Octopuses have three hearts, parrot-like beaks, venomous bites, and eight semi-autonomous arms that can taste the world. They squirt ink, contort through the tiniest of spaces, and melt into the world by changing both color and texture. They are incredibly intelligent, capable of wielding tools, solving problems, and sabotaging equipment. As Sy Montgomery once wrote, “no sci-fi alien is so startlingly strange” as an octopus. But their disarming otherness doesn’t end with their bodies. Their genes are also really weird.
The World is Watching Cities, Now More than Ever. The US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord brought cities into the spotlight. Because cities and mayors are acting now, and we must be right beside them as they become necessary leaders in this vital cause. As the world moves forward from Paris, we're showcasing stories that help explain why cities are so critically important for implementing on the goals set forth in that historic accord. See the world turning green in support of the Paris Climate Accord and the future of our planet. After the Climate Accord was signed the road from Paris moved through member cities Beijing for the Second China-U.S. Climate-Smart Low-Carbon Cities Summit; Singapore for the World Cities Summit; Quito for Habitat III; and now culminates in Mexico City for the sixth biennial C40 Mayors Summit and C40 Cities Awards.
Lights have been a very important element of many festivals. Even before the discovery of electricity, rather more so because of the lack of it, lighting lamps or lanterns was a significant part of celebrations. In fact, some festivals are known as festivals of lights. There are many such light festivals across various cultures in the world, which have been illuminating our surroundings year after year. From Berlin to Bangkok, cities across the world have different festivals of light through the year. Lights and fireworks not only dispel darkness, they also hold different meanings in various cultures. Further more, many of them are celebrated even outside the countries of their origins.
Vienna was an intellectual powerhouse in the early 20th Century and two male artists are considered the giants of Viennese modernism: Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. But Vienna's Belvedere Museum is now showcasing the long-neglected contribution of women artists in that period. City of Women displays works by about 60 female artists, covering the years 1900-1938. Some works had been hidden away in attics and storerooms gathering dust. The City of Women exhibition runs at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna from January 25th to May 19, 2019.
