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☆ I've been a student in the UK for 6 years. But my family in the US is getting older, and I'm torn about moving back to be with them.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-26 | by ( Erin Liam | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Scarlett Kiaras-AttariI wanted to pursue a master's in medieval history. Although there are so many great departments in the US for religious studies and medieval history, my mentors at school had all studied at Oxbridge — colleges across Oxford and Cambridge. So, in 2022, I followed their advice and pursued a master's in Medieval History at the University of Oxford. That's the difficulty of expat life — there's the US in the UK version of myself, and I'm always teetering between two places. Although I used to think that I'd stay in the UK, I've recently started to think about how my family members are getting old.

Persons: —, Scarlett Kiaras, Attari, I'm, William Shakespeare's, Richard III, I've Organizations: Service, Business, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, University of Chicago, University of Oxford, Oxbridge, Oxford, King's College London Locations: London, Iranian, British, American, Louisville , Kentucky, New England, Scotland, Cambridge

☆ Mike Lynch, man once dubbed 'Britain's Bill Gates,' dies at age 59
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-22 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Mike Lynch, 59, is the founder of enterprise software firm Autonomy. Dominic Lipinski | PA Images | Getty ImagesDuring the course of the trial, Lynch took the stand in his own defense. He became a key voice supporting the U.K. technology industry, backing key names like cybersecurity firm Darktrace and legal tech firm Luminance. Mike Lynch, founder of software firm Autonomy, at the company's headquarters in, Cambridge, U.K., Aug. 24, 2000. Bryn Colton | Hulton Archive | Getty Images"I keep rare breeds," Lynch told LeadersIn in a 2016 interview.

Persons: Mike Lynch, Hewlett Packard, Chris Ratcliffe, Lynch, —, Angela Bacares —, Bacares, Hannah, Bill Gates, Graham Barclay, David Tabizel, Richard Gaunt, Thomas Bayes, Dominic Lipinski, Autonomy's, Stephen Chamberlain, Sushovan Hussain, Hussain, Thoma, Bryn, LeadersIn Organizations: Autonomy, Hewlett, Bloomberg, Getty, LONDON, CNBC, Sky News, Bancroft's, British Industry, University of Cambridge, Lynett Systems, Cambridge, South Yorkshire Police, Cambridge Neurodynamics, HP, U.S, Packard, Prosecutors, Capital Management, Thoma Bravo, BBC, Council for Science, Technology, Forbes, East Anglian Times, The Times Locations: Sicily, U.S, Porticello, Palermo, Italy, Ilford, East London, Chelmsford, English, Essex, Woodford Green, London, Cambridge, Britain, Suffolk, Bryn Colton, England

☆ 'Britain's Bill Gates': Who is Mike Lynch, the UK tech entrepreneur missing after superyacht sinks?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-20 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Mike Lynch, 59, is the founder of enterprise software firm Autonomy. Lynch, 59, is the founder of enterprise software firm Autonomy. During the trial, Lynch took the stand in his own defense, denying wrongdoing and telling jurors that HP botched Autonomy's integration. "I keep rare breeds," Lynch told LeadersIn during an interview. Weeks before he was reported missing, Lynch told The Times newspaper of how he feared dying in prison if found guilty over the HP allegations.

Persons: Mike Lynch, Hewlett Packard, Chris Ratcliffe, Lynch —, Bill Gates, —, Lynch's, Angela Bacares, Hannah —, Morgan, Jonathan Bloomer, Judy, Clifford Chance, Chris Morvillo, Neda, Stephen Chamberlain, Chamberlain's, Lynch, Autonomy's, Chamberlain, Sushovan Hussain, Hussain, David Tabizel, Richard Gaunt, Thoma, LeadersIn, Weeks Organizations: Autonomy, Hewlett, Bloomberg, Getty, LONDON, U.K, Morgan Stanley, Reuters, HP, U.S, Prosecutors, University of Cambridge, Lynett Systems, Cambridge, South Yorkshire Police, Cambridge Neurodynamics, BBC, Council for Science, Technology, Capital Management, Thoma Bravo, Forbes, East Anglian Times, The Times Locations: Sicily, Porticello, Palermo, Italy, Cambridgeshire, England, Britain, U.S, Ilford, East London, Chelmsford, English, Essex, U.K, British, Suffolk

☆ How this US couple scored rare Italy self-employment visas
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

For those who want to move but need to work the options are extremely limited – working visas to Italy are like gold dust. “We wanted a fresh start, a place where we could enjoy more pleasure in life and quality time,” says Walker. Abandoning the American dreamBowers and Walker wanted to make a change before they got older. Back to the countryTopped by the Orsini castle, Soriano nel Cimino is in the Tuscia area of Italy, north of Rome. The couple have also started a new business, organizing itineraries for visitors craving to discover bucolic Italy.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Vita, Zeneba Bowers, Matt Walker, Soriano nel Cimino, Bowers, “, ”, Walker, –, Orsini, Davide Seddio, it’s Organizations: CNN, intel, Nashville Symphony, Getty Locations: Italy, Tennessee, Rome, Ireland, mull, Italian, Detroit, Tuscia, Viterbo, Walker, Nashville

☆ What are the best galleries in New York? Artists choose their favorites
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Lucy Handley | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

CNBC asked artists to name their top New York galleries, ranging from the well-known to the underground. London-based screen-printing artist Diego Arellano likes Manhattan's Chelsea galleries for their large rooms and high ceilings. Hauser & Wirth has two Chelsea galleries, and both are currently showing work by Hungarian-born U.S. artist Rita Ackermann. The Dia Chelsea gallery in New York City will show an exhibition by British filmmaker Steve McQueen in September. Dia Chelsea | Elizabeth FelicellaBrooklyn resident and artist Zhuo Xiong also favors Chelsea galleries.

Persons: Sean Zanni, Patrick Mcmullan, Diego Arellano, Dia, Arellano, Dia Chelsea, Steve McQueen, Wirth, Rita Ackermann, The Dia, Elizabeth Felicella, Zhuo Xiong, Chelsea —, David Zwirner, Xiong, Wendy Olsoff, Penny Pilkington, Edward Akrout, Akrout, Sasha Maslov, Solomon, Eugene Gologursky, Kate Lewis, Matisse, Hopper, Degas, Henri Matisse, Edgar Degas, Edward Hopper, Lewis, Whitney, Metropolitan Museum of Art Xiong, —, gallerists Akrout, Rob Kim Organizations: Whitney Museum of American Art, Getty, Metropolitan Museum of Art, of Modern Art, Art Newspaper, CNBC, Chelsea, Hauser & Wirth, Hauser, The, Tribeca, New, Arellano, Whitney, MoMA, Guggenheim, Whitney Museum of American, Guggenheim Museum, Solidarity, Museum of Modern Art, Maison, Broadway, Swiss Institute Locations: New York City, York, New York, London, Hungarian, The Dia Chelsea, British, Elizabeth Felicella Brooklyn, Chelsea, Tribeca, Ukraine, Mriya, Meatpacking, Manhattan, Midtown, Inner Mongolia, Chinatown, East, Chinatown , New York

☆ A couple tested out life in Canada and Italy. They chose to move where salaries are lower but life is sweeter.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"I can easily travel around Italy or Europe for the same cost as a long-distance bus ticket in Canada," Craparotta said. Alexandr Spatari/Getty ImagesItalians "cook very simply," and there are fewer deep-fried or sugary dishes compared to restaurants in Canada, Craparotta said. Italian social life is less focused on drinkingIn Toronto, Craparotta was used to a social life that revolved around drinking. When they lived in Canada, Craparotta remembered Fabiani being shocked by a rowdy party where people were playing beer pong and drinking out of red Solo cups. While she is making less than what she would back in Toronto, Craparotta said the location is worth the pay cut.

Persons: —, Craparotta, Flavio Fabiani, They'd, Dyson, Fabiani, Victoria Craparotta, Allan Baxter, she's, Alexandr Spatari, I'm, she'd, querbeet, Numbeo Organizations: Service, Business, Fabiani, Getty Locations: Italy, Toronto, Spain, Rome, Canada, Banff, Vancouver, Europe, Milan, Amalfi, London, Paris, Craparotta

☆ Missing pieces of a Byzantine artifact recovered at Sutton Hoo
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The incomplete artifact is on display in the High Hall exhibition at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, England. A researcher excavates part of the Bromeswell bucket from the trench at Sutton Hoo. Based on the forms of Greek letters at the top of the artifact, researchers think the vessel was already 100 years old when it arrived at Sutton Hoo, Howarth said. Future research at Sutton Hoo could reveal the broader history of the site and what kept drawing people to inhabit it over time, Howarth said. The aim of this project is to look at the landscape and think about who was inhabiting it and how that fits into the wider Sutton Hoo story.”

Persons: Count, David Brun, ”, Laura Howarth, Howarth, James Dobson, ’ ” Howarth, Angus Wainwright, “, David Brunetti, ” Howarth, Sutton, Edith Pretty Organizations: CNN, Sutton, harrow, National Trust ., National Trust, Field, Specialists, Heritage, Hoo, “, British Museum Locations: Suffolk, England, Hoo, African, Sutton Hoo, Byzantine, Antioch, Turkey, Britain, Sutton, Hampshire, East Anglia, what’s, Sri Lanka

☆ How the super-rich are building their luxury ‘safe house’ bunkers
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-07 | by ( Simon Usborne | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Yet it’s no longer enough for the security-conscious billionaire to stick an impenetrable safe room in the basement where it might sit empty forever. Courtesy SAFEThe house itself, Corbi said in an interview via Zoom, is ultra-secure with the blast-proof doors, unbreakable windows and biometric door-entry systems. Even 50 years ago, he says traditional bunkers looked like high-end hotels — “kind of like the Ritz Carlton, underground”. For hundreds of thousands, prefabricated modular steel bunkers can be dropped into the ground under a new-build house. The days when you can throw a first aid kit in a prefab bunker and say you’re safe are long gone.”

Persons: “ We’ve, ”, Al Corbi, ” Corbi, Mukesh Ambani, Anant, Corbi, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Noemi Cassanelli, CNN Graham Harris, Harris, they’re, Covid, Naomi Organizations: CNN, SAFE, Ritz, Carlton, Ritz Carlton, Creative Home Engineering Locations: Virginia, Mumbai, Hawaii, London, Highgate, Arizona —

☆ I'm an American mom living in Germany. The Snoo, nanny shares, and stroller wagons are not very popular here.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Naomi Kaye Honova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Many American parents are used to utilizing a variety of parenting strategies and baby items in their everyday lives. The primary reason for this has to do with finances and parental leave. Day care or a private nanny can be very pricey, so a nanny share can help cut down on costs for some families. In Germany, both group day care and home day care providers are subsidized by the state; in some areas of Germany, day care is free of charge. But in Germany, due to lengthier parental leave, most kids start day care around age 1.

Persons: I've, Ferber, Nanny Organizations: Service, tote, American Locations: Germany, American

☆ Why this Olympian is making everyone crave Italian cheese
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Olympics are a spectacle of athleticism, hard work, peak performance – and perhaps, for some, eating parmesan cheese. The 21 year old from Lombardy in northern Italy was sponsored by the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano (Consortium of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese) in 2021. In one photo, she is hugging a cheese wheel close to her chest. Parmigiano-Reggiano, or parmesan cheese, is most famously made in the hills around Parma, about 65 miles northwest of Bologna. Less visited Parma is the spiritual home of parmesan cheese, however.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Giorgia Villa, Italy’s, –, Villa, Gabriele Seghizzi, al, there’s, Buon Organizations: CNN, intel, Sipa, Reggio, Mantova, Museo Locations: Lombardy, Italy, Emilia, Romagna, Parma, Bologna, Reggio Emilia, Modena, San Petronio, There’s, Soragna

☆ After visiting over 40 countries, there are 5 things I'll never do while traveling
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Melissa Noble | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

We ended up in the medieval town of Loches due to a recommendation from a local. One of my favorite examples of this approach was when my husband and I took a road trip from Paris to Andorra with our son. In Paris, someone from the car hire company recommended we visit Loches, a medieval town in the Loire Valley. The next day, we asked a server where she'd recommend staying within three or four hours south of where we were. We absolutely loved walking through the cobblestone streets, exploring its religious sites, and listening to the church bells in the morning.

Persons: Rocamadour Locations: Loches, Paris, Andorra, Loire

☆ A 'House of the Dragon' cinematographer broke down the dragon rampage in episode seven. He watched 12 stunt people being set on fire with a flamethrower.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Ayomikun Adekaiyero | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewWarning: Major spoilers ahead for season two, episode seven of "House of the Dragon." The massacre scene at the end of "House of the Dragon" episode seven may be brutal to watch, but a cinematographer told Business Insider that it was "unpleasant" to film, too. The "scary part" was that the crew didn't have much time to shoot such a crucial scene, Černjul added. Ulf White's dragon scene was filmed on the same bluescreen stageUlf the White (Tom Bennett) was introduced in "House of the Dragon" season two. "He was talking to them in real time, and then he would basically almost turn into a dragon," Černjul said.

Persons: —, Rhaenyra Targaryen, Emma D'Arcy, Rhaenyra, Corlys Velaryon's, Steve Touissant, Hugh Hammer, Kieran Bew, Vermithor, Ulf White, Tom Bennett, Silverwing, Černjul, Harry Collett, Theo Whiteman, HBO Černjul, Hugh Hammer's, Loni Peristere, Hugh, King Viserys, Paddy Considine, Daemon Targaryen, Matt Smith, Ulf, White, Ollie Upton, Baelon, Daemon, Peristere Organizations: Service, Business, HBO, Warner Bros, Leavesden Studios, Max Locations: Hull, Dragonstone, Watford, England, Rhaenyra

☆ How ‘House of the Dragon’ Turns Fiery Fantasy Into TV Reality
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Sean T. Collins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At the risk of mixing medieval metaphors, dragons are a double-edged sword. For Ryan Condal, the co-creator and showrunner of HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” the creatures are key to the show’s magic, literally and figuratively. “They are the one fantasy element that we’ve allowed ourselves,” he said. “In our world, in this period, the magic is these dragons.”But they are also death incarnate. “You take the city with an army if you want it to be standing afterward.

Persons: Ryan Condal, HBO’s, ”, “, ” Condal, — Locations: HBO’s “

☆ Surprising element found in traces of Tyco Brahe’s alchemy lab confounds scientists
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The covert nature of Brahe’s work was common among alchemists of the Renaissance, who kept their knowledge close to the vest. “Tungsten had not even been described at that time, so what should we infer from its presence on a shard from Tycho Brahe’s alchemy workshop?” Rasmussen said. In addition to serving as Brahe's home, Uraniborg functioned as a scientific center where students across Europe came to live and work. And Brahe himself wrote that the king was eager to support the scientist’s work in both astronomy and alchemy. Given the amount of gold found in Brahe’s remains, he may have also taken medicine containing potable, or drinkable, gold.

Persons: Tycho Brahe, Brahe, Kaare Lund Rasmussen, Poul Grinder, Hansen, Uraniborg, Lund University Gold, Rasmussen, ”, “ Tungsten, ” Rasmussen, Ann Ronan, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Juan José, Fausto d’Elhuyar y de Suvisa, wolfram, Georgius Agricola, Agricola, Lawrence Principe, Drew, ” Principe, King Frederick II of Denmark, De Agostini, Paracelsus, Rudolph II, Emperor, Stjerneborg, “, ” Brahe, Isaac Newton, Johns, King Frederick II’s, Christian IV, Johannes Kepler, Kepler, Newton, Galileo Galilei Organizations: CNN, University of Southern, National Museum of Denmark, Heritage, Lund University, Getty Images, Humanities, Singleton Center, Johns Hopkins University, De Agostini Editorial, Culture, Hulton, Art, Sun, Scientific Locations: Danish, Ven, Sweden, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Europe, Baltimore . Principe, Norway, Uraniborg, Brahe’s, Mercury, Principe, Johns Hopkins

☆ How ‘cat lady’ became an insult for women of a certain age
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —The stereotypical “cat lady” is one of pop culture’s most bizarre characters — and easiest punching bags. And though Vance’s description of “cat lady” didn’t include “crazy,” madness has been associated with “cat ladies” for over a century. “There is something about the independence of cats, something I like about them, which can be linked with a suspicion of independent women,” said Alice Madicott, whose book “Cat Women” prods the “crazy cat lady” stereotype. Many women proudly reclaim ‘cat lady’So-called cat ladies have been reclaiming the term for more than a century. And since Vance’s comments resurfaced this week, “childless cat lady” is now appearing on new merchandise including bumper stickers and yard signs.

Persons: Eleanor Abernathy, “ Big Edie ” Beale, She’s, Robert DeNiro, She’s …, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump’s, Sen, JD Vance, Tucker Carlson, “, ”, Harris, “ We’re, they’ve, ” Vance, Pete Buttigieg, we’ve, Harris “, Fiona Probyn, doesn’t, ” She’s, Rapsey, Vance, ’, haggard, Bastet, Corey Wrenn, Wrenn, Amir Makar, Agnes Waterhouse, Alice Madicott, untameable, Linda Rodriguez McRobbie, couldn’t, ” Rodriguez McRobbie, Havisham, Charles Dickens ’, Rodriguez McRobbie, Jane Austen, Miss Bates, “ Emma ”, Austen, spinsters, Hart Ayrault, Tom Cats, William Henry Ellam, Ken Florey, suffragettes, Big, Susan Michals, ” Michals, Women’s suffragists, suffragists Nell Richardson, Alice Burke, Michals, she’s, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zoë Kravitz, Halle Berry, Catwoman, who’s, Pfeiffer, Kravitz’s, Holly Golightly, Taylor Swift, Raymond Hall, ” Madicott, Swift, Kerstin Emhoff, Harris ’, Ella Emhoff, Jennifer Aniston, ’ —, Swifties Organizations: CNN, University of Wollongong, Democratic, University of Kent, Roman, Getty, Boston Globe, United, American Veterinary Medical Association Locations: Springfield, Australia, Egypt, Alexandria, AFP, Europe, England, “ Grey, New York, United States

☆ Take a Break From Modern Life and Refresh Your Herb Garden
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Margaret Roach | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Carly Still had been working as a gardener in the Hudson Valley when she decided to move to the city 13 years ago. She happened onto a part-time position at the Met Cloisters, in Upper Manhattan, where she encountered many plants for the first time — ones with curious common names like skirret, weld and costmary — and others that she knew too well, or thought she did. Among the familiar ones were several that she had removed whenever she came upon them in her old job. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), for example, is tricky to garden around in cultivated areas, as anyone who has accidentally grabbed a handful while weeding or brushed bare skin against it will attest. She also recognized greater burdock (Arctium lappa), broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) and even some dandelions in the Bonnefont Cloister Herb Garden, one of three main gardens at the museum of medieval art that opened in 1938 as a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Persons: Carly Still, — Organizations: Metropolitan Museum of Art Locations: Hudson, Upper Manhattan

☆ Here's where Kamala Harris stands on the issues, from the economy to healthcare
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-21 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Presenting herself as a center-left politician, Harris previously ran successful campaigns in California, winning statewide races for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, the state attorney general, and the US Senate. AdvertisementHere's where she stands on major issues:AbortionHarris has supported abortion rights since her time in the Senate. ClimateHarris previously supported policies to combat climate change, including plans to transition the US to 100% renewable energy and a carbon tax. As vice president, Harris was tasked with handling the root causes of migration to the US from Central America. Harris re-affirmed her support for LGBTQ+ rights as vice president but has not provided specific policies.

Persons: —, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Harris, Biden, Brett Kavanaugh, Roe, Wade, Climate Harris, She's, Donald Trump's, Sen, Bernie Sanders of, Harris waffled, Sanders, HuffPost, Alejandro Giammattei, Trump Organizations: Service, Democratic, San, San Francisco District Attorney's Office, Business, CNN, Biden, Marshall, Biden's Infrastructure Deal, Healthcare, Stat, Immigration, San Francisco DA, Senate Republicans, Republicans, GOP Locations: California, San Francisco District, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Immigration, Central America, United States, Guatemalan, Israel, Gaza, Rafah

☆ Remains of ancient Papal palace believed to have been found in Rome
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Rome Reuters —The remains of what appears to be a medieval palace where popes lived before they made the Vatican their home have been excavated in Rome prior to renovations for the 2025 Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, the Italian Culture Ministry said on Wednesday. The walls of the complex may have protected the Patriarchio, a monumental basilica envisaged by Emperor Constantine in the square outside the Archbasilica of St John Lateran. Italian Ministry of Culture/Reuters“This is an extraordinarily important find for the city of Rome and its medieval history, as no extensive archaeological excavations have ever been carried out in the square in modern times,” the ministry said. The area around St John Lateran is being spruced up ahead of the Jubilee, a year-long event starting in December that is expected to attract more than 30 million pilgrims and tourists to the Italian capital. During a Jubilee, Catholics can obtain special indulgences, or remission of their sins, if they fulfill certain conditions and do good works or make pilgrimages.

Persons: Rome, St John Lateran, Emperor Constantine, Emperor Caligula Organizations: Rome Reuters, Italian Culture Ministry, Ministry of Culture, Reuters, CNN Locations: Rome, Roman, Avignon, France, St

☆ Rouen fire: Blaze breaks out in spire of French cathedral
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Chris Liakos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A fire broke out in the spire of the cathedral in the French city of Rouen on Thursday morning. The blaze erupted at the top of the spire of the gothic Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Rouen, in the northern region of Normandy. The prefecture confirmed on X that the cathedral was evacuated following the outbreak of the flames and that emergency services were working at the scene. “I turn around and I see the cathedral spire, the tarpaulin that was protecting the restoration work, which was burning, big flames, black smoke.”The construction of Rouen cathedral dates from the 12th century and it was built and rebuilt over a period of 800 years. This blaze comes five years after a massive fire broke out in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, devastating large parts of the 850-year-old church.

Persons: Stéphane, Patrick Waeselynck, ’ ”, Claude Monet Organizations: CNN, Assumption, Normandy’s, Reuters, Notre Dame Cathedral Locations: French, Rouen, Normandy, Normandy’s prefecture, Oise, Paris

☆ Delighting in the Lavender Fields of Central Spain
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Shaan Merchant | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A day in Brihuega during the lavender bloom requires only one set plan: Get to the fields by sunset, to view an unexpected, lush swath of purple as far as the eye can see, with the orange glow of the Spanish sun directly behind it. But each year in summer, on fields where some of the bloodiest battles of the Spanish Civil War were once fought, those colors change with the bloom of a thousand hectares of lavender, the equivalent of about 2,500 acres or 3,000 American football fields. In the past decade, the lavender harvest has revitalized Brihuega, drawing welcomed visitors — and their euros — with natural beauty rivaling vacation favorites like Provence in France. “Not to say anything bad about the French, but the Spanish, we’re maybe more — dicharacheros,” said Ángel Corral Manzano, the town’s major lavender farmer, using a difficult-to-translate Spanish term that means outgoing and talkative. “We’re very eager, excited to welcome you.”

Persons: “, ”, Ángel Corral Manzano, We’re Locations: Brihuega, Guadalajara, Madrid, Provence, France

☆ Berlin Honors Earliest Settlers, Whose Bones Shared Their Secrets
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Sarah Maslin Nir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

From under a parking lot in the center of Berlin, a team of archaeologists unearthed ancient human skeletons of nearly 4,000 forgotten dead from a bygone church cemetery paved over by a former Communist regime. In that time, scientists plumbed information from inside bones — some older than 1160 — and in between ancient teeth. They made startling discoveries, including that the city was inhabited nearly a century earlier than believed. But bones hold only so many secrets. They will rest in state in a museum, Petri Berlin, at the same place where they had been ignominiously blacktopped over.

Persons: Petri Berlin Organizations: Communist Locations: Berlin

☆ A Mark of Shame for 900 Years. Until Now?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The question now is whether the label will actually tarnish Mr. Trump, as it has so many people over the centuries. President Biden seems to be betting that it will. But in a sense, its power derives from its elastic boundaries: Unlike specific crimes, which hinge on the defendant’s behavior, the felony category is defined only by its punishments. “We don’t have a positive definition,” said Elise Wang, a historian who has traced the word’s origins back to medieval literature. “We only have a tautology.”

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Donald J, Trump, Biden, ”, Trump “, who’s, “, Elise Wang Organizations: Biden Locations: Manhattan

☆ I'm an Olympic athlete heading to Paris this summer, but I'm also a medical student. Here's how I pursue both dreams.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Kristina Puga | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Now, I'm 30, and I've fenced on a world championship-winning team and been to the Olympics twice. So, my parents eventually said, "Of course, you're going to take time off to try to go to the Olympics." When I'm on the train, I'm constantly focused on schoolwork. AdvertisementOn Saturdays, I always try doing fun cross-training like pickleball, rock climbing, or running. I guess all of this isn't impossible because I'm doing it — even though it sometimes feels impossible.

Persons: —, Kat Holmes, I'm, Tamora Pierce, Eric Liddel, I've, I'd Organizations: Service, Olympics, Paris Olympics, Icahn School of Medicine, Business, Olympic Locations: Mount Sinai, New York City, Tokyo, Princeton

☆ Mythical Sword’s Disappearance Brings Mystery to French Village
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Hank Sanders | William Lamb | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As legend has it, a sword from God given to Roland, an 8th century military leader under Charlemagne, was so powerful that Roland’s last mission was to destroy it. When the blade, called Durandal, proved indestructible, Roland threw it as far as he could, and it sailed over 100 miles before slicing through the side of a rock face in the medieval French village of Rocamadour. That sword, as the story goes, sat wedged in the stone for nearly 1,300 years, and it became a landmark and tourist attraction in Rocamadour, a small village in southwestern France, about 110 miles east of Bordeaux. So residents and officials there were stunned to discover late last month that the blade had vanished, according to La Dépêche du Midi, a French newspaper. An officer with France’s national police force in Cahors, a town 30 miles southwest of Rocamadour, said that the sword disappeared sometime after nightfall on June 21, and that the authorities opened an investigation after a passerby reported the next morning that it was missing.

Persons: Roland, Charlemagne Organizations: France’s Locations: Rocamadour, France, Bordeaux, Cahors

☆ I loved my first visit to Switzerland — but my trip would've been better if I hadn't made these 5 mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I think I would've been better off in a cheap hotel room, which likely would've had a better bed and no kitchen area, which I didn't need. Using Google Maps to locate bus stopsThis sneaky bus stop was in an underground pass beneath a building. I would walk to the exact spot where Google Maps said the bus stop was and see no signs or benches. I'd wander around looking for the bus stop while watching several buses drive past me without stopping. AdvertisementEach time, I had to ask a local or two where the bus stop was.

Persons: —, Moritz, Morgan McFall, Johnsen, I'd, would've, Airbnb Organizations: Service, Business, Google, SBB Locations: Switzerland, Zurich, Swiss, Europe, Sion, France, St, Johnsen Switzerland

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