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Each week, we search New York City for the most exciting, and thought-provoking, shows, screenings, and events. In light of the global health situation, we are currently highlighting events and exhibitions available digitally. See our picks from around the world below. (Times are all EST unless otherwise noted.)

Barbara Hammer, Still from Schizy (1968). Courtesy of Company.

1. In Company With: Barbara Hammer Streaming Videos at Vimeo

As part of a new virtual viewing initiative, Company Gallery is launching a series called In Company With, where digital performances, readings, and screenings are available on Instagram live with gallery artists. Kicking off the project is an archive of the late, great queer artist Barbara Hammers films, ready for your viewing pleasure on Vimeo.

Price: Free; those so moved are asked to donate to Queer I Art, which helps to fund the Barbara Hammer Lesbian Experimental Film Grant.Time: Open daily, at all times

Caroline Goldstein

Staying With the Trouble: Prompts for Practice at A.I.R. Gallery. Image courtesy of A.I.R. Gallery.

2. Staying With the Trouble: Prompts for Practice at A.I.R. Gallery

Brookylns A.I.R. Gallery, which has championed women artists since 1972, has devised a raft of new online programming in the spirit of intimacy without proximity. That kicks off tonight with Staying With the Trouble, a six-week prompt-based art project led by artistAlison Owen, a former A.I.R. fellow. Shell share prompts every other night in the hopes of inspiring new works of art, literature, or music. Interested parties are encouraged to spend the evening ruminating on the prompt, and to use it as a jumping-off point for the next days studio practicehowever they see fit, be it for new projects or for a new direction for existing work. Share the results on social media under #stayingwiththetrouble or #AIRpromptsforpractice2020 to be included in the official project archive.

Price: FreeTime:Prompts will be posted 6 p.m. every other day

Sarah Cascone

Yali Romagoza, The Mistress of Loneliness (Chapter 1: The Departure)(2019), video still. Courtesy of the Immigrant Artist Biennial.

3. Apart, Together: The Immigrant Artist Biennial Zoom Series 1. The Emergency Exposes Your Status and Our Shared Vulnerability from the EFA Project Space

New Yorks Immigrant Artist Biennialis meant to be a response to intensifying anti-immigrant sentiment, offering a platform of cultural exchange. The central exhibition, Here, Together!, was supposed to open March 18 at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts project space on West 39th Street. Instead, the NYFA-sponsored event is staging a roundtable discussion on Zoom, moderated by curator Katya Grokhovsky and Dylan Gauthier and featuring artists Esperanza Corts,Bahareh Khoshooee,Daniela Kostova,Levan Mindiashvili,Qinza Najm,Anna Parisi,daaPo reo, andYali Romagoza.The meeting ID is 378 427 830, and you can call in at +1 646-876-9923. The multi-venue exhibition is being postponed in lieu of a series of online talks, workshops, and other programming that will allow immigrant artists to share their thoughts on identity, the meaning of home, and the challenges of being an immigrant cultural worker today.

Price: FreeTime: 7 p.m.9 p.m.

Sarah Cascone

Louise Bourgeois in her home on West 20th Street, New York, 2000. Photo Jean-Franois Jaussaud.

4. Louise Bourgeois: Drawings 19472007 at Hauser & Wirth

After decades of staging museum-scale exhibitions across three continents, the mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth will mark another milestone this week: On Wednesday, it will open its first online-only exhibition, a survey of drawings by Louise Bourgeois, spanning 1947 to 2007, three years before the artists death. Thats a pretty ambitious topic to take up for a show thats only on computer screens and smart phones, and it promises to be a large-scale investigation into an overlooked part of the artists practice. Though shes best known as a sculptor and installation artist, the gallery points out that, for Bourgeois, drawing was a necessary tool to record and exorcise her memories and emotions. Put together by longtime Bourgeois assistant Jerry Gorovoywho is now the head of the late artists estate, the Easton Foundationthe exhibition is part of Dispatches, the cyberspace-based slate of programming the gallery is putting together while the world is quarantined. Look for more Hauser & Wirth programming to be rolled out on the information superhighway in the coming weeks.

Price:FreeTime:Open daily, at all times

Nate Freeman

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INTRODUCING GWA LIVE! Due to the current situation, I want to do more than just #StillOnShow and bring you live interviews with some of the most exciting artists around the world, starting with Jordan Casteel (@JordanMCasteel) On Wednesday 25 March at 6pm GMT / 7pm Paris / 2pm EST, I will be going LIVE with Jordan on @thegreatwomenartists for the first installment of GWA LIVES, and I want to hear YOUR questions for the brilliant painter Based in New York, and born in Denver, Colorado, Jordan Casteel is a figurative painter whose focus centres in community engagement, painting from her own photographs of those she encounters. Posing her subjects within their natural environments, her nearly life-size portraits and cropped subway compositions chronicle personal observations of the human experience To honour Jordan's temporarily closed exhibition "Within Reach" at @NewMuseum, we are going to be talking about the show as well as her interest in portraiture. BUT we also want to hear from you, so please write your questions below and we can ask Jordan on Wednesday! SEE YOU THEN

A post shared by Katy Hessel (@thegreatwomenartists) on Mar 23, 2020 at 12:09pm PDT

5. GWA Live: Jordan Casteel hosted by the Great Women Artists

Art historian Katy Hessels Instagram account @thegreatwomenartistscelebrates the work of female visual artists. Her latest feature, launching this week as a digital alternative to shuttered galleries and museums, is a series of live artist interviews. Shes starting with Jordan Casteel, who currently has a show at New Yorks New Museum of her nearly life-size portraits of African American subjects. Hessel is inviting her followers to submit questions for the painter ahead of the interview on Wednesday.

Price:FreeTime: 6 p.m. GMT

Sarah Cascone

Film still from Josephine Meckseper, PELLEA[S] (2017). Josephine Meckseper. Courtesy of the artist and Timothy Taylor, London/New York.

After Timothy Taylor Gallery in London closed to the public, putting a premature end to its exhibition ofJosephine Mecksepers videoPELLEA[S], the gallery decided to put the full 42-minute film online for free. For a limited time, you can watch the videowhich debuted at the Whitney Museum in 2018 and was screened last year at the Kitchenfrom the comfort of your couch. An adaptation of Maurice Maeterlincks surreal play Pellas et Mlisande, the film tells the story of a doomed love triangle set in a largely abandoned Washington, DCsound familiar?featuring real footage from Donald Trumps inauguration and the 2017 Womens March.

Price:FreeTime: Open daily, at all times

Julia Halperin

Faustin Linyekula: My Body, My Archive. Performance view. Courtesy of the Tate. Photograph by Oliver Cowling.

7. Faustin Linyekula: My Body, My Archive at Tate Modern

Congolese choreographer and artist Faustin Linyekula was one of the artists scheduled to perform as part of this years recently canceled BMW Tate Live Exhibition. Instead, Linyekula and his performers collaborated with the museum to present a one-off site-specific work performed to a camera in the Tanks, the museums devoted performance space which was formerly used to hold oil when the gallery was a power station. The performance My Body, My Archive is an autobiographical exploration of the millennias of knowledge held within the body as opposed to the relatively brief accounts of written histories. Musicians, performers, and actors join Linyekula to poignantly activate personal and collective memories.

Price: FreeTime: Open daily at all times

Katie White

Nicholas Galanin, The Imaginary Indian (Totem) (2016), Courtesy of Peter Blum Gallery.

8. Nicholas Galanin: Carry a Song / Disrupt an Anthem at Peter Blum Gallery

Available for online viewing is Peter Blums exhibition of Native American artist Nicholas Galanin. Having just shown at the 2019 Whitney Biennale, Galanin is making his solo exhibition debut in cyberspace (although it was intended for Peter Blums New York gallery). To carry the songs of Indigenous people, to carry the songs of the land, is inherently disruptive of the national anthem, the artist says of the exhibition title. In The Imaginary Indian (Totem), a totem is covered in the same floral wallpaper as the wall it hangs on, a metaphor for attempted and forced assimilation between European and Native American cultures.

Price:FreeTime: Open daily, at all times

Cristina Cruz

Jansson Stegner installation view. Courtesy of Almine Rech.

9. Jansson Stegner at Almine Rech

What can I say? Im totally in awe of Jansson Stegners genuinely weird approach to figuration. The people that populate his world come from the uncanny valley of just-distorted-enough to tickle my brain, full of muscular huntresses captured in gloriously active poses. I wish I could stand in front of these in person to fully appreciate Stegners masterful approach to remixing Western painting tropes, but Im very happy to share my computer monitor with these in the meantime.

Price:FreeTime: Open online or by appointment through April 18

Tatiana Berg

Addie Wagenknecht, There Are No Girls on the Internet, 2020. Courtesy of the artist.

10. Addie Wagenknecht: There Are No Girls on the Internet at the Museum of the Moving Image

In November 2019, the Museum of the Moving Image began installing quartets of animated GIFs inside its main elevatorone GIF on each wall, another on the ceilingas part of a series dubbed The Situation Room. Each foursome of GIFS was commissioned from a different artist and set to run for two months, with the GIFs simultaneously being released on GIPHY.

The piece installed just before the museum was forced to temporarily close comes from self-described anti-disciplinary artist Addie Wagenknecht, and it investigates the meme holding that the internet is strictly a mans world. Wagenknecht recorded her search through hundreds of video chats looking for another woman, moving on as soon as her next potential conversation partner was revealed as anyone but. In just a few seconds, each of her four GIFs reinforces the disturbing gender imbalance and fundamental weirdness of the online experience, as the artist is served up a steady stream of dudes lying in bed, dudes wearing only a towel, even dudes serving active military dutyand nothing else except the occasional empty room.

Price:FreeTime:Open daily, at all times

Tim Schneider

Read more:
Editors Picks: 10 Things Not to Miss in the Virtual Art World This Week - artnet News

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With Australian states looking likely to bypass federal government guidelines and head straight to a stage 3 Coronavirus lockdown just in time for the colder months, now is a very good time to start thinking about energy efficiency in the home.

Not only will you have the time to think deeply about this Very Important Subject, but cutting your energy consumption and being smart about how you use electricity in the home remains one of the best ways to reduce your power bills, at a time when every penny counts.

It wont be easy. There will be bored kids to wrangle (Allegedly, all I ever say in my household is shut the door!), constantly inhabited homes to heat (or cool, depending on which state youre in) and all those energy-sucking digital devices working overtime.

But it can be done. And to help make the task easier, we have asked the experts for their top energy saving tips.

Dont take our word for it. As Luke Menzel, the CEO of Australias Energy Efficiency Council says, a few sensible energy efficiency measures can save households a bucketload over winter.

For most homes in colder regions of Australia, heating is by far the biggest slice of the household energy bill pie, he told One Step. And minimising the need for heating all starts with good insulation.

Insulate

Most houses are not well enough insulated for the cold, Menzel notes, which means heaters have to work harder to keep them warm.

Tim Forcey, who was formerly an energy advisor at Melbourne Energy Institute of the University of Melbourne, agrees.

Forcey, who also co-administrates the Facebook group My Efficient Electric Home, ranked checking insulation at number one in his list of top energy saving tips, which he has kindly shared with us on One Step.

Check your attic insulation (if safe to do so!), Forcey says. And if its not up to scratch, it might be time to engage a qualified and certified professional to bring it up to scratch.

Retro-installation of floor insulation is also a possibility, if your house has leaky old floor boards and easy access to under the house. But again, we recommend using a professional to install any sort of insulation in your home.

Draught proof

Good old-fashioned draught-proofing is one of the most cost-effective ways to save energy and feel more comfortable without cranking up the thermostat, says Menzel.

And Forcey also puts this high on his list.

Access some draught-proofing supplies and DIY do what you can that is one idea, he wrote in a FB post earlier this week.

Sure, plenty of more serious stuff is going on I know. But perhaps some of us are looking for a diversion away from Facebook and, as someone said, never let a crisis go to waste.

In the name of good OH&S, One Step doesnt recommend taking on any complex draugt-proofin DIY projects if you arent experienced in these matters, but there are plenty of helpful and easy-to-do tips in the thread under Forceys March 22 post, which could give you a good start.

Rug up

Were not talking about putting on a beanie, scarf and polar fleece, although that too is recommended as an obvious way to stay warm inside the home. What were talking about here is rugging up your home.

Another reason people turn up their thermostats unnecessarily is because their house has lots of cold surfaces, Menzel says.

In fact, the temperature of the surfaces around you can affect your comfort as much as the air temperatures. So, its a good idea to use heavy curtains, install secondary glazing, use rugs on cold floors, and arrange your favourite armchair so its not right next to a cold window.

Making sure your curtains are open during the day can help warm up the house and all the surfaces around you can help warm up the house and all the surfaces, he adds just make sure you close them again at night.

Switch on the air-con!

In autumn, as people think about turning on a gas or electric-resistive heater, use the air con instead! says Forcey.

As he explained in this Conversation article, spending a bit more on a dual-purpose cooling-and-heating device is clearly worth it, with University of Melbourne Energy Institute and Alternative Technology Association, studies showing that using a reverse-cycle air conditioner instead of gas can reduce winter heating costs by up to $A658 a year in a large Melbourne home, or up to $A1,733 per year in a large Canberra home.

Modern air cons can also do a better job than gas heaters of filtering your air and we could all use some good air right now, Forcey said in comments this week to One Step.

But dont forget to clean the filters, he adds. I have visited the homes of even CSIRO scientists and they had no idea there was a (very dirty!) filter in that thing.

Get your temperature settings right

Turning the thermostat too high can also be a huge energy and financial drain, Menzel says.

Each degree higher on the thermostat can add 10 per cent to your heating bill. The most efficient thermostat setting is 18 degrees Celsius, but most people find 20 degrees a lot more comfortable setting that can still save plenty of energy and money.

Think space heating

If you dont need to heat your whole house, then zoning (either with ducted heating systems or just closing doors) can also save a lot of energy, says Menzel.

If you do have ducted heating, its a good idea to check the duct work is leak-free and well insulated. This can sometimes be done with thermal imaging cameras, to save crawling around in dark spaces.

Heat yourself and not (just) your home

For those who are home alone, as Dave Southgate explained in this 2017 One Step Off The Grid article, its possible to stay warm inside a house using only ultra-low energy personal heating devices drawing less than 100W, even when room air temperatures are low.

You can also read his detailed report on the subject here. A hot water bottle and a rug on the lap wouldnt t hurt either!

There are a number of ways you can do this. Forcey recommends starting with an appliance audit, to get a clear picture of how much energy each of your electrical appliances use. This thread on the MEEH Facebook page has some good tips and examples.

But there are also some obvious contenders that could be replaced with confidence and without an audit, such as:

Outdated and inefficient lighting

Halogen downlights can be a huge energy waster in the winter as well, says Menzel. Aside from their high energy consumption, these lights need to be kept far away from insulation as a fire safety precaution. So, there is always an uninsulated patch of ceiling surrounding halogen downlights, providing an easy escape route for heat through the ceiling.

To add to that, they run hot. The heat rising from each downlight can also create a chimney effect and suck warm air out of your house, creating draughts, Menzel says. Draughts make you feel cooler, as they strip heat from you constantly prompting you to turn the thermostat up even higher.

The beer fridge

An old, inefficient beer fridge chugging away in the garage all winter long might be racking up avoidable energy bills, says Menzel. Dont panic though, were not asking you to get rid of it altogether.

Turning it off in the cooler months or replacing it with a newer, more efficient model could help save a fair sum of money. That old, inefficient fridge in the garage costs about $300 per year assuming a 15-year-old medium-sized fridge.

Any ageing appliances

Minimum energy standards have meant that appliances have become more and more energy efficient over recent years, says Menzel.

A typical reverse cycle heating/cooling system today is around 30-40 per cent more efficient than one from 15 years ago. This also goes for fridges. So, it can actually pay to replace your old appliances with new, high-star rated models, as the energy cost savings will repay the investment and then some.

The use of plug-in electric resistive heaters should also be avoided. Even oil column heaters arent efficient unless you sit very close! If you are buying a new appliance, look for ones with higher star ratings they may cost a little extra, but the savings will usually be worth it.

Consumers should note that for some products, the star scale rating that measures an appliances energy efficiency has changed over time to accommodate newer higher performing models.

So, if you have an older appliance at home with a 3-star label stars, dont be too complacent as this might only rate 2 stars by todays standards and may not even allowed to be sold under current minimum standard rules, Menzel says.

The number below the stars is a calculation of how much electricity the appliance will use each year under typical operating conditions.

Multiply this number by your electricity tariff to getannual running costs. Note that tariffs can differ significantly between providers as well as different times of the day, so choosing when to use your product can help save you money.

The pool pump

The EEC advises homes with pools to reduce the pump timer duration by up to half in winter as a way to make substantial energy savings.But make sure you check with your local pool or spa specialist to ensure you are still meeting all health requirements, says Menzel.

Like washing hands and other measures of basic hygiene and disease prevention that are coming into their own in the current health crisis, good energy efficiency is something we should all be practising, all the time, and not just in a Covid-29 winter.

And there are plenty more things we could be doing, and advocating for, to embed the efficient use of energy into future everyday life.

The longer-term issue is the quality of Australias building stock, says Menzel.

While new homes in Australia have an average energy efficiency rating of 6.1 stars, our existing homes are mostly rubbish, with an average rating of only 1.7 stars.

Whether its from a cost or a carbon perspective, we need to get on with the job of retrofitting Australias housing stock.

Ideally, this would be one of the first priorities once we emerge from the immediate crisis, to drive economic activity and make our homes more comfortable and cheaper to run.

See the article here:
How to flatten the curve on energy costs during the Covid-19 lockdown - One Step Off The Grid

President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe pandemic is bad, we need the capability to measure just how bad Florida governor wants federal disaster area declaration Amash calls stimulus package 'a raw deal' for 'those who need the most help' MORE is getting a bump in the polls over his recent handling of the coronavirus pandemic but analysts warn that the uptick does not yet represent a meaningful shift in support behind the president.

Two new surveys released Friday found majority support for Trumps handling of the health crisis. One survey showed Trumps job approval rating moving past the 50 percent mark, a rarity since he took office.

Together, the polls indicate that voters have been encouraged by the presidents new tone and aggressive posture in dealing with the health and economic crises facing the country after a widely-panned Oval Office addressthis month.

Presidents tend to get a bump in wartime as Americans rally around the flag, so it would be no surprise that in a time of crisis the presidents approval rating took a turn in a more positive direction, said Tim Malloy, the polling director for Quinnipiac University.

However, experts also note that the data is limited. The U.S. is facing a potential long-term long health crisis and likely economic recession, which could completely alter the political landscape in the weeks and months before the November general election.

At the moment, only the Harris Poll shows Trumps overall job approval rating over the 50 percent mark.

That bump has not been reflected in polling averages, such as FiveThirtyEights job rating aggregator, where Trumps approval is at 43 percent. Several other surveys conducted over the past few days have put the president in the 46-47 percent range.

Looking at poll averages, there is no clear impact on Trumps overall approval rating and thats whats most politically relevant, said Mark Mellmann, a Democratic pollster. We arent seeing the kind of rally around the president effect, that we see in cases of international crisis. Thats measured by the overall approval rating.

Still, the new surveys are a positive sign for the president, whose response to the pandemic has been widely criticized in Washington, including by former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenIs coronavirus the final Trump crisis? The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Airbnb - Senators clinch deal on T stimulus package Biden hits Trump's remarks about reopening economy within weeks: 'He should stop talking' MORE, the likely Democratic presidential nominee.

A new ABC News-Ipsos survey found that 55 percent of Americans approve of the presidents management of the crisis, compared to 43 percent who disapprove. Thats a near mirror-image flip from the same poll last week, when 43 percent said they approved and 55 percent disapproved.

Voter attitudes broke largely along party lines, with 86 percent of Republicans approving and 30 percent of Democrats saying they approve. But Trumps numbers among Democrats have doubled over last week.

After initially downplaying the threat of the virus, the president has been holding daily press conferences from the White House briefing room that have been broadcast live by news outlets.

There, Trump has been surrounded by top administration officials and experts, including Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceWhite House press secretary to return to work after negative virus test Trump officials advise people leaving New York to self-quarantine for 14 days Intercept editor: Dems want Pence to take wheel on coronavirus response MORE, Dr. Anthony Fauci, thedirector of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, andDr. Deborah Birx, thecoronavirus task force coordinator.

That increase in transparency has coincided with big moves by the White House and Congress aimed both at curbing the spread of the virus and stabilizing the economy.

On Friday, Trump said hed lean onemergencywar powers to accelerate the production of medical supplies to fight the pandemic.

There have been new moves by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department to inject new liquidity and lines of credit into the private sector on a near daily basis.

Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Airbnb - Senators clinch deal on T stimulus package White House, Senate reach deal on trillion stimulus package Overnight Health Care Presented by PCMA Trump hopes to reopen economy by Easter | GOP senators expect stimulus vote Wednesday | House Dems eye two more stimulus bills | Trump says he gets along 'very well' with Fauci MORE(R-Ky.) unveiled a new economic relief package on Thursday, the third of its kind, in an effort to keep the nation from spiraling into a deep recession.

Those efforts have earned Trump praise from surprising places, including from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who called the president fully engaged and thanked him forbeing very creative and very energetic in seeking solutions.

He set a new tone for his presidency the one people had been looking for and for the first time some Democrats are giving him approval which in the previous partisan atmosphere they were unwilling to do, said Mark PennMark PennTrump gets polling boost, but will it last? Worried about dying from COVID-19? You might be a millennial Poll: Coronavirus fears dampen sentiment about the economy MORE, the co-director of the Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll. Thats why his numbers are increasing.

The Harris Poll conducted a two-wave survey, one from March 14-15 and a second from March 17-18.

Those dual surveys found Trumps overall job approval rising from 49 percent to 53 percent. The presidents approval on his handling of COVID-19 bumped up from 51 percent to 56 percent in that time.

However, there are some glaring weaknesses for the president in the polling data.

For instance, 61 percent said the president can be trusted on the coronavirus. That figure is lower than it is for doctors and nurses (92 percent), medical journals (86 percent), local government (77 percent), local media (74 percent), friends and family (72 percent), or the national media (65 percent).

Fifty-eight percent said the government has not provided enough economic relief and 56 percent said the government has not been adequately prepared to deal with the spread of the virus.

And a survey by the American Research Group released Friday broke sharply with the other polls, finding Trumps job approval rating at only 35 percent. Forty-one percent said they approve of Trumps handling of the coronavirus outbreak, compared to 55 percent who said they disapprove.

Trump has been criticized for spending his briefings clashing with the press, including a heated exchange with an NBC reporter, or for making claims that are sometimes at odds with what his own health experts are saying.

There is evidence that people increasingly approve of Trumps handling of the crisis, but this is something of a comparative judgement, said Mellmann. When he was doing nothing and appearing to discount the whole pandemic, he was awful. Hes now better than that.

Excerpt from:
Trump gets polling boost, but will it last? | TheHill - The Hill

The Canadian Olympic Committee announced Sunday that it would not field athletes for the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games set to be held in Tokyo this summer, citing the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

In a joint statement obtained by the CBC, theCanadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee said that they had made the "difficult" decision to withdraw from the games to avoid exposing athletes or other officials to the coronavirus.

"This is not solely about athlete health it is about public health," the committees added. "With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games."

BREAKING: The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee will refuse to send athletes to the Tokyo Olympics if the event is not postponed.The 2020 Games are currently set to begin on July 24. News release: pic.twitter.com/NT8twsqAXI

The statement goes on to explain that Canadian officials will reconsiderif the games are postponed beyond their currently scheduled opening date in late July.

The Australian Olympic Committee on Sunday told athletes to prepare for the games to be held in early 2021, while Australia's prime minister reportedly said in a statement that Australian Olympians would not be allowed to travel to Tokyo to compete in the games until the outbreak has ended, according to 7News Australia.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) says Australian athletes should prepare for a Tokyo Olympic Games in the northern summer of 2021, following the IOCs announcement of a potential postponement of this years Games and changes in public health landscape in Australia and across the globe, read the AOC's statement.

The AOC held an Executive Board meeting via teleconference this morning and unanimously agreed that an Australian Team could not be assembled in the changing circumstances at home and abroad," the committee added.

The International Olympic Committee has for weeks attempted to dismiss suggestions that the 2020 games would be delayed even as the global coronavirus outbreak has sickened more than 330,000 people and killed thousands, resulting in travel restrictions around the globe.

Go here to see the original:
Canadian Olympic Committee won't send athletes to Olympics this summer | TheHill - The Hill

Editor's Note CNN Travel's series often carry sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile. However, CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy.

(CNN) Egypt is most known for its Great Pyramid of Giza or for luxury resorts on both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

Often overlooked is one of the country's most spectacular landscapes, White Desert National Park.

The sprawling protectorate in the Farafra depression in western Egypt is a treasure trove of wonderment.

People touring these strange lands have often felt like they're visiting another planet, despite only being a five-hour drive from Cairo.

Trips to Egypt's Western Desert have been rising in popularity among locals and tourists alike.

Activities range from dune bashing and sandboarding to mountain biking and kayaking in the nearby Bahariya Oasis.

The White Desert is an otherworldly landscape in Egypt.

Khaled Elfiqi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

"Once they experience adventure travel there, they end up coming back again with their friends. So, they can experience it for themselves."

Black Desert

The journey to the White Desert usually starts with a stop at an utterly contrasting landscape -- the Black Desert.

This desert features a myriad of unique mountain ranges. Each one carries a coat of black stones thrown out of volcanoes millions of years ago, giving the sandy landscape its colored name.

After hiking up one of the peaks, it becomes clear that this area is devoid of any sign of life apart from a single road that stretches into the distance.

However, that isn't the road that leads to the White Desert.

Reaching the national park requires deflating the tires of a 4x4 Land Cruiser and dune bashing across the desert at dizzying angles.

Zigzagging and racing down rolling dunes is a heart-pounding experience that eventually gives way to the instantly breathtaking view of the White Desert.

The desert is home to unusual formations.

Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

Within seconds of arriving, questions surrounding its mysterious origins arise as its eerie beauty provides a staunch reminder that our planet is subject to powerful climate changes.

It's completely mind-blowing to believe that this was once a sea or an ocean and that the only evidence remaining is a collection of calcified limestone rocks sculpted over time by sand and wind.

These chalky abstract shapes seemingly change their color depending on the time of day, shifting from brilliant white to creamy, then reaching a golden brown.

When darkness falls

Nestled between the massive rock formations in the Valley of Agabat is a soft sandy hill that's perfect for sand boarding.

Harder to carve and slower than riding down a snowy mountain, sand boarding still delivers a thrill, but there are no ski lifts in the desert and climbing up a steep sandy hill is exhausting.

As the sun sets, the desert reminds everyone that this is a land of extremes and every hour since the sun's departure requires putting on a few additional layers of warmth.

After setting up camp, the local Bedouins prepare for visitors an authentic traditional dinner over an open fire.

The exotic aroma of the feast often draws attention from one of the rare residents of the White Desert -- the fennec fox, also known as the sand fox.

These adorably harmless animals are hard to spot, appearing as shadowy silhouettes in the distance. They often approach campsites as they're accustomed to counting on visitors' leftovers as part of their diet.

The desert is believed to have once been the site of an ocean or sea.

Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

Because of the depth of the landscape and zero light pollution in any direction, the stars shine and streak across the sky at night. This marvelous scene is arguably one of the best environments on the planet to observe the Milky Way in all its splendor.

When the moon emerges, its brilliant light reflects off the rocky surfaces giving a blueish glow that illuminates the national park and invites nocturnal wandering across its otherworldly terrain.

Nighttime explorers need to be wary and bring a flashlight as it's easy to get lost or trip up on the bumpy alien topography.

Exhilarating trail

After sunset, the landscape becomes an entirely different alien topography.

Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

In the morning, the rising sun wakes up even the heaviest sleeper. Before packing up camp, it's worth taking a hike to one of the park's treasured sculptures aptly known, because of its shape, as the Chicken and Mushroom.

After leaving the park, most adventurers travel just over an hour away to the Bahariya Oasis.

A popular attraction in the area is to climb atop the English mountain, so named because of the ruins of a British World War I outpost that crowns its highest peak.

Reaching the top provides a spectacular 360-degree view overlooking the entire oasis, including the lush forests of delicious dates and olive trees. It also presents a challenging ride for mountain biking enthusiasts.

Cycling down its winding paths littered with loose jagged rocks and sandy patches is not for the faint-hearted but provides those with experience an exhilarating trail.

The bottom of the mountain leads into the pristine and untouched Bahariya Salt Lake. Incredibly, there's no development around its shores, making the calm, therapeutic lake an excellent place for kayakers to catch a majestic sunset.

"My favorite part of the trip was kayaking with the golden rays bouncing off the water. It was a moment of pure wonder," Noreen Fadel, one of the adventurers on a recent Destination 31 trip, shared with CNN Travel.

All these sights and activities can fit into a two or three-day trip. The longer the stay, the more time to explore the surrounding area as there are numerous attractions in the region that deserve attention.

It may be years or decades from now before traveling to the surface of the moon is possible. Still, for those who can't wait till then, the White Desert National Park might the next best bet for lunar camping fantasies.

Visit link:
Egypt's White Desert: The alien landscape beyond the Pyramids - CNN

Until Friday, the New Orleans Saints had been relatively quiet on the free agency-front. Other than signing safety Malcolm Jenkins to a 4 year, $32 million contract, the Saints had yet to make a huge splash. Then on Friday, it all erupted. News broke that New Orleans was resigning fan-favorite offensive guard Andrus Peat to a new, five-year deal. While the Saints fanbase was busy imploding over the Peat move, Mickey Loomis, Sean Payton and Khai Harley were hard at work plotting the next step.

Then out of nowhere, all fears were assuaged, and Super Bowl hopes skyrocketed when news broke late Friday night of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders signing with New Orleans on a team-friendly deal that will span 2 years and guarantee $16 million. Now, lets take a look at what all of these moves could mean for the Saints heading into the 2020 season, and how it will reshape the look of the squad.

The signing of Peat is one that most Saints fans will be incredibly unhappy with. But the truth is, it was necessary. Arguably the best guard still available, he also understands the offense well, and contingency plans are in place in case he get injured. But seriously, take a look at Deuce Windhams piece on the new Peat deal because that sums it up better than I ever could. Bottom line, despite Peats high variance play, it keeps one of the better offensive lines intact that will be heavily tasked week in and week out with protecting an aging quarterback.

Jenkins is perhaps one of the most shrewd pickups of the free agency period. While Vonn Bell was excellent last year for New Orleans (when he was awarded a 64.6 grade from Pro Football Focus), Jenkins was slightly better at 68.6. Jenkins plays up in coverage much better than Bell, but does not have the same strengths playing the line. Furthermore, Bell turned down an offer from the Saints prior to Jenkins signing. New Orleans needed to ensure that the safety position was solidified before moving on to the next endeavor. Hence the reason why the Saints pivoted to a reunion with Jenkins. Now, none of this isnt to say a new deal with Bell isnt going to happen, but it is incredibly unlikely. After all, New Orleans still could use additional help at the position.

Jenkins will provide a much needed veteran presence on the secondary squad who is still relatively young. While cornerback Marshon Lattimore is entering his fifth-year, and fellow cornerback Janoris Jenkins will see his return, their is still plenty of green on the squad. Players such as safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Marcus Williams will do well to have Jenkins as a leader and mentor.

Finally, the move everyone has been waiting for since 2018, the signing of a legitimate wide receiver opposite of Michael Thomas. Late Friday night, New Orleans made a surprise move by signing Sanders on a two-year deal. Time and time again the Saints have stated that spending big on free agent wide receivers was not only unwise, but a direction they were reluctant to go. But, when Sanders is willing to sign on a team-friendly deal, and will help reshape the look of the offense, you pull the trigger.

Sanders had an excellent 2019 campaign. Due to a scheduling quirk, the 33-year old played in 17 games, but truly exploded when the Denver Broncos traded him to the San Francisco 49ers. In 10 games with the 49ers, Sanders was able to rack up 502 yards receiving and three touchdowns. If he continued to average 50.2 yards per game, that would have ranked him third on the Saints for any player in 2019.

Quarterback Drew Brees now has two sure-handed wide receivers on his offense, which will force defenses out of double coverage on Thomas, and running back Alvin Kamara. Couple that with the breakouts of tight end Jared Cook, and Swiss-Army Knife Taysom Hill and the New Orleans offense just became one of, if not the most potent in the league.

There is still some time to go until the 2020 season, and the Saints still have needs at cornerback, and linebacker. However, it is plausible, possibly even likely that the team will take a wide receiver in the first round of the draft due to the incredible depth. Anything more than what New Orleans has already done will just be considered lagniappe.

Read more from the original source:
An active Saints free agency is helping reshape the Super Bowl landscape - Canal Street Chronicles

When Mike and Kari Zazzara began looking for a home where their family could spread out in Marin County, Calif., they thought what they wanted was a teardown.

Experienced renovators, they had already demolished and rebuilt one home in San Francisco and were looking forward to doing the same thing in a new place, so they could create exactly what they wanted.

That was before they stumbled on a listing for a house they hadnt expected: a low-slung modern home in Kentfield, designed in 1946 by the architect Henry Hill, of Mendelsohn, Dinwiddie and Hill.

We saw this house, and it really resonated with us, said Mr. Zazzara, 49, a banker who works in construction financing.

I just fell in love with the lines, the views and the location, said Ms. Zazzara, 47, adding that the home had been featured in House & Garden magazine in 1948. It was a diamond in the rough.

Although it had dated finishes, and the single-pane windows, antiquated building systems and minimal insulation were all of concern, the bones of the house were great, Mr. Zazzara said. The midcentury vibe was strong.

So they shifted their focus to planning a restoration and, after finding out there were multiple offers on the property, bid far above the listing price of about $2.5 million, to secure it for $2.9 million, in July 2013.

They moved in immediately, sold their home in San Francisco and enrolled their twins, Austin and Olivia, now 9, at a local school. Then they called Fischer Architecture, in Berkeley, to begin planning the updates and changes.

You could immediately see the beauty of the place, and that it was a prime example of postwar Bay Area style, said Andrew Fischer, who runs the firm with his wife, Kerstin Fischer. These architects were excited about this freedom and new sense of architecture, and what it could bring to how we live.

Their dreams, however, kind of outpaced the technology, he added, noting that the house was nearly impossible to keep warm in the winter and that its cantilevered sections were sagging. Some parts of the floor plans also didnt reflect the way most people want to live today.

The master suite, for example, was split in two and connected by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom, so the man would sleep in one room, and the woman would sleep in the other, Mr. Zazzara said.Also, the kitchen was closed off from the rest of the house, and the entry hall was awkward and cramped.

There are often programmatic problems when we go in to work on these older houses, Ms. Fischer said. There is a formality and separation of spaces that doesnt really apply anymore.

The big question, she said, was how to maintain the resource of this prime specimen of a house, but insert the functionality and comforts of 21st-century living.

By the spring of 2015, they had a plan. They would replace an existing cabana in the yard with a pool house that had its own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living space; upgrade the materials, finishes and systems of the main house, while reconfiguring parts of the floor plan; and build an addition to accommodate a new master suite.

To dramatically overhaul the one-acre lot, the Zazzaras engaged David John Bigham, a landscape architect, asking him to use leftover pieces of the overgrown landscape to create walking trails, gardens and a vegetable patch. When they discovered that the original kidney-shaped pool was failing, they realized it would have to be replaced, as well.

The family was intent on living in the house during construction, so their contractor, Olson Bros., completed the work in three phases.

First, the construction crew built the pool house, which took about nine months and is intended to serve a wide variety of functions. At various times, the structure has been used as a changing room, a guest suite, a home office and a playroom.

We call it the Lego Lounge, at the moment, Mr. Zazzara said.

It served as the familys temporary accommodations, however, while workers renovated the main house, where they opened up the kitchen to the dining room with large sliding doors and expanded the entrance hall. They straightened out sagging cantilevers, replaced the glass with insulated windows and ripped up floors to replace the inefficient radiant heating system.

To preserve the original rough-sawn western red cedar wall paneling and ceilings, they tore off the roof and installed new wiring, sprinklers and insulation from above, before finishing with a new roof and solar panels for electricity and hot water.

Where the house was once a leaky energy hog, Mr. Zazzara said, now were actually putting electricity back into the grid.

Finally, after completing the restoration work on the existing structure, they added the wing that would hold the master suite.

By the time they were finished, it was the summer of 2018 and they had spent about $3.6 million roughly triple what they had anticipated at the outset.

As with any renovation project, there were many surprises along the way.

But part of it was a function of the fact that we made a conscious decision not to cut any corners, Mr. Zazzara said. We realized this is a place we could be in forever.

For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @nytrealestate.

Read more here:
Instead of Tearing It Down, They Rescued It - The New York Times

THE following planning applications have been decided by Wiltshire Council and the Planing Inspectorate recently.

TROWBRIDGE: Michael Jackson, of Summerleaze, has had his appeal against the refusal of his plans to put up a 1.8m wooden fence dismissed. The fence, which was already installed, was found by the inspector to differ from the application put to the council. The inspector wrote: I do not consider that this fence offers a desirable precedent, and, in any event, it differs from the proposal before me as it screens a garden area to the side of the house as opposed to a front garden as in the case before me. Mr Jackson, in his appeal, pointed to nearby flats where some hedges are unkempt. The inspector said that this did not offset the harm the fence would bring to the character of the area.

MINETY: The council has refused to grant permission for plans by Ms Meeres of Allspheres Farm, to add an additional floor to the farm dwelling. The refusal said that the scale of the development was not justified based on the essential needs of the farm.

CHIPPENHAM: Mr Murphy of Pantheon West Ltd, has been granted approval with conditions to build five houses on the land between 19 Gladstone Road and 30 Westmead Lane in Chippenham. The conditions state that no development can begin above ground floor slab level until a scheme of hard and soft landscaping has been submitted. Additionally, a Tree Protection Plan must be approved before any works takes place.

CHIPPENHAM: Approval with conditions has been granted to Mr Hart of Challows Lane to install solar panels and an air source pump. The conditions are that no installation will start until a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accredited installer has demonstrated the Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) installation will meet the requirements of the MCS Planning Standard.

BRATTON: A plan to build a new house and to remove an existing mobile home and concrete base and a permanent dwelling was refused by Wiltshire Council. Mr Eddington, of Lower Road, had his application turned down on the basis that the project would be an inappropriate, unsustainable form of development.

CHAPMANSLADE: A change of use for the land on the south-west side of Black Dog Hill for use by gypsies was refused by the council. The proposal, which would have created two gypsy pitches including mobile homes, touring caravans and dayrooms, was refused due to the increased use of access to the A36 and its impact on highway safety. The officers also said the site is a Special Landscape Area, and were worried about the location not meeting the needs of potential future occupants.

MALMESBURY: Dr Armstrong of Cross Hayes Lane has had an application to replace her wooden conservatory approved on condition the work follows the plans submitted.

MALMESBURY: Mr Cole of Burton Hill, has had his application to remove the internal wall of his home which divides the kitchen and dining area approved with condition it is carried out according to the plans.

GARSDON: Mr Treadaway of Heath Farm, has had his application for extensions and alterations to the outbuildings on the farm approved, on condition that they are not occupied at any time other than as ancillary to the main dwelling.

CALNE: Mr Berry, of Chippenham, has had his application for partial conversion of the White Hart Hotel to provide eight homes, retaining and refurbishing the pub, approved on condition are that no works shall begin until full details on the refurbishment have been submitted, as well as details on the extent of the repointing to be carried out on the brick and stonework.

MARLBOROUGH: Approval with conditions has been granted to Mrs Lemon of Grafton Road, for the conversion of an existing stable barn and garage block into holiday let accommodation. The conditions are that the development is carried out in line with the approved plans, no one should occupy the premise for more than 28 days, that an up-to-date register of anyone who stays is kept and that the removal and disposal of the asbestos cement roof is done by a licensed contractor.

MELKSHAM: Allim Chowdhury of Blackmore Road was given approval with conditions for a single-storey rear extension on 58 Barnwell Road, Melksham. The planning officer said that all development must be carried out in accordance with the approved plans.

Original post:
PLANNING: Here's what's happening where you live - The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald

THE Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is calling on farmers to make their voice heard on the future of farming.

I was at Leyburn auction mart the other day and was told about a farmer in the national park who was giving up his beasts.

He had decided against toiling on, not because of the low rewards but because of public antipathy.

Very necessary declarations of climate and nature emergency do appear to have engendered very unnecessary anti-farming and anti-meat sentiment.

Nowadays there are often tears of despair around farmers breakfast tables, wrote a farmer to a national newspaper last week.

There can be no denying that changes in agricultural practices over the past 50 years have had negative impacts on the environment and wildlife here in the national park as elsewhere.

The gripping of the moors, the almost wholesale switch from hay to silage, and the reliance on bought-in feedstuffs rather than grass to fatten animals are some examples.

There is mounting evidence that current stocking levels in the uplands are unprofitable, as well as unsustainable in the longer term.

But it should be declared loud and clear that having grazing livestock in the Dales is absolutely essential for the landscape, for nature, for the fertility of the soil and for food on our plates.

From the National Park Authoritys perspective, farming also has a key part to play in tackling the challenges presented by a changing climate.

What we really need now is for farmers to make their voices heard above the din.

A little reported but very important consultation was launched by Defra at the end of February.

The department released a policy and progress update on the Agriculture Bill as well as a policy discussion document containing initial thinking for the proposed Environment Land Management scheme (ELM).

It was the detail that many people had been waiting for these past couple of years.

Policy makers in London are often accused of being out of touch.

But I genuinely think they have listened carefully. You might say I would say that.

But take the time to read the documents (easier said than done during lambing) and you cant miss the desire to reach out.

We want to co-design the ELM scheme with those people who know best, says Defra. And, further, We are keen to avoid the mistakes of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and learn from those people who know best.

Note the repetition of people who know best, by which is meant farmers and land managers.

They might as well have written stick your oar in now, please!

There is an opportunity to be seized here.

The National Park needs an English agriculture policy that supports sustainable farming in the uplands.

It also needs an ELMs which invests big in helping farmers to farm in a way that produces landscape-scale environmental enhancements.

Over the next few weeks, groups that the National Park Authority is involved in including the Northern Hill Farming Panel and the Dales Farming and Land Management Forum will be submitting their responses to the consultation.

As the analogy goes, the policy is in the mixer and its time for farmers and land managers to shovel in their thoughts before the pour and set.

Anyone wishing to read Defras Farming For The Future report which was published in February can see it by going to the website at: https://bit.ly/38YATFb

It cover such topics as food production, plant and tree health , rural resilience and moving away from farm subsidies.

Read the rest here:
Make your voice heard on the future of farming - Craven Herald

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