20th century to 21st century

New York (CNN Business) Beloved discount store Century 21 is reopening in New York City nearly two years after the pandemic forced it out of business. The retailer, which sold designer clothing at bargain basement prices, is reopening in spring 2023 at its former location near the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan. A New York favorite, Century 21 gained international notoriety for its appearances in pop culture, including in the original "Sex and the City" TV series. "In our 60-year history we have only closed our doors twice, once after the devastation of 9/11 and then again during the Covid-19 pandemic," said Raymond Gindi, Century 21 co-chief executive officer, in a press release. "But like the true New Yorkers we are, we have persevered." Century 21 is reopening its Cortlandt Street store in New York next year. The family-run business is partnering with retail management company Legends to reopen the one location, a move … [Read more...] about Century 21 is staging a comeback

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin When the world gathered in Glasgow, Scotland for the COP26 UN climate convention, the conversation had not yet added “war in Europe” to the dual challenges of sustainability and biodiversity. Now, eight months later, in the Ukrainian port of Odesa, European Union Council President Charles Michel has described Ukrainian silos “full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export” locked in place by Russia’s wartime blockade of Black Sea ports. Independent data cruncher World Population Review estimates Russia and Ukraine together account for 30% of the global wheat trade. Today, global grain supplies are facing the one-two punch of not only climate disruption but also wartime supply shortages. The food you eat, the food that your food consumes, and perhaps some of your favorite libations are all affected as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine moves into a third month. In a world that has changed everyone and everything, the … [Read more...] about From Odesa To Your Dinner And Dram: How The War Over Fossil And Caloric Energy Supplies Is Shaping The 21st Century

As the world’s need for large amounts of portable energy grows at an ever-increasing pace , many innovators have sought to replace current battery technology with something better. advertisement Italian physicist Alessandro Volta tapped into fundamental electrochemical principles when he invented the first battery in 1800. Essentially, the physical joining of two different materials, usually metals, generates a chemical reaction that results in the flow of electrons from one material to the other. That stream of electrons represents portable energy that can be harnessed to generate power . The first materials people employed to make batteries were copper and zinc. Today’s best batteries – those that produce the highest electrical output in the smallest possible size – pair the metal lithium with one of several different metallic compounds. There have been steady improvements over the centuries, but modern batteries rely on the same strategy as that of Volta: … [Read more...] about How electric eels inspired the first battery two centuries ago

TOKYO, May 15 (Reuters): The Japanese island chain of Okinawa marked the 50th anniversary on Sunday of the end of U.S. occupation and its return to Japan with ceremonies and celebrations amid growing worry about their proximity to an increasingly assertive China. Okinawa, a string of tropical islands off far southwest Japan much closer to Taiwan than Tokyo, suffered massive devastation in World War Two. Two months of bloody battles between U.S. and Japanese forces left as many as a third of its people dead. Nearly 30 years of U.S. rule followed. On May 15, 1972, the islands were finally returned to Japan in what was seen as a hopeful step forward from the war's painful legacy. But today they still host the majority of U.S. military bases in Japan, a devil's bargain that has provided jobs but also fed worries about crime and military accidents. Now, as China grows increasingly assertive in the Pacific region and tensions rise around nearby Taiwan, which Beijing considers a … [Read more...] about Japan’s Okinawa marks half century since US handover as regional tensions grow

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin With picturesque villages, gorgeous hill towns, seaside resorts and medieval hamlets among vineyards and lakes, Europe abounds with “secret” destinations away from the crowds. European Best Destinations (EBD) has released its 2022 list of “Best Hidden Gems in Europe” to entice travelers on the hunt for unique experiences free from mass tourism and a hunger to reconnect with nature. “Amazing secret pueblos blancos in Spain , the Algarve islands of Portugal, secret medieval villages in Italy , and beautiful beaches in Georgia” are among the recommendations by the organization, which is part of the European Commission’s EDEN Network ("European Destinations of Excellence") working to promote sustainable tourism on the continent. These are 12 of the top Secret Destinations on the EBD list. All the hidden gems are here and include Sant' Angelo Ischia Island in Italy, Zahara de la Sierra Cadiz in Spain’s … [Read more...] about 12 Best Hidden Gems In Europe To Visit In 2022, Revealed By European Best Destinations

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Not since the Victoria & Albert Museum’s exhibit “Tiaras” curated by Geoffrey Munn 20 years ago with 200 ancient to antique head ornaments has there been another tiara exhibit of great magnitude. That is all about to change with Sotheby’s London’s Tiara exhibition which is being held in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from May 28 through June 15, 2022. The exhibition will feature approximately 50 tiaras of royal provenance and some of them will be exhibited publicly for the first time. Tiaras, diadems and bandeaus have been in the jewelry news in recent years due to series such as Do wnton Abbey (the series and the film), The Crown , Bridgeton , and other period small and silver screen productions. They have made headlines as celebrities brought them back into style, wearing them to red carpet events; while the most recent Met Gala secured their place among the best bejeweled looks and a trend that … [Read more...] about Sotheby’s London Unveils A Rare Tiara Exhibit To Celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

New York (CNN Business) In August of 2001, more than 100 people gathered on the East Side of Buffalo, New York. The setting, an empty lot in a nearly all-Black neighborhood of this upstate New York city, drew prominent visitors. They included Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer, the two US senators from the state at the time; Anthony Masiello, then the mayor of Buffalo; Byron Brown, the current mayor of the city; and other officials. The 90-minute event featured 18 speakers and was described as "Buffalo's longest-ever news conference." The group was there to announce that Tops Friendly Markets, a leading Northeast grocery chain, would be built on the site — located where an A&P supermarket stood in the 1960s when the neighborhood was a hub of economic activity for Buffalo's Black community. The announcement marked the culmination of more than a decade of activism by community advocates and others to address food inequities on Buffalo's East … [Read more...] about The long struggle to bring a supermarket to a nearly all-Black Buffalo neighborhood

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin As you sail Spain’s Balearic Islands and enter one of the world’s biggest natural harbors, you might wonder how you had never even heard of Mahón. Calm and quiet, the capital of Menorca island was built up by the British in the 18th century and retains some quirky Anglo traits. It doesn’t take long to wander its compact and fine old town that sits high above its coveted harbor. And just minutes outside of city limits you’ll be exploring a rural realm of nature reserves that coexist with luxury agritourism and fine dining establishments. While the British built solid military bastions all over Menorca, it’s the smaller things, such as sash and bow windows along with Georgian architecture, that are the more famous English characteristics of Mahón. Some of those British era buildings today house boutiques in which you’ll find a most Menorcan traditional item in avarcas , simple slingback leather and rubber-soled sandals that … [Read more...] about Mahón, Mayonnaise And More: Menorca’s Capital Delivers

Paul Callan is a CNN legal analyst, a former New York homicide prosecutor and counsel to the New York law firm of Edelman & Edelman PC , focusing on wrongful conviction and civil rights cases. Follow him on Twitter @paulcallan . The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN) I began my legal career as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn in 1975, when New York City resembled the Gotham depicted in the darkest of Batman movies rather than the safe American city we have grown to love in recent years. Sadly, a recent surge in violent crimes in New York and other large American cities may be a sign of a return to that crime-ridden era. And Tuesday morning's shooting at a subway station in Brooklyn's Sunset Park is perhaps the strongest evidence. The perpetrator allegedly opened two smoke grenades before shooting at least 33 times and striking 10 people -- seven men and three women. An … [Read more...] about Opinion: NY subway shooting revives memories of 1980s crime wave

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline One of the most complete, largest and well-known Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons in the world is expected to fetch as much as $8 million when it goes to auction in New York City next month after its sale was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Christie’s auction house said. Key Facts The skeleton, fondly referred to as “Stan,” will hit the block at Christie’s in early October after being displayed and researched at South Dakota’s Black Hills Institute for 20 years. Stan is one of the most famous dinosaur skeletons, and reportedly the most duplicated Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in history—“If anyone has seen a T-rex skeleton, odds are they've seen Stan,” James Hyslop, head of Christie’s department of science and natural history, told Forbes . According to Christie’s, Stan is estimated to go for between $6 million and $8 million on October 6, with collectors, cultural institutions and museum … [Read more...] about One Of The World’s Best-Known T-Rex Skeletons Could Sell For $8 Million Next Month