Which countries are open for summer travel? Here’s the list – CNBC

Many of the world's greatest travel destinations are reopening to international travelers this summer.

But not all openings are created equal. A handful of countries are letting in everyone, while others are inviting only a select few.

Here is a definitive guide to the countries that are now welcoming travelers or have indicated they will before August.

Do consider:

Some of the Caribbean's most famous islands are already open, including Antigua,Jamaica,the U.S. Virgin Islands and St. Lucia.

The Bahamas officially reopens its borders on July 1.

Per Breiehagen

On June 15, theBahamaswelcomed yachts and private flights; everyone else can join from July 1. Bermuda is opening its borders to travelers who comply with these measureson July 1. Also on the first day of July, Aruba welcomes residents of Canada, Europe and other Caribbean islands (excluding the Dominican Republic and Haiti); Americans can join on July 10.

Puerto Rico's borders open on July 15.Travelers to Turks and Caicos will need to wait a little longer; it opens July 22.

Other islands are more commitment-phobic.Keith Mitchell, the prime minister of Grenada,posted on Facebook that the country is considering June 30 as a "possible date for reopening." The French isle of Saint Martin indicated visitors could come as early as July 1, but nothing official has been announced.

Note: Some islands, including St. Lucia and Bermuda, are requiring negative Covid-19 tests within 48 to 72 hours before departure.

After a patchwork of internal border announcements in May, the EU announced Wednesday that non-Europeans would be allowed to enter from July 1.

The travel ban will be lifted "gradually and partially," said European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell. Americans are not expected to make the first cut, instead the Commission recommended lifting travel restrictions for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia first.

Regarding internal borders, Italy and Bulgaria have alreadyreopened their borders to residents of most European countries.Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia have also loosened regulations, albeit to a more restricted list of countries.

Italy has reopened its borders to most European countries but not everyone has returned the gesture.

Suttipong Sutiratanachai

In mid-June, the continent took a giant leap forward to reopen internally for summer travel. On June 13, Poland reopened its borders to EU nations. On June 15, Germany lifted a travel ban to 31 European countries, Greece to 29 countries (including Australia) and the Netherlands to 12 EU countries. Iceland, Belgium, Franceand Switzerlandopened their borders to all EU and Schengen Area travelers, though travelers from U.K. are subject to a 14-day quarantine in France.

June 15 also marks easing of restrictions among the Nordic countries ofNorway, Denmark and Finland.The countries are excluding Sweden, which has taken a more lax approach to contain coronavirus infections.

Spain moved plans to open its borders forward; residents of EU and Schengen Area nations (except for Portugal) can enter starting June 21.The Schengen Area is a group of 26 European countries that includes non-EU countries like Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland.

A few considerations:

Asia is largely closed to foreign holidaymakers for the time being. Most countrieshave not announced dates when they will open, though the Indonesian island of Bali is said to be reopening in October.

Rumors that Thailand was opening to international travelers on July 1 were squashed last month when Yuthasak Supasorn, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said tourists may return in the fourth quarter of the year "at the earliest."

Opening July 1, the Maldives is allowing travelers in without new visa requirements and fees.

amriphoto

So where can you explore in Asia? Private jets and yachts are already welcome in the Maldives, and commercial airlines are scheduled to resume from July 1. After announcing testing and visa protocols, the country appears to be backing off those requirements for now.

On June 17, Taiwan opened its borders, albeit ever so slightly. Short-term business travelers from select Asia Pacific countries can enter (though shortenedquarantine requirements still apply). Japan is also allowing select business travelers from Vietnam and Thailand to enter as early as July.

Turkey has indicated it will be welcoming tourists in July, as has the Caucasus nation of Georgia (though who exactly can enter Georgia is unclear).

Sri Lanka is preparing to reopen its borders to all nationalities on Aug. 1, if individuals can produce proof of medical insurance, plan to stay at least five nights, and can show a negative Covid-19 test taken less than 72 hours before departure. Travelers to the "teardrop island" will also undergo a second test upon arrival.

On June 11, Cambodia announced foreign travelers could enter upon paying a $3,000 depositto cover a mandatory Covid-19 test, hotel stays (pending results or for as long as 14 days, should anyone on your flight test positive), necessary treatment fees and even a funeral (the latter valued at $1,500).

French Polynesia announced tourists from all countries can arrive from July 15.

The country, which includes Tahiti, Mo'orea and Bora Bora, is requiring travelers to have either a negative Covid-19 test (administered 72 hours before departure) or an "immunity certificate" that proves you've recovered from a previous infection. Travelers may be retested during their stay.

Travel to the U.S. is prohibited for some nationalities; all others may be subject to state-mandated quarantines, such as Hawaii's 14-day quarantine requirement that was extended this week to July 31.

Canada has two-week quarantine requirements too. The border closure for nonessential travel between the U.S. and Canada has been extended through July 21, though it's reported some Americans are entering via a "loophole" that allows travelers to transit through Canada in order to drive to Alaska.

The Riviera Maya in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo is open to international travelers.

Marianna Massey

Mexico is opening state by state, and Quintana Roo home to Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Tulum opened this week. Los Cabos officially reopened on June 15, and flights from major U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago, are scheduled to resume in late June to July.

Mexico's travel industry has been hindered by a joint agreement between Mexico and the U.S. that restricts nonessential travel until July 21. Mexico has also been named one of seven coronavirus "international hot spots" a list that also includes the United States.

From Israel to Qatar, much of the Middle East is not open for travel yet.

A trip to Dubai may be possible in the latter half of the summer. It's reported to be opening sometime between July to September.

Popular African tourist destinations, such as Morocco and South Africa, have not announced plans to loosen border restrictions yet.

After widespread reports that South Africa wouldn't open until 2021, the country's tourism officials clarified this week that this was a "worst-case scenario" and that it hopes to welcome travelers by September.

Last week, the Seychelles opened to tourists arriving on a private jet, chartered flight or yacht.Plans to resume commercial flights are set for July.

Commerical flights are expected to resume to the Seychelles in July.

amriphoto

Tunisia is opening land, air and sea borders to residents from Algeria and select European nations, including Germany and the U.K., from June 27.

Tanzania unconditionally welcomed tourists from all nations in May, one of the earliest countries to do so. The country has been criticized for a lack of transparency regarding infection rates, as well as statements by President John Magufuli that the coronavirus could be cured by drinking ginger and lemonade. He also said the virus had been removed from Tanzania "by the powers of God" despite evidence to the contrary.

Much of South America including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Peru remains off-limits to international travelers for the time being.

Colombia banned all passenger flights until at least Aug. 31. Argentina has a similar flight ban through Sept.1, though there is talk of bringing this date forward to July.

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Which countries are open for summer travel? Here's the list - CNBC

Here’s how much it costs to buy out an entire luxury hotel during the pandemic – CNBC

From cleaning robots to canceled breakfast buffets, hotels are pulling out the stops to ensure a safe environment for their guests and staff during the global pandemic.

But what about fellow travelers? Are they healthy, are they wearing masks and does it seem like the man in the room next door coughs a lot?

For those who don't want to worry about these concerns and who can afford it a new trend is emerging. The hotel "buyout" secures the entire premises the rooms, restaurants, pool, spa and more solely for your traveling group. And more and more hotels are promoting the option to entice affluent clientele to travel this year.

Cost: 7,000 euros ($7,885) a night

Built in 1180, Kilkea Castle has a richly-detailed history of owners and inhabitants.

Courtesy of Kilkea Castle

One group of up to 26 guests can book all 11 bedrooms and suites in this 840-year-oldmedieval Irish castle.

Located 45 minutes from Dublin Airport, Kilkea Castle has everything castles are supposed to have a manicured rose garden, grand salon, courtyard, horse riding, archery, falconry (always falconry) plus modern updates like a spa, hydrotherapy pool and 4x4 off-roading excursions. The immaculate 18-hole golf course is a nice touch too.

Guests who book the castle have the entire staff at their service and are assured total privacy in the on-site restaurant and bar. A stay includes breakfast, tennis, fishing and access to the 180-estate grounds.

When to book: Kilkea Castle is scheduled to reopen on July 2, though Ireland is imposing a mandatory 14-day quarantine on international travelers at least through July 9.

Cost: From $14,995 a night

Cayo Espanto has seven villas, each different from the other.

Courtesy of Cayo Espanto

Up to 18 guests can have exclusive use of Cayo Espanto, a 4-acre private island resort located 3 miles off the coast of Belize. The island comprises seven villas six on the beach, one over the water each with private dock, pool, butler service and beach area.

At $14,995, buyouts are "cheapest" in the summer and fall; the Christmas and spring rates are costlier. The rate includes all meals and snacks, most drinks, boat transfers and activities such as fishing, snorkeling and use of a sailboat.

To get there, international travelers need to fly to Belize City, take a short flight to San Pedro followed by a 7-minute boat ride. Alternatively, you can fly direct from Belize City via private helicopter for $1,200 each way.

When to book:July 1 was announced as the tentative target date to reopen Belize, but this has not been confirmed.

Cost: From $35,000 a night

Niyama Private Islands Maldives has two islands: Chill (in the foreground) and Play.

Courtesy of Niyama Private Islands Maldives

While the "one resort per island" rule in the Maldives is practically sacrosanct, Niyama Private Islands Maldives breaks the mold by dividing itself over two. There's Play for ocean adventurists and Chill for relaxation and spa seekers.

All 134 villas and pavilions on both islands can be booked for $130,000 per night, which includes all meals (or "full board" in Maldives parlance), a team of personal butlers, water sports, surfing and access to the kids' club.

For those who don't mind sharing a little, 30 villas can be booked for approximately 65 adults for $40,000 per night. It's not an exclusive buyout of the hotel, but this option also includes all meals and butler service, plus a lunch at Subsix, the resort's underwater restaurant.

Smaller groups can buy out Naladhu Private Island; 50 guests can book 20 houses all with private pools for $35,000 per night (for a minimum of three nights). It comes with access to a luxury private yacht for a day of snorkeling and island hopping.

When to book: The resort is now open. Private jets and yachts are already welcome in the Maldives, and commercial airlines are scheduled to resume from July 1.

Cost: 330,000 euros ($372,000) for one week, plus taxes

A buyout of the Six Senses Zil Pasyon gives you access to the entire resort, including the four-bedroom residence (shown here).

Courtesy of Six Senses Zil Pasyon

There is but one resort on Felicit Island the fifth largest in the Seychelles archipelago and that's the Six Senses Zil Pasyon. The hotel can be booked for exclusive weekly stays for up to 20 guests, though additional nights and guests are negotiable.

Granite boulders, elevated terrain and lush forests cover the island, which has 30 one- and two-bedroom villas and two secluded residences. All meals are included as are access to resort facilities and activities ranging from blue water fishing and sunset cruises to guided snorkeling at Koko Island Sanctuary.

Felicit Island is located 30 miles northeast of Seychelles International Airport; from there it's a 20-minute private helicopter ride or one-hour motor yacht trip to reach the island.

When to book: The resort is currently open and accessible to international guests arriving via private jet, chartered flight or yacht. Commercial flights are scheduled to resume in July.

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Here's how much it costs to buy out an entire luxury hotel during the pandemic - CNBC

USS Carney Concludes Time as FDNF-E Asset with 6th Fleet – SEAPOWER Magazine Online

The USS Carney departs Naval Station Rota, Spain, for the last time as a Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe asset on June 27. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Peter Lewis

ROTA, Spain TheArleighBurke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carneydeparted Naval Station Rotafor the last time as a Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) assetonJune 27.

USS Roosevelt, named after the 32nd President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, replaced Carney in the first of four scheduled homeport shifts to occur in support of theU.S.Navys long-range plan to gradually rotate the Rota-based destroyers.

Carneys role as one of our forward-deployed destroyers in Spain has been the cornerstone of the United States commitment to our NATO allies and partners and to our combined integrated air and missile defense architecture, said Vice Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti, commanderof theU.S. 6th Fleet. Through all five years worth of operations and exercises, Carney Sailors set the bar high for readiness, interoperability and combat effectiveness.

Carney came to C6F on Sept. 25, 2015, as one of the first Rota-based FDNF-E destroyers under commander, Task Force (CTF). Carney began operational tasking in the C6F area of operation immediately upon arrival, conducting operations in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Atlantic Ocean, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf.

The ship conducted 55 port calls throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In an effort to maintain and improve efforts towards Partnership for Peace, Carney conducted six at-sea maritime training exercises and one passing exercisewith partner nations in the Black Sea. Additionally, the ship participated in 11 large-scale exercises in the European theater, improving relations with both NATO allies and partners to include exercise Sea Breeze 2019.

Working in 6th Fleet and under the direction of CTF 65 has been a phenomenal experience, said Cmdr. Christopher J. Carrol, Carneys commanding officer. We were extremely blessed for the opportunities to meet the objectives of the Fleet.

On her seventh and final patrolthisspring, Carney conducted atacticalcontrol shift from C6F to5th Fleet in support of national tasking alongside the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). The unconventional FDNF-E patrol included port visits to the Seychelles and to Cape Town, South Africa, which reinforced the partnership between the U.S. and South Africa. While transiting back to Rota, Spain, Carney became the most recent ship in naval history to circumnavigate Africa instead of transiting north through the Suez Canal.

Carneys departure is a proud moment for all of us, said Capt. Joseph A. Gagliano, commander, Task Force (CTF) 65. In addition to the crew departing with pride for a job well done, we are proud to return Carney in peak readiness condition. Both the ship and crew are ready for any mission.

Carney is scheduled to return to its former homeport of Mayport, Florida.

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USS Carney Concludes Time as FDNF-E Asset with 6th Fleet - SEAPOWER Magazine Online

Four Kids and It = one winning family movie – Boston Herald

MOVIE REVIEW

FOUR KIDS AND IT

Rated PG. On Amazon Prime, VUDU, iTunes and other digital platforms.

Grade: B+

Based on the book by Jacqueline Wilson, Four Kids and It features Michael Caine as the voice of a computer-generated creature that may remind some of the rabbit that Alice follows down a hole in Alice in Wonderland. Also in the film are Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey) as divorced dad David caring for his two children, Rosalind aka Ros (Teddie Malleson-Allen) and Robbie (Billy Jenkins); and Paula Patton (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) as Alice, mother of angry teen Samantha aka Smash (Ashley Aufderheide) and her little sister Maudie (Ellie-Mae Siame). When Brit David and American Alice surprise their children by announcing their relationship and taking everyone unannounced to a blended holiday by the beach in Cornwall, the children are not having it.

Although they are both 13 years old, Smash, who is loud and hostile, wants nothing to do with Ros, and the feeling is mutual. Smash wants to be with her father, who is in the Seychelles. Ros, an aspiring novelist, wants her father to reconcile with her mother, who is a university student again and finding herself. Nine-year-old Robbie, for his part, only remembers long silences and emotional repression.

On a walk on the cliff overlooking the beach, Smash falls down a hole and discovers a tunnel. The other children follow and find themselves on a small, secluded beach, where something steals one of Maudies shoes.

That something is Psammead (the P is silent), a mythical sand creature, who lives under the beach, collecting offerings. Psammead can grant wishes. But he can only grant one wish per day and the wish only lasts until sunset.

Also on the scene is a fun Russell Brand as Lord Tristan Trent III, one of the local gentry, who lives in an enormous mansion with a magnificent view, as he is wont to remind everyone, and is obviously hunting for something on the cliffs and beaches of Cornwall none too successfully.

Four Kids and It, which was filmed in Ireland, is, for the most part, a lot of fun. Director Andy De Emmony of Red Dwarf fame knows a thing or two about making dialogue sparkle. The actors playing the children are quite good, and Goode and Patton have a nice, if not scintillating, chemistry.

Caine is a gifted comic actor as he has demonstrated many times, and his personality comes beaming through the digital CG costume. Floppy-eared E.T.-like Psammead even resembles Caine somewhat.

Scenes in which Smash wishes herself into a being a pop star for a day are impressively staged. A fight involving a backhoe is not well staged or smart, and jokes about Alices terrible cooking grow wearisome.

When a 19th century version of Trent grabs Ros phone and demands, What sorcery is this? I had to laugh. But what on earth is a sequence in which Trent turns into a James Bond villain all about?

Throw in the E.T. ending and, yes, that tacky, kiddie cinema-staple, a gag-worthy gaggle of hugs. Still, missteps notwithstanding, the kids, er, that is the children (and It) save the day.

(Four Kids and It contains fantasy violence and rude humor.)

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Four Kids and It = one winning family movie - Boston Herald

Everyone should have the First Amendment right | News, Sports, Jobs – Marietta Times

Everyone should have the First Amendment right

Recently The Marietta Times in the Our Opinion column ran the following Fight for free speech is always appropriate. Therefore, shouldnt everyone have the right to fight for their opportunity to express their opinion regardless of ones viewpoint, regardless of the subject matter, with the exceptions of salacious views and/or defamatory comments? The First Amendment gives every individual that given right! Sadly, many in the vast media army are choosing the topics they consider appropriate for freedom of speech. Apparently, Christianity is not one of those subjects. Shouldnt all people, including Christians, be given the opportunity to exercise the right of Freedom of Speech?

Deciding what should be said or not said is restricting the First Amendments freedom. Attempting to appease those who disagree with other beliefs or viewpoints is not a function for the First Amendment. Deciding to restrict thought and free speech on a specific subject is considered the task of media and it is blatantly wrong. Regrettably, many people think otherwise. Shouldnt everyone have the use of the First Amendment Right including Christians? Yet many of those who share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through various media modes are stifled yes, even censored.

William O. Douglas, the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court, said, Restrictions of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.

Indeed, the freedom of speech on different subjects religion, politics, God, etc. can upset, infuriate, and make people uncomfortable. Nevertheless, we, being citizens of America, having been granted the right to exercise our Freedom of Speech, should be given the opportunity and liberty to freely exercise the First Amendment regardless of the subject matter, Christianity included! After all, doesnt the article in Our Opinion column say that to fight for free speech is always appropriate? Indeed, it is!

Nancy Hamilton

Marietta

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Everyone should have the First Amendment right | News, Sports, Jobs - Marietta Times

Read the First Amendment | Letters To The Editor – The Central Virginian

The June 11 offer by Dan Braswell for a reasonable review of his writings is typical of the party-affiliated vortex of distraction from the issue Thats what I said but I didnt say that which is echoed from Washington too often.

The issue is citizens right to free speech. Braswell and Del. John McGuire need to review two things: The First Amendment right to free speech and the Supreme Courts decision about public officials blocking citizens from posting to their social media accounts.

The First Amendment provides the public with a venue to petition the government for redress of grievances. Since McGuire is the peoples government representative, his blocking access to and deleting comments on his Facebook account is unconstitutional and prevents us from voicing our concerns.

So where should we go if McGuire is emotionally incapable of dealing with opposition? He ignores the concerns of constituents, which is the point. We have the right to express our views to him regardless of his immature attitude. All citizens of the 56th district should be concerned about delegates who are unwilling to communicate with the public they serve.

This should be disturbing to everyone, even Braswell who actively and passively advocates McGuires abuse of First Amendment rights instead of performing an intervention to overcome those feelings of inadequacy.

More important is McGuires intimidation and bullying to prevent the publics right of access to his office. Supposedly, he took another oath to uphold the Constitution when he became delegate, but probably had his fingers crossed. If he cant perform his service to the public, why is he in office?

Why shouldnt he answer questions? Why shouldnt he be held accountable? Whenever the people of the 56th district want answers, his approach seems to be to bunker down. He cant even set up a venue where everyone is comfortable the cause for that discomfort shows itself with his Facebook rants. All his ranting seems to be the overall political strategy of his party. If we could get a coherent post from McGuire, it would help.

Right now, with all his campaigning and overall lack of communication skills, he only displays limited ability to grasp complex and comprehensive issues that are necessary for public safety. His narrow scope belies the broader perspective he cant cope with.

The United States Supreme Court decided that Trumps attempts to block citizens from his Twitter account because they didnt praise him enough, or at all, are unconstitutional. It decided that a public officials social media account cannot be used as a propaganda tool and only allow access to the party faithful for comments. This decision also applies to McGuires Facebook page.

It must be that McGuire has that same sensitivity to criticism as too many of his colleagues.

For all the glorification of military service as justification for public service, Braswell made me think of a military phrase that can be applied to McGuire. As paraphrased: Cowardice in the face of constituents!

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Read the First Amendment | Letters To The Editor - The Central Virginian

Taking a cellphone video of police? Theres a First Amendment for that – Seattle Times

Words matter. Reporting matters. But sometimes, its a video that matters most.

When a Minneapolis police officer knelt on George Floyds neck for more than eight minutes while he died, gasping for breath, a cellphone video shot by a teenage girl on her way to get a snack made the horror undeniable.

The world needed to see what I was seeing, Darnella Frazier told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Days later, when Buffalo police knocked down 75-year-old protester Martin Gugino and a pool of blood spread under on the sidewalk under his head, a cellphone video enraged people all over the world.

It just so happens I was in the right place at the right time with exactly the right angle, Mike Desmond of the local public radio station WBFO explained to the Buffalo News.

Video can change the world or at least a few million opinions. But what about the potentially explosive video that cant be shot or never gets seen because law enforcement has confiscated cameras or arrested the people using them?

This week, New York Universitys First Amendment Watch released A Citizens Guide to Recording the Police a primer for amateur videographers on the rights they are entitled to in these encounters. The guide explains why, under most circumstances, the police can neither seize nor demand to view such recordings though some may try and it provides case-law examples to back up its assertions.

It comes along at a crucial time.

In this new era, we have armies of citizens out on the streets capable of producing evidence that checks the conduct of public officials, said Stephen Solomon, the organizations founding editor. The First Amendment right to record public officials, such as the police performing their official duties in public, is central to our democracy, he said.

Who can forget the bizarre and disturbing arrest of Omar Jimenez and a CNN crew while on live television in Minneapolis on May 29? That incident was roundly denounced by press freedom groups and resulted in an apology from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz: There is absolutely no reason something like this should have happened.

But less heralded and far less visible offenses have happened throughout the United States, as the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker makes clear.

Sue Brisk, a freelance photographer, told the Tracker that she was photographing demonstrations at 42nd Street in Times Square that same day with her NYPD-issued press pass clearly displayed. I watched the police beat people with billy clubs and then they threw a woman up against a pole right in front of me, Brisk said. After that its a blur.

Brisk said that, before she knew what was happening, her head was slammed to the ground and she found herself pinned under at least three New York City police officers. Weeks later, she was still trying to retrieve her camera.

By the Trackers count, well over 400 aggressions against the press including dozens of examples of equipment being damaged have marred recent Black Lives Matter protests.

The NYU guide cites a 2012 U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit decision that drew a direct connection between the creation of a recording and something thats better understood to be constitutionally protected: the publication or dissemination of a recording.

The right to publish or broadcast an audio or audiovisual recording would be insecure, or largely ineffective, the decision in ACLU v. Alvarez stated, if making the recording were unprotected. Restricting the use of [a recording] device suppresses speech just as effectively as restricting the dissemination of the resulting recording.

However, the right to record police isnt, well, bulletproof, at this moment.

About three-fifths of the U.S. population lives in states where federal appeals courts have recognized a First Amendment right to record the police in public, the guide says. The U.S. Supreme Court hasnt ruled directly on the issue.

That means legal protections arent nailed down everywhere. Yet the outlook is good: Given the resounding support so far for this First Amendment protection, it seems highly likely that the remaining federal appeals courts would reach the same conclusion if the issue appears on their docket.

Of course, the legal right to record is no guarantee of respectful treatment when events are unfolding. And they are small comfort to journalists or members of the public who have been injured or had their equipment seized as they tried to document protests.

Still, Solomon told me, its helpful to know your rights to confidently assert them when it matters most. After all like 17-year-old Darnella Frazier who started a movement by pointing her cellphone almost anyone can capture evidence of what the world needed to see.

Should that happen, its good to know the First Amendment has your back.

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Taking a cellphone video of police? Theres a First Amendment for that - Seattle Times

Pence says First Amendment is why Trump campaign held Tulsa rally despite local health officials’ warnings – Yahoo News

At the coronavirus task force briefing Friday, Vice President Mike Pence was asked a question about why the Trump campaign held a rally in Tulsa, Okla., against the advice of local health officials. He responded by citing the First Amendment.

- On the campaign, it really does sound though like you're saying do as we say, not as we do. You're telling people to listen to local officials, but in Tulsa you defied local health officials to have an event that even though you say it didn't result in a spike, dozens of Secret Service agents, dozens of campaign staffers are now quarantined after positive tests. And then in Arizona, one of the hardest-hit states, you packed a church with young people who weren't wearing masks. So how can you say that the campaign is not part of the problem that Dr. Fauci laid out?

MIKE PENCE: Well, I want to remind you again that the freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. And even in a health crisis, the American people don't forfeit our constitutional rights. And working with state officials, as we did in Oklahoma and as we did in Arizona, we're creating settings where people can choose to participate in the political process, and we'll continue to do that.

I think it's I think it's really important that we recognize how important-- how important freedom and personal responsibility are to this entire equation but allowing younger Americans--

- [INAUDIBLE] freedom [INAUDIBLE].

MIKE PENCE: --allowing younger Americans to understand, particularly in the counties that are most impacted. The unique challenges that we're facing in their age group we think is important.

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Pence says First Amendment is why Trump campaign held Tulsa rally despite local health officials' warnings - Yahoo News

Lawyer On How Restraining Order On CMPD Will Protect Protesters’ First Amendment Rights – WFAE

Protests of racial injustice and police brutality continued this weekend in Charlotte. As usual, Charlotte Mecklenburg police were on the scene, but they were operating under a temporary restraining order. A superior court judge on Friday signed the order halting the department's use of riot control agents like tear gas and flash bang grenades against peaceful protesters. That was a response to a lawsuit filed by groups including the local chapter of the NAACP, the ACLU of North Carolina and Charlotte Uprising. Alex Heroy helped to argue their case in court. He joins Morning Edition host Lisa Worf.

Worf: Good morning, Mr. Heroy.

Heroy: Good morning.

Worf: So how much does this restraining order change CMPD tactics? After all, CMPD says it has only used riot control agents like tear gas once people began throwing rocks and frozen water bottles at officers.

Heroy: I think it requires stricter adherence to their policy and puts limits on the policies. There's CMPD directives are, they're not always to set specific on the use of force continuum and sort of what's allowed and what's not allowed. So this is put in place. We filed a lawsuit to really protect the peaceful protesters that have been victims of, what we thought of as sort of a gross assault on their First Amendment rights, at least in particular on June 2.

Worf: So when you say it puts limits on some of their tactics, are you saying because it adds a certain level of scrutiny that wasn't there before, even though CMPD says this doesn't change that much?

Heroy: Yes. Yes. I mean, so on June 2, when you had three to four hundred protesters who are all largely acting very peaceful, marching with their hands up. No real issues that we've seen in the videos. And then the police boxed them in and gassed them and shot at them. That's not OK. That's across the line. That's way over the line. Even if CMPD says that there were some outliers throwing a water bottle or even a rock would justify that kind of use of force. And it doesn't justify that use of force indiscriminately against a large crowd of peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights. That's just not allowed. It's not OK. And we had to put a stop to it and not let it, risk it happening again. That's what we had to move for this emergency restraining order to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Worf: No CMPD Deputy Chief Jeff Estes said Friday that the one difference it makes for the department is that it prohibits officers from using riot control agents like tear gas again against people who are destroying property. So officers would have to intervene physically to remove those people. Do you have concerns this could further escalate a situation?

Heroy: Well, I don't think this CMPD's communication was an accurate summary of the order. The restraining order restricts actions against peaceful protesters. If there is an individual who is causing a destruction during a peaceful protest, CMPD is supposed to go in and remove that that individual, if they're destroying property there's a use of force continuum that CMPD is allowed to use. It is not a, this is not a, an order that allows or forces CMPD to just simply let people go commit criminal activity. That is not it at all. It is a restriction on what use of force can be used against peaceful protesters gathering.

Worf: Now, this is a temporary restraining order until the lawsuit can be heard. What does the lawsuit itself seek?

Heroy: So the lawsuit itself seeks a permanent restraining order that the same thing. We're also asking for what's called a declaratory judgment against which would find that the dispersal order allegedly announced on June 2 was ineffective and did not comply with CMPD policy.

Worf: And beyond the use of tear gas and other riot control agents, how did the groups you represent want to change police tactics when it comes to handling protests?

Heroy: I say that, you know, there's a lot of groups that are plaintiffs in the lawsuitm it's a lot of different opinions. So I don't want to speak for the entire group because it's a range with a lot of things that need to be changed with police. But I think the overarching issue is the respect and lack of respect and improving that, greatly improving that and community relations with the police.

Worf: That's Alex Heroy, who helped argue the case in court on behalf of groups, including the local chapter of the NAACP, the ACLU of North Carolina and Charlotte Uprising.

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Lawyer On How Restraining Order On CMPD Will Protect Protesters' First Amendment Rights - WFAE

About the Town: Don’t abuse freedoms | Opinion – The Baldwin Bulletin

THE FIRST AMENDMENT of our Constitution provides for five important freedoms and they dont deserve to be abused.

The First Amendment reads, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment protects the rights of citizens to protest the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd.

But looting, burning of stores and destruction of businesses is an unacceptable way to protest the murder of George Floyd.

Protests and demonstrations are not new in this 200 year old democracy.

The protests of the 60s ranged from the Civil Rights movement to our involvement in the Vietnam War. Subsequently we have experienced the Gay Rights Movement, the Environmental Movement, plus a number of issues have changed our lives in many ways.

We have experienced a great deal of social change because of these movements, made possible by the First Amendment.

The First Amendment allows us to speak to issues and redress government regarding its policies and legislation. The recent protests are an excellent example that there is a need for change of police culture and how we provide safety and protection of citizens.

Its becoming clear that we may have expected police to perform too many roles. Its also clear the training of officers is not adequate and/or disciplines and accountability are not adequate in some departments.

The protests/protestors are rightfully calling attention to this. But action by others who damage property, injure people and place economic burdens on neighborhoods should never be acceptable and distract from the goal of the protest.

Racism is so deep-seated we havent been able to overcome it. In the George Floyd case, people around the world were witnesses to a crime and saw no one take an immediate action when the officer was taking Floyds last breath away. Are we going to continue to be witnesses to injustice?

Protests will continue to be in order, but if you are protesting the State government, go to the steps of the State Capitol. If you are protesting County government, go to the County Courthouse. If you are protesting issues in your own city, go to the City Hall and clearly state your issue.

America has changed, but tough questions have been ignored. We have made some progress with equal opportunity and equal rights and I do not think there is justice for all.

Hopefully, now is the time we no longer ignore the tough questions on racial inequality and the current protests will result in a major shift in America so there is more equal opportunity, equal rights and justice for all.

-- Special to the Baldwin Bulletin

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About the Town: Don't abuse freedoms | Opinion - The Baldwin Bulletin

Leader of group that flew Confederate flag over Talladega wrongly says NASCAR infringed on the First Amendment – Yahoo Sports

The leader of the Sons of Confederate Veterans needs to reread the Bill of Rights.

The group is claiming responsibility for hiring a plane to fly a Confederate flag and a banner that said Defund NASCAR over Talladega on Sunday. It was the first race at the Alabama track since NASCAR banned fans from flying the Confederate flag at track properties.

NASCAR is a private company. It has the absolute right to prohibit certain items at its tracks. Yet Paul Gramling tried to tell the Columbia Daily Herald that NASCAR was infringing on the First Amendment rights of fans by banning the flag.

Who wants to tell Gramling that the First Amendment doesnt apply to private company prohibitions? From the Daily Herald:

NASCARs banning the display of the Confederate battle flag by its fans is nothing less than trampling upon Southerners First Amendment Right of free expression, Sons of Confederate Veterans Commander in Chief Paul C. Gramling Jr. said. This un-American act shall not go unchallenged. [On Sunday], members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Confederate Air Force displayed its disapproval of NASCARs trampling upon the First Amendment Rights of Southerners. During and before the start of the NASCAR race in Talladega, Alabama, our plane flew a banner announcing a drive to defund NASCAR.

It is the hope of the Sons of Confederate Veterans that NASCAR fans will be allowed the fundamental American right of displaying pride in their family and heritage. The Sons of Confederate Veterans is proud of the diversity of the Confederate military and our modern Southland. We believe NASCARs slandering of our Southern heritage only further divides our nation. The Sons of Confederate Veterans will continue to defend not only our right but the Right of all Americans to celebrate their heritage. We trust NASCAR will do the same.

Theres something hilariously bizarre about the leader of a group honoring the heritage of those who fought against the United States saying that something clearly allowed by law and the U.S. Constitution is un-American. Even the mayor of Columbia, Tennessee, Chaz Molder, made sure to point out how NASCAR was not violating the groups constitutional rights and that the group does not represent Columbia. Period.

Its also unclear how, exactly, NASCAR could be defunded. Since its, you know, a private company and not a public entity. The only way that defunding NASCAR could happen is if its television contracts were canceled by Fox and NBC, and sponsors started pulling out of the series. Thats not going to happen. Hell, NASCAR wouldnt have taken the steps to ban the Confederate flag if it didnt think that the move would be a net positive to attract new viewers and corporate sponsors.

The group has tried to sponsor a NASCAR car in the past, but NASCAR said no. NASCAR has not allowed the use of the Confederate flag in official capacities for decades and this months ban comes five years after the sanctioning body simply requested fans not to fly the flag at tracks. That request happened after a white supremacist killed nine parishioners at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Nick Brombergis a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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Leader of group that flew Confederate flag over Talladega wrongly says NASCAR infringed on the First Amendment - Yahoo Sports

FEC Commissioner Caroline Hunter resigns from post, says commission ‘needs to respect the First Amendment’ – ABC News

Caroline Hunter, a member of the Federal Election Commission who regularly clashed with her fellow commissioners, resigned on Friday, according to a letter obtained by ABC News.

Hunter, a Republican, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2008, regularly butted heads with FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, a Democrat also nominated by former President Bush.

She will stay on with the FEC until July 3. The White House has already nominated Allen Dickerson, the legal director of the Institute for Free Speech, to take her place.

In her resignation letter, Hunter has some strong criticism for Weintraub, though she is not mentioned by name.

"The FEC would benefit greatly from new faces and fresh perspectives. It needs Commissioners who will respect the First Amendment, understand the limits of the FEC's jurisdiction, and remember that Congress established the FEC to prevent single-party control, with every significant decision requiring bipartisan approval," Hunter wrote.

"One Commissioner -- who has served for more than a decade past the expiration of her term -- routinely mischaracterizes disagreements among Commissioners about the law as 'dysfunction,' rather than a natural consequence of the FEC's unique structure, misrepresents the jurisdiction of the agency and deliberately enables outside groups to usurp the Commission's role in litigation and chill protected speech," she added. "The American people deserve better."

Federal Election Commission (FEC) Commissioner Ellen Weintraub testifies during a hearing before the Elections Subcommittee of House Committee on House Administration, Nov. 3, 2011 on Capitol Hill.

With Hunter's resignation, the FEC is again left with just three out of six commissioners, meaning that it is one vote short of the minimum four votes needed to act on any substantive matters.

The FEC was left in the same place with no enforcement power for nearly a year, after former Vice Chairman Matthew Petersen resigned from his position last August, until recently.

In May, the Senate finally confirmed President Donald Trump's appointee, Trey Trainor, a Texas election attorney, to fill one of the vacancies on the commission, restoring the quorum.

"It's keenly disappointing for the FEC to lose its quorum just a blink of an eye after we regained it," said Weintraub. "But of course I wish Caroline well in this and all her future endeavors."

The remaining members of the commission are Republican Chair Trainor, Democratic Commissioner Weintraub, and Independent Vice Chair Steven Walther.

Without the four-person quorum, it will not be able to initiate audits, engage in rulemaking, vote on enforcement matters or even issue an advisory opinion or hold meetings.

The commission will continue to perform its important day-to-day duties of making details of 2020 campaign contributions and expenditures available, and its enforcement arm will still review complaints and make recommendations to the commission on those matters.

Scenes from the Federal Election Commission headquarters.

Trevor Potter, president of Washington-based nonpartisan ethics group Campaign Legal Center and a former Republican chair of the FEC, called for a prompt replacement of Hunter to restore the quorum, saying her resignation has left "democratic elections with significantly less government oversight."

"A huge majority of voters are concerned about the enforcement of our campaign finance laws, and Hunter's resignation leaves their democratic elections with significantly less government oversight," Potter said in a statement. "Elections in 2016 and 2018 saw campaign finance violations including: illegal foreign spending, a lack of transparency around the sources of millions in election spending, and candidates working illegally with super PACs."

"Americans understand that the campaign finance system correlates directly to their families' quality of life," he continued. "The corruption of our democracy by unprecedented amounts of money in our elections from wealthy special interests diminishes the voices of average citizens. A strong and functional FEC is vital to protecting our democracy, fighting corruption, and holding politicians accountable for the campaign money they receive."

A source familiar with Hunter's thinking told ABC News that Weintraub's decision to let outside groups file lawsuits directly in federal court against other groups and individuals is something on which Hunter strongly disagreed with Weintraub.

"Fire alarms are sometimes housed in boxes labeled 'Break glass in case of emergency.' The Federal Election Campaign Act has such a box; it's the provision that allows complainants to sue respondents directly when the Federal Election Commission fails to enforce the law itself. In the 44-year history of the FEC, this provision has never been fully utilized. Today, I'm breaking the glass," Weintraub said in 2018.

This incident "took the dysfunction to a new level," the source explained.

Hunter served on the FEC for 12 years and as the commission chair three times and plans to join "the legal team of Stand Together, a philanthropic organization dedicated to tackling some of the biggest challenges of our times, including reforming the nation's criminal justice system, strengthening K-12 education, helping neighbors beat poverty and addiction, empowering everyone to find fulfilling work, and more," according to a press release.

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FEC Commissioner Caroline Hunter resigns from post, says commission 'needs to respect the First Amendment' - ABC News

Seasteading a vanity project for the rich or the future of humanity? – The Guardian

A white steel pole rises out of the sea off the Caribbean coast of Panama, poking above the waves like the funnel of a sunken steamship. Launched into the water last month, this is no shipwreck, but the base of what will soon become a floating home and, in the eyes of its makers, the first step towards building a brave new post-Covid-19 society, out on the open ocean.

Coronavirus is an opportunity to show the world that what were building is actually going to be very useful in the future, says Chad Elwartowski, in a recent video post from his beachside base in Panama. The Michigan-born software engineer turned bitcoin trader is a leading figure in the seasteading movement, a libertarian group dedicated to building independent floating cities on the high seas. Along with the bunker builders and survivalist preppers, their long-held ambitions have been bolstered by the current global pandemic. No matter if youre scared of the virus or the reaction to the virus, he adds, living out on the ocean will be helpful for these situations.

It is not the first time Elwartowski has attempted to realise his dream of a floating future. In April last year, he and his Thai partner Supranee Thepdet (aka Nadia Summergirl), were forced to flee their first floating home off the coast of Thailand, just moments before it was raided by the Thai navy. They had constructed what they declared to be the first seastead 12 nautical miles from Phuket, but the authorities decided that the six metre-wide fibreglass cabin, perched on top of a floating pole, posed a threat to Thailands sovereignty. It was an offence punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty. The couple announced on social media declaring their autonomy beyond the jurisdiction of any courts or law of any countries, including Thailand, said Rear Admiral Vithanarat Kochaseni, adding that they had invited others to join them. We see such action as deteriorating Thailands independence.

After a few weeks on the run, dodging Thai patrol boats and eventually making their way to Singapore, the couple moved to Panama to relaunch their company, Ocean Builders with the financial backer of the project, Rdiger Koch, a retired German aerospace engineer. This event has doubled down our efforts, the group said in a statement, following the Thai ordeal. We can all clearly see that seasteading needs to happen now as tyranny creeps ever more deeply into our governments to the point that they are willing to hunt down a couple of residents residing in a floating house in middle of nowhere.

The coronavirus pandemic has given fringe libertarian groups around the world renewed vigour to pursue their dreams of building autonomous new societies. Government-enforced lockdowns and increased digital surveillance have added fuel to their suspicions of state control, while the suspension of day-to-day norms and the spectre of an economic meltdown have amplified their calls to rethink society. When youre not sure which virus is more contagious, says the slogan of a recent meme made by Americans for Liberty, shared on Elwartowskis Facebook page. Covid-19, or those fine with complete government control.

The sentiment lies at the core of the seasteading community, a disparate group that has grown since 2008, when the Seasteading Institute was founded in San Francisco by Patri Friedman. The self-styled anarcho-capitalist (and grandson of Nobel prize-winning economist Milton Friedman) was working as a Google software engineer when he managed to attract funding from PayPal billionaire Peter Thiel to set up the institute. In a founding statement, they described its goal as being to establish permanent, autonomous ocean communities to enable experimentation and innovation with diverse social, political, and legal systems. Thiel was nothing if not confident: The nature of government is about to change at a very fundamental level, he proclaimed.

A new kind of government arises, born in Earths last free places, fated to advance the human frontier

Seasteading represents the ultimate Silicon Valley approach to governance, conceiving society as a technology that can be hacked and innovated upon as simply as an operating system. It is predicated on the idea that government regulation stifles innovation, and therefore the route to a better world can only be found by unleashing a new generation of start-up societies that are forced to compete for citizens in a free market of ideologies. Dont like the rules of your current micro-nation? Simply move to another one. We will give people the freedom to choose the government they want, said Friedman, instead of being stuck with the government they get. Its boosters see it as the route to salvation; its critics say it would lead to an apartheid of the worst kind.

Progress has been bumpy. Thiels donations soon dried up, and Friedmans plans never got much further than launching Ephemerisle a waterborne version of the Burning Man festival, staged in the Sacramento River delta near San Francisco, where rival floating pontoons compete for the attention of soggy partygoers. He has since moved his focus away from the water, recently launching a company to develop experimental cities on dry land instead. But the Seasteading Institute continues without him, headed by author and self-appointed seavangelist, Joe Quirk.

Nearly half of the worlds surface is unclaimed, says Quirk, who published a book on seasteading in 2017, with the ambitious subtitle: How floating nations will restore the environment, enrich the poor, cure the sick, and liberate humanity from politicians. In an introductory video, he describes the planets oceans as a sort of research and development zone where we could discover better means of governance, and says that seasteading could provide the technology for thousands of people to start their own nano-nation on the high seas, giving people opportunities to peacefully test new ideas about living together. The most successful seasteads, he says, will become thriving new societies, inspiring change around the world.

So far, his own attempts dont bode particularly well for the future of floating utopias. In January 2017, after years of technical feasibility studies and political negotiations, the Seasteading Institute signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of French Polynesia to build the first seasteads in its territorial waters. The designs, developed by Dutch architects Blue21, looked like a high-end resort in the Maldives, depicting a series of villas linked by an undulating green landscape. It was all to be magicked from the waters by an initial coin offering, a form of crowdfunding through selling tokens of a new cryptocurrency, all the rage among the tech community in 2017. Were going to draw a new map of the world with French Polynesia at the centre of the aquatic age, Quirk declared.

The choice of location was strategic. Comprised of almost 120 dispersed low-lying islands and atolls, French Polynesia is at severe risk of suffering devastating consequences from even the slightest rise in sea level. It also happens to boast the worlds largest exclusive economic zone, an area of sea that can stretch for 200 nautical miles from a territorys coastline, over which it can claim exclusive economic rights. At five million square kilometres, French Polynesian waters span an area as large as the landmass of the entire European Union, making it an ideal place to experiment with novel forms of aquatic jurisdiction. In theory.

We explained to the Polynesians how having a quasi-autonomous area nearby was a good thing, says Tom W Bell, professor of law at Chapman University in Orange County, California, who drew up the legal agreement for the project. Look at Monaco, or Hong Kong or Singapore special jurisdictions create a lot of growth outside their borders. In his book, Your Next Government? From the Nation State to Stateless Nations, Bell traces the projected evolution of a seastead. It would begin like a coral polyp, he writes, protected by a countrys territorial waters, where it would start to generate economic activity, enriching its environment and attracting still more life, before breaking free to start a new autonomous life on the open ocean. Ultimately, he imagines seasteads nurtured by different host nations congregating in mid-ocean gyres, sheltered within floating breakwaters. A new kind of government arises, he writes, born in Earths last free places, fated to advance the human frontier.

The reality didnt quite pan out that way in the South Pacific. There wasnt a perfect alignment of interests, says Marc Collins Chen, former minister of tourism of French Polynesia, who co-founded the company Blue Frontiers with Quirk to realise the project. The government was looking for something to address sea level rise and environmental degradation, whereas the Seasteading Institute was more about autonomy. He says that the prospect of a tax-free enclave held little appeal for the locals, given that Polynesians dont pay income tax anyway. One Tahitian TV host compared the situation to the evil Galactic Empire in Star Wars imposing on the innocent Ewoks, while secretly building the Death Star. The libertarian position didnt help either. As Collins Chen puts it: Its very difficult to ask for government support when your narrative is that you want to get rid of politicians. In retrospect, Bell agrees: They already had a beautiful paradise in French Polynesia. The local community wasnt very enthusiastic about the project, and I get it. They didnt need strangers coming in and ruining their view.

Over the next 40 years, the world is expected to build 230bn square metres in new construction. This could be a way to accommodate that growth

Collins Chen has since moved to New York, where he has established a new company to develop further plans for floating cities, this time stripped of any libertarian tax-dodging ideology. I realised that the real future for these sorts of projects has to be closer to cities, he says. They have to be an extension of an existing citys infrastructure, they need to be run by the mayor, and they have to pay their taxes as opposed to being enclaves for the wealthy.

His plan, titled Oceanix City, has been designed in slick Ted Talk style by Bjarke Ingels, the Danish architect beloved of Silicon Valley tech companies. His twinkling animations depict a floating world of interlocking hexagonal islands, where power is harvested from waves and the sun, where residents live on a diet of seaweed and fish, and where marine life is regenerated by artificial reefs. If this floating city flourishes, said Ingels in a presentation, it can then grow like a culture in a petri dish. On a screen behind him, the floating hexagons multiplied until they took up an area more than three times the size of Manhattan, a vision of low-density suburbia sprawling virulently across the sea.

Over the next 40 years, the world is expected to build 230bn square metres in new construction, says Collins Chen, the equivalent of adding one New York City every month. This could be a way to accommodate that growth, without the devastating effects of land reclamation or deforestation. He says part of the appeal is the ability to reconfigure the urban form according to changing needs, in a process of drag-and-drop city building. You could literally float one a city block away and put a different one in its place, when the need for a new school, hospital or university arose.

Remarkably, their sci-fi scheme has won the support of the United Nations sustainable development arm, UN-Habitat, which hosted a round table discussion for the project in April 2019. As global heating accelerates, sea levels rise and more people crowd into urban slums, floating cities is one of the possible solutions, said UN-Habitats executive director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif.

Back in Panama, the notion that floating habitats could be an inclusive solution to global housing need seems a long way off, to put it mildly. Despite the countrys coronavirus lockdown, the Ocean Builders team has been at work throughout, laying the foundations for a factory that will soon house the largest 3D printer in Central America, ready to produce what their website touts as the worlds first 3D-printed, smart floating home with an underwater room wrapped in an eco restorative 3D-printed coral reef yours for between $200,000 to $800,000 (160,000 to 640,000).

In light of the global pandemic, were really focusing on making the homes feel like a kind of lifeboat, says the companys CEO, Grant Romundt, who worked on the Freedom Ship project in Florida in the 1990s, an aborted plan to build a mile-long cruise ship for 40,000 people, topped with a runway. They should be a safe place to escape to and be totally energy independent, with solar panels on the roof, water desalination on board, waste collection by drone, and aeroponic systems to grow your own food.

Designed by Koen Olthuis of Dutch architecture practice Waterstudio, the plans for the luxury SeaPods look like a row of gigantic motorbike helmets on poles, sticking up out of the sea in pearlescent shades of blue, green and grey. We wanted to have something that was very futuristic looking, very clean and flowing, says Romundt. I didnt want to have a 90-degree corner anywhere in the house. I think thats bad feng shui. The interiors recall supersized sanitaryware, envisaged as white, wipe-clean worlds of free-flowing surfaces, echoing retro-futuristic visions of streamlined space capsules. The similarity is no accident: for company founder, Rdiger Koch, seasteading is merely a stepping stone for trialling exploits in space. He has long harboured plans to build a cable launch loop to propel payloads into space without rockets, and he sees the ocean as the perfect launchpad. There are almost only large open spaces at sea, he told German regional newspaper, Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, and you need them to make sure that nothing goes wrong and nobody is hit by possible flying parts.

Romundt insists that the company is merely building floating holiday homes, which will be registered as boats under the Panama flag for legal purposes, and likely operate on a timeshare basis. That would give you the slow adjustment period, he says, then more of an economy would start to build as more people come requiring more services, and it would start to self-perpetuate and grow.

For Bell, the ultimate goal is to see such floating communities raise their own flags in the open ocean. Right now, a self-flagged seastead would have effectively no status at all in international law, he says. The coast guard would show up, assume you were either a pirate or a floating meth lab, and tow you right back in to shore. But if seasteaders can say they have enough people and a big enough territory, and start flagging themselves, thats when things will start to get interesting.

And if they fail? Thats the marvellous thing about seasteads, says Quirk. If a government fails, theres nothing much the people who live there can do about it, but if seasteads fail, they simply disassemble and go away seeing all those bitcoin dollars sink into the sea just as quickly as they were conjured.

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Seasteading a vanity project for the rich or the future of humanity? - The Guardian

Billionaire ‘Seasteading’ Obsessives Believe The Time Is Now [Video] – 2oceansvibe News

[imagesource: OCEANIX]

The concept of seasteading isnt new, but it has been gaining traction over the past two years or so.

Seasteading is a term used to describe man-made islands, or rather cities, built in the ocean.

These arent your reclaimed plastic, hippy islands, though.

Theyre high tech superstructures aimed at sustainable living not dissimilar to the ones that youll find in Dubai, or that floating hotel in Sweden, only bigger and aimed at housing entire communities.

Theyre billed as a solution to climate change and rising seas levels, but The Guardian isnt convinced.

The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired fringe libertarian groups to double down on their dreams of building new, autonomous societies.

Lockdowns, increased surveillance, and complete governmental control have added fuel to their already entrenched suspicions of state control.

The sentiment lies at the core of the seasteading community, a disparate group that has grown since 2008, when the Seasteading Institute was founded in San Francisco by Patri Friedman. The self-styled anarcho-capitalist (and grandson of Nobel prize-winning economist Milton Friedman) was working as a Google software engineer when he managed to attract funding from PayPal billionaire Peter Thiel to set up the institute.

In a founding statement, they described its goal as being to establish permanent, autonomous ocean communities to enable experimentation and innovation with diverse social, political, and legal systems.

Thiel was nothing if not confident: The nature of government is about to change at a very fundamental level, he proclaimed.

Seasteading is the ultimate Silicon Valley approach to governance. It imagines society as a type of technology that can be tinkered with and innovated, and indeed saved by a series of start-up societies.

Think of it as the social media of brick and mortar living spaces with unique ideologies independent of the rule of law.

Dont like Facebook? Move to Instagram. Only this time its man-made islands, not social media platforms.

Seasteading company OCEANIXsees what theyre doing as a solution to rapid population growth and climate change.

The ocean is under threat from land reclamation. As coastal cities struggle to cope with rapid population growth, many simply pour sand into the ocean to create new land.

Unfettered coastal urbanization is destroying millions of hectares of the ocean and marine life; close to 50 percent of people in the world live in coastal areas. The rising sea and climate change are compounding the problem. Oceanix is taking bold steps towards a more resilient future.

Oceanix designs and builds floating cities for people to live sustainably on the ocean. We believe humanity can live in harmony with life below water. It is not a question of one versus the other. The technology exists for us to live on water, while nature continues to thrive under.

Oceanix is trailblazing a new industry with blue technologies that meet humanitys shelter, energy, water and food needs without killing marine ecosystems.

OCEANIX CITY, their pilot project, is supposed to house 10 000 residents, with modular neighbourhoods housing up to 300 residents apiece.

This video from last year, shows the concept behind OCEANIXs seasteading project:

These super seasteads arent the only projects in the works.

Back to The Guardian for a classic example of the pursuit of seasteading freedom found in the tale of Chad Elwartowsk, who recently tried his hand at his own seastead for the second time.

Heres what happened the first time:

They had constructed what they declared to be the first seastead 12 nautical miles from Phuket, but the authorities decided that the six metre-wide fibreglass cabin, perched on top of a floating pole, posed a threat to Thailands sovereignty.

It was an offence punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty. The couple announced on social media declaring their autonomy beyond the jurisdiction of any courts or law of any countries, including Thailand, said Rear Admiral Vithanarat Kochaseni, adding that they had invited others to join them. We see such action as deteriorating Thailands independence.

And here it is being towed away by the Royal Thai Navy:

While seasteading might seem like a utopian and sustainable plan for the future, the reality is that the growing interest from billionaires like Peter Thiel paints a different picture.

The likelihood that your average Joe is going to be able to afford a place on the OCEANIX seastead and others like it is highly improbable.

The drive to create communities outside of the rule of law also poses obvious problems.

Weve all readThe Lord of the Flies although what would really happen if a bunch of young boys were stranded on a remote island may differ wildly from the outcome imagined by Willam Golding.

Read the Guardians superb article on the real Lord of the Flies story, when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months, here.

[source:guardian&oceanix]

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Billionaire 'Seasteading' Obsessives Believe The Time Is Now [Video] - 2oceansvibe News

This libertarian Bitcoin trader wants to build a city on the sea – Decrypt

Chad Elwartowski, an American software engineer turned Bitcoin trader, is one of the leading lights of the "seasteading" movementa libertarian drive to build independent floating cities on the high seas. Right now, he's constructing a prototype for the worlds first 3D-printed, smart, floating home, off the Caribbean coast of Panama. A prior effort, in Thailand, was towed off by the Thai navy in 2019.

Interest in seasteading is enjoying a renaissance among libertarian, tech millionaires, keen to escape the threat of increasing government surveillance. The movement has come a long way since entrepreneurs Peter Thiel and Patri Friedman (grandson of eminent economist Milton) launched the Seasteading Institute in 2008.

Coronavirus is an opportunity to show the world that what were building is actually going to be very useful in the future, said Elwartowski, in a recent video update on his project.

But Elwartowskis vision has changed since his first attempt at seasteading in Thailand, when he and his Thai partner Supranee Thepdet were forced to flee, dodging Thai patrol boats. He was tipped off that the authorities had determined that the fiberglass cabin, on top of a floating pole, posed a threat to the country's sovereigntypunishable by death.

Now, theyve settled in Panama and joined a local business called Ocean Builders, which is creating 30 "seapods," and selling them on the open market for between $200,000 to $800,000 each. The pods will be registered as boats under the Panama flag for legal purposes.

Its somewhat ironic that staunch libertarians are now asking for government permission to complete their utopian dreams. But the fact is that attempts, over the years, to set up floating societies have flounderedeven those sanctioned by national governments.

In 2017, the French Polynesian government approved the Seasteading Institutes plans for an autonomous community near the French Polynesian coast, using a cryptocurrency called Varyon. However, the authorities rescinded its approval a year later, in response to objections of tech colonialism by the residents of Tahiti, the nearest well-populated island in the archipelago.

Friedman is now involved in the Marshall Islands scheme to introduce a sovereign digital currency. He said recently that, in the past month, he is seeing a lot of inquiries from peers who want to know wheres best to move.

He and Thiel have moved on to self-governed "charter cities" in developing countries, allowing international firms to set up shop in the semi-autonomous zones. The project takes the form of a venture fund, bolstered by $9 million in funding from Thiel, as well as investors and Bitcoin heavyweights Marc Andreessen, Roger Ver, and Balaji Srinivasan.

Seasteaders have found out it is probably better to make an agreement with the government, said Titus Gebel, CEO of Tipolis, another startup developing semi-autonomous cities run by private companies.

It may not be the original libertarian dream but it'll do for now.

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This libertarian Bitcoin trader wants to build a city on the sea - Decrypt

Beaches, Pools And Playgrounds Will Stay Closed Through At Least July 4, Mayor Says – Block Club Chicago

CHICAGO City officials say theyre watching closely for signs beaches and pools can reopen this summer but dont plan to head to any of the citys beaches to celebrate the Fourth of July.

While announcing Chicago will move into Phase 4 of its coronavirus reopening plan Friday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said beaches will stay closed until at least Independence Day weekend.

Though indoor dining, bars and some venues will soon be able to open with reduced capacity, Arwady said there are still concerns about crowds of people without masks at city beaches.

Where we think about pools and beaches, let me just be clear that the water itself is not a concern for COVID spread, Arwady said. The risk is that individuals who breathe on each other when they are at beaches and at pools have the opportunity to spread virus.

When people are in the hot sun and swimming, face coverings are less practical but they are key to preventing virus spread in crowds, she said.

In water it is basically impossible to wear a face covering, Arwady said. At this point, basically weve talked about unless we get in a heat emergency situation, we dont have a plan to have pools open. And beaches are also not open yet. But well be watching closely.

Arwady said the city is watching how residents handle the reopening of the Lakefront Trail, which began Monday, before they decide to open beaches. When beaches do open, which would be sometime after July 4, there would need to be social distancing measures in place, Arwady said.

Playgrounds will also remain closed indefinitely due to the constant cleaning that would be required otherwise and because children cannot easily socially distance on them, officials said.

The concern there is given the congregation, given the frequency that would be needed to try to even realistically keep up with the cleaning just doesnt make sense right now, she said. I think were still a ways away from those. Playgrounds are still closed and theyre gonna be closed for the foreseeable future. Were not cleaning those playgrounds. Parents, you need to be careful and cautious.

While the city has been slightly more strict about reopening than the rest of the state, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, is on the same page about beaches, according to the Sun-Times.

I think you could do that safely, Ezike said of beaches though she said personally she wont go to one. You can get into your little spot and just be with your kids and keep everybody away. Maybe even wear a mask and be distant from other people.

For those anxious to get back in the pool or on the beach, Arwady had simple advice: Keep wearing a face covering in public and social distancing. If cases keep going down, more things will open up.

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Beaches, Pools And Playgrounds Will Stay Closed Through At Least July 4, Mayor Says - Block Club Chicago

Giant stinging jellyfish are appearing in greater numbers on Mass. beaches, but no one seems to know why – The Boston Globe

The giant jellyfish, which is the largest species of the marine invertebrates, have been seen off the coast of Maine, along Cape Cod, and in Rhode Island, Doller added.

In New England waters, a typical lions mane jellyfish has a translucent, saucer-shaped bell that measures about 10 to 12 inches wide, with tentacles trailing up to 20 feet long.

But even larger specimens have been washing up on local shores lately. Some have bells that measure several feet wide with tentacles of up to 40 to 50 feet, he said.

Their tentacles are so long that they could be 10 to 20 feet away from you and still sting you, he said.

After months of being cooped up with few places to go, residents eager to enjoy the pleasures of summer have yet another concern: encountering the otherworldly visitors at their favorite beach.

Theyre considered one of the more stingy jellyfish, Doller said. They can really sting you, even if theyre washed up on the beach.

Their sting is painful but not usually fatal. It typically causes a burning sensation that can be treated with vinegar, which helps neutralize the sting.

Lions mane jellyfish sightings have been reported throughout Hingham Harbor and at beaches in Scituate. The jellies, which pulse balletically through the shallow waters, have also been seen off Nahant.

One unlucky Hingham resident was recently stung by one, and experienced something similar to a brief electric shock followed by a stinging sensation, according to the Hingham harbormaster. She treated it with a jellyfish sting kit and vinegar.

On June 17, the Duxbury Police Department tweeted out a stark warning to beachgoers.

BE ADVISED: We are seeing a large amount of Lions Mane Jellyfish in the water, both ocean and bay and some are washing up, Duxbury police tweeted. DO NOT TOUCH THEM. If you happen to come in contact with one, please alert a lifeguard or a Beach Ranger.

Its not clear why there seem to be more of the jellyfish in local waters.

Its the question everyones asking, and we dont really know the answer right now, said Doller.

It could be the currents, the weather, or an increase of food in the water, he said.

We just dont know, he said.

Keith Ellenbogen, an underwater photographer and MIT Sea Grant visiting artist, received an Ernest F. Hollings Ocean Awareness Award to capture images of marine life within Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. He has also noticed more lions mane jellyfish in the water.

Theyre large ... and they have this red and yellow hue to them, he said. Theyre absolutely beautiful animals.

Ellenbogen said one of the things that amazes him is how some species of fish take shelter in the jellyfishs stinging tentacles. He has photographed juvenile haddock swimming alongside the tentacles of a lions mane jellyfish, using them for protection.

Anne Smrcina, the education and outreach coordinator at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, said she was at Scituate Harbor on Wednesday and counted a dozen lions mane jellyfish right around the sanctuary dock.

Theyre amazingly beautiful creatures, and theyre an important part of the food web, she said.

Smrcina said as the number of sightings has increased, people should be aware.

Its more than weve seen in the past, she said. Theyre out there.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.

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Giant stinging jellyfish are appearing in greater numbers on Mass. beaches, but no one seems to know why - The Boston Globe

Heading to the Delaware beaches this weekend? Here are some helpful tips for your trip – The News Journal

Lifeguards in Delaware have a lot of responsibilities, and COVID-19 is adding another layer to the risk they face on each beach day. Delaware News Journal

Heading to the Delaware beaches this weekend?

Here's what you need to know if you're planning on dipping your toes in the sand the weekend of June 26-28 and what the beaches look like in phase two of Gov. John Carney's reopening plan.

Delaware's beach towns are open to the public, but government and public health officials warn that everyone's help is neededto curb the spread of COVID-19.

Social distancing is encouraged in all public spaces, and people should maintain at least 6 feet of distance from people who are not members of their immediate household.

SENIOR WEEK: After positive COVID-19 cases, officials recommend teens get tested

CORONAVIRUS IN DELAWARE: Our latest coverage

As for face masks, they are still required on the boardwalk, in public spaces where social distancing is difficultand inside businesses that are open.

Face masks are recommended, but not required, on the beaches themselves, but social distancing is a requirementon the beach.

Swimming is permitted.Make sure to check in with the local lifeguards before you dive in to learn about any potential hazards in the water or on the sand.

Previous bans on out-of-state travelers and short-term rentalswerelifted in early June. Delaware's reopening plan saysleisure travel "should be avoided" at this time, but it's allowed if people and businesses can adhere to social-distancing-related recommendations, according to the state.

Hotels and other accommodations also are now accepting reservations for vacation stays, although there may be limits and restrictions in gathering areas like lobbies.

Delaware's daily DART beach bus service will move into more frequent operations starting on Monday, June 29. But this weekend people can still take advantage of the Park & Ride options in Lewes and Rehoboth to avoid heavy beach traffic south of Lewes. Face coverings are required on public transportation.

The Lewes Park & Ride is at 17616 Coastal Highway, just south of Five Points and the Rehoboth Park & Ride is off Route 1 at 20055 Shuttle Road, just north of the entrance to Rehoboth Avenue. Parking is free at both lots. Cash-only fare due on boarding for aone-way trip is $2 and an all-day daily pass is $4.20. Seven-daypasses also are available for $18 and a 30-day pass costs$65. For more information, go towww.dartfirststate.com/information/programs/beachbus/index.shtml#parkride.

DART's beach connection, which runs from Wilmington to Rehoboth Beach on weekends and holidays, does not start until Friday, July 3.

Delaware is in its second phase of reopening businesses previously restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As of June 15, businesses that were operating at 30% of fire occupancy requirements canincrease capacity to 60%, not including staff.

That means restaurants and bars can increase capacity to 60% of what's allowed by the fire marshal, but must still adhere to social distancing guidelines. Some have increased outdoor seating to try to accommodate more diners.

ON THE MENU: One restaurant explains what to expect when dine-in service reopens

As of June 22, that 60% capacity cap also applies to personal care services (such as hair and nail salons, tanning, tattoo, massage therapy services and spas)that were previously required to keep occupancy at 30%. The state is also allowing sports tournaments to resume, as of June 20, pending the approval of submitted safety plans and other requirements.

People are encouraged to call ahead for reservations, and to check on any changes in normal operating hours or other restrictions.

No announcements have been made when Delaware will enter phase three of the state's rolling reopening plan. For more details on the state's plan, go togovernor.delaware.gov/delawares-recovery.

Moving toward normalcy means that summer parking fees are also back in place. Parking permits or metered parking is in effect in all of Delaware's beach towns from Lewes to Fenwick Island.

In Rehoboth Beach, there are a few areas within the first two blocks along Rehoboth Avenue closest to the beach and boardwalk that have barricades set up so that restaurants can have expanded outdoor seating. Parking is not permitted in those areas.

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In Lewes, city officials are supporting businesses by offering free downtown parking from 9 a.m. to noon for shoppers.

Each town has different rules and rates for parking. For more information, visit an individual beach town's website or call Town Hall in the beach town you plan to visit before arriving.

Below are links to each oceanfront beach town's parking policies:

This weekend could be a picture-perfect beach weekend, with the exception of Sunday. Forecasts can change as the weekend gets closer.

The National Weather Service forecast for Saturday, June 27, inRehoboth Beach is for a mostly sunny day with a high near 87degrees.

Sunday will be partly sunny with a high near 81degrees, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. There's a 30% chance of rain during the day and into the night.

Water temperatures off the coast of Lewes are reaching the low 70s this week, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Contact reporter Maddy Lauria at (302) 345-0608,mlauria@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @MaddyinMilford.

Read or Share this story: https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2020/06/24/heading-delawares-beaches-heres-what-you-need-know/3241865001/

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Heading to the Delaware beaches this weekend? Here are some helpful tips for your trip - The News Journal

The Urbanists Guide to the Beaches of New Jersey – New York Magazine

Insider travel recommendations from local experts.

Beachgoers on June 14 in Long Branch, New Jersey. Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

New Jerseys beaches were some of the first to open to the public this summer. So, Jersey shoreward! The Strategist writer Kayla Levy spoke to regular beachgoers many of whom have frequented beaches up and down the shore for decades including a reporter who has ranked every single beach in New Jersey twice.

Pick a beach. New Jersey has 44, about half of which are in the north, meaning an under-two-hour drive from New York City. The other half (everything south of Long Beach Island) is closer to Philadelphia and can take up to three hours. Some beaches are known for crowded boardwalks and (often alcohol-fueled) local scenes (including, from north to south, Asbury Park, Seaside Heights, Atlantic City, and Wildwood); others, like northern Point Pleasant and southern Ocean City, are decidedly more family focused. There are the beaches within state parks like Island Beach State Park and Sandy Hook, both of which stop letting people in when the parking lots are full (this is often by early afternoon in Sandy Hooks case, since it is the states northernmost beach near New York). Up north, in Monmouth County, Sea Bright is known for its fishing and surfing, whereas Spring Lake is an affluent town known for its feeling of exclusivity, says Debi Unger, whos been going to the countys beaches for over 80 years.

Go south to avoid crowds. Its not entirely surprising that the further you go from the city, the fewer day-trippers, says Star-Ledger reporter Jeremy Schneider, whos twice ranked the states beaches Cape May was No. 1 in both 2018 and 19. Cape Mays appeal, says Danielle Klimashousky, a writer and lifelong beachgoer, is it usually doesnt have people who come just for the day. There are no vendors, just one guy who sells Italian ices on the beach. Also, since its on the tip of New Jersey, you can watch the sunset over the ocean.

Consider a hidden beach. The public beach in the borough of Deal is hard to find by design, meaning its less busy, Schneider says. You can enter at the W. Stanley Conover Beach Pavilion on Philips Avenue.

Check the beachs Facebook page before you get in the car. New Jersey is a home-rule state, meaning each town has a different set of restrictions, regulations, and fee structures, says communications consultant Roger Shatzkin, pointing to Ocean Grove and Asbury Park, abutting beaches where the former is dry and the latter has a bar-filled boardwalk. In order to stay up-to-date, Shatzkin gets Ocean Groves newsletter, and Felecia Stratton, a local business owner and Sea Bright resident of 30 years, says most residents get their beach news from a popular Facebook group, All About Sea Bright.

Most beaches charge $5 to $10 for a daily beach tag, though many are free for children; others, including Atlantic City and Wildwood, dont charge at all (but some free beaches dont have lifeguards, like Keansburg, or charge for parking, like Sandy Hook).

Get your beach tag ahead of time, since many season passes have sold out, and day passes are (now more than ever) a hot commodity. In Asbury Park, day passes are now sold nightly at 6:30 through the ticketing app Viply, and getting one is kind of like applying for Hamilton tickets: Youve got to put your name in right on time, and theres still a chance you wont get one, says Schneider. Many other towns sell passes via Viply though in Spring Lake, you still have to pick yours up in person at the train station.

Expect parking to be a challenge. More and more people are coming by car instead of by train, and some beachside parking lots are restricted for out-of-towners, including Point Pleasants this season. Regulars advise that you get there by 9 a.m., or if thats impossible, hunt for parking in nearby residential areas and walk a few blocks.

Avoid boardwalks, except Atlantic Citys. The Asbury Park boardwalk is insane, says Klimashousky, who went there on a recent Saturday and says it was crowded despite distancing measures. But Atlantic City has more year-round residents than other towns and attracts an older, retired crowd, says Kennedy Bennett, whose family owns a condo there. Ive never really seen it get crazy crowded like Ocean City or Wildwood.

Pick up food from a restaurant thats been operating throughout the pandemic, like Marucas Tomato Pies in Seaside Heights, which has been serving contactless-pickup pies since March. Domenic Maruca, one of the owners, says social distancing is second nature. We put markings with tape on the boardwalk now, and customers are aware of what they need to do.

Stay late (or leave early) to beat traffic. By one or after 8 p.m., says Stephen Casner, a 30-year Sea Bright beachgoer who likes to stay late to get ice cream at Gracie and the Dudes and watch the sun set over the Shrewsbury River.

*This article appears in the June 22, 2020, issue ofNew York Magazine. Subscribe Now!

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The Urbanists Guide to the Beaches of New Jersey - New York Magazine

‘June gloom’ will continue to loom at San Diego beaches – The San Diego Union-Tribune

Theres no immediate end in sight to the June gloom thats lingered along the San Diego County coastline this week.

The National Weather Service says the sun wont peak through the clouds at local beaches until late Friday -- if at all. Saturday isnt looking much better. Then things could get worse.

A deeper, stronger trough of low pressure dives down from Canada into the western US this weekend, the weather service says in an advisory. This will deepen the marine layer, bring cooler weather to all areas Sunday and Monday, produce some drizzle or even light showers west of the mountains Monday morning, and generate strong and gusty winds late Sunday in the mountains and deserts.

The trough is unseasonably deep for late June, so temperatures will dive 10-20 degrees or so from Saturday to Monday. High temps inland will be 10-20 degrees below average, locally more.

Here are the projected high temperatures:San Diego: 72 on Friday and Saturday, 69 on Sunday, 68 on Monday. The average high is 71.Oceanside: 70 on Friday, 71 on Saturday, 69 on Sunday, 68 on Monday.Ramona: 86 on Friday, 84 on Saturday, 76 on Sunday, 72 on Monday.Escondido: 80 on Friday, 79 on Saturday, 73 on Sunday, 71 on Monday.Alpine: 79 on Friday, 77 on Saturday, 69 on Sunday, 65 on MondayImperial Beach: 69 on Friday and Saturday, 68 on Sunday, 67 on MondayJulian: 80 on Friday, 79 on Saturday, 69 on Sunday, 61 on Monday. El Cajon: 81 on Friday, 79 on Saturday, 74 on Sunday, 72 on Monday

Ocean temp: The sea surface temperature at Scripps Pier in La Jolla reached 69 on Thursday. The seasonal range is 62-68.

Some good news: Forecaster Mark Moede says the long-term forecast appears to show good weather for the Fourth of July.

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'June gloom' will continue to loom at San Diego beaches - The San Diego Union-Tribune