Above the gate leading into an Antwerp castle lies a bas-relief so worn it’s easy to dismiss it. But to do so would be to miss an important symbol to the city’s citizens. Known as Semini, the sculpture is, according to some accounts, very old, dating back as early as the second century. It once had a huge phallus and women gathered around it to gaze and pray to conceive. In the 16th century, the local clergy came to……
When talking about city centers, one often thinks of busy shops, tourist attractions, and tons of people. However, these city centers are rarely of the geometrical variety. Author and map enthusiast Hans Harlén calculated the center of Stockholm sometime during the 1980s. He accomplished this by looking at the location of the four cardinal points of the city and drawing a square around them. The center of this square is the city’s midpoint. For decades, the project seemed to……
About 80,000 people, mostly local tourists, are being evacuated from the popular Vietnamese beach city of Da Nang after more than a dozen people there were confirmed to have COVID-19. The evacuations were announced Monday by the government. Vietnam, widely seen as a success in dealing with the coronavirus, reimposed a social distancing order in Da Nang following confirmation of the cases. A 57- year-old man was confirmed to be infected by the coronavirus on Saturday, the country’s first…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump has announced plans to redo the White House Rose Garden to make it more in line with the original design implemented during the 1960s Kennedy administration. The first lady says Monday in a statement that decades of use and changes made to support a modern presidency have taken a toll on the outdoor space just off the Oval Office. President Donald Trump has been using the Rose Garden a lot more lately to make…
BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium’s prime minister on Monday unveiled a set of drastic social distancing measures aimed at avoiding a new general lockdown amid a surge of COVID-19 infections. Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes said that from next Wednesday contacts outside family circles will be limited to the same five people over the next four weeks. Belgian residents are currently allowed to meet with 15 different people. The measures don’t apply to children under the age of 12. “Our aim…
LONDON (AP) — Some Twitter users are staging a 48-hour boycott of the platform over its handling of a stream of anti-Semitic comments that were posted on British rapper Wiley’s social media accounts. The boycott, under the hashtag #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate, followed complaints that Twitter was too slow to remove offensive material. Some offensive material was also posted on Instagram. U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel has written to the social media companies demanding an explanation as to the speed of their…
The Hermitage of Saint Sava is located on the slopes of Radočelo Mountain, around seven miles (12 kilometers) from the medieval monastery of Studenica. The Hermitage is a walled cave-complex hanging from a rocky cliff, accessed through a narrow wooden bridge clinging to the cliff. Next to the monastery is a 12th-century church dedicated to Saint George. There isn’t much historical information on the monastery itself. According to local legend, it was created at the same time as the……
In 1573, Samurai warlord Oda Nobunaga overthrew the Ashikaga shogunate and ended its 200-year reign before launching a series of wars that would ultimately unify Japan. Less discussed, however, is his deep love of fish. He was particularly smitten by ayu, a freshwater trout pulled from the Nagara River in modern-day Gifu City, though not by any ordinary fishermen. In the ancient practice of ukai, there are no rods, no bait, and no nets. Instead, fishermen employ sea-faring birds……
You’ve probably heard of the proverb “see no evil.” But few know the origin of this principle, or why it’s also associated with monkeys? Although the English phrase itself is relatively modern, the principle of “see no evil” is believed to date back to antiquity. For example, the Analects of Confucius, which was compiled during the Warring States period of China, has this saying: “Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak……
Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode. Here’s what we talked about today: Headlines: SAP is……
Villa Mehu was the creation and home of dancer Elis Sinistö. He first acquired the land in 1954, not by purchasing the property, but by bartering with the previous owner. During the day, he worked for the plotter, but in the evenings he crafted and constructed his visionary home. Almost constructed entirely of repurposed and recycled scrap materials, Elis set out to create a welcoming villa suitable for parties and guests from his artistic circles. Near the trailhead are two……
The mouth of a young sea otter isn’t a particularly gnarly place. They don’t have many teeth—somewhere between six and 10 at birth, including four canines and two incisors—and they tend to be pretty pristine, like porcelain. But things go downhill fast. Aging sea otters have plaque-like buildup around their gums. Their teeth may get stubby and nubby from years of chewing on hard-shelled food. Or the teeth may be pitted, fractured, or knocked out entirely, leaving behind exposed……
Tire Agent, an Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator-backed startup that is looking to bring the tire industry into the 21st century, has today announced the close of a $5 million funding round led by American Family Ventures, with participation from ERA, Sidekick Fund, NY Angels and HBS Angels. According to Consumer Reports, the average tire costs about $97. Four new tires costs a little less than $400, and that doesn’t include added costs like taxes, fees or installation. Tire Agent wants……
Images can prompt strong emotions and move people to take action. Since you probably know this already, you use beautiful photos on your website to convince site visitors to make a reservation. But have you ever thought of applying this to pre-arrival upselling and cross-selling to increase your conversions? Read on to learn how you The post Tips to Boost Your Hotels Upsell Conversion With Powerful Visuals appeared first on Revfine.com….
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jesús Medina scored in the fifth minute, Valentín Castellanos doubled the lead early in the second half and Maxi Moralez provided the clinching goal late as New York City FC beat Toronto FC 3-1 on Sunday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the MLS is Back tournament. NYCFC was the last team to qualify for the knockout round of the tournament thanks to Houston’s draw against the LA Galaxy in the next-to-last…
