#greek coast guard created a disaster

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 7.29 (after 1900)

1900 – In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by the anarchist Gaetano Bresci. His son, Victor Emmanuel III, 31 years old, succeed to the throne. 1901 – Land lottery begins in Oklahoma. 1907 – Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp runs from August 1 to August 9 and is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement. 1914 – The Cape Cod Canal opened. 1920 – Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project. 1921 – Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. 1932 – Great Depression: In Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans. 1937 – Tōngzhōu Incident: In Tōngzhōu, China, the East Hopei Army attacks Japanese troops and civilians. 1945 – The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched for mainstream light entertainment and music. 1948 – Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad: After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, open in London. 1950 – Korean War: After four days, the No Gun Ri Massacre ends when the US Army 7th Cavalry Regiment is withdrawn. 1957 – The International Atomic Energy Agency is established. 1957 – Tonight Starring Jack Paar premieres on NBC with Jack Paar beginning the modern day talk show. 1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 1959 – First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union. 1965 – Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay. 1967 – Vietnam War: Off the coast of North Vietnam the USS Forrestal catches on fire in the worst U.S. naval disaster since World War II, killing 134. 1967 – During the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela is shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead. 1973 – Greeks vote to abolish the monarchy, beginning the first period of the Metapolitefsi. 1973 – Driver Roger Williamson is killed during the Dutch Grand Prix, after a suspected tire failure causes his car to pitch into the barriers at high speed. 1976 – In New York City, David Berkowitz (a.k.a. the "Son of Sam") kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks. 1980 – Iran adopts a new "holy" flag after the Islamic Revolution. 1981 – A worldwide television audience of around 750 million people watch the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London. 1987 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel). 1987 – Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and President of Sri Lanka J. R. Jayewardene sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on ethnic issues. 1993 – The Supreme Court of Israel acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free. 1996 – The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act is struck down by a U.S. federal court as too broad. 2005 – Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris. 2013 – Two passenger trains collide in the Swiss municipality of Granges-près-Marnand near Lausanne injuring 25 people. 2015 – The first piece of suspected debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is discovered on Réunion Island. 2019 – The 2019 Altamira prison riot between rival Brazilian drug gangs leaves 62 dead. 2021 – The International Space Station temporarily spins out of control, moving the ISS 45 degrees out of attitude, following an engine malfunction of Russian module Nauka.

[one-leaf-grimoire]

OC Profile: Lisa

I decided to do one of these like everyone else. Not everyone wants to read a 100 chapter fic so this should be a bit more digestible lol.

Anyway, here's Lisa!!! She's a mess but at the core of it all, she's babey.

Basics

Name: Lisa Ambrose Petalon

Ambrose- Greek “ambrosios” (immortal)

Petalon- Greek “butterfly”

Age: 26 (at time of canon)

Occupation: Currently a Royal Advisor, formerly a Magic Knight

Place of Birth: A small town at the edge of the common realm, near the border with the Diamond Kingdom.

Current Residence: Clover Caste

Social Class: Commoner by birth, Noble by marriage

Magic

Grimoire Appearance: Lisa’s Grimoire is a light blue color, matching her magic. It only has a little dark blue trim around the edges and a three-leaved clover in the middle, without any other decoration.

Magic: Lisa’s primary attribute is blue flame magic. However, she inherits Dyad magic from her father’s ancestors, which allows her to combine her magic with another person. Because of this, she now uses Time Magic as well.

Spells:

Solar Bolt- a super-heated, super fast bolt of fire that cauterizes the wound it creates as it moves through a person. The shock from the impact usually knocks the opponent off.

Solar Blitz- an explosion of Solar Bolts from every part of the users body, usually only one use at a time. More recently, Lisa can shoot other spells from its tip.

Flaming Condor- entity created by creation magic that can fly the user around and administer a powerful diving attack. However, it’s very clumsy and Lisa can’t ride on it for long.

Sun God's Leap- Creates winged shoes and a mana-amplifying aura that allows the user to fly.

Dyad- This spell, which only manifests once per generation, creates a magical link with another person, combining their mana into a never-ending, infinite loop that amplifies it to amazing levels. The Dyad is so potent that its mana lingers far after it’s over, and full separation is never possible. The users will carry a shard of each other’s souls within them for the rest of their lives.

Simulcian nonsense: The Simulcian civilization was a small, island nation off the coast of the diamond kingdom, who’s people had magic marks on their body. Each generation was lead by a Dyad, and all Simulcians could tap into the great mana they had. Simulcians believe very strongly in fate, as they also believe they are descended from a Goddess of Fate... the accuracy of this is debatable. However, the Simulcians were all killed in a “natural disaster” caused by a Dyad, who was being manipulated by their son. This son happened to be Mikal, Lisa’s uncle. Mikal relocated himself and his family to the Diamond Kingdom, where the Dyad were forced to fight for the DK while Mikal enacted his plan. Over 100 years, he artificially created his brothers and sisters to be synchronized into Tetrads, Triads, and Septads. His goal was to make seven Septads, who’s resonance would be enough to control humans as well. However, this was stopped by Lisa, who freed the rest of her family. Read Dyad for more details I guess lol. BTW: Simulcians claim to be a distinct species from Humans. This is still an unanswered question, but sometimes Lisa feels very detached from her humanity. 

Physical

Height: 5′6″ (~168 cm)

Weight: 126 lbs (~57 kg)

Race: White // Human-Simulcian Hybrid

Description: She has short, neck-length auburn hair that curls up pretty dramatically, and it’s usually a little messy. Her eyes are black, so dark black that you can’t see her pupils. She is fairly petite, lean, but surprisingly strong.

Clothing: She’s often seen wearing her short blue uniform dress over tights and a shirt with fringed wrists and neckline. She opts to just wear her red cape instead of the usual advisor cloak.

Scars/Tattoos/other marks: Her most distinguishing features is the mark on her forehead, in the shape of a stylized infinity sign. It constantly has a dull blue glow from both loops. She has one tattoo in the shape of an arrow that snakes around her arm. Julius wanted to get a matching one but he could only take about a minute of it-

Abnormalities: Lisa's magic mark constantly channels mana through her body, amplifying her magic and giving her some strange side effects. She no longer needs to eat, drink, or sleep (even though she still likes cooking and coffee). Also, any diseases that enter her body are immediately killed off. Her aging has slowed to almost a complete stop. Probably the most drastic side effect is that she is sterile (at least- for now-), and won't have any children.

Relationships

Family:

Easton Petalon (father/deceased): Owner of a Tavern in town, which he inherited from his father-in-law. A happy-go-lucky yet mysterious man who loved nothing more than his only daughter. He died in a Diamond Kingdom raid.

Arleth Petalon (mother/alive)- Waitress. She was a cheerful, energetic woman with a dream of having a large family. However, once it became obvious that dream was done for, she distanced herself from her husband and developed a bitter hatred of her daughter, who she irrationally blamed for her infertility.

Lyra Ambrose (cousin/alive)- despite being a bit of an airhead, she’s one of Lisa’s best friends.

Other cousins: Rocco and Patrick Ambrose

Aunt: Portia Ambrose

Friends:

Marx Francois- Lisa met Marx shortly after she started seeing Julius. They got along, which was good because Lisa eventually ended up working with him for many years. She considers him to be her best friend.

Fuegoleon Vermilion- Fuegoleon took Lisa under his wing when she first joined his squad. Then vice-captain, the two went on many missions together and became pretty good friends.

Yami Sukehiro- Lisa met Yami through William, and Yami quickly took a liking to her. He never misses the chance to tease her for something, usually her magic mark on her head or her “sugar baby” status.

William Vangeance- When Lisa was 15, she took the MK exam for the first time, and ended up going against William for the 1 on 1 portion. She lost and ended up failing the exam, but William encouraged her to keep trying. Years later, they met again, and their friendship resumed. 

Mereoleona Vermillion: When Lisa was 11, a certain royal stopped in town on her way back to the capitol. Mereoleona thought Lisa was a nosy kid, but encouraged her to try out for the MK so she could spite the other kids in her town. Years later, they meet again, and Lisa regularly visits her in the strong magic region to be trained.

Enemies:

Patri+the Eye of the Midnight Sun- Patri had been watching Lisa through William’s eyes for a long time. He recognized her to be the reincarnation of the elf Saida. Right after the MK exam one year, Lisa was abducted by the EMS, where Patri attempted to cast the evil eye spell. However, it was unsuccessful, and Lisa was able to escape. 

Augustus Kira- Yes, Lisa has her own feud with the King. Julius made the mistake of leaving her alone in the castle, where Augustus quickly showed up and tried to make a move. Lisa, of course, didn’t like this and ended up elbowing him in the face and breaking his nose. Soon after, Augustus realized that she and Julius were in a relationship, and decided that executing her would be a victory against Julius. Luckily, Lisa was able to get out of it, but ended up being stripped of her status as a MK.

Mikal- This is kind of a Dyad thing, but Mikal attempted to use Lisa to enact a plan that would pull many many humans under his control. Luckily, this plan was thwarted and Mikal was killed by Lisa and Julius.

Romantic Relationships:

Julius Novachrono (Dating/later married)- By some strange stroke of fate, Julius and the Grey Deer were close by when Lisa’s town was raided by the Diamond Kingdom. After it was over, Lisa’s magic was awakened, she had a weird mark on her head, and her father was dead. The newly-coronated Wizard King encouraged her to try out for the MK again, while he researched the strange magical presence that was now within her. Lisa found herself admiring him, and it quickly became clear that it was something more than just respect. As for Julius... well, she was cute, had really cool magic, and was a delight to be around. They both made points to spend lots of time together, growing closer and closer. However, things escalated after an assassination attempt, which Lisa thwarted herself. Lisa pushed past her limits once she realized that this desperation was love, and ended up getting gravely injured while fighting. Julius realized that she was special, more special than anyone else, and someone he had to have by his side. However, they faced a big problem when they found out that Lisa was sterile. Julius had confided in her before that he was excited to have a big family with her, and Lisa felt terribly guilty about it. She wouldn't have blamed him if he wanted to end things after that, but Julius, in true Julius fashion, pulled her from her lowest point and made it clear that he was never going to leave her. She was made for him, and he was made for her. The rest is history :))

Personality/Beliefs

Personality: At her core, Lisa strives to be a free-spirited, dependable, and energetic person. She devotes herself entirely to any task she sets for herself and never leaves anything unfinished. But even though she is genuinely interested, polite, and kind to others, there is a subtle distance to her that most people will never quite cross. Lisa’s true self is a closely guarded secret, something people only see in short glimpses. She’s very good at controlling her image, but Julius is the one person who knows her inside and out. Lisa’s very afraid of opening up any vulnerabilities and likes to feel like she’s in control. She is extremely devoted to Julius, the only person she believes would love her unconditionally. The two of them have shared more of themselves than any couple has, and it has gotten to the point that they are described as “so similar, it’s almost scary.”

Religion: Lisa doesn’t really consider herself religious, even though she was brought up worshiping whatever most Clover citizens worship.

Greatest fear: Being left alone in this life, disappointing others, being helpless

Morality: Lisa’s psychology and distance from her humanity have bred some very strange morals within her. She struggles with her individuality at times, stemming from the Dyad she formed with Julius. To be in a Dyad is to let part of your self be destroyed, and sometimes she feels like she’ll never quite be whole without Julius around. Because of this, her views on death, murder, even good and evil are skewed. Is she even human? That’s a question she struggles with every day. She wants to be patriotic and selfless, but deep down inside she knows that she would willingly let everything burn if it would make her feel just a little bit better. Evil is something she doesn’t believe even exists; all people are selfish, vengeful, and dishonest, but they can still be loving or, at the very least, useful to her. She has killed before, countless times in war, and she believes that death is necessary if she deems it so. Even Julius, the most wonderful, pure person she knows, has blood on his hands, after all.

Despite this, Lisa manages to overcome any base instincts she has, and devotes herself entirely for the good of the Kingdom and, more specifically, Julius. In Lisa’s eyes, her love for him, and all the friends she's made over the years, is what makes her human. This strength and resilience has allowed her to defeat the darker side of herself, and turned her into someone many people are ready to follow.

[hudsonespie]

Sri Lanka Seeks Rs 340 Million As Compensation From Oil Tanker MT New Diamond, Captain Faces Charges

Sri Lanka confirmed that they will file pollution and negligence charges on oil tanker MT New Diamond that leaked heavy fuel oil (HFO) off the nation’s coast after a week of fire.

The country is seeking for compensation on the basis of firefighting efforts and has also planned for charges against the captain.

A spokesperson from the Attorney General’s office said that they are seeking compensation from the owner of the ship for ongoing recoveries and costs incurred in firefighting.

Sri Lanka sought an initial compensation of Rs. 340 million (approx. USD $2 million).

Image Credits: Indian Coast Guard

Though 270,000 tonnes of crude oil cargo was unaffected by the fire, some 1700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil was poured into the Indian Ocean which created an oil slick covering approx. 2 kilometres.

Much of the oil slick has been cleaned and further no leakage of oil have been found from the oil tanker.

There is a breach on the port side of the superstructure and a crack in the hull above the waterline. Although divers have gone down to the bottom of the ship to fix the crack in the hull to prevent any further leakage of oil from the ship.

According to the Sri Lankan Navy, the vessel is owned by Liberian-registered Porto Emporios Shipping Inc. and managed by Greek shipowner, New Shipping Limited.

Sri Lanka has asked the shipowner to tow the oil tanker beyond the exclusive economic zone, which extends 220 nautical miles (approx. 370 km) from its coast. The tanker is now located at 70 miles east from Sri Lankan coastal town of Batticaloa.

The Sri Lankan environmentalists were fearing that transferring of cargo oil to another ship might cause a maritime disaster which will affect their coast. As the coast is used by Sri Lankan Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard for various purposes.

The fire was caused due to an explosion in the boiler of the ship, which killed one Filipino crew member out of 23 crews present onboard. Rest 22 crew members were rescued safely and are now quarantined at a hotel in Galle and under the supervision on Navy.

Reference: colombogazette.com

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[newstfionline]

Headlines

A Line of Fire South of Portland and a Yearslong Recovery Ahead (NYT) A 36-mile-wide line of flames edged into the towns around Portland, Ore., and cities along the West Coast were smothered in acrid smoke and ash on Friday as history-making wildfires remained unchecked, killing at least 17 and leaving dozens of people missing. Portland’s mayor, fearing the possibility that fires could start and spread in the city, has declared a state of emergency. “We are preparing for a mass fatality incident based on what we know and the numbers of structures that have been lost,” Andrew Phelps, director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, said as firefighters struggled to contain blazes that have spread across millions of acres of the Pacific Northwest. Combined, the states have seen nearly five million acres consumed by fire—a land mass approaching the size of New Jersey. The flames also left a humanitarian disaster in their wake, including three more deaths in Oregon that were confirmed on Friday. Hundreds, if not thousands, of homes have been lost, most of them in Oregon, where an estimated 40,000 people have been evacuated and as many as 500,000 live in evacuation alert zones, poised to flee with a change in the winds. As residents flee fire-ravaged communities, officials have struggled to manage a series of migrations reminiscent of a war zone, with distraught families showing up with little in hand beyond an overwhelming fear that their homes have been lost for good. “The long-term recovery is going to last years,” said emergency management director Andrew Phelps.

US budget deficit hits record $3 trillion through 11 months (AP) The U.S. budget deficit hit an all-time high of $3 trillion for the first 11 months of this budget year, the Treasury Department said Friday. The ocean of red ink is a product of the government’s massive spending to try to cushion the impact of a coronavirus-fueled recession that has cost millions of jobs. The deficit from October through August is more than double the previous 11-month record of $1.37 trillion set in 2009. At that time the government was spending large sums to get out of the Great Recession triggered by the 2008 financial crisis. With one month to go in the 2020 budget year, which ends Sept. 30, the deficit could go even higher. The Congressional Budget Office is forecasting the deficit this year will hit a record $3.3 trillion.

Mexican water wars (Los Angeles Times) Mexico’s water wars have turned deadly. A long-simmering dispute about shared water rights between Mexico and the United States has erupted into open clashes pitting Mexican National Guard troops against farmers, ranchers and others who seized a dam in northern Chihuahua state. A 35-year-old mother of three was shot dead and her husband seriously wounded in what the Chihuahua state government labeled unprovoked National Guard gunfire. La Boquilla dam remained in protesters’ custody as of Friday amid rumors that the federal troops were readying to mount an assault to recapture the strategic facility. The conflict has escalated into a national crisis in which both sides allege rampant corruption and the meddling of shadowy provocateurs and hidden political interests in a complex scenario reminiscent of “Chinatown,” the iconic film about early 20th-century water battles in Southern California.

Latin America, unable to flatten its curve, struggles to cope with pandemic (Washington Post) Seven months after Latin America diagnosed its first case of covid-19, the region continues to rack up some of the worst numbers in the world—failing to flatten its curve as it reels from persistently high infection levels and devastating mortality rates. Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Colombia and now Argentina make up half the global top 10 in total coronavirus cases. Add Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador, and Latin America accounts for eight of the 12 countries suffering the most deaths per capita. (The United States leads the world in coronavirus cases and deaths.) The region suffers from a range of preexisting conditions. The population is more urbanized than in Europe, Oceania, Asia or Africa. Covid-19 has scythed its way through the urban slums of Sao Paulo in Brazil, Lima in Peru, Buenos Aires and Mexico City. Close quarters and multigenerational households have undermined attempts at social distancing. Inequality is high, health care uneven and safety nets limited. The region’s many poor people must work to live, and they have routinely violated lockdowns to eat. Porous borders have made it difficult to quarantine infected travelers.

Antarctica is still free of COVID-19 (AP) At this very moment a vast world exists that’s free of the coronavirus, where people can mingle without masks and watch the pandemic unfold from thousands of miles away. From the U.K.’s Rothera Research Station off the Antarctic peninsula that curls toward the tip of South America, field guide Rob Taylor described what it’s like in “our safe little bubble.” “In general, the freedoms afforded to us are more extensive than those in the U.K. at the height of lockdown,” said Taylor, who arrived in October and has missed the pandemic entirely. “We can ski, socialize normally, run, use the gym, all within reason.” Like teams across Antarctica, including at the South Pole, Taylor and his 26 colleagues must be proficient in all sorts of tasks in a remote, communal environment with little room for error. They take turns cooking, make weather observations and “do a lot of sewing,” he said. Good internet connections mean they’ve watched closely as the pandemic circled the rest of the planet. At New Zealand’s Scott Base, rounds of mini-golf and a filmmaking competition with other Antarctic bases have been highlights of the Southern Hemisphere’s winter, which ended for the Scott team when they spotted the sun last Friday. It had been away since April. “I think there’s a little bit of dissociation,” Rory O’Connor, a doctor and the team’s winter leader, said of watching the pandemic from afar. “You acknowledge it cerebrally, but I don’t think we have fully factored in the emotional turmoil it must be causing.”

Boris Johnson’s ‘Operation Moonshot’ envisions weekly coronavirus tests for every person in Britain (Washington Post) No masks. No distancing. The ability to go to work or school, the theater or a soccer match, as if living in a virus-free world. That’s the vision British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pitched this past week, as he unveiled “Operation Moonshot”—a plan to test 10 million Brits every single day, or everyone in the country every week, at a cost of $130 billion. The prospect of a return to normal has wide appeal, especially at a moment Britain is about to implement a new round of social distancing measures, prompted by rising coronavirus infections. But many public health experts are dubious. Some say the plan is not a moonshot, but a Jules Verne fantasy. Such massive population-wide testing for disease would be unprecedented. Though some countries have deployed mass screening during this pandemic, “Operation Moonshot” would go where no public health campaign has gone before—and yet Britain doesn’t have the best track record on coronavirus testing. Skeptics add that the sort of rapid, cheap tests the project would need are in still in development, or have not yet been approved for mass screening in Britain, and could produce so many false positives and negatives as to create chaos.

French police fire tear gas as ‘yellow vest’ protests return to Paris (Reuters) French police fired tear gas and arrested more than 200 people in Paris on Saturday as “yellow vest” protesters returned to the capital’s streets in force for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown. The “yellow vests” movement, named after motorists’ high-visibility jackets, began in late 2018 in protest against fuel taxes and economic reform, posing a major challenge to President Emmanuel Macron as demonstrations spread across France.

Belarus police detain dozens of protesters at anti-government rally (Reuters) Police detained at least 46 protesters on Saturday as thousands of people gathered in the Belarus capital Minsk demanding the release of a jailed opposition leader, the latest in a wave of mass protests following a disputed election. Maria Kolesnikova, 38, has emerged as a key opposition figure after others were either jailed or forced out of the country, including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya who challenged President Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election. Protesters say the Aug. 9 election was rigged to hand Lukashenko a phoney landslide win and that Tsikhanouskaya—who has since fled to Lithuania—was the real winner. Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, denies this and has said foreign powers are behind the protests.

Police fire teargas as migrants demand to leave Greek island after fire (Reuters) Greek police fired teargas on Saturday during a protest by angry migrants left homeless by a blaze at Europe’s largest refugee centre, who demanded to leave the island of Lesbos as authorities started building a new encampment for them. More than 12,000 people, most from Africa and Afghanistan, have been sleeping rough since flames swept through the notoriously overcrowded Moria camp earlier this week. Some residents had COVID-19, raising fears the outbreak could spread. Under a hot sun on Saturday, hundreds of migrants, many chanting “Freedom” and “No Camp”, gathered as bulldozers cleared ground in preparation for tents to be put up. Police fired rounds of teargas when some of the protesters attempted to march down a road leading to the island’s port of Mytilene, which police had blocked while work on the new tent settlement continued nearby.

Greek and Turkish ships are playing chicken at sea (Washington Post) Last weekend, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan demanded that Greece engage in talks over escalating tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, warning that “They’re either going to understand the language of politics and diplomacy, or in the field with painful experiences.” The Greek government, meanwhile, announced further steps this week to bolster the country’s defenses. New tensions between the two longtime rivals flared up in mid-August, when Turkey deployed the research vessel Oruç Reis, flanked by two warships, to explore for oil and gas in contested waters between the islands of Crete and Cyprus. Greece accused Turkey of violating its sovereign rights—and dispatched warships of its own, precipitating a collision between a Greek frigate and a Turkish warship. In principle, Greece and Turkey could resolve their dispute short of war by dividing up maritime space or jointly developing oil resources. However, as they double down on legal claims that support their exclusive jurisdiction and control over coastal resources, both governments nurture domestic political grievances and international antipathies that may make it harder to back down and accept compromise.

How China Brought Nearly 200 Million Students Back to School (NYT) Under bright blue skies, nearly 2,000 students gathered this month for the start of school at Hanyang No. 1 High School in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged. Medical staff stood guard at school entrances, taking temperatures. Administrative officials reviewed the students’ travel histories and coronavirus test results. Local Communist Party cadres kept watch, making sure teachers followed detailed instructions on hygiene and showed an “anti-epidemic spirit.” As countries around the world struggle to safely reopen schools this fall, China is harnessing the power of its authoritarian system to offer in-person learning for about 195 million students in kindergarten through 12th grade at public schools. While the Communist Party has adopted many of the same sanitation and distancing procedures used elsewhere, it has rolled them out with a characteristic all-out, command-and-control approach that brooks no dissent. It has mobilized battalions of local officials and party cadres to inspect classrooms, deployed apps and other technology to monitor students and staff, and restricted their movements. It has even told parents to stay away for fear of spreading germs. China’s top-down, state-led political system allows the party to drive its vast bureaucracy in pursuit of a single target—an approach that would be nearly impossible anywhere else in the world.

Afghanistan Peace Talks Open in Qatar, Seeking End to Decades of War (NYT) The Taliban and the Afghan government began historic peace talks in Qatar on Saturday, aimed at shaping a power-sharing government that would end decades of war that have consumed Afghanistan and left millions dead and displaced. If realized, a peace deal would be the first time in generations that a new form of Afghan government was not being established at the point of a gun: The current model was ushered in by the American invasion that toppled the Taliban’s harsh Islamic regime in 2001, and each previous one back to the 1979 Soviet invasion was set off by coup, collapse or conquest. But as the Qatar talks begin, against the backdrop of an American troop pullout and grievous violence against Afghan officials and civilians, some critics of the process argued that the Taliban insurgency was still, in fact, holding a gun to the government’s head. Still, the fact that delegations from the two sides are finally coming to the table, after repeated delays, offers the nation a rare opportunity in its recent history: finding a formula of lasting coexistence before the withdrawal of another foreign military creates a vacuum, potentially repeating the country’s cycle of misfortune.

[maritimecyprus]

(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) At the time, Exxon Valdez was the worst disaster of its kind in US history. But today, the spill barely cracks the list of the 40 worst tanker oil spills around the world, according to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF).

The Gulf oil spill — sometimes called the Deepwater Horizon or BP spill — off the coast of Louisiana blew the Exxon Valdez record out of the water. That disaster poured some 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over the course of 87 days between April and July 2010. An area the size of Rhode Island was closed off from fishing, and local economies tanked. And yet these two US disasters still pale in comparison to some of their international counterparts.

Here are 13 of the most devastating man-made ocean disasters in history.

When the topic of environmental disasters comes up, many people quickly think of the Exxon Valdez spill.

Crude oil from the tanker Exxon Valdez, top, swirls on the surface of Alaska’s Prince William Sound. This image was taken 16 days after the tanker ran aground, spilling millions of gallons of oil. John Gaps III/AP

The oil spill left an indelible mark on the American psyche, and the Exxon Shipping Company — which owned the tanker — paid some $900 million in settlement fees for clean-up.

March 24, 2019 marks the 30-year anniversary of the disaster. Much of the oil that spilled in 1989 still lingers in the area.

The tankers Exxon Baton Rouge, left, and Exxon Valdez, right, continue to pump oil after the Exxon Valdez ran aground in the Prince William Sound, Alaska. Rob Stapleton/AP

According to National Geographic, scientists sampled water in the Gulf of Alaska in 2014, and found that it still contains many of the same chemical compounds that the spilled oil did. This suggests the effects still linger.

The spill blackened 1,300 miles of Alaskan coastline.

The thick crude oil that washed up on the cobble-stone beach of Evans Island sticks to the boots and pants of a local fisherman in Prince William Sound, Alaska. John Gaps III/AP

According to the ITOPF, the disaster was the most expensive oil spill in history. Clean-up alone cost some $2.5 billion.

But the cause of the spill — and the extent of the destruction it wrought on local wildlife — is still unclear.

A Red Necked Greb covered in oil from the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

The night of the accident, the Exxon Valdez encountered icebergs in the shipping lane it was traversing. The captain ordered the helmsman to divert the tanker out of the shipping lane, and gave his third mate instructions to turn the tanker back into the lane at a later point. But according to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, the third mate and helmsman failed to turn the tanker back into the shipping lanes. The reasons for this remain unclear, but the mistake led the Exxon Valdez to run aground on Bligh Reef.

The first major oil spill ever occurred two years before Exxon Valdez, off the coast of Cornwall, England in 1967.

The wrecked American-owned supertanker Torrey Canyon is shown off Land’s End, England on March 29, 1967, awaiting another attempt by British warplanes to burn off the oil slick from the vessel.

The supertanker Torrey Canyon ran aground and spilled up to 36 million gallons.

Soldiers from the UK Hampshire Regiment reportedly hosed detergent into the sea in an effort to remove the oil.

The beaches of Cornwall, England were covered in oil after the incident.

At that time, the Torrey Canyon was the largest vessel ever wrecked in the ocean.

Two decades after the Exxon Valdez disaster, the US saw another devastating oil spill.

Fire boats battle a fire at the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon April 21, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. US Coast Guard via Getty Images

The Gulf oil spill leaked 19 times more oil than the Exxon Valdez disaster.

The off-shore oil rig Deep Horizon caught fire April 10, 2010

The amount of oil that leaked into the Gulf of Mexico was equivalent to 311 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to Popular Mechanics.

Only 25% of the leaked oil was recovered, leaving more than 154 million gallons in the ocean.

A dead Portuguese Man-O-War floats on a blob of oil in the waters of Chandeleur Sound off of Louisiana, May 4, 2010. Eric Gay/AP

The spill likely harmed or killed some 82,000 birds, 6,100 sea turtles, and 25,900 marine mammals, including bottlenose dolphins and sperm whales, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

The pollution from the disaster caused fishing closures across 88,500 square miles.

A small, dead fish floats on a pool of oil at Bay Long off the coast of Louisiana, June 6, 2010.  Charlie Riedel/AP

The spill also harmed an unknown number of fish, including Atlantic bluefin tuna, Gulf sturgeon, smalltooth sawfish, and dwarf seahorses, the Center for Biological Diversity reported.

It wasn’t the first big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1979, Mexico experienced a “Deepwater Horizon” of its own, when the Ixtoc oil well exploded and sank.

Ixtoc burns and sinks in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico.  Wikimedia Commons

The previous year, the Amoco Cadiz tanker dumped more than 65 million gallons of oil into the English Channel off the coast of Brittany, France.

Wreckage of the 233,000 ton ‘Amoco Cadiz’, the American owned and Liberian registered supertanker, after it was run aground off Portsall, Brittany, March 1978.

In 1992, Amoco agreed to pay $200 million in damages.

The Amoco Cadiz didn’t run aground like the Rena or Exxon Valdez. Instead, the ship had put out a distress call, saying it was no longer able to maneuver. Then it broke into two pieces.

Farmers, students and other volunteers assisted in cleaning the Brittany beaches near Roscoff, France. Ditches were dug into the beach sand in an effort to contain the oil which was brought ashore with each high tide.

Two weeks after the accident, millions of dead mollusks, sea urchins and other marine species washed ashore, the ITOPF reported.

When the oil tanker Haven exploded in April 1991, the resulting fire swept through the ship, killing five crew members.

Smoke rises from the sinking Cypriot-registered oil tanker Haven after a huge explosion. Dino Nazarro/AP

Three days later it sank, carrying 41 million gallons of oil into the ocean depths west of Genoa, Italy.

Luckily, only 6 million gallons of that 41 million leaked into the ocean.

Curious tourists dip their shoes in the oil that washed ashore the beaches of Calle Ligure, 12 miles from Genoa in Italy.  Luca Bruno/AP

The tanker was also owned by Amoco, which is now a part of BP.

Oil from the Haven spill made it all the way to the French Riviera.

French soldiers clean up a beach in Eze on the French Riviera, April 26, 1991.  Gilbert Tourte/AP

For years after the disaster, fisheries along the French and Italian coast suffered severe environmental damage from pollution.

In 2000, a pipeline at a state-owned oil refinery in Brazil leaked almost 350,000 gallons of crude oil into the Guanabara Bay. Local animals paid a heavy price.

Ana Paula Boech, a volunteer, cleans a bird contaminated by oil from the spill in Guanabara Bay, January 24, 2000 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Renzo Gostoli/AP

The spill devastated nearby swamps, mangrove ecosystems, and important breeding grounds for fish, birds and crustaceans.

New Zealand experienced its worst-ever maritime environmental disaster in 2011, when the vessel Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef near Fiji.

Volunteers cleaning Mount Maunganui beach in New Zealand after the Rena oil spill. Steve Clancy Photography/Getty

That spill dumped 93,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean.

But an even more recent and devastating oil spill occurred last year in the East China Sea.

Flames and smoke from the Sanchi is seen in the East China Sea on January 15, 2018. 10th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters/Handout via REUTERS

The Iranian oil tanker Sanchi collided with a cargo ship and caught fire.

The Sanchi spill leaked more than 32 million gallons of ultra-light crude oil, which is extremely flammable and highly toxic if inhaled.

The Sanchi oil spill paints a light streak in the East China Sea.  Thomson Reuters

The Sierra Club called the disaster “the worst oil spill in decades.”

Oil is toxic to fish in high quantities, and can also accumulate in their body tissue and be passed up the food web.

That’s why fisheries typically close due to health concerns following a big oil spill.

Sea turtles are also particularly vulnerable to oil spills.

A boy pushes with his crutch a turtle killed by oil leaked from the stranded Greek-registered oil tanker MT Tasmin Spirit off Karachi’s coast in Pakistan, August 13, 2003. Shakil Adil/AP

When the turtles raise their heads above the water’s surface to breathe, they can inhale oil into their lungs, or gulp it down their throats. Mother turtles can even pass oil compounds on to their developing eggs.

For sea birds, oil that sticks to their feathers can lead them to lose their ability to maintain a steady body temperature, which means they could freeze to death.

A village official Rey Alonde shows a dead king fisher bird covered with oil, Friday, Aug. 18, 2006 in Guimaras island in central Philippines.  Pat Roque/AP

If the birds ingest any oil via their food or water, they could die or lose the ability to reproduce.

But tanker oil spills aren’t the only way humans have wreaked havoc on the oceans.

Iraqi military forces set fire to up to 700 oil wells in Kuwait’s Bergan oil fields in 1991 during the Gulf War.  Wikimedia Commons

During the Gulf War, Iraqi troops tried to use oil as a weapon against invading American forces.

The troops set hundreds of oil wells on fire, devastating the surrounding environment. According to Time, “the Gulf was awash in poisonous smoke, soot and ash. Black rain fell. Lakes of oil were created.”

What’s more, Iraqi forces also dumped millions of gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf to hinder US troops from landing on the beaches.

And oil isn’t the only pollutant humans have dumped into water systems, either.

Minamata Bay is where Chisso Corporation began dumping methylmercury-polluted industrial waste water.  Gregory Ferguson/Getty

For 35 years, from 1932 to 1968, a Japanese fertilizer company called the Chisso Corporation dumped industrial wastewater into Minamata Bay that was contaminated with an estimated 30 tons of poisonous methylmercury.

Dogs, cats, pigs, and humans were poisoned by the contaminated fish. The effects of the mercury lasted for years after that dumping stopped.

A woman holds a victim of “Minamata Disease”, or mercury poisoning, in Minamata, Japan, in 1973. The girl has a malformed hand, like many victims of the disease.

The toxic chemical accumulated in local fish and shellfish, which Japanese citizens consumed. This led them to suffer from a condition called Minamata disease, which wreaks havoc on the brain and nervous system and causes physical deformities.

Humans have also been putting an unprecedented amount of plastic into the ocean.

Discarded toys are seen amongst trash on a beach in Panama City, September 10, 2013. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

The largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and is located between Hawaii and California.

These floating plastic garbage patches threaten marine life and humans, too.

Fishing nets make up 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Fish and marine life swim into these nets and cannot extract themselves. The Ocean Cleanup

Animals sometimes confuse the plastic for food and consume it. This can lead to behavioral changes, strangulation, and death.

There’s also the issue of polluted run-off water that enters the ocean from other waterways. In the Gulf of Mexico, that run-off has created a “dead zone” for marine life.

The “Gulf Dead Zone” runs along the southeastern coast of the US. NOAA

Dead zones are areas of ocean that are hypoxic — meaning severely lacking in oxygen. It’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, for marine life to survive.

The Gulf dead zone starts at the mouth of the Mississippi River, covering up to 7,000 square miles.

Regardless of the toxic substance — whether it’s oil, chemicals, or trash — cleaning up pollution in water isn’t an easy task. These efforts can take decades and cost billions.

Typically, it takes an average of 50 years to clean up a 38,000-ton oil spill. Pornsak Na Nakorn/EyeEm/Getty

Most likely, spilled oil will never be completely be eradicated from the ocean.

Flashback in maritime history – Ocean disasters (www.MaritimeCyprus.com) At the time, Exxon Valdez was the worst disaster of its kind in US history.

[citizentruth-blog]

Over 80 Confirmed Dead After Wildfires Devastate Athens Coastal Region - EUROPE

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Over 80 Confirmed Dead After Wildfires Devastate Athens Coastal Region

Wildfires devastated multiple seaside suburbs of Athens on Monday, causing at least 81 casualties and leaving many others missing or hospitalized.

After casting a heavy smoke over the Greek capital, the fires spread quickly through the towns of Mati, Rafina, and Kineta with the help of 60 mph winds and July temperatures. More than 700 people fled into the sea as their neighborhoods were quickly swallowed by the flames, and were later picked up from the water by Coast Guard boats.

Drone shows the aftermath of Greece fires. Screenshot via YouTube

In the town of Mati, 40 km north-east of Athens, the remains of 26 were found in a field, some of who were embracing.

98 percent of Mati was destroyed, Mayor of Rafina-Pikermi Evangelos Bournous told Skai TV.

According to the Health Ministry, 187 people total were injured, including 23 children. The official tally of the deceased has continued to grow since reports of the fire on Monday.

Many were searching for missing family members and friends on Tuesday, and firefighters worked to qualm the fires still burning in Rafina, where more than 200 homes have been confirmed as uninhabitable by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

The marina at Rafina, before the wildfires.

Four people were arrested on charges of suspected looting after breaking into a home that was evacuated during the fire, according to Greek news source Ekathimerini.

The cause of the fire in Mati, as well as nearby blazes in the towns of Kineta and Rafina, is currently unsolved. Supreme Court prosecutor Xeni Dimitriou ordered an investigation into the source, and the public questioned whether the emergency response had been fast or effectively prepared for.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made a public address on Tuesday and declared three days of national mourning. Tsipras met with European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides in Athens on Wednesday to discuss EU assistance in the aftermath of the fires.

Tsipras, Stylianides discuss EU aid for fire-stricken areas https://t.co/yvPR3VrC9r pic.twitter.com/GHopUlWzNl

— Kathimerini English Edition (@ekathimerini) July 25, 2018

Hellenic Republic Spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos announced a disaster assistance plan of 20 million euros, taken from the Public Investments Program. The government plans to use these funds to help relieve victims of the fire from property taxes and loan payments.

Tzanakopoulos stated Wednesday that fire victims will receive 5,000 euros per family; those with more than three children will get 6,000 euros and businesses will receive 8,000 euros.

Rescue workers, government aide and blood donation centers have mobilized to the Rafina region and to Kineta, west of Athens, to offer assistance to those who lost their homes, belongings, and community members in the fire.

AirBnb has created a platform for homeowners with extra room to offer up their space to those who are now homeless.

Bournous estimated that the damage to the forest equated to around 2,100 hectares.

  Indonesian Haze & Fire Season Begins With Disaster Alerts In Four Provinces

[newsfundastuff]

Raging wildfires have killed at least 74 people and injured scores more as flames swept through a small resort town near Athens. Emergency crews found one group of 26 victims, including families with children clasped in a last embrace as they tried to flee the flames. They were huddled together in a field just 30 metres from the sea near Mati in the region of Rafina, eastern Greece. Nikos Economopoulos, head of Greece's Red Cross, told Skai TV: "They had tried to find an escape route but unfortunately these people and their kids didn't make it in time. Instinctively, seeing the end nearing, they embraced." Interior Minister Panos Skourletis described the wildfires as a "Biblical disaster", according to The Times, and said rescue workers were "still searching to see if there are more missing", while mayor of Rafina Evangelos Bournous told the channel: "The number of dead is rising." Ferocious fires came all the way into the towns, meaning the only safe direction for people to flee was towards the sea where hundreds of people had to be rescued in local fishing boats. Greece wildfires gallery puff Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said early on Tuesday that Greece had requested US drones "to observe and detect any suspicious activity" after "15 fires had started simultaneously on three different fronts in Athens". "I am really concerned by the parallel outbreak of these fires," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, with officials raising the possibility they could have been started deliberately by criminals out to ransack abandoned homes. Is it safe to travel to Greece? The fire was by far Greece's worst since flames devastated the southern Peloponnese peninsula in August 2007, killing dozens. It broke out in Mati late Monday afternoon and was still burning in some areas on Tuesday morning. Greece wildfires | Travel advice Cecily, 44, from Paris, on holiday with her 15-year-old daughter told The Telegraph: “We were staying in a holiday villa in Mati. We saw the fires outside the house and jumped in our hire car and drove towards the beach. "There were about 500 people crammed onto the beach. There were no warnings and no help from authorities. The local Greek people came to rescue us in their fishing boats. "We got in one then were picked up by a military boat which took us to Rafina. All the hotels were full so we slept in the hallway. We booked a flight back to Paris today. We have had no help from anywhere.” Another French tourist Paulina Corvisier, 25, from Lyon, on holiday with her husband and mother-in-law, said: “We ran to the beach. We were all crowded onto the sand and rocks. Then the trees surrounding the beach burst into flames. "I jumped in the water because I didn’t know what else to do. Ash was falling on me from the sky while I was in the water.” Coastguard vessels were combing beaches to find any remaining survivors, with military hospitals on full alert, a government spokesman said. Dozens of people flee to the beach in Matiq Credit: Blitz Pictures Mati is in the eastern Rafina region, a popular spot for Greek holiday-makers, particularly pensioners and children at camps, 29 km (18 miles) east of the capital. Haris Malimagolou from the Red Cross, talking of the harrowing discovery of the 26 victims found together, said: “Some members of our team found 26 bodies in a field next to the sea, we are assuming they were trapped by the fire because it was so strong and so fast. Some were huddled together as if trying to protect each other. "They were badly burned and have not been identified yet. Their bodies have been transferred to Athens.” He explained that the fire was so devastating because a separate fire at Corinth - some 68 miles from Mati - started earlier at 11am, so all the fire service resources were sent there. This region is also very densely populated with a lot of summer houses, old people and children. Mr Malimagolou told The Telegraph the Red Cross have treated about 100 people for both minor and serious injuries One of the youngest fatalities at this stage is thought to be a six-month-old baby who died of smoke inhalation, officials said. Of the 156 people injured, 11 were in intensive care, they added. Greece wildfires gallery puff The coastguard said four bodies were retrieved from the sea. In total, coastguard and other vessels rescued 696 people who had fled to beaches. Boats plucked another 19 people alive from the water. Greece's fire brigade said the intensity and spread of the wildfire at Mati had slowed on Tuesday as winds died down, but it was still not fully under control. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday afternoon declared a three-day period of national mourning, and said after cutting short a visit to Bosnia: "We are dealing with something completely asymmetric. It's a difficult night for Greece." A woman walks in front of burnt cars at the village of Mati during a wildfire near Athens Credit: AFP Tourist resorts hit Greek authorities were rushing to evacuate residents and tourists stranded on beaches in coastal areas early on Tuesday. Dozens of people scrambled into the ocean as the blaze raged close to the shore, and they were picked up by passing boats. Nine coastal patrol boats, two military vessels and "dozens of private boats" assisted by army helicopters were mobilised to help those stuck in Rafina harbour.  Flames rise as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens Credit: AFP There were several reports of missing persons, including four tourists from Denmark who were said to have fled on a boat that was missing on Tuesday morning. Evangelos Bournous, mayor of the port town of Rafina, said: "We were unlucky. The wind changed and it came at us with such force that it razed the coastal area in minutes." The dock area became a makeshift hospital as paramedics checked survivors when they came off coast guard vessels and private boats. The operation continued through the night. Wildfire in Mati, Greece At daybreak on Tuesday, Ambulance Service deputy director Miltiadis Mylonas said the number of casualties was likely to rise as the more gutted homes and cars were checked. "It took people by surprise and the events happened very fast. Also, the fires broke out on many fronts, so all these factors made the situation extremely difficult," he said. "The task we face now is organizing the identification of victims by members of their families." State of emergency Greece issued an urgent appeal for help to tackle the fires, saying it needed air and land assets from its European Union partners. Cyprus offered to send fire engines and personnel. The first major fire broke out in a pine forest near the seaside settlement of Kineta, 30 miles west of Athens between the capital and Corinth. At least 220 firefighters were on the scene there while five water-dropping planes and seven helicopters helped to fight the blaze from the air. Reinforcements were sent in from across Greece. Residents of coastal areas of Mati and Kokkino Limanaki in Rafina, East Attica, Greece resort to the sea to escape fledging fires today July 23, 2018. #πυρκαγιά#Athens#forestfirespic.twitter.com/2SvFPN0BWB— Theodore Theodorides (@TheoTheodorides) July 23, 2018 Senior fire chief Achilleas Tzouvaras went on state TV to appeal to people to leave the area after some tried to stay on their properties. "People should leave, close up their homes and just leave. People cannot tolerate so much smoke for so many hours," he said. "This is an extreme situation." A man holds his son as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens Credit: AFP The second major blaze broke out Monday afternoon in the Penteli and Rafina areas northeast of Athens. Children's summer camps and a seaside resort for military officers were evacuated, as well as residences in the area. Dozens of homes and cars were reportedly destroyed. Victims flee coast There was no official figure on how many people were evacuated overall. The fire burned into the town of Rafina, turning the sky above the nearby port that serves ferries to the Cycladic islands black from the smoke.  Witnesses reported seeing a hillside of homes gutted by flames east of Athens. A mayor said he saw at least 100 homes and 200 vehicles burning. An official from the Red Cross said on Tuesday morning that 26 bodies had been discovered in the courtyard of a villa at the seaside resort of Mati.�� The bodies were entwined and severely burnt, a photographer at the scene said. They appeared to have been caught by the flames trying to reach the sea. A house burns in the town of Mati, east of Athens Credit: AP Greek authorities urged residents to abandon their homes as a wildfire burned ferociously, closing one of Greece's busiest motorways, halting train links and sending plumes of smoke over the capital. Wildfires are not uncommon in Greece, but a relatively dry winter created tinder box conditions. It was not clear what ignited the fires. A firefighter tries to extinguish hotspots during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens Credit: AFP The main Athens-Corinth motorway, one of two road routes to the Peloponese peninsula, was shut and train services were cancelled. Fire raged around the Saronicos Gulf, ravaging tracts of pine forest, and was visible for miles. An ominous cloud of black-orange smoke hung over the Acropolis hill and the Parthenon temple in Athens on Monday afternoon.  Cars are blocked at the closed National Road during a wildfire in Kineta Credit: AFP Several other fires broke out across the country, including in northeastern Greece and the southern island of Crete, stretching Greece's firefighting capabilities. Gale force winds that frequently changed direction and continued into the night were hampering firefighting efforts. Disaster could top Europe's most deadly wildfires The wildfires raging near Athens are among the deadliest in Europe, with Portugal and Russia also suffering heavy losses. Here is a recap of the worst. Portugal in 2017 (64) Sixty-four people were killed and 250 injured in the deadliest wildfires in Portugal's history in June 2017. The fires burned for five days in the central Leiria region, breaking out at the height of a summer heatwave. Many of the victims died trapped in their cars by the flames while trying to escape. Violent winds fanned the fires, ravaging some 460 square kilometres (around 180 square miles) of hillsides covered with pine and eucalyptus. Fire over Vieira de Leiria, Portugal, in 2017 Credit: NPA In 2003 gigantic fires caused by a heatwave left 20 dead between July and September in central and southern Portugal. The summer of 2003 remains the most disastrous in terms of surface destroyed, with nearly 4,250 square kilometres going up in smoke. In 1966 a blaze in the forest of Sintra, west of Lisbon, killed 25 soldiers trying to battle the flames. Russia in 2015 (34) In April 2015 huge fires that started in the Khakassia region of southeastern Siberia killed 34 people as well as hundreds of cattle and thousands of sheep. The blaze, which spread as far as Mongolia and practically up to the Chinese border, also destroyed 2,000 homes and 10,000 square kilometres of land. Five years earlier, vast swathes of western Russia were ravaged by fires for weeks during an unprecedented heatwave and drought. Russian wildfires in 2010 Credit: Artyom Kototayev/AFP The blazes between July and August 2010 tore through 10,000 square kilometres of forest, bogs and brushwood, burning entire villages. Some of the fires came dangerously close to Russia's top nuclear research centre in Sarov. Greece in 2007 (77) Forest fires killed 77 people at the end of August 2007 in Greece, ravaging 2,500 square kilometres in the southern Peloponnese and the island of Evia, northeast of Athens. A Greek firefighter battles the fire at the village of Styra on the island of Evia, Greece, in August 2007 Credit: Margarita Kiaou/EPA The fires raged for around 12 days, but most of the victims were killed early on in the disaster when they became trapped in villages cut off by the flames, some ignoring orders to evacuate. France in 1949 (82) In the heaviest loss of life in wildfires in France, 82 people were killed battling flames in the southwest Landes region in August 1949. The victims - firemen, volunteers and soldiers - were caught in a ball of fire after the winds suddenly changed direction.

https://ift.tt/2v2aeFt

[teeky185]

Raging wildfires have killed at least 74 people and injured scores more as flames swept through a small resort town near Athens. Emergency crews found one group of 26 victims, including families with children clasped in a last embrace as they tried to flee the flames. They were huddled together in a field just 30 metres from the sea near Mati in the region of Rafina, eastern Greece. Nikos Economopoulos, head of Greece's Red Cross, told Skai TV: "They had tried to find an escape route but unfortunately these people and their kids didn't make it in time. Instinctively, seeing the end nearing, they embraced." Interior Minister Panos Skourletis described the wildfires as a "Biblical disaster", according to The Times, and said rescue workers were "still searching to see if there are more missing", while mayor of Rafina Evangelos Bournous told the channel: "The number of dead is rising." Ferocious fires came all the way into the towns, meaning the only safe direction for people to flee was towards the sea where hundreds of people had to be rescued in local fishing boats. Greece wildfires gallery puff Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said early on Tuesday that Greece had requested US drones "to observe and detect any suspicious activity" after "15 fires had started simultaneously on three different fronts in Athens". "I am really concerned by the parallel outbreak of these fires," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, with officials raising the possibility they could have been started deliberately by criminals out to ransack abandoned homes. Is it safe to travel to Greece? The fire was by far Greece's worst since flames devastated the southern Peloponnese peninsula in August 2007, killing dozens. It broke out in Mati late Monday afternoon and was still burning in some areas on Tuesday morning. Greece wildfires | Travel advice Cecily, 44, from Paris, on holiday with her 15-year-old daughter told The Telegraph: “We were staying in a holiday villa in Mati. We saw the fires outside the house and jumped in our hire car and drove towards the beach. "There were about 500 people crammed onto the beach. There were no warnings and no help from authorities. The local Greek people came to rescue us in their fishing boats. "We got in one then were picked up by a military boat which took us to Rafina. All the hotels were full so we slept in the hallway. We booked a flight back to Paris today. We have had no help from anywhere.” Another French tourist Paulina Corvisier, 25, from Lyon, on holiday with her husband and mother-in-law, said: “We ran to the beach. We were all crowded onto the sand and rocks. Then the trees surrounding the beach burst into flames. "I jumped in the water because I didn’t know what else to do. Ash was falling on me from the sky while I was in the water.” Coastguard vessels were combing beaches to find any remaining survivors, with military hospitals on full alert, a government spokesman said. Dozens of people flee to the beach in Matiq Credit: Blitz Pictures Mati is in the eastern Rafina region, a popular spot for Greek holiday-makers, particularly pensioners and children at camps, 29 km (18 miles) east of the capital. Haris Malimagolou from the Red Cross, talking of the harrowing discovery of the 26 victims found together, said: “Some members of our team found 26 bodies in a field next to the sea, we are assuming they were trapped by the fire because it was so strong and so fast. Some were huddled together as if trying to protect each other. "They were badly burned and have not been identified yet. Their bodies have been transferred to Athens.” He explained that the fire was so devastating because a separate fire at Corinth - some 68 miles from Mati - started earlier at 11am, so all the fire service resources were sent there. This region is also very densely populated with a lot of summer houses, old people and children. Mr Malimagolou told The Telegraph the Red Cross have treated about 100 people for both minor and serious injuries One of the youngest fatalities at this stage is thought to be a six-month-old baby who died of smoke inhalation, officials said. Of the 156 people injured, 11 were in intensive care, they added. Greece wildfires gallery puff The coastguard said four bodies were retrieved from the sea. In total, coastguard and other vessels rescued 696 people who had fled to beaches. Boats plucked another 19 people alive from the water. Greece's fire brigade said the intensity and spread of the wildfire at Mati had slowed on Tuesday as winds died down, but it was still not fully under control. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday afternoon declared a three-day period of national mourning, and said after cutting short a visit to Bosnia: "We are dealing with something completely asymmetric. It's a difficult night for Greece." A woman walks in front of burnt cars at the village of Mati during a wildfire near Athens Credit: AFP Tourist resorts hit Greek authorities were rushing to evacuate residents and tourists stranded on beaches in coastal areas early on Tuesday. Dozens of people scrambled into the ocean as the blaze raged close to the shore, and they were picked up by passing boats. Nine coastal patrol boats, two military vessels and "dozens of private boats" assisted by army helicopters were mobilised to help those stuck in Rafina harbour.  Flames rise as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens Credit: AFP There were several reports of missing persons, including four tourists from Denmark who were said to have fled on a boat that was missing on Tuesday morning. Evangelos Bournous, mayor of the port town of Rafina, said: "We were unlucky. The wind changed and it came at us with such force that it razed the coastal area in minutes." The dock area became a makeshift hospital as paramedics checked survivors when they came off coast guard vessels and private boats. The operation continued through the night. Wildfire in Mati, Greece At daybreak on Tuesday, Ambulance Service deputy director Miltiadis Mylonas said the number of casualties was likely to rise as the more gutted homes and cars were checked. "It took people by surprise and the events happened very fast. Also, the fires broke out on many fronts, so all these factors made the situation extremely difficult," he said. "The task we face now is organizing the identification of victims by members of their families." State of emergency Greece issued an urgent appeal for help to tackle the fires, saying it needed air and land assets from its European Union partners. Cyprus offered to send fire engines and personnel. The first major fire broke out in a pine forest near the seaside settlement of Kineta, 30 miles west of Athens between the capital and Corinth. At least 220 firefighters were on the scene there while five water-dropping planes and seven helicopters helped to fight the blaze from the air. Reinforcements were sent in from across Greece. Residents of coastal areas of Mati and Kokkino Limanaki in Rafina, East Attica, Greece resort to the sea to escape fledging fires today July 23, 2018. #πυρκαγιά#Athens#forestfirespic.twitter.com/2SvFPN0BWB— Theodore Theodorides (@TheoTheodorides) July 23, 2018 Senior fire chief Achilleas Tzouvaras went on state TV to appeal to people to leave the area after some tried to stay on their properties. "People should leave, close up their homes and just leave. People cannot tolerate so much smoke for so many hours," he said. "This is an extreme situation." A man holds his son as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens Credit: AFP The second major blaze broke out Monday afternoon in the Penteli and Rafina areas northeast of Athens. Children's summer camps and a seaside resort for military officers were evacuated, as well as residences in the area. Dozens of homes and cars were reportedly destroyed. Victims flee coast There was no official figure on how many people were evacuated overall. The fire burned into the town of Rafina, turning the sky above the nearby port that serves ferries to the Cycladic islands black from the smoke.  Witnesses reported seeing a hillside of homes gutted by flames east of Athens. A mayor said he saw at least 100 homes and 200 vehicles burning. An official from the Red Cross said on Tuesday morning that 26 bodies had been discovered in the courtyard of a villa at the seaside resort of Mati.  The bodies were entwined and severely burnt, a photographer at the scene said. They appeared to have been caught by the flames trying to reach the sea. A house burns in the town of Mati, east of Athens Credit: AP Greek authorities urged residents to abandon their homes as a wildfire burned ferociously, closing one of Greece's busiest motorways, halting train links and sending plumes of smoke over the capital. Wildfires are not uncommon in Greece, but a relatively dry winter created tinder box conditions. It was not clear what ignited the fires. A firefighter tries to extinguish hotspots during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens Credit: AFP The main Athens-Corinth motorway, one of two road routes to the Peloponese peninsula, was shut and train services were cancelled. Fire raged around the Saronicos Gulf, ravaging tracts of pine forest, and was visible for miles. An ominous cloud of black-orange smoke hung over the Acropolis hill and the Parthenon temple in Athens on Monday afternoon.  Cars are blocked at the closed National Road during a wildfire in Kineta Credit: AFP Several other fires broke out across the country, including in northeastern Greece and the southern island of Crete, stretching Greece's firefighting capabilities. Gale force winds that frequently changed direction and continued into the night were hampering firefighting efforts. Disaster could top Europe's most deadly wildfires The wildfires raging near Athens are among the deadliest in Europe, with Portugal and Russia also suffering heavy losses. Here is a recap of the worst. Portugal in 2017 (64) Sixty-four people were killed and 250 injured in the deadliest wildfires in Portugal's history in June 2017. The fires burned for five days in the central Leiria region, breaking out at the height of a summer heatwave. Many of the victims died trapped in their cars by the flames while trying to escape. Violent winds fanned the fires, ravaging some 460 square kilometres (around 180 square miles) of hillsides covered with pine and eucalyptus. Fire over Vieira de Leiria, Portugal, in 2017 Credit: NPA In 2003 gigantic fires caused by a heatwave left 20 dead between July and September in central and southern Portugal. The summer of 2003 remains the most disastrous in terms of surface destroyed, with nearly 4,250 square kilometres going up in smoke. In 1966 a blaze in the forest of Sintra, west of Lisbon, killed 25 soldiers trying to battle the flames. Russia in 2015 (34) In April 2015 huge fires that started in the Khakassia region of southeastern Siberia killed 34 people as well as hundreds of cattle and thousands of sheep. The blaze, which spread as far as Mongolia and practically up to the Chinese border, also destroyed 2,000 homes and 10,000 square kilometres of land. Five years earlier, vast swathes of western Russia were ravaged by fires for weeks during an unprecedented heatwave and drought. Russian wildfires in 2010 Credit: Artyom Kototayev/AFP The blazes between July and August 2010 tore through 10,000 square kilometres of forest, bogs and brushwood, burning entire villages. Some of the fires came dangerously close to Russia's top nuclear research centre in Sarov. Greece in 2007 (77) Forest fires killed 77 people at the end of August 2007 in Greece, ravaging 2,500 square kilometres in the southern Peloponnese and the island of Evia, northeast of Athens. A Greek firefighter battles the fire at the village of Styra on the island of Evia, Greece, in August 2007 Credit: Margarita Kiaou/EPA The fires raged for around 12 days, but most of the victims were killed early on in the disaster when they became trapped in villages cut off by the flames, some ignoring orders to evacuate. France in 1949 (82) In the heaviest loss of life in wildfires in France, 82 people were killed battling flames in the southwest Landes region in August 1949. The victims - firemen, volunteers and soldiers - were caught in a ball of fire after the winds suddenly changed direction.

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[brookstonalmanac]

Events 7.29

587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple. 238 – The Praetorian Guard storm the palace and capture Pupienus and Balbinus. They are dragged through the streets of Rome and executed. On the same day, Gordian III, age 13, is proclaimed emperor, the sixth emperor of the year. 615 – Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12. 904 – Sack of Thessalonica: Saracen raiders under Leo of Tripoli sack Thessaloniki, the Byzantine Empire's second-largest city, after a short siege, and plunder it for a week. 923 – Battle of Firenzuola: Lombard forces under King Rudolph II and Adalbert I, margrave of Ivrea, defeat the dethroned Emperor Berengar I of Italy at Firenzuola (Tuscany). 1014 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, and his subsequent treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of a heart attack less than three months later, on October 6. 1018 – Count Dirk III defeats an army sent by Emperor Henry II in the Battle of Vlaardingen. 1030 – Ladejarl-Fairhair succession wars: Battle of Stiklestad: King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes. 1148 – The Siege of Damascus ends in a decisive crusader defeat and leads to the disintegration of the Second Crusade. 1565 – The widowed Mary, Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany, at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland. 1567 – The infant James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling. 1588 – Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines: English naval forces under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France. 1693 – War of the Grand Alliance: Battle of Landen: France wins a Pyrrhic victory over Allied forces in the Netherlands. 1775 – Founding of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps: General George Washington appoints William Tudor as Judge Advocate of the Continental Army. 1818 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel submits his prizewinning "Memoir on the Diffraction of Light", precisely accounting for the limited extent to which light spreads into shadows, and thereby demolishing the oldest objection to the wave theory of light. 1836 – Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. 1848 – Great Famine of Ireland: Tipperary Revolt: In County Tipperary, Ireland, then in the United Kingdom, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police. 1851 – Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia. 1858 – United States and Japan sign the Harris Treaty. 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. 1871 – The Connecticut Valley Railroad opens between Old Saybrook, Connecticut and Hartford, Connecticut in the United States. 1899 – The First Hague Convention is signed. 1900 – In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by the anarchist Gaetano Bresci. 1907 – Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp runs from August 1 to August 9 and is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement. 1914 – The Cape Cod Canal opened. 1920 – Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project. 1921 – Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party. 1932 – Great Depression: In Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans. 1937 – Tōngzhōu Incident: In Tōngzhōu, China, the East Hopei Army attacks Japanese troops and civilians. 1945 – The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched for mainstream light entertainment and music. 1948 – Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad: After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, open in London. 1950 – Korean War: After four days, the No Gun Ri Massacre ends when the US Army 7th Cavalry Regiment is withdrawn. 1957 – The International Atomic Energy Agency is established. 1957 – The Tonight Show - Tonight Starring Jack Paar premieres on NBC with Jack Paar beginning the modern day talk show. 1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 1959 – First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union. 1965 – Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay. 1967 – Vietnam War: Off the coast of North Vietnam the USS Forrestal catches on fire in the worst U.S. naval disaster since World War II, killing 134. 1967 – During the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela is shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead. 1973 – Greeks vote to abolish the monarchy, beginning the first period of the Metapolitefsi. 1973 – Driver Roger Williamson is killed during the Dutch Grand Prix, after a suspected tire failure causes his car to pitch into the barriers at high speed. 1976 – In New York City, David Berkowitz (a.k.a. the "Son of Sam") kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks. 1980 – Iran adopts a new "holy" flag after the Islamic Revolution. 1981 – A worldwide television audience of over 700 million people watch the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London. 1981 – After impeachment on June 21, Abolhassan Banisadr flees with Massoud Rajavi to Paris, in an Iranian Air Force Boeing 707, piloted by Colonel Behzad Moezzi, to form the National Council of Resistance of Iran. 1987 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel). 1987 – Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and President of Sri Lanka J. R. Jayewardene sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on ethnic issues. 1993 – The Supreme Court of Israel acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free. 1996 – The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act is struck down by a U.S. federal court as too broad. 2005 – Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris. 2010 – An overloaded passenger ferry capsizes on the Kasai River in Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in at least 80 deaths. 2013 – Two passenger trains collide in the Swiss municipality of Granges-près-Marnand near Lausanne injuring 25 people. 2019 – The 2019 Altamira prison riot between rival Brazilian drug gangs leaves 62 dead.

[balkansofia]

The very completeness of the disaster

Nonetheless, even now, it isn’t potential within the midst of this tragic debacle to stay wholly unmoved. Certainly, the very completeness of the catastrophe that point and humanity have wrought right here creates emotion, when one remembers that right here nice males got here, such males as Cicero, Sophocles, and

Plato; that right here they worshiped and adored underneath cowl of the darkness of night time; that right here, in search of, they discovered, as has been recorded, peace and hope to maintain them when, the august competition over, they took their method hack into the odd world alongside the shores of sea and lake. Eleusis is not lovely. It’s a residence of devastation. It’s not mysterious. A profitable man is making a fortune out of cleaning soap there. However it’s a place one can’t simply overlook. And simply above the ruins there’s a small museum which accommodates a number of very attention-grabbing issues, and one factor that’s excellent.

This final is the big and noble higher a part of the statue of a lady sporting ear-rings. I have no idea its historical past, although some one assured me that it was a caryatid. It was dug up among the many ruins, and the colour of it’s akin to that of the earth. The roughly undulating hair is parted in the midst of an imposing, goddess-like head. The options are pure and grand; however the two issues that the majority struck me, as I checked out this nice murals, had been the expression of the face, and the deep bosom, as of the earth- mom and all her fruitfulness. In few Greek statues have I seen such majesty and energy, mixed with such depth, as this anonymous girl reveals forth. There may be certainly virtually a suggestion of underlying fierceness within the face, however it’s the fierceness which will generally leap up in an imperial nature. Are there not royal angers which flame out of the pure furnaces of affection? This noble girl appears to me to be the current glory of Eleusis.

The mountainous island of Salamis

The mountainous island of Salamis, lengthy and calm, with grey and orange rocks, lies like a sentinel holding guard over the harbor of the Piraeus. It’s so close to to the mainland that the ocean between the 2 shores seems like a lake, lonely and good, with the two-horned peak referred to as “the throne of Xerxes” standing out characteristically behind the low-lying little bit of coast the place the Greeks have arrange an arsenal. Whether or not Xerxes did actually watch the well-known battle from a throne positioned on the hill with which his title is related may be very uncertain. However many vacationers prefer to imagine it, and the sort guides of Athens are fairly able to stiffen their credulity.

[alltours]

The very completeness of the disaster

However, even now, it’s not doable within the midst of this tragic debacle to stay wholly unmoved. Certainly, the very completeness of the catastrophe that point and humanity have wrought right here creates emotion, when one remembers that right here nice males got here, such males as Cicero, Sophocles, and

Plato; that right here they worshiped and adored beneath cowl of the darkness of evening; that right here, looking for, they discovered, as has been recorded, peace and hope to maintain them when, the august pageant over, they took their means hack into the odd world alongside the shores of sea and lake. Eleusis is not lovely. It’s a residence of devastation. It’s not mysterious. A profitable man is making a fortune out of cleaning soap there. However it’s a place one can not simply overlook. And simply above the ruins there’s a small museum which incorporates a number of very fascinating issues, and one factor that’s excellent.

This final is the big and noble higher a part of the statue of a lady sporting ear-rings. I have no idea its historical past, although some one assured me that it was a caryatid. It was dug up among the many ruins, and the colour of it’s akin to that of the earth. The roughly undulating hair is parted in the midst of an impressive, goddess-like head. The options are pure and grand; however the two issues that the majority struck me, as I checked out this nice murals, had been the expression of the face, and the deep bosom, as of the earth- mom and all her fruitfulness. In few Greek statues have I seen such majesty and energy, mixed with such depth, as this anonymous lady reveals forth. There may be certainly nearly a suggestion of underlying fierceness within the face, however it’s the fierceness which will generally leap up in an imperial nature. Are there not royal angers which flame out of the pure furnaces of affection? This noble lady appears to me to be the current glory of Eleusis.

The mountainous island of Salamis

The mountainous island of Salamis, lengthy and calm, with grey and orange rocks, lies like a sentinel maintaining guard over the harbor of the Piraeus. It’s so close to to the mainland that the ocean between the 2 shores seems to be like a lake, lonely and good, with the two-horned peak referred to as “the throne of Xerxes” standing out characteristically behind the low-lying little bit of coast the place the Greeks have arrange an arsenal. Whether or not Xerxes did actually watch the well-known battle from a throne positioned on the hill with which his identify is related may be very uncertain. However many vacationers wish to consider it, and the sort guides of Athens are fairly able to stiffen their credulity.

[travelcamp]

The very completeness of the disaster

Nonetheless, even now, it isn’t potential within the midst of this tragic debacle to stay wholly unmoved. Certainly, the very completeness of the catastrophe that point and humanity have wrought right here creates emotion, when one remembers that right here nice males got here, such males as Cicero, Sophocles, and

Plato; that right here they worshiped and adored underneath cowl of the darkness of evening; that right here, searching for, they discovered, as has been recorded, peace and hope to maintain them when, the august competition over, they took their method hack into the extraordinary world alongside the shores of sea and lake. Eleusis is now not stunning. It’s a dwelling of devastation. It’s now not mysterious. A profitable man is making a fortune out of cleaning soap there. However it’s a place one can not simply neglect. And simply above the ruins there’s a small museum which comprises a number of very attention-grabbing issues, and one factor that’s excellent.

This final is the large and noble higher a part of the statue of a lady sporting ear-rings. I have no idea its historical past, although some one assured me that it was a caryatid. It was dug up among the many ruins, and the colour of it’s akin to that of the earth. The roughly undulating hair is parted in the course of an impressive, goddess-like head. The options are pure and grand; however the two issues that the majority struck me, as I checked out this nice murals, had been the expression of the face, and the deep bosom, as of the earth- mom and all her fruitfulness. In few Greek statues have I seen such majesty and energy, mixed with such depth, as this anonymous girl reveals forth. There may be certainly virtually a suggestion of underlying fierceness within the face, however it’s the fierceness that will typically leap up in an imperial nature. Are there not royal angers which flame out of the pure furnaces of affection? This noble girl appears to me to be the current glory of Eleusis.

The mountainous island of Salamis

The mountainous island of Salamis, lengthy and calm, with grey and orange rocks, lies like a sentinel retaining guard over the harbor of the Piraeus. It’s so close to to the mainland that the ocean between the 2 shores seems to be like a lake, lonely and sensible, with the two-horned peak referred to as “the throne of Xerxes” standing out characteristically behind the low-lying little bit of coast the place the Greeks have arrange an arsenal. Whether or not Xerxes did actually watch the well-known battle from a throne positioned on the hill with which his title is related could be very uncertain. However many vacationers prefer to imagine it, and the type guides of Athens are fairly able to stiffen their credulity.

[skiholidaysbg]

The very completeness of the disaster

Nonetheless, even now, it isn’t potential within the midst of this tragic debacle to stay wholly unmoved. Certainly, the very completeness of the catastrophe that point and humanity have wrought right here creates emotion, when one remembers that right here nice males got here, such males as Cicero, Sophocles, and

Plato; that right here they worshiped and adored underneath cowl of the darkness of evening; that right here, searching for, they discovered, as has been recorded, peace and hope to maintain them when, the august competition over, they took their method hack into the extraordinary world alongside the shores of sea and lake. Eleusis is now not stunning. It’s a dwelling of devastation. It’s now not mysterious. A profitable man is making a fortune out of cleaning soap there. However it’s a place one can not simply neglect. And simply above the ruins there’s a small museum which comprises a number of very attention-grabbing issues, and one factor that’s excellent.

This final is the large and noble higher a part of the statue of a lady sporting ear-rings. I have no idea its historical past, although some one assured me that it was a caryatid. It was dug up among the many ruins, and the colour of it’s akin to that of the earth. The roughly undulating hair is parted in the course of an impressive, goddess-like head. The options are pure and grand; however the two issues that the majority struck me, as I checked out this nice murals, had been the expression of the face, and the deep bosom, as of the earth- mom and all her fruitfulness. In few Greek statues have I seen such majesty and energy, mixed with such depth, as this anonymous girl reveals forth. There may be certainly virtually a suggestion of underlying fierceness within the face, however it’s the fierceness that will typically leap up in an imperial nature. Are there not royal angers which flame out of the pure furnaces of affection? This noble girl appears to me to be the current glory of Eleusis.

The mountainous island of Salamis

The mountainous island of Salamis, lengthy and calm, with grey and orange rocks, lies like a sentinel retaining guard over the harbor of the Piraeus. It’s so close to to the mainland that the ocean between the 2 shores seems to be like a lake, lonely and sensible, with the two-horned peak referred to as “the throne of Xerxes” standing out characteristically behind the low-lying little bit of coast the place the Greeks have arrange an arsenal. Whether or not Xerxes did actually watch the well-known battle from a throne positioned on the hill with which his title is related could be very uncertain. However many vacationers prefer to imagine it, and the type guides of Athens are fairly able to stiffen their credulity.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 7.29

587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple. 238 – The Praetorian Guard storm the palace and capture Pupienus and Balbinus. They are dragged through the streets of Rome and executed. On the same day, Gordian III, age 13, is proclaimed emperor, the sixth emperor of the year. 615 – Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12. 904 – Sack of Thessalonica: Saracen raiders under Leo of Tripoli sack Thessaloniki, the Byzantine Empire's second-largest city, after a short siege, and plunder it for a week. 923 – Battle of Firenzuola: Lombard forces under King Rudolph II and Adalbert I, margrave of Ivrea, defeat the dethroned Emperor Berengar I of Italy at Firenzuola (Tuscany). 1014 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, and his subsequent treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of a heart attack less than three months later, on October 6. 1018 – Count Dirk III defeats an army sent by Emperor Henry II in the Battle of Vlaardingen. 1030 – Ladejarl-Fairhair succession wars: Battle of Stiklestad: King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes. 1148 – The Siege of Damascus ends in a decisive crusader defeat and leads to the disintegration of the Second Crusade. 1565 – The widowed Mary, Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany, at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland. 1567 – The infant James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling. 1588 – Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines: English naval forces under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France. 1693 – War of the Grand Alliance: Battle of Landen: France wins a Pyrrhic victory over Allied forces in the Netherlands. 1775 – Founding of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps: General George Washington appoints William Tudor as Judge Advocate of the Continental Army. 1818 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel submits his prizewinning "Memoir on the Diffraction of Light", precisely accounting for the limited extent to which light spreads into shadows, and thereby demolishing the oldest objection to the wave theory of light. 1836 – Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. 1848 – Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt: In County Tipperary, Ireland, then in the United Kingdom, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police. 1851 – Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia. 1858 – United States and Japan sign the Harris Treaty. 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. 1871 – The Connecticut Valley Railroad opens between Old Saybrook, Connecticut and Hartford, Connecticut in the United States. 1899 – The First Hague Convention is signed. 1900 – In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by the anarchist Gaetano Bresci. 1907 – Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp runs from August 1 to August 9 and is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement. 1914 – The Cape Cod Canal opened. 1920 – Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project. 1921 – Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party. 1932 – Great Depression: In Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans. 1937 – Tōngzhōu Incident: In Tōngzhōu, China, the East Hopei Army attacks Japanese troops and civilians. 1945 – The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched for mainstream light entertainment and music. 1948 – Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad: After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, open in London. 1950 – Korean War: After four days, the No Gun Ri Massacre ends when the US Army 7th Cavalry Regiment is withdrawn. 1957 – The International Atomic Energy Agency is established. 1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 1959 – First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union. 1965 – Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay. 1967 – Vietnam War: Off the coast of North Vietnam the USS Forrestal catches on fire in the worst U.S. naval disaster since World War II, killing 134. 1967 – During the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela is shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead. 1973 – Greeks vote to abolish the monarchy, beginning the first period of the Metapolitefsi. 1973 – Driver Roger Williamson is killed during the Dutch Grand Prix, after a suspected tire failure causes his car to pitch into the barriers at high speed. 1976 – In New York City, David Berkowitz (a.k.a. the "Son of Sam") kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks. 1980 – Iran adopts a new "holy" flag after the Islamic Revolution. 1981 – A worldwide television audience of over 700 million people watch the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London. 1981 – After impeachment on June 21, Abolhassan Banisadr flees with Massoud Rajavi to Paris, in an Iranian Air Force Boeing 707, piloted by Colonel Behzad Moezzi, to form the National Council of Resistance of Iran. 1987 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel). 1987 – Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and President of Sri Lanka J. R. Jayewardene sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on ethnic issues. 1993 – The Supreme Court of Israel acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free. 1996 – The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act is struck down by a U.S. federal court as too broad. 2005 – Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris. 2010 – An overloaded passenger ferry capsizes on the Kasai River in Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in at least 80 deaths. 2013 – Two passenger trains collide in the Swiss municipality of Granges-près-Marnand near Lausanne injuring 25 people. 2019 – The 2019 Altamira prison riot between rival Brazilian drug gangs leaves 62 dead.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 7.29

587 BC – The Neo-Babylonian Empire sacks Jerusalem and destroys the First Temple. 238 – The Praetorian Guard storm the palace and capture Pupienus and Balbinus. They are dragged through the streets of Rome and executed. On the same day, Gordian III, age 13, is proclaimed emperor. 615 – Pakal ascends the throne of Palenque at the age of 12. 904 – Sack of Thessalonica: Saracen raiders under Leo of Tripoli sack Thessaloniki, the Byzantine Empire's second-largest city, after a short siege, and plunder it for a week. 923 – Battle of Firenzuola: Lombard forces under King Rudolph II and Adalbert I, margrave of Ivrea, defeat the dethroned Emperor Berengar I of Italy at Firenzuola (Tuscany). 1014 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, and his subsequent treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of a heart attack less than three months later, on October 6. 1018 – Count Dirk III defeats an army sent by Emperor Henry II in the Battle of Vlaardingen. 1030 – Ladejarl-Fairhair succession wars: Battle of Stiklestad: King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes. 1148 – The Siege of Damascus ends in a decisive crusader defeat and leads to the disintegration of the Second Crusade. 1565 – The widowed Mary, Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany, at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland. 1567 – James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling. 1588 – Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines: English naval forces under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France. 1693 – War of the Grand Alliance: Battle of Landen: France wins a Pyrrhic victory over Allied forces in the Netherlands. 1775 – Founding of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps: General George Washington appoints William Tudor as Judge Advocate of the Continental Army. 1818 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel submits his prizewinning "Memoir on the Diffraction of Light", precisely accounting for the limited extent to which light spreads into shadows, and thereby demolishing the oldest objection to the wave theory of light. 1836 – Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. 1848 – Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt: In County Tipperary, Ireland, then in the United Kingdom, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police. 1851 – Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia. 1858 – United States and Japan sign the Harris Treaty. 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. 1899 – The First Hague Convention is signed. 1900 – In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by the anarchist Gaetano Bresci. 1907 – Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp runs from August 1 to August 9, 1907, and is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement. 1914 – The Cape Cod Canal opened. 1920 – Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project. 1921 – Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party. 1932 – Great Depression: In Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans. 1937 – Tōngzhōu Incident: In Tōngzhōu, China, the East Hopei Army attacks Japanese troops and civilians. 1945 – The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched for mainstream light entertainment and music. 1948 – Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad: After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, open in London. 1950 – Korean War: After four days, the No Gun Ri Massacre ends when the US Army 7th Cavalry Regiment is withdrawn. 1957 – The International Atomic Energy Agency is established. 1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 1959 – First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union. 1965 – Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay. 1967 – Vietnam War: Off the coast of North Vietnam the USS Forrestal catches on fire in the worst U.S. naval disaster since World War II, killing 134. 1967 – During the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela is shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead. 1973 – Greeks vote to abolish the monarchy, beginning the first period of the Metapolitefsi. 1973 – During the Dutch Grand Prix driver Roger Williamson was killed in the race, after a suspected tire failure caused the car to pitch into the barriers at high speed. 1976 – In New York City, David Berkowitz (a.k.a. the "Son of Sam") kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks. 1980 – Iran adopts a new "holy" flag after the Islamic Revolution. 1981 – A worldwide television audience of over 700 million people watch the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London. 1981 – After impeachment on June 21, Abolhassan Banisadr flees with Massoud Rajavi to Paris, in an Iranian Air Force Boeing 707, piloted by Colonel Behzad Moezzi, to form the National Council of Resistance of Iran.[1] 1987 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel). 1987 – Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and President of Sri Lanka J. R. Jayewardene sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on ethnic issues. 1993 – The Supreme Court of Israel acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free. 1996 – The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act is struck down by a U.S. federal court as too broad. 2005 – Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris. 2010 – An overloaded passenger ferry capsizes on the Kasai River in Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in at least 80 deaths. 2013 – Two passenger trains collide in the Swiss municipality of Granges-près-Marnand near Lausanne injuring 25 people.