#Southernmost Point

[floridaboiler]

[la-fumettista]

Tourists in Key West will take pictures of anything. But I'll take the confidence boost!

"Drawn To Key West" documents the fascinating lives of Key West street performers. Learn about the world's oldest form of entertainment, pursuing your passions, and why people create.

Buy Drawn To Key West here

[boerum-dodge]

tail end of sunset at southernmost point // key west 2018

2018-11-01

[hegdetravelphotos]

Key West

Warm tropical breeze, vibrant streets lined with colorful and historic homes, lively sounds of street musicians, stunning sunsets, crystal clear water, sun soaked pristine beaches, rich marine life, and a unique blend of cultures reflected in the cuisine, art, and festivals. Yes..talking about none other than Key West, a charming island city at the southernmost point of the continental United…

[synthbug]

Environmental storytelling..

[rabbitcruiser]

The Conch Republic was a micronation declared as a tongue-in-cheek secession of the city of Key West from the United States on April 23, 1982.

[suetravelblog]

Arniston, Napier, Whales, and Power Outages Western Cape South Africa

Southern Right Whale Fluke – Oceanic Society I’ve been taking a breather from blog posting. The blog is my personal travel journal, and it’s primarily for future reference, since experiences and memories can become hazy over the years. Arniston Beach Path – Shutterstock I’ve visited South Africa many times, and posted about favorite places in the Western Cape. Posting requires time and focus, and…

[tigercomplex]

not having finished shadow of the erdtree yet and watching people only now getting to a boss that i already found the area for before i was even able to enter is so entertaining. like what do you mean you didn't immediately go after the questline of that one npc. am i the only one who saw a man who was kind of pathetic and baby bird like and decided i had to throw my video game life on the line

[mariamlovesyou]

bisan's live video on her 2nd acc is piercing my heart

she started off expressing (in arabic) how sick she is of the constant sharing, photographing, capturing, having to speak english and how she wants to speak in her native tongue instead.

she explained that the leaflets that were dropped again are ordering evacuation to rafah so they are forced into the sinai, and how impossible it is for over 2 million people to go to an area that's only 151 square km, so many have no choice but to stay in khan younis. they are trapped and have no international passports. rafah is the southernmost point of palestine after khan younis and she said - this part in english - "after rafah there is no more palestine. if we are forced into rafah there is no more palestine."

someone asked her if she has eaten and whether they have any food, her response was no, not at all; one loaf of bread has to be divided between everyone in her tent.

the video kept freezing because of how bad the internet service is in gaza right now so i lost bits and pieces, but at some point an older woman joined the live, a journalist outside of the country. it's unclear whether they knew each other previously, but a lot of warmth was exchanged. the woman got tears out of bisan when she told her "dont listen to people who tell you to be strong, i don't want you to be strong, i want you to be you. if you are sad i want to know, if you are happy i want to know." she explained that she tried entering rafah but the occupation refuses to let any foreign journalists in anymore.

after the woman left, bisan talked about her life before october. she said her life was beautiful and fruitful and any source of strife was solely on israeli hands; namely her inability to travel or pursue placements for her education outside of palestine. other than that she had nothing to complain about. if im able to watch the video after it ends, i will add any pieces i missed

[out4more]

[la-fumettista]

According to lore, the Mile Marker 0 sign is not only the most photographed sign in Key West but also the most stolen!

Recognize any of these places?

Panels from "Drawn To Key West", the first graphic novel to document life as a street performer

Available now in Key West bookstores or drawntokeywest.com/buythebook

[palms-upturned]

Rafah is a massive shelter with children and elderly unable to evacuate

Feb 12th 2024, 00:15 GMT

Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza Strip

The Israeli army has been saying that there’s no victory without invading Rafah and dismantling the military capabilities of Hamas movements here.

But the civilians here are very concerned and this has triggered wide-scale condemnation among different international organisations and states in the region about the disastrous potential consequences.

Specifically, right now Rafah has become a massive shelter for more than 1.9 million Palestinians.

Evacuation centres and makeshift camps have been established recently alongside the borders of Egypt, which will absolutely pose a new significant threat also for Egyptian national security.

And let’s be very aware about the dangerous humanitarian catastrophe that will result if that military incursion happens, specifically among children and among elderly people who are unable to easily evacuate the city as Israel has claimed.

What is happening in Gaza’s Rafah as Israel threatens to attack?

Feb 12th 2024, 00:30 GMT

More than a million Palestinians are trapped at Gaza’s southernmost point, with the Israeli army preparing a ground attack.

But what is Rafah and what are the details around this announced Israeli “operation”?

Palestinian Rafah is 64sq km (25sq miles) and, as Israel assaulted Gaza these past four months, more and more people have been herded into it by Israeli forces who keep promising safety “further south” – which never materialised.

People are in dense clusters in the limited space not filled with debris or being bombed by Israel. Conditions are dire, with severe shortages.

You can read more here.

Reports of heavy shelling near Kuwait Hospital in Rafah

Feb 12th 2024, 00:38 GMT

We are hearing reports of heavy shelling in the areas surrounding the Kuwait Hospital in Rafah in southern Gaza.

Videos posted by local journalists on social media and verified by Al Jazeera show people who were killed and injured in the attacks being brought to the hospital.

We’ll bring you more on this breaking story soon.

At least 11 people killed by Israel airstrikes on Rafah: reports

Feb 12th 2024, 00:57 GMT

Our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues are reporting that Israeli air strikes in Rafah have killed at least 11 people and injured many more.

Local media is reporting that two mosques were targeted in the north and central parts of the city in southern Gaza. The injured have been transferred to the Kuwaiti Hospital.

We will bring you further updates on this story when we have them.

[zvaigzdelasas]

Emmanuel said he wanted to work in the U.S. and send money back to his family in Chiapas, Mexico's southernmost state. But soon after crossing into Arizona illegally, Emmanuel said he was detained by U.S. border agents and returned to Mexico.

Asked about his next steps, Emmanuel said he might return to Chiapas, noting that American officials told him he would face jail time if he attempted to enter the U.S. unlawfully again. He was one of dozens of migrants deported to Nogales during a recent Thursday morning in late August.[...]

Rosalis and her young daughters were also deported to Nogales that Thursday morning. The Mexican mother said she traveled to the U.S. border after a man started harassing her daughters in their hometown. She said she tried to explain to U.S. immigration officials why she came — to no avail.

These scenes in Nogales play out most mornings, volunteers said. Since President Biden invoked sweeping presidential powers to curtail access to the overwhelmed U.S. asylum system in early June, returns of migrants to Mexican border cities like Nogales have increased sharply.

The "deportations are 24/7," said Dora Rodriguez, a Tucson resident who travels to Nogales to assist deportees four days a week.

Mr. Biden's executive action has upended U.S. asylum law, which generally allowed migrants physically on American soil to request asylum as a way to fight their deportation. But under his June proclamation, migrants who cross the southern border between legal entry points are generally disqualified from asylum.

The new rules also scrapped a requirement for U.S. immigration officials to ask migrants whether they fear being harmed if deported, placing the onus on them to express that fear in order to be interviewed by U.S. asylum officers. The measures have led to a dramatic drop in those being allowed to access the U.S. asylum system. They have also allowed officials to more quickly deport migrants from Mexico, Central America and other countries where the U.S. conducts regular deportations.[...]

Deportations of migrants as a proportion of encounters at the southern border more than doubled after Mr. Biden's order, according to a recent court declaration from Royce Murray, a top immigration official at the Department of Homeland Security. During the first two months of the order's implementation, the department conducted 62 repatriations per every 100 border encounters, up from 26 repatriations per 100 encounters, Murray said.

1 Sep 24

[sayruq]

A delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas is in the Egyptian capital for truce and captive-release negotiations, with sources saying that some progress has been made.However, sticking points remain, including Israel’s insistence on launching a ground invasion into Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. The Hamas team arrived in Cairo on Saturday to meet mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States regarding a proposal that would halt Israel’s war on Gaza for 40 days and exchange captives for Palestinian prisoners, according to details released by the United Kingdom. Sources told Al Jazeera that negotiations are at a critical point as a Qatari technical team is working out the details of a potential deal with the Egyptians. “Usually technical teams are indications that we are moving to the operational aspect of an agreement. There are phases in this agreement, and they will try to pin down the details of those phases,” said Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Doha.Osama Hamdan, a senior spokesman for Hamas, told Al Jazeera, “It’s clear that we are moving forward. There are some good points. “But till now, we are still talking about the main issue, which is the complete ceasefire and complete withdrawal from Gaza. We hope to find some good and positive answers today.” Hamdan said one of the “key elements” discussed was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aim of sending the army into Rafah. For its part, Israel has repeatedly said that regardless of a potential deal with Hamas, it will proceed with its invasion of Rafah. United Nations agencies and aid groups have long warned that a ground operation would result in a catastrophe for the more than 1.5 million people sheltered there. “Unfortunately, there was a clear statement from Netanyahu saying that regardless to what may happen, if there was a ceasefire or not, he will continue the attack,” Hamdan said. “That means there will be no ceasefire, and that means that the attack will be continued, which is against what we are discussing. “At least we want to know exactly what does it mean, his statement, and the reaction from the mediators. Our understanding that any achievement for a ceasefire means that there will be no more attacks against Gaza and Rafah,” he added.

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a message from Yahya Sinwar (the Hamas leader inside Gaza) was passed to Hamas leaders who live outside of it, and the essence of that is not to worry, because Sinwar believes they have Israel exactly where they want it. In other words, when Hamas is estimated by Israel to have at least 12,000 of its terrorists killed, and despite the fact that they could stop the death of Gazans by releasing the Israeli hostages and surrendering, Sinwar doesn't see any issues with where the war is at. I think the most important part is this: "According to the report, Sinwar also told the Hamas officials that the terror group is prepared for Israel’s expected operation in Rafah, the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city, and is relying on the high civilian death toll reported by the Hamas-run health ministry to cause enough global outcry that Israel is forced to withdraw" (my emphasis). At what point do people realize that they are serving the interests of Hamas' mass murderers, kidnappers and rapists?

A few days ago, I wrote about the attempt to allow aid trucks into northern Gaza directly from Israel, instead of bringing it to the south, and waiting for Gaza-based elements to deliver it to the north. This means an escort of Israeli soldiers is accompanying the trucks. This is the route the aid trucks cross:

Today, these aid trucks were stormed by a huge crowd, and according to the IDF, many people died from pushing and trampling (at the link you can see aerial video footage of the stampede), not an unheard of phenomenon when a huge herd of people all rush in at the same time. On top of that, some Gazans were also advancing at the soldiers securing the aid trucks. The soldiers felt undr threat, and they opened fire at those charging at them, but according to their estimate, this accounts for only 10 of the dead. Still, you can count on the anti-Israel crowd to adopt a narrative that, immediately and without investigation, calls this a massacre and blames every single death on Israel, not on Hamas, which started the war that made even aid supply into a dangerous and complicated situation.

Here's a reminder that even in the middle of the war, when no one is paying attention to it, Israel continues to demolish illegal homes built by Jews. But you're never gonna hear about it, not even during more normal times, because it doesn't fit the anti-Israel narrative, so anti-Israel sources will only ever tell you about it, when Israeli demolishes illegal homes built by Arabs.

As threats to British Members of Parliament (MPs) are rising due to threats from the anti-Israel crowd, the UK has allocated bodyguards to some of them, along with 31 million pounds designated for the security of British democracy. If some of the most powerful people in Britain are that scared, what do you think Jews there are going through? Indeed, today we heard that 72 million pounds are meant to help secure Jewish centers and institutions in the UK. The problem is that until the root of the problem will be tackled, this is just taking care of the symptoms, instead of curing the disease.

Israeli security forces have stopped two Palestinian cousins, one 17 years old and the other 29 years old, from carrying out an independent terrorist attack. I refer to such attacks as independent in order to point out that they're not a part of some greater plot, unlike every single terrorist attack on Oct 7, which were all interconnected, and rocket attacks since, which are launched as a part of the war that Hamas started waging against Israel. However, some of these attacks ARE connected to Hamas. Apparently, these two cousins contacted Hamas in Gaza to get help in committing their intended crime.

This is 59 years old Michel Nissenbaum.

He made alyiah on his own from Brazil when he was 13 years old. Friends say that coming to Israel saved him. He worked in hi-tech, as well as a tour guide, and volunteered with Bedouin kids. Here he is with one such group:

On Oct 7, Michel heard that the Re'im IDF base was under attack from Hamas terrorists. Knowing that his granddaughter was there, visiting her dad, Michel decided to go there and get her out. While he was making his way to the base, he stopped responding to messages. His granddaughter was rescued from the place hours later, but Michel himself had disappeared. He's believed to be kidnapped in Gaza, but his family is scared, because he wasn't spotted in any of the pics or vids released by Hamas.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[max1461]

Registering this prediction early: in 10 to 40 years when the Sahel region calms down politically, a lot of important medieval manuscripts (both in Arabic and in sub-Saharan African languages) are going to come to scholarly attention, which are going to significantly rewrite what we know about African history and linguistics.

It's basically already known that these manuscripts exist, the Timbuktu manuscripts have already been widely commented on and, in addition to Arabic texts, there are also Songhay texts and evidently texts in other languages too. Someone just pointed me to these (c. 15th century?) manuscripts in Old Kanembu. People have this impression of sub-Saharan Africa as a place that wasn't literate prior to colonialism, and while that's true of the interior and southernmost regions, it is varying degrees of not true for West Africa, the Sahel, and East Africa (most people know this about the Horn of Africa, fewer about the Swahili coast, etc.).

In any case the problem is that most of this writing is not exactly accessible to the wider scholarly community, it's either difficult to access due to political circumstances or because it's privately owned (as is the case for many of the Timbuktu manuscripts). But I think we should probably prepare for some quite revelatory discoveries about medieval Africa in the next half century or so as more texts come to light. It's going to be a cool time I suspect.