The Little Red Hen and the Grain of Wheat
The Little Red Hen and the Grain of Wheat AN ENGLISH FOLK TALE Edited By Olive Beaupre Miller HE Little Red Hen was in the farmyard with her chicks looking for something to eat. She found some grains of wheat and she said: ‘Cut, cut, cut, cudawcut! These grains of wheat I’ll sow; The […]
Flying Into The Fire: Statistics Reveal Surging Tourism Figures Despite Ongoing Wars
Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel experience varying realities of tourism despite conflicts. Against all expectations, tourism figures in war-torn regions are experiencing a surprising surge. From the contested shores of Taiwan to the battlefields of Ukraine, travelers are flocking to areas engulfed in conflict. This alarming trend stands in defiance against the conventional wisdom that war […]
Communist Party of China’s Mounting Foreign Policy Failures
The future of the central pillar of China’s foreign policy, the Belt and Road initiative, seems dim as Italy decides to leave the project after being a part of it for four years. In a signal of leaders maintaining diplomatic distance with China, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni communicated its decision to China on December […]
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: The Oily Gears of War
Unraveling the European chessboard of war and oil Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sent shockwaves through the global energy market, placing the spotlight on the country’s immense oil reserves and their critical role in funding the war. The conflict has sparked intense scrutiny on Russia’s oil exports, with the West struggling to navigate […]
The Importance of Living (III): Views of Mankind
By Lin Yutang Chapter Two Views Of Mankind Christian, Greek and Chinese THERE are several views of mankind, the traditional Christian theological view, the Greek pagan view, and the Chinese Taoist- Confucianist view. (I do not include the Buddhist view because it is too sad.) Deeper down in their allegorical sense, these views after […]
How to Recognize Italian Renaissance Art (Video)
A brief introduction to Italian Renaissance art. Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
Has China’s Economic Miracle Peaked?
By Jefferson Weaver There is a school of political theorists known as “declinists” (e.g., “Debbie downers”) who share a common assumption that the United States will inevitably be displaced as the global hegemon by another power. This view has been expressed repeatedly in academic lounges and news programs alike for decades — regardless of whether […]
Pietro Lorenzetti
Lorenzetti, two 14th-century Italian painters who were brothers. Pietro and Ambrogio, born in Siena, belonged to the Sienese school dominated by the stylized Byzantine tradition developed by Duccio di Buoninsegna and Simone Martini. Pietro trained under Duccio di Buoninsegna and participated in the decoration of the lower Basilica at Assisi. He then returned to Tuscany […]
Galleria Corsini, Caravaggio in Rome 6
After leaving the Vatican Museums, we head south and, following the Tiber River, we will reach the Corsini Palace. The palace houses half of the National Galleries of Ancient Art (we will visit the second half, the Palazzo Barberini, later in our itinerary). Just like in the Vatican Pinacoteca, there is only one masterpiece by […]
The Queen’s Hamlet in Versailles
Marie-Antoinette’s reconfiguration of the Trianon gardens can be divided into two distinct phases. The first, starting in 1777, corresponds to the creation of the English Gardens. Subsequently, in 1783, she tasked Richard Mique with extending the gardens to the north and building a whole model village around an artificial lake. Work began in the summer […]