Short-lived jail break in Liberty ends with arrests of three inmates – Bluebonnet News

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In the early morning hours of Thursday at approximately 3 a.m., three inmates from the Liberty County Jail managed to get out of their cells and into the enclosed perimeter yard before they were apprehended by jail personnel.

According to Criminal Investigation Division Commander Capt. Billy Knox, there may have been a fourth inmate involved in the attempted escape but so far that has not been confirmed.

At this early stage of the investigation, little is known of the details as to how they managed to get out of their cells but it appears the three inmates took a mattress from their cell and intended to use it to help them scale the yard fence, according to a statement from the sheriffs office.

However, they were apprehended before either of them could breach the fence and make their escape.

Interviews are presently being taken by CID Investigators to determine the exact circumstances of this attempted escape as the investigation continues.

This is a developing story. The names of the suspects will be released later today. Please check back.

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Short-lived jail break in Liberty ends with arrests of three inmates - Bluebonnet News

Progress and missed opportunities: Morocco enters its third decade under King Mohammed VI – Brookings Institution

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In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Moroccos King Mohammed VI will celebrate 21 years on the throne in July 2020. Over the last two decades, the king has spearheaded positive civil and political reforms, as well as formidable foreign policy and infrastructural changes. Most recently, the regime took swift and effective measures to control the initial spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. Yet, deeply rooted socioeconomic and political challenges have fueled growing popular disillusionment with the regime and triggered numerous strikes and protests in recent years. Two decades on, regret and missed opportunities are multiplying, as Moroccans look back on the reign of a monarch many had hoped would bring about deep political reform and eradicate social inequality.

This policy briefing closely evaluates the major achievements and challenges that came out of Moroccos first two decades under King Mohammed VI. First, it overviews the noteworthy foreign policy achievements, large-scale infrastructural developments, important civil reforms, and limited political transformation undertaken by the monarch. Second, it examines the lack of deep political reform and socioeconomic growth that continues to plague the kingdom. Finally, it contends that the regime should preemptively introduce genuine and targeted reforms in order to improve political and socioeconomic conditions and prevent popular discontent from boiling over into violence.

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In 2019, the Arab Barometer found that 70 percent of Moroccans between the ages of 18 and 29 had thought about emigrating,1 while 49 percent supported rapid political change on the domestic front the latter percentage being the highest of all Arab countries polled.2 Such figures along with chronic protests, a countrywide boycott, critical chants and rap songs, and expressions of discontent on social media point to an increasing sense of popular disillusionment with the regime. The growing frustration of a wide group of Moroccans comes at an interesting time in the countrys political history. King Mohammed VI will celebrate 21 years on the throne on July 30, 2020 in the midst of a pandemic that has pushed the country into mandatory lockdown, left many without wages, and led to a reported rise in police violence.3

Under Mohammed VI, Morocco has undergone important political and economic reforms while facing considerable challenges. During the first five years of the kings reign, the regime allowed fairer elections, decreased media censure, acknowledged the human rights violations committed during the reign of the late King Hassan II (1961-1999), and pursued economic development programs. Other achievements include strengthening the countrys foreign policy by diversifying its alliance base and upgrading its infrastructure through large-scale projects. In response to the 2011 uprisings, the regime introduced reforms that marginally limited its powers (i.e., requiring that the prime minister come from the party with the largest share of votes, and reducing the number of diplomatic and high administrative posts that could be nominated directly by the monarch).4 Furthermore, an Islamist party the Justice and Development Party (PJD) entered the government for the first time in the countrys history.

However, despite these achievements, Morocco remains plagued by socioeconomic challenges. The country suffers from high unemployment rates, poverty, social inequality, mediocre healthcare and education, a persistent urban-rural divide, and towering public debt. Furthermore, the economy relies on oil imports and unstable agricultural and tourism sectors. In the last decade, protests triggered by economic hardship have faced increased repression from the regime, which fears rising instability. In fact, since the 2011 uprisings, the regime has faced great security concerns due to the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) in neighboring countries and the Hirak movement in the historically rebellious Rif region. Two decades on, the reform process seems to have collapsed altogether.

Overall, continuous economic hardship and political restrictions will increase popular frustration and fuel further protests. Yet, the king who remains the most powerful political actor in the country can still deescalate this volatile situation, as the regime has not yet resorted to brutal violence. To avoid chaos, the regime should focus on: (1) bringing about concrete political opening by limiting interference in government affairs and by effectively dividing tasks between the monarchy and the government; and (2) reducing social inequality by reforming the taxation system, thereby raising funds to improve the living conditions of rural populations and to enhance education and welfare.

Since Mohammed VI succeeded to the throne in 1999, Morocco has undergone noteworthy changes in terms of foreign policy, infrastructural development, and civil reform. However, concrete political reform continues to lag behind past promises, and socioeconomic challenges persist despite minor advances.

Morocco has taken significant strides in foreign policy by diversifying its alliance base to pursue economic and diplomatic interests.5 Under the current king, the country has rejoined the African Union (AU), developed stronger ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), improved relations with Europe, and strengthened its position as an international ally in fighting terrorism and irregular migration.6

To maintain trade relations and continue to receive bilateral aid from Europe Moroccos largest trading partner and donor the regime has often had to accept trade restrictions and human rights criticism from the European Union (EU). Indeed, the EU accounted for 59.4 percent of Moroccos trade in 2017 (i.e., 64.6 percent of its exports and 56.5 percent of its imports).7At least 73 percent of Moroccos inward foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks in 2019 came from European countries.8

Under Mohammed VI, there has been a conscious effort to reduce this influence, and Moroccan decision-makers have striven to diversify the countrys support base by strengthening ties with GCC countries and developing new relationships with non-traditional partners, such as China and Russia.9Most striking has been the kingdoms re-direction toward sub-Saharan Africa.

Indeed, Mohammed VI has championed greater presence within the African continent, a move that positions the kingdom as the Wests gateway to Africa, thereby allowing it to enhance its international standing, shore up regional support, and improve its economy. Morocco rejoined the AU in 2017, more than three decades after leaving it.10 Since then, the regime has demonstrated its interest in joining the Economic Community of West African States,11 which invited Morocco to a recent summit.12 The king has personally worked to build ties with sub-Saharan countries; he has made numerous visits to various states and signed nearly 1,000 agreements for economic, political, and security deals.13

Through the kings efforts, Moroccan companies have increased cooperation with sub-Saharan Africa in banking, telecommunications, insurance, and manufacturing. In fact, according to the African Development Bank, 85 percent of the kingdoms FDI went to sub-Saharan states in 2018.14 Moroccan-African trade is also growing it increased by 68 percent between 2008 and 2018 (see Figure 1),15 while Moroccan exports to western Africa tripled during the same period.16 Beyond boosting the kingdoms economy and diversifying its alliance base, Moroccos ties to sub-Saharan countries will further benefit its relationship with the EU by promoting Morocco-EU-African trade.

In terms of regional security, instability has grown in North Africa and the Sahel over the last decade, allowing Morocco to rise as a key counterterrorism player. Recent protests in Algeria, Sudan, and Egypt have highlighted Morocco as a zone of stability in an otherwise struggling region and as a safe ally for Western actors. Meanwhile, the kingdoms willingness to contain terrorist activity in Libya and Mali has strengthened its position as an actor that can help with counterterrorism efforts in the region.

Furthermore, Morocco has faced fewer terrorist attacks than neighboring Tunisia, Algeria, Spain, Italy, and France, a fact that may be attributed to its effective cybersecurity and counterterrorism forces (see Figure 2).17 Indeed, Moroccan authorities maintain a network of close to 50,000 auxiliary agents that are placed in neighborhoods to inform on residents.18 Counter-terrorist forces are usually able to dismantle cells before terrorist activity or planning takes place. According to the authorities, they foiled 352 attacks and dismantled over 170 cells between 2002 and 2017; 19 many of these were reportedly linked to ISIS.20 Moroccos control of terrorist activity within its own borders and in other countries has made the regime an indispensable ally to the EU and United States, thereby balancing out its dependence on their financial support.

21

In addition to providing the United States and EU with intelligence on terrorist cells, Moroccan counter-terrorist forces have stopped plots before they unfurled on European soil notably in France in 2015 and Spain in 2017.22 They also foiled attacks on U.S. and British ships in the Strait of Gibraltar in 2002.23 The regime has also allowed the United States to carry out military training in Morocco through the annual African Lion exercise.24 In return, Morocco has received support from both the EU and United States (notably through the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership) to train its forces and target radicalization at the population level.25 Furthermore, there has been much U.S. and EU support for Moroccos soft power approach to countering radicalization through programs that train local, African, and European imams.26 The success of such programs has strengthened Moroccos international position.

The regimes infrastructural development plan over the past two decades started with a push for mass electrification 27 before improving the countrys motorway infrastructure. The regime then focused on launching a renewable energy megaproject. These costly developments will attract greater investment and tourism inflow and will eventually reduce Moroccos reliance on energy imports.

A groundbreaking achievement during Mohammed VIs reign was the construction of the countrys first mega solar power complex, Noor, which saw investments of around $9 billion.28 Once complete, the complex will be the worlds largest concentrated solar power plant, 29 able to power a city twice the size of Marrakech at peak capacity.30 Most of Noors phases are already on stream, and construction is underway for the final phase.31 The aim is for 42 percent of Moroccos electrical power to come from renewable sources by 2020, and 52 percent by 2030.32 This is feasible given that 35 percent of the countrys electricity came from renewable sources in 2018.33

There has also been significant improvement to the countrys motorway network under the current king, with the networks length having increased from around 400 kilometers in 1999 to 1,831 kilometers in 2016.34 As a result, 60 percent of the population (mostly in urban areas) now has direct access to the highway network,35 which connects 18 airports and 37 commercial ports (13 of which are dedicated to foreign trade).36

Furthermore, after close to 16 years of planning and construction,37 Morocco inaugurated Al Boraq, its first high-speed rail service, in November 2018. In its first phase, Al Boraq currently spans close to 350 kilometers, connecting Casablanca and Tangiers and reducing the travel time between them from five hours to two hours. Eventually, the high-speed rail service will extend to 1,500 kilometers throughout the country.38 The project received significant criticism domestically, with major objections concerning its cost of more than $2 billion. 39 Such a budget was deemed exorbitant by certain associations and political figures, given that Morocco has yet to tackle issues of weak welfare provision, healthcare, and education.

Many macroeconomic and social indicators point to an improved socioeconomic landscape in Morocco. Since Mohammed VIs ascension to the throne, the countrys per capita income (constant dollars over time) has increased from $1,963 in 1999 to $3,361 in 2018,40 and exports have tripled.41 At the social level, the primary school enrollment rate increased by over 27 points between 1999 and 2018,42 the poverty headcount ratio at the national poverty line decreased from 15.3 percent in 2000 to 4.8 percent in 2013,43 life expectancy increased by over eight years between 1999 and 2018, 44 and unemployment decreased from 13.9 percent in 1999 to 9 percent in 2019.45 The economy was boosted by a strong revival of the tourism sector indeed, the number of tourists visiting the kingdom has tripled over the past 20 years46 and it has greatly benefited from the growth of specific industries (such as automotive and aerospace).47

However, according to the World Bank, nearly a quarter of Moroccans are poor or at risk of poverty,48 and the gap between the highest and lowest socioeconomic classes is wide, pointing to great inequality. Moroccos Gini index is 40.9 percent, meaning it has barely improved since 1998.49 This is the highest number in North Africa (excluding Libya, which is in the throes of civil war), followed by Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt.50

Indeed, while poverty has decreased countrywide, it is still prevalent in rural areas. Poverty rates among the rural population were twice as high as at the national level in 2018; in fact, the rural population accounted for 79.4 percent of poor people in the country.51 In 2014, close to 1.2 million rural inhabitants lived under the poverty line, compared to 225,000 urban inhabitants, while 19.4 percent of the rural population was considered vulnerable compared to 7.9 percent of the urban population, according to official sources.52 These numbers show a wide center-periphery wealth divide and indicate the states failure to close the gap.

Furthermore, Moroccos economy remains largely dependent on agricultural activity, which makes it vulnerable to poor harvests and environmental shocks. The agricultural sector, which accounted for approximately 39 percent of total employment in 2018,53 is highly volatile compared to the rest of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.54 It remains dependent on weather conditions, meaning that any rainfall deficit or excess impacts production. Moreover, Moroccos reliance on oil imports hurts its economy every time oil prices peak. The country also has a high level of public debt, which reached $76.8 billion in June 2019.55 While Moroccos GDP has improved, its annual growth has been too small to enhance standards of living or meet societys expectations; at an average annual rate of 4 percent, it is considered low for emerging markets.56

Youth unemployment also remains a pressing problem in Morocco, where around 16.6 percent of the population is made up of young people (ages 15 to 24).57 In 2019, the country had a youth unemployment rate of 22 percent nationally and 40.3 percent in urban areas.58 Lower unemployment rates in rural areas (in 2018, 178,000 people in rural areas versus 990,000 people in urban areas were unemployed)59 do not indicate better economic conditions. Rather, they can be attributed to the educated urban populations reticence to accept undesired positions. Indeed, evidence gathered from field research shows that educated youths in urban areas queue for desired jobs, with many preferring public sector jobs that meet their expectations as university graduates.60 Within the urban middle class, even those who are employed face difficulties, as public sector workers struggle to cover basic expenses due to low wages. Overall, Moroccos lower middle class continues to face significant economic hardship. This is exacerbated by mediocre public healthcare and education, which lead some people to pay high prices in private clinics and schools.

Undeniable progress was made in terms of womens rights during the first five years of Mohammed VIs reign. In 2004, the king reformed the family code to raise the minimum marriage age to 18 years and to grant women the right to self-guardianship, child custody, and divorce;61 these were significant changes, despite some caveats.62 In addition, polygamy laws were modified to require the approval of the existing wife (or wives).63 However, further reforms have yet to take place, namely relating to inheritance laws, the legalization of abortion, and the abolishment of the death penalty.

On the political front, the current kings reign has been marked by far less brutal repression than his predecessors. The electoral process is also more transparent than it was 20 years ago, with less evidence of rigged elections and regime interference. The 2011 uprisings resulted in granting some political freedoms, including partial empowerment of the legislative branch and free and fair parliamentary elections. The latter were won by the PJD, allowing them to enter government after having been kept out for decades.

In relative terms, when comparing a non-absolute authoritarian monarchy like Morocco to an absolute monarchy like Saudi Arabia, it is clear that the former is faring better in terms of human rights and political freedoms. However, when comparing Morocco to a constitutional monarchy like Spain, the former does not fare as well (see Figures 3 and 4). The structures and institutions that facilitate political opening exist in Morocco, but the transition remains restricted from the top.

Indeed, over 20 years, the current regime has favored limited liberalization over deep change. Mohammed VI has avoided the very reforms many had hoped he would introduce relating to freedom of expression, censure of the press, and regime interference in government affairs and formation.64

Over the past 20 years, the kingdoms Freedom House rating of Partly Free has not changed.65 In fact, the last episode of significant political opening took place under Hassan II, shortly before his death.66 Moreover, repression seems to have increased following the 2011 uprisings, including heightened judicial harassment of dissidents.67 In 2012, one year after the constitutional referendum, the authorities repressed protests organized by the February 20 movement, which had emphasized the wider oppositions dissatisfaction with what they deemed to be cosmetic reforms.68

The 2016-2018 protests, which took place in the historically marginalized Rif region,69 were also met with repression. These protests, triggered by the death of a fishmonger crushed by a garbage truck, gained countrywide traction.70 Organizers spoke out against government corruption, economic hardship, and tough living conditions. Around 150 protesters were arrested, and movement organizers were given long prison terms.71 Following the Rif protests, demonstrations triggered by economic hardship in Errachidia and Jrada were also repressed.72 In 2019, police forces used water cannons and batons to disperse smaller-scale demonstrations organized by specific groups (teachers, students, etc.).73

The period following the 2011 uprisings has also been marked by greater regime interference in government affairs, despite promises to ensure a more robust and independent legislative branch.74 While the legislative branch is partially more empowered, elected officials do not possess the power to govern the country or implement deep reform without the regimes permission and cooperation; effective power rests with the monarchy. Indeed, the monarch is the highest political, military, security, and religious authority, appointing key ministers (such as defense and interior), secretaries of state, and governors, among others.

Furthermore, palace-aligned parties such as the National Rally for Independents (RNI), the Constitutional Union (UC), and the Popular Movement (MP) interfere in government affairs and formation, as demonstrated in the aftermath of the 2016 legislative elections. The PJD which had won a historic 125 out of 395 parliamentary seats75 needed to enter into a coalition with other parties.76 However, the RNI (which won 37 seats)77 formed a bloc with the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), the UC, and the MP (all parties with minor results) to increase its influence in government.78 While the RNI refused to join the coalition without these parties, then-Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane rejected the USFPs participation (as it had won only 20 seats).79 This resulted in a five-month deadlock that led the monarch to ask Benkirane to step down in March 2017 and to appoint current Prime Minister Sadeddine El Othmani in his place.80 El Othmani formed a coalition with the palace-aligned parties within a week,81 thereby diminishing the PJDs influence in government and creating divisions within the party.

Other promises made during the 2011 uprisings for greater political freedoms (of press, speech, and organization)82 did not come through. In fact, the regime has refined its tactics of controlling the media and its image. For example, business figures close to the palace control various media outlets, which spread pro-regime propaganda.83 The regime rewards loyal outlets while taking to court journalists who have been critical (in these cases, courts often rule in the regimes favor).84

Individuals criticizing the regime via social media have also faced repression. Two famous YouTubers were arrested toward the end of 2019 for criticizing the king.85 That same year, three Moroccan rappers released Long Live the People, a viral track criticizing the state and the king, which included the lyrics: Bullets will not suffice Im the hurt one the Moroccan citizen who fought for independence but never felt it Who took our money? Who was it that took the phosphates?86 As the song gained popularity within the country and internationally, one of the rappers, Gnawi, was sentenced to a year in jail for insulting the police on social media.87

As economic hardship persists for marginalized communities and popular frustration grows due to persistent social inequality, discontent will increase and protests will multiply. The revolution in neighboring Algeria,88 no matter its outcome, will only embolden Moroccans to express dissent. While this piece does not aim to predict the timeline for a tipping point, tensions are bound to boil over if the kingdoms socioeconomic and political conditions do not improve.

The regime can still deescalate this volatile situation, despite growing expressions of popular discontent and increased protests. Indeed, it has not yet crossed over to brutal repression, and the opposition is too fragmented to mobilize the population. The regime still has time and space to rebuild its social contract with the people. o do so, it must introduce genuine reforms that would: (1) bring about concrete political opening by empowering the legislative branch, and (2) reduce social inequality by improving the living conditions of rural populations and prioritizing education and welfare.

Authoritarian learning 89 goes both ways; as regimes modify their behavior based on what they have learned from opposition events at home and abroad, so do opposition actors. Just as the Moroccan regime has developed a successful pattern of containing opposition through a combination of promised and cosmetic reforms and repression, so have opposition actors and the wider population learned from regime behavior and grown disillusioned with its failure to deliver on a number of promises. These span from as far back as 1956, when King Mohammed V promised various political groups 90 a constitution that he never passed, to as recently as the 2011 uprisings, when the current king promised a new era of reform but implemented little change.

If current grievances were to boil over and fragmented opposition actors were to unify, further pledges from the regime may not suffice to contain an eventual uprising. It is therefore in the best interest of the monarchy to act preemptively, before the tipping point, by introducing genuine reforms and change. A good start would be for the regime to strengthen the legislative branch and grant the prime minister greater powers, thereby paving the way for more individual freedoms. This recommendation would not require the monarchy to step away from power, but rather to be involved in the political sphere in such a way that allows the legislative branch to fulfill its constitutional role.

First, the monarchy should stop palace-aligned parties from interfering in government formation and affairs. Although the RNI-led initiative that resulted in a deadlock in forming the new government in 2016 and the subsequent ousting of Benkirane did not violate the text of any constitutional articles,91 these actions did not respect the spirit of the constitution.

Second, the monarchy and the government need to agree on an effective division of tasks. There are fields in which the monarchy has been extraordinarily successful and which it should continue to oversee most notably foreign policy, international business initiatives, and the development of business-oriented infrastructure. However, the legislative branch should take charge of affairs related to domestic politics and the economy and be given more control over public funds, in order to carry out successful socioeconomic and political reforms.

To tackle social inequality, the regime should focus on three key aspects: (1) reducing the gap between rural and urban populations; (2) increasing the literacy rate for affected groups; and (3) raising more funds to make these changes possible.

To address the urban-rural divide in the short term, more funds should be allocated to rural areas that lack infrastructure and electricity, and which have not benefited from the same massive improvements as urban areas. The regime should focus on upgrading and adding to roads in rural areas, as well as building schools and health clinics in remote villages.

For a long-term solution, the regime must work toward reducing illiteracy, especially among the segments of the population most affected (in this case, women and rural inhabitants). To address this issue successfully, the regime must allocate funds to: (1) encourage and enable families to send their children to school and prevent dropout, and (2) allow illiterate adults to access literacy courses. Major obstacles to childhood education include poverty and distance. The regime must reinforce the public school system with more financial and human resources, give poor families cash incentives to keep their children in school, and set up more schools in remote villages. To reduce adult illiteracy, the regime must allocate funding to literacy courses, provide more courses across the kingdom, and encourage private employers to allow illiterate employees to attend such trainings.

To make these costly changes, the regime must raise more funds, especially as high public debt and dependency on oil imports have limited available state funding. There are several ways to do this, including: improving the tax collection system; spending less on megaprojects; reducing subsidies; and reforming the countrys taxation policy. Although the last option may generate significant political pushback from the higher income groups, it is the most straightforward option, given the regimes propensity to develop large-scale projects, the cuts already made to the subsidy system following the 2011 uprisings, and the economic implications of the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The countrys income taxation policy is currently progressive to 38 percent for six different income groups.92 People in the highest income group (the sixth one) earn over 180,000 dirhams per month, or close to $18,500. This policy can be reformed to include a seventh income group that would be taxed at a higher percentage. For example, people who earn more than 500,000 dirhams per month (around $55,000) could be taxed at a rate of 44 percent. Higher taxes should also be collected on property and wealth.

King Mohammed VIs twenty-first year on the throne marks around a decade since the 2011 uprisings reached Morocco, and a decade since the king promised political opening and change that would meet the demands of the protest movement.93 This symbolic date may explain the growing dissatisfaction with the regime among the media, the opposition, and the population. However, it has not all been bad far from it. The king has introduced important changes in terms of foreign policy, infrastructure, and womens rights. In the beginning of the kings reign, the regime allowed some political opening and committed to increasing economic development. Following the 2011 uprisings, the regime introduced reforms that marginally limited its powers and allowed an Islamist party to lead the government for the first time in the countrys history.

Yet, so much more could and should be done to open the political sphere and address massive inequality. With protests rocking neighboring Algeria, as well as Lebanon and Iraq, and with persistent economic hardship and political restrictions fueling popular frustrations, protests are bound to increase. The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic (due to disrupted trade flows, reduced tourism, a potential European crisis, and increased public spending) will only exacerbate Moroccos economic hardship.

To keep tensions from boiling over, the regime should focus on: (1) bringing about concrete political opening by minimizing interference in government affairs and by effectively dividing tasks between the monarchy and the government; and (2) reducing social inequality by reforming the taxation system, thereby raising funds to improve the living conditions of rural populations and to enhance education and welfare. Such changes would improve the countrys political and socioeconomic landscapes and would make it, in the monarchs own words, a country that accommodates all its sons and daughters; a country in which all citizens without exception enjoy the same rights and have the same obligations, in an environment where freedom and human dignity prevail.94

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Progress and missed opportunities: Morocco enters its third decade under King Mohammed VI - Brookings Institution

Carousel of Progress Fails to Open, Now Temporarily Closed at the Magic Kingdom – wdwnt.com

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There may be a great, big, beautiful tomorrow aboard the Carousel of Progress, but today, things arent looking too hot for John, Rover, and the rest of the family. The Carousel of Progress attraction failed to open earlier today at the Magic Kingdom during park open, and has since remained temporarily closed for the remainder of the day.

The attractions status has since been updated on the My Disney Experience app to reflect the downtime. Fans of the rotating show have noticed a number of issues with the attraction as of late, including faulty speakers and missing music tracks, and even more serious issues with the various animatronics, such as Johns hand falling off mid-show back in February.

Well continue to check on the status of this beloved Tomorrowland attraction, and hope that its back up soon to offer the crowds a welcome respite from the heat as well as a dose of Disney history.

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Carousel of Progress Fails to Open, Now Temporarily Closed at the Magic Kingdom - wdwnt.com

Evacuations in progress as Falling Star fire burns inside of subdivision – KULR-TV

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LAUREL- Evacuations are in progress as a large fire burns near Laurel and Park City inside of one subdivision and immediately adjacent to another.

The fire, referred to as Falling Star, is 500 to 1,000 acres according to Stillwater Co. DES and being pushed by winds.

Over 100 buildings are threatened and Stillwater Co. DES said in an update Sunday their objective is to focus on moving the fire around the subdivision.

By nightfall, fire will likely reach and may cross the Valley Creek Road to the west according to the update.

Losses are currently unknown at this time, and larger air response with numerous ground resources are to move fire around the subdivision.

People are being asked to stay away from the Benedict Gulch area to let fire crews have room to work and travel.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

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Evacuations in progress as Falling Star fire burns inside of subdivision - KULR-TV

Firefighters stop forward progress of Templeton vegetation fire, threatening several homes – KSBY San Luis Obispo News

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UPDATE (2:32 p.m.) The vegetation fire in Templeton has grown to 20-30 acres and is threatening five homes, according to CAL FIRE officials.

Fire crews say there were initially 20 structures threatened. Forward progress of the vegetation fire has stopped.

Seven fire agencies are responding to the fire, including CAL FIRE SLO, CAL FIRE San Benito Monterey Unit, San Luis Obispo City Fire Department, Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services, Templeton Fire Department, U.S. Forest Service and Atascadero State Hospital, according to firefighters.

This story is developing. Please check back later as updates become available.

UPDATE (2:19 p.m.) The vegetation fire in Templeton has reached at least 20 acres, according to CAL FIRE SLO officials.

First responders say they are currently investigating the cause of the fire.

ORIGINAL STORY (1:36 p.m.) CAL FIRE SLO crews are battling a vegetation fire that broke out Saturday afternoon in Templeton.

According to PulsePoint, the fire was initially reported shortly before 1 p.m. in the area of the 3200 block of Neal Spring Road.

CAL FIRE SLO did not immediately respond to calls from KSBY News.

KSBY is sending a crew to the scene to get more information.

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Firefighters stop forward progress of Templeton vegetation fire, threatening several homes - KSBY San Luis Obispo News

Upddate: Fire On J-59 Near Lake Don Pedro, Forward Progress Stopped – MyMotherLode.com

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CAL Fire C404 helicopter based in Columbia Air Attack Base

Update at 12:25 p.m.: CAL Fire report that crews have stopped the forward rate of spread on the Bonds Fire burning along J-59 near Lake Don Pedro at an acre. All Columbia aircraft have returned to base. A small crew will remain on scene to achieve full containment and then mop up. The cause of the fire has yet to determined and is under investigation.

Original post at 11:55:Lake Don Pedro, CA CAL Fire ground and air resources are battling a grass fire on J-59 near Lake Don Pedro.

The fire is in the vicinity of Bonds Flat Road, just before the Seven Legends entrance on the west side of the roadway, according to the CHP. CAL Fire dispatch has dubbed it the Bonds Fire and reports that it is one acre in size and burning at a moderate rate of spread. No structures are threatened. An update will be provided as soon as new information comes into the newsroom.

Written by Tracey Petersen.

Report breaking news, traffic or weather to our News Hotline 532-6397. Send Mother Lode News Story photos tonews@clarkebroadcasting.com. Sign up for our FREE myMotherLode.com Daily Newsletters by clicking here.

Fire information is located under the Community tab or keyword: fireLocal Burn Day information is here. If you see breaking news send us a photo at news@clarkebroadcasting.com.

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Upddate: Fire On J-59 Near Lake Don Pedro, Forward Progress Stopped - MyMotherLode.com

Hedonism can be a good thing – Cosmos

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Have you found yourself feeling guilty for indulging in short-term pleasures like eating chocolate or taking a lazy afternoon off because you should be dieting or working instead?

It might be a relief to know that enjoying such hedonic pursuits can be just as, if not more, important for happiness and wellbeing as working towards long-term goals, according to a study published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Using self-control to achieve long term goals, such as getting fit or studying for exams, has been consistently linked to positive life outcomes such as better health, academic achievement and greater happiness.

But theres more to a happy life than getting good grades and being successful on the job, says Katharina Bernecker from Switzerlands University of Zurich, highlighting the equal importance of hedonic goals, or the active pursuit of pleasure.

Research so far had a one-sided view on hedonic activities as undermining our more important long-term goals, she says, like relaxing on the sofa instead of pursuing fitness goals.

On the contrary, her study found that long-term goals can get in the way of enjoying a pleasant pastime, like thinking about exercise when trying to relax.

Peoples ability to immerse themselves in pleasurable pursuits, on the other hand, corresponded to greater happiness and life satisfaction, and less likelihood of experiencing anxiety and depression.

Bernecker and Daniela Becker, from Germanys Leibniz-Institut fur Wissensmedien, derived these findings from a series of independent studies.

First, they developed a hedonism questionnaire to measure the extent to which respondents can indulge in and enjoy short-term pleasures and how often they are distracted by thoughts about things they should be doing instead.

The questionnaire reflects the idea that in pleasant moments people sometimes get distracted by thoughts about their long-term goals, says Bernecker, which in turn undermines their hedonic experiences.

Respondents also completed a scale on their degree of self-control, which results showed was unrelated to their ability to experience pleasure.

Then they examined how peoples capacity for pleasurable pursuits relates to different wellbeing indicators, followed up with a lab experiment in which volunteers relaxed while the researchers measured how often they thought about things related to their long-term goals.

The findings suggest its all about balance. The pursuit of hedonic and long-term goals neednt be in conflict with one another, says Bernecker. Our research shows that both are important and can complement each other in achieving wellbeing and good health.

It backs up other research that suggests the highest levels of well-being are achieved by people who walk both paths, the authors write. It also supports studies showing the negative impacts of one-eyed dedication to long-term goals and a chronic inability to experience pleasure.

Bernecker stresses that they dont suggest people should necessarily indulge more, but rather enjoy their pleasures, as their study related greater wellbeing to the quality rather than quantity of hedonic activities.

Now, they are investigating how to help people do that. In the meantime, excuse me while I knock off and enjoy some wine and cheese.

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Hedonism can be a good thing - Cosmos

Why researchers are encouraging us to embrace hedonism – TimesLIVE

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They concluded in a meta-analysis published this week in the journalPersonality and Social Psychologythat time spent relaxing (resting, going to the cinema, reading, going to restaurants, and so on) is just as important as working or participating in enriching activities like learning a language or practising a sport.

People who were able to fully relax during leisure activities tended tohave a higher sense of wellbeing, and were less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety.

The study authors say the scientific literature on the subject has largely been targeted at examining how we can achieve our goals most efficiently.

It's time for a rethink, says Katharina Bernecker, researcher in motivational psychology at the University of Zurich.

The pursuit of hedonic and long-term goals needn't be in conflict with one another. Our research shows that both are important and can complement each other in achieving wellbeing and good health. It is important to find the right balance in everyday life.

This topic particularly resonates in the current moment, when many people across the world are working from home. Thinking of the work you still need to do can lead to more distracting thoughts at home, making you less able to rest, adds Bernecker.

So what can you do to enjoy your free time and relax without feeling guilty? While more research is needed, the study suggested a few possibilities. Carving out specific moments for idle or leisure time and setting time limits in order to more completely separate them from other activities is a start towards allowing ourselves real enjoyment without guilt.

View original post here:

Why researchers are encouraging us to embrace hedonism - TimesLIVE

Ill always feel in my element at this neon-lit rave in the Nevada desert – Telegraph.co.uk

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The next instalment in Geoff Dyer's A-Z of travel: a festival that has no merchandise, showers or litter

B can only be for Black Rock City, home of the annual Burning Man festival (which, like everything else, is not happening this year). I first went in 1999 when very few Europeans made the trip to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.

My girlfriend and I were hoping for a week-long desert rave; we came back as raving evangelists for a festival where nothing was for sale, where there was no main stage (no featured acts of any kind, in fact), no showers and, at the end, no litter (unlike Glastonbury which, despite its Eden-in-Albion mythos, always wound up looking like a New-Age rubbish dump in the process of formation).

So what was there? Everything! But that everything was made up entirely of what the festival-goers brought to the party, as gifts. Since the majority of those people were from the Bay Area, it was also a glimpse of a technological frontier. Every night the temporary city was lit up like a glimpse of a possible future.

Ditto its citizens in amazing El Wire costumes that turned them into pulsing neon, sci-fi figures. Our own personal lights consisted of a dozen glow-sticks between us. We were hopelessly ill-prepared in some ways and, in others, we were in our element along with everything else it was a desert rave, after all.

Between that first expedition and 2005 I missed just two years. I then stopped going until 2018. During that 13-year intermission I had no regrets. Wherever I happened to be while the festival was in progress I was happy to find places where, in exchange for money, someone provided food and lovely clean shelter. These places are called restaurants and hotels.

I returned in 2018 for multiple reasons, not the least of which was the death, in April, of co-founder Larry Harvey. Harvey was that distinctly American type, the can-do visionary. Given the life-changing impact of the festival on so many people, his avoidance of any kind of cult of personality was a considerable achievement in itself. Still, the fact of his passing meant that 2018 was bound to be an emotionally charged year. And so it proved.

I knew that the festival had grown and grown (from a population of about 25,000 in 1999 to 70,000) and had heard (from people, naturally, whod never been) that it had become too commercial. Well, it was certainly bigger but in some ways it was better than ever and the core values remained intact: radical self-reliance, no retail, no spectators, leave no trace.

Yes, there were lots more people but, in the scorching expanse of the desert, it never felt crowded except in circumstances where one wanted it to feel crowded: at some of the huge sound systems, for example. The single greatest improvement was in the art, much of which was way more beautiful and inventive than any of the inflated dross served up by the respected likes of Anish Kapoor in the past 10 years. In all sorts of ways, in fact,

Burning Man has become probably the most culturally influential gathering on the planet its just that even people who feel the effects of that influence do not know where it has come from. And how about the lights? Well, think of how your bike lights have improved in the same period and youll get a sense, in miniature, of how Burning Man now sets the darkness reeling in ways that were inconceivable even by its own unimaginably high standards in 1999.

Remember also that any changes that have occurred at Burning Man have unfolded in the sublime emptiness of a desert which has remained unchanged for millions of years. That combination of the transient and eternal is crucial.

As had happened on previous occasions I spent as much time in 2018 moved to tears by the profundity of the experience as I did either weeping with laughter or just blissed-out by hedonism and pleasure. The brief interlude, when the Mans arms were raised shortly before the Burn on Saturday, offered a vision of all the religion I am ever going to need in this life (which is also, of course, the only life).

There is nowhere that I am more pleased to have gone, nothing that I am happier to have done. So my return to Black Rock was the opposite of disillusioning. On the contrary, I believed again, absolutely. But I knew, absolutely, that I would never be going back again.

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Ill always feel in my element at this neon-lit rave in the Nevada desert - Telegraph.co.uk

From Cancun to Jamaica, Adults-Only Resorts That Are Open Right Now – Caribbean Journal

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All-inclusive resorts remain a favorite of Caribbean travelers, and maybe even more so in the current age of travel: once you arrive safely at your resort you can just stay put, with all meals, entertainment and activities provided on-site a self-contained experience that, right now is often better both for travelers and for local communities. And adults-only resorts offer that extra degree of privacy and seclusion.

Here are more than 20 adults-only all-inclusive resorts you can visit right now, from Cancun to Jamaica to Saint Lucia. (Weve included reference to the appropriate entry requirements for each destination mentioned).

Jamaica (Travel requirements)

Couples Resorts: All four Couples resorts in Jamaica are currently welcoming guests, including those from the U.S. That includes Couples Tower Isle and Couples San Souci in Ocho Rios, and Couples Negril and Couples Swept Away in Negril.

Sandals Resorts: The Sandals chain of all-inclusive, adults-only resorts has opened three of its six properties in Jamaica: Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals Royal Caribbean (also in Montego Bay), and Sandals Negril. Sandals Ochi is currently scheduled to reopen on Sept. 1, while visitors will have to wait until at least Oct. 1 to visit Sandals South Coast and Oct. 8 to stay at Sandals Royal Plantation.

Sunset at the Palms: This boutique all-inclusive resort in Negril is ideal for social distancing with its standalone treehouse accommodations, expansive gardens for outdoor relaxation, and private beach club.

Hedonism II: The worlds most (in)famous clothing-optional resort is better than ever with newly renovated rooms and public areas, and while some might understandably balk at jumping into a hot tub with a bunch of naked strangers in the midst of a pandemic, Hedo is adhering to the social-distancing, mask, and other COVID-19 rules just like other Jamaican resorts.

Read the rest here:

From Cancun to Jamaica, Adults-Only Resorts That Are Open Right Now - Caribbean Journal

Finding Home Away From Home In The City of Rovinj, Croatia – vmagazine.com

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My forced stay in Europe after March shows in Paris, courtesy of COVID-19 pandemic, has over time become a blessing in disguise. After the exile in London, I joined my parents who have a house in a small town on the Adriatic coast. Given that the member states of the European Union opened relatively quickly and efficiently, this gave me space to explore Europe, but also my own country, Croatia. I deeply believe that some good needs to be found in every evil so I, like many of my colleagues, for the first time in a while really knocked hard on my reset button.

Last week, I took my two-year-old godson, codenamed Dennis The Menace, and decided to explore a region of Croatia I hadnt visited in a good number of years. My mission was to re-explore Istria and its city Rovinj that stands like a pearl of the richest region on the border with Italy and Slovenia. You dont go to a city like Rovinj if you want noisy nightclubs and parties that require a significant dose of ibuprofen the day after. Rovinj, like a good part of Istria, is a city to enjoy. Im talking about the good, old hedonistic enjoyment that is, unfortunately, dying out in the Mediterranean. The dolce vita from legendary Italian films with the allure of it all created by legendary Fellini and his many contemporaries is hard to find today.

The Mediterranean as it once was is an endangered species. The Cote dAzur has been taken over by megalomaniac yachts and thousands of influencers while my once favorite destinations like Capri and Portofino have gone wild with prices over the last decade. The goal of this research mission of mine was not to find the most elite destination but the one that is the most original and therefore unique. The essence of hedonism is not crazy parties and glamorous outings, but above all enjoying the seemingly simplest needs: food and drink. In this sense, Rovinj has proven to be an ideal solution because you can experience the real Istria thanks to breathtaking gourmet adventures. Thats what I decided to do during my extended weekend. Given the anxiety about the future of the fashion world and the chronic desire for fashion shows that did not take place, my best solution was to enjoy Istria while babysitting a rather wild but adorable toddler.

The choice for my home away from home fell on Grand Hotel Park Rovinj for several reasons; first of all, its a unique luxury hotel that was opened only a year ago and has imposed itself as the ultimate destination for one of a kind carefree enjoyment. There is also an unforgettable view of Rovinj, which offers one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world.

Another very important factor were the pools that served me as a real training ground for my godson. Grand Hotel Park consists of as many as three pools, of which the most impressive for the Instagram universe is infinite with a view of the city center, while the best for kids swimming lessons is the smallest one with a depth of only 45 cm.

Rovinj is located on the west coast of Istria and was first mentioned in the 7th century with the assumption that it originated in the period from 3rd to the 5th century. It is a town that lives by the sea, so almost every household has its own small boat that it uses for fishing or tourism.

The view of Rovinj looks like a postcard image from the 50s or 60s, so it irresistibly resembles a true dolce vita movie set.

The area of the town market is located in the very center of Rovinj, and all the fruits and vegetables come from small family farms. In addition to the classic offer typical of small Mediterranean places, you can also find homemade liqueurs, numerous honey versions and many truffle products for which Istria is famous. Actually, in Istria there is something called the Bermuda truffle triangle between cities of Pazin, Buje, and Buzet. Without a doubt, there you can find the best truffles in this part of Europe.

Although such scenes in Rovinj are common, it is actually unique to see them because as you pass through the center you witness distinctive forms of shipbuilding and repair of old wooden boats whose secrets are passed down from generation to generation.

There is only one thing better than the morning smell of the sea that can wake you up on the hotel balcony: numerous autochthonous plants that are carefully planted on almost all levels of Grand Hotel Park. We woke up every morning to the scents of lavender and rosemary. All this contributes to the overall experience where all your senses are constantly conquered.

Istria is world-famous for its Malvasia wine. It is a typical variety of white wine for the Mediterranean, which has sweet, seductive notes with a refreshing effect all day (and night) long. But my full attention was on the Hugo cocktail which consists of prosecco, elderflower syrup, soda water, and mint leaves. Hugo became my regular partner-in-crime during my stay in Rovinj.

Now time for food porn! After a whole series of tastings, I chose the dishes that won me over with their simplicity and innovation. On the second day of the visit, as an appetizer at the Bitinada restaurant, I chose tuna tartar with a touch of honey, served with berries. And it was divine! The restaurant itself is located near the ACI Marina overlooking Rovinj.

For the main course, the choice fell on seared sesame rolled tuna loin with cauliflower mousse. Basically these are simple ingredients but the trick is that they have to be local and fresh.

Brasserie Adriatic in the very center of old Rovinj thrilled me with a traditional handmade pasta called pljukanci served with shrimps, truffles, and asparagus. The highlight of the evening was definitely the sea bass fillet with celery cream, capers, and malvasia wine sauce. Once again, these are exclusively local ingredients while the dishes are literally prepared in front of you.

First evening was reserved for a haute cuisine experience at the Cap Aureo Signature restaurant. In this case, it is a religious experience for all who enjoy the magic of food. The set of four signature dishes lasted a full two hours while each dish was accompanied by a different wine. We started with year-old pickled beetroot with homemade yogurt.

There are chips and there are haute cuisine chips. This was one epic course. Basically crispy aged potato skin with sea fennel pesto as a dipping sauce!

Shopping is a kind of professional deformation of all of us who are actively involved in fashion and although during holidays we promise ourselves that we will ignore the shops, it never works for us. Lungomare Plaza is a danger zone even for those who avoid shopping. In this carefully designed area of stores, you can find everything: from Isabel Marant to Ralph Lauren from Zimmermann to Audemars Piquet. However, my favorite has become The Park Concept Store, which offers rare perfumes, designer clothes, and lifestyle brands such as Marshall and Dr. Dre.

Perhaps the greatest surprise was my rediscovery of the perfumes from the Roman house Profvmvm Roma. This is not a well-known brand, but rather carefully created niche perfumes that are not easy to come across. My favorite is definitely Dambrosia. It smells like the elixir of pear, almond, fig, and sandalwood.

What is great about the whole concept of Lungomare Plaza is the mix of Croatian designer brands with world-famous names. There are two Croatian brands that should definitely be singled out. Sheriff & Cherry is a playful brand that has already conquered the international market. It is about materials, fabrics, and shapes that immediately evoke a feeling of carelessness unique to holidays think, terry cloth, animal prints, loose silhouettes, color blocking, and symbols of navigation.

The second is the Croatian pret-a-porter brand AMarie, which is adorned with sophisticated but romantic minimalism. I highly admire the proportions and fluidity of the materials that make the whole design almost timeless.

P.S. The great thing about Croatia is that US citizens just have to show a negative COVID test not older than 48 hours (starting from the time of taking the swab until arrival at the border crossing). Which means there is no nightmare of mandatory 14 days isolation.

ADDRESS BOOK:

Grand Hotel Park Rovinj

Smareglijeva ulica 1A, 52210, Rovinj, Croatia

Rovinj Green Market

Ulica Giueseppe Garibaldi, 52210, Rovinj, Croatia

Bitinada Resturant

Setaliste Vijeca Europe 1 2, 52210, Rovinj, Croatia

Brasserie Adriatic

Obala Pina Budicina 16, 52210, Rovinj, Croatia

Cap Aureo Signature Restaurant

Grand Hotel Park Rovinj

Lungomare Plaza

Setaliste Vijeca Europe, 52210, Rovinj, Croatia

Grota Bar

Valdibora bb, 52210, Rovinj

Mediterraneo Bar

Ulica Sv. Kriza 24, 52210, Rovinj

Excerpt from:

Finding Home Away From Home In The City of Rovinj, Croatia - vmagazine.com

Feel the need to be on the go all the time? Here’s permission to relax – The Star Online

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In psychology, prevailing opinion holds that self-discipline helps us prioritise our long-term objectives over momentary pleasures.

Planning for the future and setting long-term goals helps us to gain self-confidence and make progress in life, which usually leads to more happiness.

These are important parameters of emotional well-being, except when they become a source of anxiety.

Researchers at the Universities of Zurich, Switzerland, and Radboud, The Netherlands, created a questionnaire to measure respondents capacity for hedonism, or their ability to focus on their immediate needs and enjoy short-term pleasures, to examine how this related to their well-being.

They concluded in a meta-analysis published in late July (2020) in the journal Personality and Social Psychology that time spent relaxing (resting, going to the cinema, reading, going to restaurants etc) is just as important as working or participating in enriching activities like learning a language or practising a sport.

People who were able to fully relax during leisure activities tended to have a higher sense of wellbeing, and were less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety.

The study authors say the scientific literature on the subject has largely been targeted at examining how we can achieve our goals most efficiently.

Its time for a rethink, says University of Zurich motivational psychology researcher Katharina Bernecker.

The pursuit of hedonic and long-term goals neednt be in conflict with one another.

Our research shows that both are important and can complement each other in achieving wellbeing and good health.

It is important to find the right balance in everyday life.

This topic particularly resonates in the current moment, when many people across the world are working from home.

Thinking of the work you still need to do can lead to more distracting thoughts at home, making you less able to rest, adds Bernecker.

So what can you do to enjoy your free time and relax without feeling guilty?

While more research is needed, the study suggested a few possibilities.

Carving out specific moments for idle or leisure time and setting time limits in order to more completely separate them from other activities is a start towards allowing ourselves real enjoyment without guilt. AFP Relaxnews

Read more here:

Feel the need to be on the go all the time? Here's permission to relax - The Star Online

Where are the religious Zionists in defense of Netanyahu? – Haaretz.com

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Opposite the demonstrators who are pleading with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to vacate his residence immediately, there is often a small counter-demonstration: a group of supporters, mainly activists from the Jerusalem Likud branch, who usually number only a few dozen. They wave Israeli flags, rain down a shower of Mahal (Likud) ballots, and sing songs of praise to the first lady.

Totally absent from these demonstrations is a group that was a key factor in Netanyahus rise, and is now choosing to sit on the fence because this may turn out to be his downfall: Religious Zionism and the ideological right are simply not to be found on Balfour Street.

Where are the right-wing masses who knew how to fill Rabin Square when they cared to? Where is the countrys most skilled, effective apparatus for organizing demonstrations? Where are the masses who voted for the Netanyahu camp three times? These are the smallest right-wing demonstrations ever. Its true that counting demonstrators is so 2011, but something is happening at Balfour. To be more precise, something isnt happening.

The kippa wearers have always turned out to demonstrate for ideas and values, not for a specific person. The same is true of both Elor Azaria and Netanyahu. Admirer Dr. Avishay Ben Haim claimed at the start of Netanyahus trial that the entire right is sitting in the dock with him. But in the test of the street, the kippa wearers are not in the dock. Who in the religious Zionist movement can identify with Netayahus affairs? With the hedonism, the consignments of lavish gifts, the dubious financial transactions, the shady deals whose only purpose is to trample rivals and obtain favorable media coverage?

The Netanyahus hedonism doesnt prevent the right-wing mainstream from voting for Likud again and again. Many Israelis dont consider his relationships with the media or with certain billionaires a criminal matter, are pleased with his performance and identify with his criticism of the media. But its a long way from that to a sick and blind personality cult.

The mass abandonment is only a symptom of the sense of disgust percolating in the ideological right with the behavior of Netanyahu, his advisers and his admirers. Its not only his botched handling of the coronavirus, its also the realization that Netanyahu is willing to risk the welfare of the public and the country for the sake of his own, and that Likud under his leadership is sometimes run like a chaotic kindergarten, playing recklessly with the idea of a fourth election.

Netanyahus hubris towards his electorate is gradually coming to haunt him. Maybe breaking every possible promise, giving half of the government to the other camp in return for preserving his rule, and subordinating the interests of the right for the sake of his battles and those of his family do have an effect after all.

When Netanyahu is ready to move heaven and earth in the Knesset so that Labors Merav Michaeli will appoint judges and not, God forbid, Yaminas Ayelet Shaked, that filters down. When Netanyahu gets an opportunity to influence media outlets (Case 4000), and decides to defame Naftali Bennetts wife and his father, or undermines the handling of the coronavirus crisis as long as Bennett doesnt get credit, its clear theres a difference between the right and Bibi-ism.

Its too early to say how this will affect the next election. Netanyahu is still a world-renowned expert at attracting the votes of religious Zionists. MKs like Bennett and Yoaz Hendel will have to be very smart to succeed where they have had difficulties until now. But Netanyahus winning card in 2015 was the clear media mobilization against him. The atmosphere of one last push and hes out helped innumerable right-wingers to swallow their disgust and cast an anti-media protest ballot. Five years later, the media is the same media and the mobilization is the same mobilization but does the combination of all the circumstances mean that this time it will be different?

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Where are the religious Zionists in defense of Netanyahu? - Haaretz.com

The Bologna Massacre, the ‘Strategy of Tension’ and Operation Gladio – CounterPunch

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Ruins of the Bologna station west wing after the bombing. Beppe Briguglio, Patrizia Pulga, Medardo Pedrini, Marco Vaccari http://www.stragi.it/ CC BY-SA 3.0

On the sweltering morning of August 2, 1980, a powerful explosion blew apart the central train station in Bologna, Italy, killing 85 people and wounding 200 more. To this day, it is uncertain exactly who is behind the deadliest terrorist attack in modern Italian history. It is clear that right-wing extremists including neo-fascists, Italian secret service agents and rogue outlaw Freemasons carried out the attack. What is less clear is whether, or to what extent, the bombing was part of a clandestine, Europe-wide right-wing state terror operation.

Years of Lead

The period from the late 1960s through the 1980s was one of social and political turmoil in Italy known as the anni di piombo, or years of lead. Terrorism from both the far right and far left was commonplace during these deadly decades, in which some 12,000 attacks claimed hundreds of lives. Until Bologna, the most infamous of these was the kidnapping and murder of former prime minister Aldo Moro by the communist Red Brigades in 1978.

Bologna, capital of the prosperous Emilia-Romagna region in northeastern Italy, was and remains a hotbed of political activity. Home to the worlds oldest university, the city is known by locals as Bologna la dotta, or Bologna the Learned. It is also called Bologna la rossa, or Bologna the Red, as the city has long been a stronghold of the Communist Party. Home to some of the worlds finest food and wine and brimming with cultural treasures, the city has been described as the perfect combination of hedonism and communism.

Still, there was bloodshed in Bologna during those Years of Lead. After police shot and killed Francesco Lorusso, a 24-year-old far-left militant, on March 11, 1977, the city erupted in street clashes that lasted for days. The Italian government sent armored combat vehicles into the university quarter and other hot spots to quash what Francesco Cossiga, the interior minister, called guerrilla warfare.

On June 27, 1980, Itavia Flight 870, a DC-9 passenger jet en route from Bologna to Palermo in Sicily, crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Ustica, killing all 81 passengers and crew on board. Like the Bologna station bombing, the cause and the culprit behind the disaster remain shrouded in much mystery. At the time, Prime Minister Francesco Cossiga said the plane was accidentally shot down by French fighter jets engaged in a dogfight with Libyan warplanes over the Mediterranean Sea. However, a 1994 report concluded that a terrorist bomb had brought down the plane. This solved nothing, for in 2013 Italys top criminal court affirmed the stray missile theory. Regardless of who is responsible for the Ustica massacre, the tragedy weighed heavily on Bolognas public consciousness during the summer of 1980, the nadir of the Years of Lead.

Ticking Time Bomb

It was sun, sand and sea, not death and destruction, that were on the minds of many of the thousands of travelers who packed into Bolognas main train station, the Stazione di Bologna Centrale, on that hot morning of August 2, 1980. Summer holidays were just beginning and many of the travelers that day were students on their way to the Adriatic seashore. As the temperature soared, the air-conditioned second-class waiting room quickly filled to capacity. No one noticed the suitcase someone slipped into the crowded room, right up against a load-bearing wall to maximize death and destruction. No one knew that packed inside were 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of military-grade explosives timed to go off at 10:25 am.

Tonino Braccia was a 19-year-old policeman waiting for a train to Rome, where he was to attend his cousins wedding. It was a really beautiful day, he recalled. Scorching hot. Braccia said he was feeling really good that morning, as his commander had granted him three days special leave to travel to the capital. I was smoking a cigarette and I went into the waiting room but there wasnt anywhere to sit, it was completely full, he told the BBC. So I leaned against the door and looked outside.

Bloodbath

Malcolm Quantrill, a 44-year-old university professor from London, had just reached the ticket window in the booking hall when he suddenly saw a flash of yellow light. I did not hear any explosion, just the crash of masonry falling and the sound of breaking glass as the ticket window disintegrated, he said.

Braccia doesnt remember the explosion either. I have tried and tried to remember the moment of the explosion but I really cant remember anything, even the noise, he said. Probably because I was too near it just two meters away. The next thing he remembers is waking up under a train as water from a firefighters hose dripped down on his face. Most of his clothes had been blown off.

I heard people screaming and shouting, recalled Braccia. There were people running. An acrid smell. My mouth tasted bitter and horrible. There was smelly dust everywhere. Everything was yellow. Blood was pouring out of my mouth, my eyes, my ears, my nose. He would lose one of his eyes, as well as the use of one of his arms. He is also partially deaf. The young policeman would spend two weeks in an induced coma and undergo 24 operations over the coming years.

Giuseppe Rosa, a bus driver parked outside the station, will never forget the blast. Rosa said he heard an enormous bang and then part of the roof lifted into the air and fell down on itself. A massive, gaping hole had been blown in the center of the station, the twisted steel girders a testament to the sheer power of the bomb. Rubble was strewn about. From the chaos Quantrill, the British professor, emerged, shocked and disoriented. There was blood all over me. Everyone was running, shouting and screaming.

Amid the smoldering debris, weeping rescue workers collected blasted bodies and bits of bodies. Bologna residents joined travelers in offering first aid to injured victims and in digging dead and wounded people from the rubble. Buses, taxis and private cars rushed victims to hospital.

The bombing of Bologna Centrale the strage di Bologna to Italians remains the most devastating terrorist attack in Italian history. In the history of modern terror attacks up to that time, only the 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem by Zionist militants led by future Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin killed more people. The final death toll in Bologna was 85, with 200 others injured. The youngest to die that day was a 3-year-old girl. The oldest victim was 86 years old.

Strategy of Tension

At first, Italian government and police officials attributed to blast to an accidental explosion, perhaps of an old boiler. Authorities soon received calls from people on both the far right and far left claiming responsibility for the attack. However, it was soon apparent that this was no communist plot. Rather, it was the result of not-so-secret collusion between state officials, fascist terrorists and agents provocateurs, the notorious strategia della tensione, or Strategy of Tension. This unholy alliance of shadowy right-wing forces including corrupt politicians, secret service officers, fascist militants, clergymen and rogue Freemasons would stop at nothing to keep communists from power.

The Strategy of Tension, under which violence and chaos were encouraged rather than suppressed, was ultimately meant to terrorize Italians into voting for the oligarchic Christian Democrats instead of the Italian Communist Party (PCI). The policy was backed by the United States, which had a decades-long history of meddling in Italian politics. The Central Intelligence Agency funneled tens of millions of dollars to anti-communist parties to influence the outcome of numerous Italian elections beginning in the late 1940s. The CIA also engaged in forgery and other disinformation in a bid to discredit the popular PCI.

The Bologna massacre happened just three hours before a court in the city started the trial of a group of right-wing terrorists, including the notorious fascist Mario Tuti, for the August 4, 1974 bombing of the Italicus Express train from Rome to Brenner, an attack that killed 12 innocent people. Investigators quickly zeroed in on militant fascists, attributing the Bologna bombing to the Armed Revolutionary Nuclei (NAR), a neo-fascist terrorist group led by 21-year-old Francesca Mambro and her future husband Valerio Fioravanti, who was 22 at the time. The Bologna prosecutor issued 28 arrest warrants for members of NAR and Terza Posizione, another far-right group.

Terror on Trial

Trials began in March 1987. Prosecutors asserted the terrorists were hoping to spark a revolt that would end with Italy returning to fascist dictatorship, under which it had been ruled as recently as 35 years earlier. Among the defendants were fascist financier Licio Gelli, who once served as a liaison between Rome and Nazi Germany and who was grand master of the banned P2 Masonic Lodge, Pietro Musumeci, a former army general and deputy director of military secret service who was a leading member of P2 and two former professional footballers. It was a veritable Whos Who of the Italian far right.

In July 1988, four people Mambro, Fioravanti, Massimiliano Fachini and Sergio Picciafuoco were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Two others were acquitted. However, the four murder convictions were overturned on appeal in 1992. A new trial began the following year; all of the defendants were again sentenced to life behind bars, except for Fachini, who was acquitted. Lesser sentences for crimes including forming an armed gang, subversive association, obstruction and defamation were also handed down to many of the defendants.

Mambro, who was paroled in 2013, maintains her innocence to this day, although she and Fioravanti have accepted moral responsibility for NAR terror attacks. Speaking about the Bologna bombing in a 1997 interview, she said she remembers the day perfectly.

I heard about it on the news and I thought, what kind of people could do a thing like that? Mambro said. So wanton. So indiscriminate. I wanted to cry.

Operation Gladio?

In 1984, convicted fascist Vincenzo Vinciguerra testified to Italian investigators that he had been recruited for a 1972 car bombing in Peteano as part of Operation Gladio Latin for sword which was launched by the Italian secret service in the 1950s as a stay-behind guerrilla resistance operation in the event of a Soviet invasion or communist takeover of NATO countries. There exists in Italy a secret force parallel to the armed forces, composed of civilians and military men, in an anti-Soviet capacity, to organize a resistance on Italian soil against a Russian army, Vinciguerra testified. Lacking a Soviet military invasion, which might not happen, [they] took up the task, on NATOs behalf, of preventing a slip to the left in the political balance of the country. This they did, with the assistance of the official secret services and the political and military forces.

Vinciguerras testimony is corroborated by other prominent Italian officials. Gen. Vito Miceli, former head of military intelligence, testified that the incriminated organization was formed under a secret agreement with the United States and within the framework of NATO. Former defense minister Paulo Taviani told a magistrate that during his time in office, the Italian secret services were bossed and financed by CIA agents, while Giandelio Maletti, a former secret service general, said the CIA gave its tacit approval to a series of bombings in Italy in the 1970s to sow instability and keep communists from taking power. Former secret service chief Gen. Gerardo Serravalle said that as Gladio evolved into a terrorist operation, representatives of the CIA were always present at meetings, although the Americans did not have voting rights. Serravalle also said that Gladio agents trained a British military base. A parliamentary terrorism committee also revealed that the US funded a training base for stay behind operators in Germany.

Although the CIA denied involvement in Gladio, one of the agencys former directors, William Colby, detailed in his memoir how the CIA was involved in stay-behind operations in Scandinavian countries. Declassified CIA documents also prove that the US helped set up German stay-behind networks, which involved former Nazis including two SS colonels, Hans Rues and Walter Kopp, who the agency described as an unreconstructed Nazi.

Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti publicly acknowledged the existence of Gladio in 1990. The Christian Democrat said that 127 weapons caches had been dismantled and claimed that Gladio was not involved in any of the bombings during the Years of Lead. Andreotti also said that in 1964 Italys military had joined the Allied Clandestine Committee, which was created seven years earlier by the US, France, Belgium and Greece, and was in charge of directing Gladio operations. That same year the European Parliament condemned NATO and the US for their role in Gladio terrorism and for jeopardizing the democratic structures of European nations.

Agonizing Uncertainty

While it cannot be said with any great certainty that the Bologna bombing was a Gladio operation, the attacks certainly bears the hallmarks of Operation Gladio. Explosives experts determined that the blast was caused by retrieved military explosives of the same sort used in the 1972 Peteano car bombing. On the 20th anniversary of the bombing, Andreotti gave an interview in which he said that there were forces in what would today be called the deep state who would stop at nothing to defeat communism. In the Italian secret services, and in parallel apparatus, there was a conviction that they were involved in a Holy War, that they had been given a sacred mission, the former prime minister said. And that anything that passed as anti-communist was legitimate and praiseworthy.

Forty years later, the terror trail of August 2, 1980 refuses to go cold. In January 2020, Gilberto Cavallini, a 67-year-old former NAR member, was convicted of providing logistical support for the bombing and sentenced to life in prison. Many of those accused or convicted in connection with the massacre maintain their innocence, and Bologna and the world are no closer to knowing for sure who is behind the attack.

For some victims, the uncertainty is agonizing. I cant accept that they took my life away from me, said Braccia, the former policeman. I had such a zest for life and they destroyed it. We dont know the truth, and that is the difficulty. We want the truth. Who really did this?

There is a clock on the wall outside the main entrance to Bologna Centrale. It is permanently stopped at 10:25. Like the unrepaired blast crater and memorial wall in the station hall, it is an eternal reminder of the horrors of that infernal August morning 40 years ago, and of questions that may never be fully answered.

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The Bologna Massacre, the 'Strategy of Tension' and Operation Gladio - CounterPunch

‘The Matrix Has You…’ – The Good Men Project

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Have you asked yourself What year is this? How is this happening? Its impossible. You struggle to make sense of it all and the more you see how the sausage gets made in America, the less appetite you have for it.

Im gonna go out on a limb.

Im a geek so I see metaphors in popular culture.

A majority of Americans for the first time, are starting to realize the truth. Born into bondage in a prison you cant see or touch until rudely awakened by the perfect storm of the global pandemic, economic tailspin, and abuse of power overseen by an inept despot who let the cat out of the bag.

The predicament we find ourselves in today in the grip of a fatal error that threatens to crash the entire system unless something intervenes to stop it is much like the predicament of the films.

And, that film holds the key to a better future.

The Film:

The premise that the real world was actually a future dystopian nightmare where human beings were merely replaceable batteries to support a system that they were totally dependent upon. While 95% of humanity lived oblivious to their servitude within an artificial construct of the titular Matrix.

Our Reality:

Today, we all support and are totally dependent upon a hyper-capitalist system, fueled by rampant consumerism, for-profit prisons and war, governed by an elite that holds the very people that support their unchecked hedonism in utter disdain.

The Film:

Very few knew the truth. Those were Morpheus and the Zionists waring against the machine system. But, those freedom fighters were themselves also duped into thinking their actions were outside the system. When in fact, the resistance was only another layer of control for humanity.

Our Reality:

I see a stark parallel.

The sleeping masses, the resistance all operating by design as the 1% continue to pull everyones strings.

Much like the machine overlords within the fictional world of The Matrix. Imwary of all these victories because they are all cosmetic changes.

Another MLK boulevard in an over-policed black community does nothing to address Kings Poor Peoples March that was to kick off the economic changes that his nonviolent marches did to usher in the political changes he championed before King was silenced by an assassins bullet.

I ask you, how does retiring Aunt Jemima or Uncle Bens troubling archaic black stereotypical imaging address the MASSIVE systemic headwinds of White Supremacy black and brown Americans face on a daily basis?

Its VERY easy for the corporate lobby to pat itself on the back for meager acquiescence.

-Painting Black Lives Matter on Fifth Ave. outside Trump Tower.

-Pulling down Confederate statuary.

-Changing the racist names of Football teams that should have been erased years ago.

For example. When Vanity Fair can trumpet they have the first Black Photographer in their history?

Folks can applaud, and representation does indeed mater.

What about the CEO?

The Editorial Staff?

Is their ANY black woman on their masthead?

It feels like wining without an actual prize. These are distractions, light without heat.

Only providing the illusion of progress without the cost of tangible progressive movement to dismantle The System.

The Film:

Neo meets Morpheus, who offers him a choice between two pills; red to reveal the truth about the Matrix, and blue to return him to his former life.- This is your last chance. After this there is no turning back. You take the blue pill: the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill: you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

After Neo swallows the red pill, his reality falls apart, and he awakens in a liquid-filled pod among countless others attached to an elaborate electrical system.

He is retrieved and brought aboard Morpheuss hovercraft, the Nebuchadnezzar. In a former iteration of the Matrix, the machines wished to impose a perfect world on humans in an attempt to keep people content, so that they would remain completely submissive to machines, both consciously and subconsciously, but humans were not easy to make content.

Our Reality:

As in the Matrix, most people are so dependent upon the current system, they will fight to defend it. And depending upon your political views, both left and right claim they are the truth-tellers.

In the film as in life, people are their own agents of deceit, and so in order for them to know the truth, they must choose to openly pursue truth. Complicated by the fact that bias is rampant among media and most consumers dont take the time to source what they intake or repeat.

Red pill has become a popular phrase among cyberculture and signifies a free-thinking attitude, and a waking up from a normal life of sloth and ignorance.

Red pills prefer the truth, no matter how gritty and painful it may be.

A decade ago, truthiness and fact-checker ratings like Four Pinocchios and Pants on Fire werent part of the political vernacular.

Disagreements over policy have always existedbut disagreements over basic facts have not.

Cognitive ease actually plays a huge role in our everyday lives.

The more you hear it, the easier it is for your brain to accept. This echo chamber is self-perpetuating.

It explains why the partisan divide about basic science is a chasm.

Because Trump wants it this way. He works the refs and reaps the reward of the doubt.

If 1% drop in GDP is a recession.6.5% drop in GDP The Great Recession and a15% drop in GDP in 1929 The Great Depression. Whats 33% drop in GDP if not a Fatal Error?

One of the best examples of cognitive ease exploitation is Trumps propaganda surrounding masks.

Its well documented how blatantly misleading The President was about the severity and or response to containing the epidemic while we had the chance.

The politicization of basic science has made many conservatives resistant to new thinking about the current severity of the pandemic.

Having been told its like the flu reinforced by the phenomenon of cognitive ease and political polarization of masks, has many ignoring basic science and medical recommendations to wear masks and social distance.

As you read this, that COVID burns throughout 33 states unchecked is a direct consequence of Trumps failure.

MAGA purists who repeatedly emphasize Trumps views about our current dilemma, like FOX NEWS helped morphed his dwindling followers from right-wing Trump apologists into by all intents and purposes a militant death cult.

Determined to thwart any common sense methods just to own the libs.

The Film:

In the end,The Matrix is rebooted, and the Architect encounters the Oracle in a park.

They agree that the peace will last as long as it can and that those humans who so desire it will be offered the opportunity to leave the Matrix.

When questioned about Neos fate, the Oracle tells Sati that she thinks they will see Neo again as Sati reveals she created a beautiful sunrise over the horizon in Neos honor.

Seraph, the Oracles Guardian, asks the Oracle if she knew this would happen. She replies that she did not know, but she believed.

Our Reality:

Real systemic change will be traumatic for the oppressed, more so for the oppressors.

Since its apparent even the smallest act of self-preservation and stopping the spread of disease masks and social distancing cause the privileged to lash out in irrational public displays.

Meanwhile, most people at the bottom and the middle are hungry for REAL change.

No more so than the essential workers or disposable batteries depending on if you are among the elite.

A total of 25 states have statutes preempting local minimum wage laws. To date, 12 cities and counties in six states (Alabama, Iowa, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin) have approved local minimum wage laws only to see them invalidated by state statute, harming hundreds of thousands of workers in the process, many of whom face high levels of poverty.

If you get paid $15 dollars an hour 40 hours a week thats $600 before taxes. I hear complaints about folks staying on unemployment. Perhaps if folks were paid a living wage theyd go back to work?

Remember, these are the people who are now seen as #essentialworkers the heroes who cannot work from home like you or I can.

Many of these heroes cant afford to shop at the shops and businesses they work for and dont have health insurance in a pandemic? Thats a travesty of the highest order. The wheels come off if they dont show up.

Its attainable clearly today when so much we thought were essentials turn out to be luxuries, and whats essential is invisible to the eye.

When the federal government allows a deadly virus to burn through the country unchecked but can mobilize secret police to terrorize the populace to protect buildings? We clearly see the agenda of those who weve trusted to ensure our safety.

The Elite are empty, corrupt, without wisdom, leadership, compassion, or self-sacrifice for the greater good. The least of us, everyday people are our societal lifelines.

So why do we need the Elites?

Throughout the first film, Morpheus (played by Laurence Fishburne) is trying to change Neos (Keanu Reeves) limiting beliefs about the Matrix and himself being The One The Oracle told Neo Being The One is like being in love, no one can tell you youre in love, youve got to feel it .Balls to Bones.

There will be plenty who will scoff at the idea that there is even a problem to be solved furthermore creating a better America by telling the truth about history and scraping the lies we tell ourselves about The American Dream.

Dismantling White Supremacy and employing new ideas for systemic change.

Apologizing for Slavery (we never officially have as a nation) and paying reparations to the descendants of American Slavery.

Admitting the truth about entrenched class inequities and the impediment poverty places on real economic growth for the majority of people inAmerican society.

Theres no shortage of Good Trouble we can get into this instant.

Rep. John Lewis called for beyond the grave on his New York Times Op-Ed published the day of his funeral.

I reckon John Lewis was our Morpheus.

The demands of The Movement For Black Lives isnt outrageous by any means. These demands help everyone, not only Black people. I dare say its the way toward a more perfect union.

The Elites are visibly shaken, increasingly desperate and will never be more vulnerable.

Take a look at an Axios HBO interview with Trump. A new low. Frost/Nixon mixed with This Is Spinal Tap. We must act to benefit everyday people. All of us, the disposables. I believe now that we find ourselves with our collective backs against the wall, we can work together to make real, societal change this time around instead of just talking about it.

Most will say, Nobodys ever done this before! My answer- Thats why itll work coppertop!

***

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Sea level rise: three visions of a future summer holiday at the coast – The Conversation UK

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The COVID-19 pandemic will ensure summer 2020 is a washout for most. With international travel restrictions limiting holidays abroad, many people in the UK have opted to stay somewhere closer to home. As a result, there have been remarkable increases in the number of visitors to beaches across the UK. Thousands flocked to a beach in Bournemouth on a single day in June, causing the local council to declare a major incident.

But far greater disruptions to our summer holidays lie ahead. About half of all tourism takes place in coastal areas, but with global warming set to raise sea levels by somewhere around two metres over the next 80 years, how will our relationship with the coast change?

Will we commemorate the old coastal boundaries with forlorn sojourns above the sunken land? Will we recreate the beach in the heart of our cities? Or will we preserve the drowned coast as a nature reserve a quiet memorial to what was lost?

We imagined three different versions of what a beach holiday might look like as climate change eclipses the coastline we once knew.

Sea level rise may seem a distant threat, but resorts and other tourism operators are already considering how they can stay near the coast and operate above the water. On the Caribbean island of Barbuda, resort huts have been built on stilts.

The aim is to keep tourism viable in the same place it has thrived for decades, while minimising damage from higher water levels.

Seasteading is one answer to this conundrum. The idea to build settlements on platforms at sea originated with the hope of creating more sustainable and equal societies away from land. The technology is still being developed, while researchers consider the engineering, legal and business implications.

New research suggests that coastal flooding could threaten up to 20% of global GDP by 2100, with much of it tied to the tourism industry. Tourism could instead become a new source of income for seasteads. Given the dwindling coastal space for tourists, creating new spaces out at sea might be a way to meet the problem of sea level rise head on.

The urban beach is a concept thats growing in popularity worldwide. It involves creating sandy areas in towns and cities by importing sand onto concrete. There may also be artificial pools and fairground rides. Each one has different features. There are family-friendly options, and those catered to adults, with cocktail bars or restaurants.

The opportunities for hedonism are still there, but instead of travelling miles to enjoy it, its right on your doorstep. Less travel means less carbon emissions, and urban beaches might help ease pressure on the real coast.

Perhaps the most famous urban beach is the Paris Plage. Since its opening in 2002, Parisians and summer tourists have been able to lounge under palm trees on the banks of the river Seine. It cost over two million Euros to create and has since been extended due to its popularity.

The Nottingham Riviera is an attempt to recreate this success in the UK. The landlocked beach in the middle of the city has sand and water, amusement arcades and beach bars.

The urban beach is becoming an industry in itself, with companies specialising in fake beaches that can be built as seasonal fixtures or permanent areas. If reaching the coast becomes too arduous in the future, these examples could provide everything needed for a seaside experience without the sea.

Perhaps the most pragmatic solution is to accept nature taking its course and relinquish control as rising seas reshape the terrain. Allowing the new coastline to rewild could create millions of acres of new wetlands habitats that are very good at storing carbon and that have deteriorated by about 50% since 1900.

Examples from Hong Kong, Spain, and Wallasea Island in the UK demonstrate how turning heavily managed coastal areas into new habitats can create new opportunities for wildlife and people.

Read more: Rising seas: to keep humans safe, let nature shape the coast

So does the Mexican island, Mayakoba. Its unique mangrove forests were damaged and polluted by the building of numerous hotel chains on the seafront, but today, only 10% of these hotels remain on the coast.

The local community abandoned their high-density model of tourism and protected the dunes and mangroves, which were being eroded by excessive development. New canal networks were dug to create an estuary, attracting birds and amphibians. This new wetland was designated as a nature reserve and visitors arrived to enjoy a new kind of tourist experience.

Visitor capacity and beach activities were reduced to ensure sensitive coastal environments could remain protected. But allowing the sea back into reclaimed coastal territory allowed a more sustainable model of tourism to flourish one which could be replicated elsewhere as sea levels rise.

But before that can happen, our views of the coast must change. Humans once saw land and sea as a continuation of one another, rather than two discrete entities. Reviving this concept could allow us to navigate a future in which once certain borders have blurred beyond recognition.

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Sea level rise: three visions of a future summer holiday at the coast - The Conversation UK

How we met: ‘He spoke to me in a French accent, and I went weak at the knees’ – The Guardian

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Peter Kavanagh flew to Copenhagen from his home in Brighton for a long weekend in May 2014. I went to a street party for the Eurovision song contest and then discovered there was an afterparty going on, he says. He made his way to Freetown Christiania, an area of the city that was taken over by hippies in the 1960s and now exists as an international commune. I was really excited, as its somewhere Ive always wanted to go.

The party was in full swing when he spotted Franck Thierry across the room. Franck was living in Copenhagen at the time, and had been attending another house party with friends before the club night. He spoke to me in a French accent, and I went weak at the knees, laughs Peter. Franck noticed his partners dancing. I loved Peters whole look. We spent the next three hours chatting.

As the sun began to rise, Franck invited Peter back to his home in Copenhagen. I was sitting on the back of his bike and got my own personal tour of Christiania, says Peter. It was so romantic. As well as the instant attraction, the pair had plenty in common. We both realised we loved gardening, so we chatted about that for ages, says Franck. He didnt go back to his Airbnb until the very end of the weekend.

As soon as Peter left for the airport, Franck made plans to come and visit him in Brighton. When I landed in Gatwick, he texted me to say he was coming the next weekend. I was really excited as otherwise getting home could have been a real downer.

When Franck arrived, he fell in love with Brighton. We had this incredible weekend together. The sun was shining the whole time. At the time, Franck was working as a freelance massage therapist, while Peter had flexible hours as the owner of a hairdressing salon. It meant they could see each other regularly throughout the summer. I think the cheap flights from easyJet played a big part in our relationship, jokes Franck.

After several months of fun and hedonism, they started finding it harder to say goodbye at the end of their weekends together. In the autumn, Franck moved to Brighton. I am originally French, but had been living in Copenhagen for 34 years, he says. It was quite a drastic move and I think some of my clients thought I was mad. He has never regretted it. The couple found an allotment together and Franck began working in Peters salon. All the clients love it when Franck is in charge of doing the hair washing because of his massage skills, says Peter.

After splitting from his first civil partner after a few years (Denmark was the first country in the world to legalise civil partnerships, in 1989) and losing his second to Aids in the 90s, Franck had no plans to marry again. Peter changed my mind, though he laughs. He insisted.

The couple got married in Brighton in August 2016, carrying flowers theyd picked from their allotment. There were just a few friends there. We both wore our gardening clothes, as its what we always wear, says Peter. They are now happily settled with their dog. During lockdown, they spent all their time gardening and have now managed to reopen their hairdressing salon.

Franck always gives me confidence, says Peter. Hes so attentive, charming and romantic. Hes also really sexy. Franck says they bonded through music and a shared philosophy on life. He believes they also have a rare spiritual connection. Sometimes you just really understand someone. Im old enough to know that doesnt happen very often. I think our personalities complement each other well.

Peter jokes that Franck tells him to calm down quite a lot, but agrees their differences balance each other out. From that first night when we were cycling through Copenhagen at sunrise there was something special. Were really lucky to have found each other.

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How we met: 'He spoke to me in a French accent, and I went weak at the knees' - The Guardian

Christopher Keane to serve as chair of the APLU Council on Research – WSU News

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Christopher Keane

By Karen Hunt, Office of Research

WSU Vice President for Research Christopher Keane has been elected as chair of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) Council on Research (COR). His appointment officially started July 1 and will last through mid-November 2021.

The APLU couldnt have made a better choice in selecting Chris for this important role, said WSU President Kirk Schulz. He has a deep understanding of the vital role that the research led by our nations land-grants plays in contributing to the greater good. This appointment not only is a great testament to Chriss expertise, it will also enhance the universitys reputation for conducting life-changing research.

As a trusted voice for public research and land-grant universities across North America, APLU convenes, collaborates, and advocates with leaders of member institutions and partners to advance the public good. APLU helps public research universities cultivate the talent, discoveries, and engagement that equitably fuel the success of our communities and world.

COR consists of the chief administrative officers at member campuses and systems with responsibility for policy and administration associated with research, scholarship, and creative activity. COR, working with other APLU units, looks at strategic issues impacting the public land-grant university research enterprise, and also monitors compliance and regulatory issues affecting research. COR working groups have focused on such topics as safe and inclusive research environments, public impact research (PIR), research security, and improving the culture of safety in campus laboratories and work spaces.

APLU COR brings together leaders in research from public research and land-grand universities across the nation to assess and develop policies that pertain to academic research, scholarship, and creative activity, said Keane. I am excited to lead the APLU Council on Research.

Keane has served as WSUs vice president for research since July 2014. He received a Bachelor of Science in physics and a Bachelor of Science in engineering from the University of Rochester, and a doctorate in astrophysics from Princeton University. Keane then joined the Inertial Confinement Fusion Program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), performing computational and experimental research in x-ray lasers, inertial confinement fusion, and ultra-high intensity laser-matter interaction.

In 1996, Keane joined the U.S. Department of Energy as the associate director of the Office of Inertial Fusion within the Office of Defense Programs in what is now the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). He held a number of positions, ultimately serving in the Senior Executive Service (SES) as NNSA assistant deputy administrator for Inertial Fusion and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project. Keane rejoined LLNL in 2007 and went on to serve as director of the NIF User Office from 2009 through June 2014. The football-stadium sized NIF, the most energetic laser in the world, supports a wide range of experiments led by university faculty.

Keane is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences and the American Physical Society. He is the recipient of the NNSA Silver Medal, the Defense Programs Award of Excellence, and the Fusion Power Associates Special Award. He serves on a number of boards and advisory committees, and has been a member of the APLU COR Executive Committee since 2017.

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Christopher Keane to serve as chair of the APLU Council on Research - WSU News

Physicists Measured The Central Engine That Powers Solar Flares For The First Time – ScienceAlert

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The Sun is a wild place. Up in our skies, it appears pretty much the same day to day, but when you look closer, our star is often riotous with turbulent plasma.

One of the wildest things the Sun can do is flare - belch out colossal loops of plasma that utterly dwarf our entire Earth in scale. Although this activity is quite common, we still don't fully understand what drives it.

Now, for the first time, solar physicists have measured and characterised the magnetic field of the gargantuan current sheet - surface electric current - that stretches across the core flaring region, the central engine that powers the energy release of solar flares.

"It has long been suggested that the sudden release of magnetic energy through the reconnection current sheet is responsible for these major eruptions, yet there has been no measurement of its magnetic properties," said physicist Bin Chen of the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

"With this study, we've finally measured the details of the magnetic field of a current sheet for the first time, giving us a new understanding of the central engine of the Sun's solar flares."

The Sun's magnetic fields are extremely complicated and messy. Our star is a roiling, turbulent ball of incredibly hot plasma, a fluid made up of charged particles that interacts strongly with electromagnetic forces.

Because the Sun is a sphere, the equatorial surface rotates faster than the poles. This results in the solar magnetic field growing tangled, which in turn can produce very strong localised magnetic fields all over the Sun, opening up the sunspots from which flares emerge.

In these localised magnetic fields, the magnetic field lines can get messy. At the roots of solar flares, opposing magnetic field lines connect, snap, and reconnect. In addition, powerful current sheets stretch across these core solar flare regions.

We know that magnetic reconnection results in the release of energy and acceleration of electrons to relativistic speeds, but exactly how and where this occurred in the structure has been difficult to pin down.

Cue a colossal, X8.2 solar flare that took place on 10 September 2017. It was caught in multiple wavelengths by the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA), which allowed the team to study the 40,000-kilometre (25,000-mile) current sheet in close detail.

"The place where all the energy is stored and released in solar flares has been invisible until now To play on a term from cosmology, it is the Sun's 'dark energy problem', and previously we've had to infer indirectly that the flare's magnetic reconnection sheet existed," said EOVSA director Dale Gary of the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

"EOVSA's images made at many microwave frequencies showed we can capture radio emissions to illuminate this important region."

(NJIT-CSTR, B. Chen, S. Yu; CfA, C. Shen; Solar Dynamics Observatory)

Above:Ultraviolet observations (left) and numerical simulation (right) of the flare.

The team combined their multi-wavelength data with numerical simulations conducted by physicists from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Not only did the profile of the magnetic field along the current sheet match predictions, there was a magnetic, bottle-shaped structure at the top of the base of the flare - 20,000 kilometres (12,500 miles) from the Sun's surface - where electrons were being trapped and accelerated.

The sheet and magnetic reconnection both seem necessary for the energy release and electron acceleration. Magnetic energy is released into the current sheet at a rate of around 10-100 billion trillion joules per second, according to the team's calculations. But, surprisingly, that's not where particle acceleration takes place.

"Such an enormous energy release at the current sheet is mind-blowing. The strong electric field generated there can easily accelerate the electrons to relativistic energies, but the unexpected fact we found was that the electric field profile in the current sheet region did not coincide with the spatial distribution of relativistic electrons that we measured," said Chen.

"In other words, something else had to be at play to accelerate or redirect these electrons. What our data showed was a special location at the bottom of the current sheet - the magnetic bottle - appears to be crucial in producing or confining the relativistic electrons."

Although such structures have been proposed before, this is the first time they've been demonstrated, the researchers noted. And the new measurements can now be used as a baseline to study and analyse future solar flares, as well as further study into the electron acceleration mechanism therein.

The research has been published in Nature Astronomy.

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Physicists Measured The Central Engine That Powers Solar Flares For The First Time - ScienceAlert

Trump defends doctor who claimed medicine is made from alien DNA and walks out of briefing mid question – The Independent

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Donald Trump doubled down on his decision to retweet a video of Houston doctor Stella Immanuel in which Ms Immanuel touts the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in treating patients of Covid-19 and dismisses masks as unnecessary in stopping its spread.

In the past, Ms Immanuel has made several dubious medical claims, including the harmful effects of having sexual relations with demons and witches while dreaming, the alleged use of alien DNA in various medicines, and the production of a vaccine to inoculate people against being religious.

"I can tell you this: She was on air, along with many other doctors they were big fans of hydroxychloroquine, and I thought she was very impressive," Mr Trump told reporters of Ms Immanuel at a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

"I don't know which country she comes from. But she said that she's had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients. And I thought her voice was an important voice. But I know nothing about her," the president said of the Houston-based doctor.

In a speech on the steps of the Supreme Court that has gone viral in conservatives circles this week racking up millions of views across several social media platforms, many of which have since sought to remove videos of it Ms Immanuel urged people not to be afraid of Covid-19, which has killed nearly 150,000 Americans in less than half a year.

Nobody needs to get sick, Ms Immanuel said at a demonstration put on by Tea Party Patriots, a conservative political advocacy group supported by wealthy Republicans.

This virus has a cure, she said.

Health experts have warned against the potentially severe side effects of taking the drug, which Mr Trump has nevertheless continued to promote to treat the novel coronavirus, claiming to have taken it himself as a precautionary step.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked emergency authorisation of its use earlier this month.

In addition to her speech on hydroxychloroquine, Ms Immanuel has frequently used her platform on YouTube to spread homophobic and anti-transgender views, protesting against the legalisation of gay marriage and abortion in the US.

How long are we going to allow the enemy to take over our beloved nation. How long are we going to allow the gay agenda, secular humanism, Illuminati and the demonic New World Order to destroy our homes, families and the social fibre of America, the caption of one of her videos reads.

Mr Trump retweeted a post including the now-deleted video of Ms Immanuel's speech about Covid-19 with a caption referring to the doctor as a fearless warrior for the truth.

Twitter suspended the account of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, for retweeting a version of the video and saying it was a must watch.

Twitter later said it had suspended Mr Trump Jr's account because he had posted misleading and potentially harmful information about the coronavirus.

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Trump defends doctor who claimed medicine is made from alien DNA and walks out of briefing mid question - The Independent