM KAHANA, Recep Erdogan, Michael Peck Organizations: Israel, Service, Israel's Ministry of Defense, Haaretz, Cypriot, El, Getty, Israel Defense Forces, United Arab, Morocco —, US Army, Jerusalem Institute for Strategy, Security, Polisario, Iranian, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Arab, European, Turkey, Cyprus, Morocco, Spanish, El Espanol, Israeli, Soviet, Lebanon, Israel's, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Algeria, AFP, Turkish, Russian, Europe, Eastern, Merkavas, Russia, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Forbes

☆ The Artist Making Glassware With Solange Knowles and Saint Heron
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Christine Jean-Baptiste | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jason McDonald discovered glassblowing more than two decades ago at an after school program in his hometown, Tacoma, Wash. The practice of fusing liquid sand into art objects dates back more than 2000 years, and yet there’s little to no record of Black glass blowers. “I can count on my fingers and toes the number of professional Black glass artists that I know, and still have some toes leftover,” Mr. McDonald said. He has been told by a peer that “you don’t belong here,” and tolerated emotionally abusive artists. But Mr. McDonald’s sense of purpose and drive toward his craft, and for his community, remain urgent.

Persons: Jason McDonald, ”, Mr, McDonald Locations: Tacoma

☆ A brand new dinosaur species with spiky armor was recently discovered to have roamed England during the Cretaceous period
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new species of dinosaur, Vectipelta barretti, was discovered on England's Isle of Wight. The new species is an ankylosaur, with dorsal armor made up of plates, spikes, and curved spines. Researchers will have to examine other ankylosaur fossils to see if they belong to the new species. But the newly-discovered species, Vectipelta, is thought to have been between 6 and 8 million years older than Polacanthus and has a few anatomical differences. Since 2019, at least four other new dinosaur species have been discovered there and scientists aren't holding back with some of the names.

Persons: barretti, —, Vectipelta, Polacanthus, we've, Stuart Pond, Ankylosaurs, William Fox, ankylosaurs, Ceratosuchops inferodios Organizations: Service, Privacy, Scientists, CNN Locations: Isle of Wight, England's Isle of Wight, China, Asia, Europe

☆ Vietnam Changed the Way This Jazz Man Heard the World
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Dwight Garner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

EASILY SLIP INTO ANOTHER WORLD: A Life in Music, by Henry Threadgill and Brent Hayes EdwardsIt’s rare to come across a new Vietnam War memoir from a major publisher in 2023. Henry Threadgill’s “Easily Slip Into Another World” is an unusual entrant in the genre. For one thing, this astringent book is only in part about his war experience. In fact, “Easily Slip Into Another World” is so good a music memoir, in the serious and obstinate manner of those by Miles Davis and Gil Scott-Heron, that it belongs on a high shelf alongside them. But this memoir rises toward, and then falls away from, Threadgill’s war experience.

☆ DeSantis-picked board seeks new taxes and affordable housing at Disney after the company's 'blatant and hostile' grab for control
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

DeSantis' board overseeing Disney is considering new taxes, public transit, and housing. The board met for the first time since Disney's surprise maneuver. The five-member board met Wednesday for the first since Disney stealthily arranged a deal that would allow the theme park and resort to maintain control of its land, virtually in perpetuity. Much of the meeting made the legal case for the new board moving ahead, despite the maneuver Disney pulled last month. Firefighters who work for Disney's district said the previous board failed to give them the resources they needed to do their jobs, including new ambulances, even as Disney grew.

☆ 6 startups that have raised $100 million or more in 2023 to change healthcare
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The healthcare-staffing startup ShiftKey raised $300 million in a round led by its majority investor Lorient Capital. The clinical-trials-tech startup Paradigm raised a $203 million Series A round led by Arch Venture Partners and General Catalyst. The healthcare-staffing startup ShiftMed raised a $200 million round led by Panoramic Ventures. raised a $200 million round led by Panoramic Ventures. Vytalize Health, a startup that helps doctors provide value-based care, raised $100 million from Enhanced Healthcare Partners, Monroe Capital, and North Coast Ventures.

☆ See the 6 startups that have raised the most cash in 2023 to transform healthcare
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Startups in the industry raised $3.4 billion across 132 deals in the first three months of 2023. The healthcare-staffing startup ShiftKey raised $300 million in a round led by its majority investor Lorient Capital. The clinical-trials-tech startup Paradigm raised a $203 million Series A round led by Arch Venture Partners and General Catalyst. The healthcare-staffing startup ShiftMed raised a $200 million round led by Panoramic Ventures. raised a $200 million round led by Panoramic Ventures.

☆ New York Fashion Week: social media, economy could influence trends
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A model presents a creation from the Michael Kors spring summer 2023 collection during New York Fashion Week in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 14, 2022. REUTERS/Caitlin OchsNEW YORK, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Big brands and emerging labels will present their new collections at New York Fashion Week, which kicks off on Friday, seeking to entice trend-followers with their latest creations and perhaps some viral moments. At a time when social media is opening up once-exclusive catwalk shows to fashion followers around the world, brands will be seeking to stand out and create plenty of buzz. Solá-Santiago said she expected to see a Y2K revival and the continued resurgence of nightlife attire as well as designers looking to social media trends for inspiration. “There's a lot of niche TikTok aesthetics that are really emerging like #Cottagecore #Regencycore, #Balletcore," she said.

☆ Israeli drones use free-falling bombs, can carry up to a tonne
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEL AVIV, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Israeli armed drones use gravity bombs that produce no noise or smoke as they fall, making them hard for enemies to anticipate or evade, and the largest model of the aircraft can carry up to a tonne of munitions, the military says. After more than two decades of secrecy, Israel in July went public with the existence of armed drones in its arsenal. The former, the officer said, "is the heaviest drone that the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) has, which can carry munitions, with an effective payload of around a tonne". The Israeli manufacturers do not publicise the armed capabilities of the drones, under what industry sources have described as a Defence Ministry secrecy policy. All the drone munitions are Israeli-made, the officer said, and "come down in free-fall, and can reach the speed of sound".

The drop is not just because industrial companies are turning down thermostats, they are also shutting down plants that may never reopen. And while lower energy use helps Europe weather the crisis sparked by Russia's war in Ukraine and Moscow's supply cuts, executives, economists and industry groups warn its industrial base may end up severely weakened if high energy costs persist. Reuters GraphicsThe International Energy Agency estimates European industrial gas demand fell by 25% in the third quarter from a year earlier. "We are doing all we can to prevent a reduction in industrial activity," an European Commission spokesperson said in an email. "From Jan. 1, we will be able to switch to oil," company executive Wolfgang Ott said, as the company seeks government help to cushion energy costs.

☆ Japan's best castles to visit at least once
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-20 | by ( David Mcelhenney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —During Japan’s Sengoku “Warring States” era (1467-1615), castles were constructed, bolstered and fortified all across the Japanese archipelago, resulting in approximately 5,000 individual keeps. Here are some of Japan’s best castles that you can still visit. Edo CastleEdo Castle, bearing the former name of Tokyo, has one of the longest lineages of all Japan’s castles. Edo Castle was huge in its prime, surrounded by a 15-kilometer outer moat crossed by over 30 gates and bridges. Bicchu Matsuyama CastleThe 13th-century Bicchu Matsuyama Castle, perched above quiet Takahashi City in Okayama prefecture, is thought to be Japan’s original yamajiro (mountain castle).

☆ World’s most beautiful castles
▼ + stars: | 2019-08-07 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

As the UK crowns a new monarch, we’re exploring all things royal, from castles to grand tours. “Castles are places were plots were hatched, marriages were consummated, murders carried out, royal babies born, and so on. With castles, you are never short of fascinating things to talk about.”Read on to find out more about 21 of the world’s most beautiful castles, fortified homes that are both a feast for the eyes and a time trip back to the bygone age during which they were created. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThis classic medieval castle towers above the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. The castle’s vivid red-and-yellow color pattern – and its flashy clock tower – endow Pena with a much more playful air than the somber castles found elsewhere in Europe.

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