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5 Northernmost Capitals in the World
Posted on July 5, 2019 by oldpoet56
(THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESY OF TRIP TRIVIA)
Looking to go somewhere a little different for your next vacation? Consider a visit to one of the world's northernmost capital cities and see a bit of a different world. We've placed together five world cities with the most northern latitudes in order to help travelers plan a new kind of trip.
Reykjavik, Iceland (Latitude 64.13)
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While technically Longyearbyen, Svalbard is the northernmost administrative settlement, governing over the Norwegian Arctic unincorporated area of Svalbard. Reykjavik takes the official title, as it is part of a sovereign state and Longyearbyen is not. Reykjavik is located on Iceland's coast and is also its largest city. There is plenty to do there, from swimming in one of the city's famous thermal pools to visiting its many museums and galleries. You can also check out some of its most impressive natural sites, like those found in the Golden Circle. And, as one might expect, the climate is almost always on the cool side, with highs of 58 degrees Fahrenheit in July and lows of 28 degrees in February.
Helsinki, Finland (Latitude 60.17)
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Coming in at second, Reykjavik's Nordic neighbor Helsinki has a population of just over 643,000 people and sits on one of the country's peninsulas, jutting out into the Gulf of Finland. The city has a vibrant nightlife, beautiful lakeland labyrinthsand plenty of culture in the form of museums, medieval castles and a historical nature center. Helsinki is also known for its Christmas market, which is why it has the nickname "The Christmas City." The temperatures get as low as 19 degrees in February and as high as 71 degrees in July.
Oslo, Norway (Latitude 59.95)
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Oslo is often cold and rainy, but there is no shortage of things to do in this city. It has been modernized quite a bit over the last few years, and some of its notable attractions include its ski museum, the Edvard Munch museum, the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet and the TusenFryd Amusement Park. In addition, Oslo presents the Nobel Peace Prize to its recipient each and every year. The climate of Oslo fluctuates quite a bit, from temperatures as low as 23 degrees in January and February to as high as 73 in July.
Tallinn, Estonia (Latitude 59.43)
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Tallinn, Estonia, is known for its Old Town area as well as its tower Kiek in de Kok. Tourists are encouraged to get off the beaten path and enjoy the other areas of Tallinn, such as Kadriorg and Kalamaja. The street art is especially impressive in Tallinn, and every year, the city holds the Estonian Song and Dance Celebration, which is an enormous cultural festival. Tallinn is also where most visitors who go to Estonia start off their journeys, so it is a great way to begin ones' experience of the excitement and flavor of the country. Visitors in Tallinn should expect to see snow between the months of November and April, with lows in January and February in the high teens. However, temperatures rise to a high of 75 degrees in July, allowing for a good display of the seasons.
Stockholm, Sweden (Latitude 59.32)
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Stockholm is made up of an archipelago of 14 islands that are connected by over 50 bridges. The city itself is both futuristic and deeply historical, offering fine dining and culture mixed with chill island lifestyles. Tourists are encouraged to visit the Nationalmuseum, the ArkDes Skeppsholem or the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design within the Modern Museum of Art in Stockholm, and its woodland cemetery, Skogskyrkogården, the architecture of which is unparalleled. Stockholm also hosts the Nobel Prize ceremony every year. The average climate of Stockholm sees lows of 25 degrees in February with highs of 73 degrees in July, a perfect experience of the seasons all in one vibrant, island town.
Posted in tourism, TriviaTagged Estonia, Finland, Helsinki, Iceland, Norway, Oslo, Reykjavik, Stockholm, Sweden, Tallinn8 Comments
5 Great Places That Are Now Off Limits Because Of Tourism
(THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESY OF TRAVEL TRIVIA)
Places That Are Now Off Limits Thanks to Tourists
Over tourism is a problem in a lot of places around the globe. Natural places, especially, are susceptible as they can easily see negative human impacts. Some places simply aren't built to handle so many people, and can be effectively ruined by our simple presence. Of course, littering is another big reason certain places are heavily impacted. Here are five places that are now off limits thanks to tourists.
Mt. Everest Base Camp, Tibet
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The Chinese base camp is accessible by car, and has been closed to tourists without hiking permits because of the increased amount of waste left by visitors. The Nepalese base camp is only accessible by a two-week hike, making it difficult to reach for a typical tourist. That's why so many head to Tibet. Or that's why they did, at least. Only 300 permits will be issued each year, and with the recent deaths of 11 climbers, it's not unreasonable to think that number could be chopped down.
Boracay Island, Philippines
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While this island in the Philippines has reopened, it's still undergoing restoration and is under the threat of closing once again. It closed in 2018 to visitors for about six months to recover from heavy tourism and utility issues like sewage running into the ocean from nearby hotels. It was used as a party island, essentially, since the 1980s, and saw 1.7 million visitors in a 10-month span in recent years, many of them from cruise ships passing through. It has strict new rules like "don't vomit in public." There are also bans on pets, grilling meat, fireworks after 9 p.m., casinos and single-use plastics.
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With the island's famous inhabitants, the Komodo dragons, being stolen and sold on the black market in recent years, Indonesia's Komodo Island has been closed to tourists through at least January 2020. Millions of visitors to an island that can't handle that impact has also been an issue. Other islands that are part of Komodo National Park remain open.
What's the Italian name for Florence?
Maya Bay, Thailand
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Famous for being in Leonardo DiCaprio's The Beach (2000), Thailand's Maya Bay saw a massive increase in visitors after the film. Before, it only had some 100 people on its shores every day. By 2018, it was 5,000 a day. In June 2018, the country's department of national parks, wildlife and plant conservation announced they would be closing the beach temporarily — maybe a couple of months. However, the damage was so severe that it's still closed today, having been indefinitely off limits to visitors since October 2018. Authorities may not have a set reopen date but are working to determine the true capacity of the beach, which will make human impact more minimal.
Fjadrárgljúfur Canyon, Iceland
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The most recent victim of overtourism is Iceland's stunning Fjadrárgljúfur Canyon. Blame Justin Bieber. More than 1 million people visited the area since the pop star released a music video filmed there in 2015. The country itself has also received a massive uptick in visitors — up to 2.3 million in 2018 from 600,000 just eight years ago. With that in mind, Gudmundur Ingi Gudbrandsson, the Minister of the Enviroment, said it is "a bit too simplistic to blame the entire situation on Justin Bieber." But we're going to anyway, because he added: "Rash behavior by one famous person can dramatically impact an entire area if the mass follows." And it did. The canyon also requires only a half-mile or so of hiking to reach the panoramic views. Fences, signs and park rangers are in place to keep people out, but the number of people who try to go is still overwhelming.
Written by Matt Harding
Matt Harding is a magazine writer, photographer and former newspaper reporter who loves to travel.
Posted in tourismTagged Boracay Island, Fjadrargljufur Canyon, Iceland, Indonesia, Komodo Island, Maya Bay, Mt Everest, over tourism, Philippines, Thailand, Tibet, Travel TriviaLeave a comment
The 10 Happiest Countries In The World (Hint: The U.S. Is Not One Of Them)
The United Nations recently released its World Happiness Report for 2019. The report took into account a number of factors, including social support, freedom, corruption and life expectancy. The results seem to prove that having a healthy work-life balance and a strong sense of community often lead to happiness. And since happy countries are great places to visit, you may want to put some of these countries on your bucket list. Here are the 10 happiest countries in the world.
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In 2019, Austria jumped two spots to finally make the top 10 list of happiest countries in the world. This may be due to the fact that Austrians are simply satisfied with their lives, according to the OECD Better Life Index. Getting outdoors, including hiking and skiing, is relatively easy since 62% of the country is covered by the Alps. And since Austria is firmly situated between many countries, Austrians have access to the rest of Europe on their dependable high-speed railways.
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Canadians are known to be some of the nicest people in the world, and it appears that nice people are also happy people. Although it fell from the seven spot, Canada remains in the top 10 with a population of friendly, hockey-loving residents. And with its growing population of immigrants, Canada is becoming a more culturally diverse country. When you add beautiful national parks, universal health care and an abundance of outdoor activities, Canada becomes more appealing by the second.
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Consistently ranked as one of the friendliest places in the world, New Zealand is also one of the happiest. Residents of New Zealand are notoriously laid-back, which helps them achieve a healthy work-life balance. It probably helps that New Zealand is an island paradise that contains an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities, like mountain-biking, skiing and hiking.
Who was the first pilot to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean?
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The long winters and cold climate doesn't seem to be a happiness deterrent for the Swedes. Home to a mixed economy, the Swedish government plays a large role in controlling the country's industries. While this does make taxes rather high, Swedes do benefit in a number of ways. From the average five weeks of paid vacation to 480 days of parental leave, the people of Sweden take advantage of some nice perks.
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The Swiss may have a reputation for staying neutral, but that doesn't stop them from being happy. Or maybe they're happy because of their neutrality? Switzerland hasn't taken part in a war for 172 years, which means the country's coffers haven't been emptied for military expenses. And as a country renowned for its top-notch skiing and breathtaking vistas, it certainly must be a nice place to live. Best of all, with an average 35.2-hour work week, the Swiss have more time to get outside and enjoy life.
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The Netherlands' high ranking in the happiness index may be attributed to a healthy work-life balance. Ranked number one in this category by the OECD Better Life Index, the Dutch people are the best at juggling commitments between work, family and personal life. Since almost everyone uses a bicycle to commute, the Dutch have endorphin-producing exercise ingrained into their everyday habits. Add in a low crime rate and a relaxed café culture, and it's clear that living in the Netherlands has its perks.
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Iceland's happiness doesn't solely depend upon monetary success. In fact, the financial meltdown of 2008 didn't hurt the overall happiness of Icelanders, even though many of them came upon hard times. Whether it's because they're descendants of Vikings, or because they get enough omega-3 from all the fish they eat, the people of Iceland are resilient. This trait, when paired with the country's optimism, has created a tight-knit national community.
As one of the wealthiest countries in the world, Norway is quite well-off. Even though the country is known to be dark and cold, Norwegians have a surprisingly upbeat attitude about life. A common saying in Norway goes "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing," which shows how a little positivity can go a long way.
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The Danish concept of hygge has recently taken the world by storm and is a notion that speaks volumes about the country's culture. Roughly translated to "cozy," hygge is a lifestyle trend abided by the people of Denmark. Indulging in a cup of hot cocoa after playing outside in the snow or curling up with a good book while rain pitter-patters on the roof — these moments of "intentional intimacy" define hygge, according to LiveScience. Have you ever heard that it's the little things in life that make you happy? For the people of Denmark, this seems to be true.
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Ranked the happiest country in the world for two straight years, the people of Finland are quite content. And this happiness isn't limited to the born-and-bred Finnish people. Finland's immigrants also rank the happiest in the world. As the co-editor of the World Happiness Report, John Helliwell, said, "It's not about Finnish DNA. It's about the way life is lived." Another Scandinavian country that places community and work-life balance at the forefront of its priorities, Finland's equal society and supportive networks are chief in finding happiness.
Posted in tourism, transportationTagged Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, happiest countries in the world, Iceland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Travel TriviaLeave a comment
Why 536 was 'the worst year to be alive'
Posted on November 18, 2018 by oldpoet56
(THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESY OF SCIENCE MAGAZINE)
An 72-meter ice core drilled in the Colle Gnifetti Glacier in the Swiss Alps entombs more than 2000 years of fallout from volcanoes, storms, and human pollution.
NICOLE SPAULDING/CCI FROM C. P. LOVELUCK ET AL., ANTIQUITY 10.15184, 4, 2018
By Ann Gibbons Nov. 15, 2018 , 2:00 PM
Ask medieval historian Michael McCormick what year was the worst to be alive, and he's got an answer: "536." Not 1349, when the Black Death wiped out half of Europe. Not 1918, when the flu killed 50 million to 100 million people, mostly young adults. But 536. In Europe, "It was the beginning of one of the worst periods to be alive, if not the worst year," says McCormick, a historian and archaeologist who chairs the Harvard University Initiative for the Science of the Human Past.
A mysterious fog plunged Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia into darkness, day and night—for 18 months. "For the sun gave forth its light without brightness, like the moon, during the whole year," wrote Byzantine historian Procopius. Temperatures in the summer of 536 fell 1.5°C to 2.5°C, initiating the coldest decade in the past 2300 years. Snow fell that summer in China; crops failed; people starved. The Irish chronicles record "a failure of bread from the years 536–539." Then, in 541, bubonic plague struck the Roman port of Pelusium, in Egypt. What came to be called the Plague of Justinian spread rapidly, wiping out one-third to one-half of the population of the eastern Roman Empire and hastening its collapse, McCormick says.
Historians have long known that the middle of the sixth century was a dark hour in what used to be called the Dark Ages, but the source of the mysterious clouds has long been a puzzle. Now, an ultraprecise analysis of ice from a Swiss glacier by a team led by McCormick and glaciologist Paul Mayewski at the Climate Change Institute of The University of Maine (UM) in Orono has fingered a culprit. At a workshop at Harvard this week, the team reported that a cataclysmic volcanic eruption in Iceland spewed ash across the Northern Hemisphere early in 536. Two other massive eruptions followed, in 540 and 547. The repeated blows, followed by plague, plunged Europe into economic stagnation that lasted until 640, when another signal in the ice—a spike in airborne lead—marks a resurgence of silver mining, as the team reports in Antiquity this week.
To Kyle Harper, provost and a medieval and Roman historian at The University of Oklahoma in Norman, the detailed log of natural disasters and human pollution frozen into the ice "give us a new kind of record for understanding the concatenation of human and natural causes that led to the fall of the Roman Empire—and the earliest stirrings of this new medieval economy."
Slivers from a Swiss ice core held chemical clues to natural and human made events.
Ever since tree ring studies in the 1990s suggested the summers around the year 540 were unusually cold, researchers have hunted for the cause. Three years ago polar ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica yielded a clue. When a volcano erupts, it spews sulfur, bismuth, and other substances high into the atmosphere, where they form an aerosol veil that reflects the sun's light back into space, cooling the planet. By matching the ice record of these chemical traces with tree ring records of climate, a team led by Michael Sigl, now of the University of Bern, found that nearly every unusually cold summer over the past 2500 years was preceded by a volcanic eruption. A massive eruption—perhaps in North America, the team suggested—stood out in late 535 or early 536; another followed in 540. Sigl's team concluded that the double blow explained the prolonged dark and cold.
Mayewski and his interdisciplinary team decided to look for the same eruptions in an ice core drilled in 2013 in the Colle Gnifetti Glacier in the Swiss Alps. The 72-meter-long core entombs more than 2000 years of fallout from volcanoes, Saharan dust storms, and human activities smack in the center of Europe. The team deciphered this record using a new ultra–high-resolution method, in which a laser carves 120-micron slivers of ice, representing just a few days or weeks of snowfall, along the length of the core. Each of the samples—some 50,000 from each meter of the core—is analyzed for about a dozen elements. The approach enabled the team to pinpoint storms, volcanic eruptions, and lead pollution down to the month or even less, going back 2000 years, says UM volcanologist Andrei Kurbatov.
Darkest hours and then a dawn
A high-resolution ice core record combined with historical texts chronicles the impact of natural disasters on European society.
530530550640650660540540550560570580590600610620630640650660536Icelandic volcano erupts, dimming the sun for 18months, records say. Summer temperatures drop by1.5°C to 2.5°C.536–545 Coldest decade on record in 2000 years. Crops fail in Ireland, Scandinavia, Mesopotamia, and China.540–541 Second volcanic eruption. Summer temperatures drop again by 1.4°C–2.7°C in Europe.541–543 The "Justinian" bubonic plague spreads through the Mediterranean, killing 35%–55% of the population and speeding the collapse of the eastern Roman Empire.640 After declining in the mid-500s, a surge in atmospheric lead signals an increase in silver mining because of economic recovery.660A second lead peak reflects silver mining, probably at Melle, France, tied to a switch from gold to silver for coins and the beginnings of the medieval economy.
(GRAPHIC) A. CUADRA/SCIENCE; (DATA) C. P. LOVELUCK ET AL., ANTIQUITY 2018; M. SIGL ET AL., NATURE 2015; M. MCCORMICK
In ice from the spring of 536, UM graduate student Laura Hartman found two microscopic particles of volcanic glass. By bombarding the shards with x-rays to determine their chemical fingerprint, she and Kurbatov found that they closely matched glass particles found earlier in lakes and peat bogs in Europe and in a Greenland ice core. Those particles in turn resembled volcanic rocks from Iceland. The chemical similarities convince geoscientist David Lowe of The University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, who says the particles in the Swiss ice core likely came from the same Icelandic volcano. But Sigl says more evidence is needed to convince him that the eruption was in Iceland rather than North America.
Either way, the winds and weather systems in 536 must have been just right to guide the eruption plume southeast across Europe and, later, into Asia, casting a chilly pall as the volcanic fog "rolled through," Kurbatov says. The next step is to try to find more particles from this volcano in lakes in Europe and Iceland, in order to confirm its location in Iceland and tease out why it was so devastating.
A century later, after several more eruptions, the ice record signals better news: the lead spike in 640. Silver was smelted from lead ore, so the lead is a sign that the precious metal was in demand in an economy rebounding from the blow a century before, says archaeologist Christopher Loveluck of the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. A second lead peak, in 660, marks a major infusion of silver into the emergent medieval economy. It suggests gold had become scarce as trade increased, forcing a shift to silver as the monetary standard, Loveluck and his colleagues write in Antiquity . "It shows the rise of the merchant class for the first time," he says.
Still later, the ice is a window into another dark period. Lead vanished from the air during the Black Death from 1349 to 1353, revealing an economy that had again ground to a halt. "We've entered a new era with this ability to integrate ultra–high-resolution environmental records with similarly high resolution historical records," Loveluck says. "It's a real game changer."
doi:10.1126/science.aaw0632
Ann Gibbons
Ann is a contributing correspondent for Science
Posted in Ancient Archaeology, death, Europe, volcanoTagged 536, antiquity, Archaeology, Iceland, Science Magazine, volcano's, Volcanos in Iceland2 Comments
Greenland: Truth, Knowledge, History Of The North Atlantic Nation
Posted on November 4, 2018 by oldpoet56
(THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESY OF THE CIA WORLD FACTBOOK)
Introduction Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973, but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Denmark continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs in consultation with Greenland's Home Rule Government.
History In prehistoric times, Greenland was home to a number of Paleo-Eskimo cultures. From AD 984 it was colonized by Norse settlers in two settlements on the west coast on the fjords near the very southwestern tip of the island. They thrived for a few centuries, but after nearly 500 years of habitation, disappeared sometime in the 15th century.[2]
Data from ice cores indicate that from AD 800 to 1300 the regions around the fjords of southern Greenland experienced a relatively mild climate similar to today. Trees and herbaceous plants grew there, and the climate initially allowed farming of livestock as in Norway.[2] These remote communities thrived on farming, hunting and trade with Norway. When the Norwegian kings converted their domains to Christianity, a bishop was installed in Greenland, subordinate to the archdiocese of Nidaros. The settlements seem to have coexisted relatively peacefully with the Inuit, who had migrated south from the Arctic islands of North America around 1200. In 1261, Greenland became part of the Kingdom of Norway.
Around the 14th and 15th centuries, the Scandinavian settlements vanished, likely due to famine and increasing conflicts with the Inuit.[3] The condition of human bones from this period indicates the Norse population was malnourished. Main reasons appeared to have been soil erosion due to destruction of the natural vegetation for farming, turf, and wood by the Norse, a decline in temperatures during the Little Ice Age, and armed conflicts with the Inuit.[2] It has been suggested that cultural practices, such as rejecting fish as a source of food and reliance solely on livestock ill-adapted to Greenland's climate, caused by the mini-ice age, which resulted in recurring famines, with environmental degradation led to the abandonment of the colony.[2] Research (written before Diamond's book) has made it clear however that fish were a major source of food for the Norse Greenlanders from the early 1300s on.
Denmark-Norway reasserted its latent claim to the colony in 1721. But ties with Norway were severed by the Treaty of Kiel of 1814, ceding Norway to the king of Sweden while Denmark retained all of her common overseas possessions: the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland, as well as Denmark-Norway's small territories in India (Tranquebar), West Africa (Danish Gold Coast), and the West Indies (Danish Virgin Islands).
Norway occupied and claimed parts of (then uninhabited) East Greenland also called Erik the Red's Land in July 1931, claiming that it constituted Terra nullius. Norway and Denmark agreed to settle the matter at the Permanent Court of International Justice in 1933, where Norway lost.
During World War II, Greenland's connection to Denmark was severed on April 9, 1940 when Denmark was occupied by Germany. Greenland was able to buy goods from the United States and Canada, by selling cryolite from the mine in Ivigtût. During the war the system of government changed. Governor Eske Brun ruled the island via a 1925 law that allowed governors to take control under extreme circumstances. The other governor, Aksel Svane, was transferred to the US to lead the commission to supply Greenland. The Sirius Patrol, guarding the northeastern shores of Greenland using dog sleds, detected and destroyed several German weather stations, giving Denmark a better position in the postwar turmoil.
Greenland had been a protected and very isolated society until 1940. The Danish government, which governed its colony Greenland, had been convinced that the society would face exploitation from the outside world or even extinction if the country was opened up. But during World War II, Greenland developed a sense of self-reliance through its self-government and independent communication with the outside world.
However, a commission in 1946 (with the highest Greenlandic council Landsrådet as participant) recommended patience and no radical reformation of the system. Two years later the first step towards changing the governing was initiated when a grand commission was founded. In 1950 the report (G-50) was presented. Greenland was to be a modern welfare society with Denmark as the sponsor and example. In 1953, Greenland was made an equal part of the Danish Kingdom. Home rule was granted in 1979.
Geography Location: Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada
Geographic coordinates: 72 00 N, 40 00 W
Map references: Arctic Region
Area: total: 2,166,086 sq km
land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered) (2000 est.)
Area – comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 44,087 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
Climate: arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters
Terrain: flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, diamonds, gold, platinum, niobium, tantalite, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land: NA
Natural hazards: continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island
Environment – current issues: protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting
Geography – note: dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast, but close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap
People Population: 56,344 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 24% (male 6,926/female 6,597)
15-64 years: 69.1% (male 20,901/female 18,012)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 1,873/female 2,035) (2007 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.03% (2007 est.)
Birth rate: 16.01 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate: 7.93 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
total population: 1.115 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 14.98 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.32 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.23 years
Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman
Posted in Atlantic Ocean, Denmark, history, Norway, Truthful articles for your thoughtsTagged Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Scandinavia, The CIA World Fact Book, Treaty of Kiel, VikingsLeave a comment
Iceland: Truth, Knowledge, History Of This Frozen, Volcanic Nation
(THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESY OF THE CIA WORLD FACT BOOK)
Introduction Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards.
History Age of settlement
The first people thought to have inhabited Iceland were Irish monks or hermits who came in the eighth century, but left with the arrival of Norsemen, who systematically settled Iceland in the period circa AD 870-930. The first known permanent Norse settler was Ingólfur Arnarson, who built his homestead in Reykjavík in 874. Ingólfur was followed by many other emigrant settlers, largely Norsemen and their Irish slaves. By 930, most arable land had been claimed and the Althing, a legislative and judiciary parliament, was founded as the political hub of the Icelandic Commonwealth. Christianity was adopted in 1000. The Commonwealth lasted until 1262, when the political system devised by the original settlers proved unable to cope with the increasing power of Icelandic chieftains.
Middle Ages to the Early Modern Era
The internal struggles and civil strife of the Sturlung Era led to the signing of the Old Covenant, which brought Iceland under the Norwegian crown. Possession of Iceland passed to Denmark-Norway in the late 14th century when the kingdoms of Norway and Denmark were united in the Kalmar Union. In the ensuing centuries, Iceland became one of the poorest countries in Europe. Infertile soil, volcanic eruptions, and an unforgiving climate made for harsh life in a society whose subsistence depended almost entirely on agriculture. The Black Death swept Iceland in 1402–1404 and 1494–1495, each time killing approximately half the population.
Around the middle of the 16th century, King Christian III of Denmark began to impose Lutheranism on all his subjects. The last Catholic bishop in Iceland was beheaded in 1550, and the country subsequently became fully Lutheran. Lutheranism has since remained the dominant religion. In the 1600's and 1700's, Denmark imposed harsh trade restrictions on Iceland, while pirates from England, Spain and Algeria raided its coasts. A great smallpox epidemic in the 18th century killed around one-third of the population.[14][15] In 1783 the Laki volcano erupted, with devastating effects. The years following the eruption, known as the Mist Hardships (Icelandic: Móðuharðindin), saw the death of over half of all livestock in the country, with ensuing famine in which around a quarter of the population died.
Independence and recent history
In 1814, following the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark-Norway was broken up into two separate kingdoms via the Treaty of Kiel. Iceland remained a Danish dependency. A new independence movement arose under the leadership of Jón Sigurðsson, inspired by the romantic and nationalist ideologies of mainland Europe. In 1874, Denmark granted Iceland home rule, which was expanded in 1904. The Act of Union, an agreement with Denmark signed on December 1, 1918, recognized Iceland as a fully sovereign state under the Danish king. During the last quarter of the 19th century many Icelanders emigrated to North America, largely Canada, in search of better living conditions.
During World War II, the German occupation of Denmark on April 9, 1940 severed communications between Iceland and Denmark. At that point Iceland's parliament declared that the Icelandic government should exercise the authority that hitherto had been that of the King and take control over issues previously handled by Denmark on behalf of Iceland (principally foreign affairs). A month later, British military forces occupied Iceland, violating Icelandic neutrality. Allied occupation of Iceland lasted throughout the war.
In 1941, responsibility for the occupation was taken over by the United States Army. On December 31, 1943 the Act of Union agreement expired by its terms after 25 years. Beginning on May 20, 1944, four days of voting were conducted in a plebiscite on whether the union with Denmark should be terminated and whether a republic should be established.[16] The vote was 97% in favor of ending the union and 95% in favor of the new republican constitution. Iceland formally became an independent republic on June 17, 1944, with Sveinn Björnsson as the first President. The occupation force left in 1946. Iceland became a member of NATO on March 30, 1949, amid domestic controversy and riots and on May 5, 1951, a defense agreement was signed with the United States — American troops returned and stayed as part of the defense agreement throughout the Cold War and until autumn 2006.
The immediate post-war period was followed by substantial economic growth, driven by industrialization of the fishing industry and the rebuilding, Marshall aid and Keynesian government management of the economies of Europe, all of which promoted trade. The 1970's were marked by the Cod Wars – several disputes with the United Kingdom over Iceland's extension of its fishing limits. The economy was greatly diversified and liberalized following Iceland's joining of the European Economic Area in 1992.
Geography Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK
Area – comparative: slightly smaller than Kentucky
Coastline: 4,970 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate: temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers
Terrain: mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, ice-fields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords
highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,110 m (at Vatnajokull glacier)
Natural resources: fish, hydro-power, geothermal power, diatomite
Land use: arable land: 0.07%
other: 99.93% (2005)
Total renewable water resources: 170 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 0.17 cu km/yr (34%/66%/0%)
per capita: 567 cu m/yr (2003)
Natural hazards: earthquakes and volcanic activity
Environment – current issues: water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment
Environment – international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Trans-boundary Air Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
Geography – note: strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe
People Population: 301,931 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.4% (male 32,759/female 31,845)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 102,161/female 99,411)
65 years and over: 11.8% (male 16,162/female 19,593) (2007 est.)
male: 34 years
female: 35 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.824% (2007 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
under 15 years: 1.029 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.028 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.825 male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate: total: 3.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.41 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
female: 82.62 years (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS: 220 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS – deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: Icelander(s)
adjective: Icelandic
Ethnic groups: homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6%
Religions: Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4% (2004)
Languages: Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99%
Posted in Europe, ICE, Norway, volcanoTagged Althing, Askja Volcano, Denmark, Iceland, Ingolfur Arnarson, King Christian III, Lutheran, Norway, Sturlung EraLeave a comment
Iceland's president asks opposition Left-Greens to form coalition
(THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESY OF THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER)
President takes unusual step of asking leader of second largest party to form coalition following Saturday's snap general election
Katrín Jakobsdóttir, leader of the Left-Greens. Photograph: Birgir Thor Hardarson/EPA
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Staff and agencies in Reykjavik
Thursday 2 November 2017 16.56 EDT Last modified on Thursday 2 November 2017 17.41 EDT
Iceland's president has asked the leader of the Left-Green Movement, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, to form a new government, although it came second in Saturday's snap general election.
The mandate deals a blow to the prime minister, Bjarni Benediktsson of the Independence party – who called the election in September after less than a year in office as a scandal involving his father prompted a government ally to drop out of his ruling coalition.
"I have a formal mandate to try to form a government," Jakobsdóttir told reporters after talks with the president, Guðni Jóhannesson.
Under the Icelandic system, the president – who holds a largely ceremonial role, usually tasks the leader of the biggest party with putting a government together.
The former journalist led her party to second place with 11 seats in Saturday's vote. Benediktsson's Independence party – which has dominated Icelandic politics for decades – won the most seats, but fell short of a parliamentary majority.
A Left-Green-led coalition would be possible if they joined forces with the Social Democrats, the Progressive party and the Pirate party. Together, they would hold 32 of parliament's 63 seats.
If her talks to form a coalition are successful, then the Left-Green Movement and its partners would become the country's second left-leaning government since its independence from Denmark in 1944.
The Left-Green election campaign was focused on inequality.
The Nordic island of 340,000 people, one of the countries hit hardest by the 2008 financial crisis, has seen an economic rebound spurred by a tourism boom. But a string of political scandals have hurt trust in government in recent years.
Jakobsdóttir has promised to make sure Iceland's economic prosperity, triggered by booming tourism, leads to a boost in public spending on health and education.
Growing public distrust of the elite in recent years has spawned several anti-establishment parties, fragmenting the political landscape and making it increasingly difficult to form a stable government.
The Panama Papers, which revealed offshore tax havens, listed more than 600 Icelanders – in a country of just 346,750 people – including Benediktsson.
Jakobsdóttir is free of scandal and served as education minister for Iceland's first left-leaning government, which took power after the nation's devastating 2008 economic collapse.
"When we are in a situation of having such great distrust in politicians, she's the person you would like to invite to your home and have coffee with," said Egill Helgason, a political commentator for public broadcaster RUV.
Married with three sons, Jakobsdóttir graduated from the University of Icelandand later received a master's degree in Icelandic literature after writing a thesis on the popular crime writer Arnaldur Indriðason.
Surveys suggest she garners most of her support from voters aged between 18-29, in particular women, and that she appeals to an electorate beyond the Left-Green Movement's base.
"I think she would be a strong leader … because she has been a member of the parliament for a long time among corrupt people and still stayed true to herself," said Sólkatla Ólafsdóttir, a 26-year-old supporter of the anti-establishment Pirates party.
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Posted in PoliticsTagged Benediktsson, Denmark, Guoni Johannesson, Iceland, Jakobsdottir, Left-Green, Panama Papers, Social Democrats, The Guardian NewsLeave a comment
Can The People Of Iceland Take Their Country Back From The Political Mafia?
(THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESY OF TIME)
WORLD ICELAND
Everything You Need to Know About Iceland's Pirate Party
Tara John @tarajohn
Giles Clarke—Getty ImagesBirgitta Jonsdottir, activist member of the Icelandic parliament representing the Pirate Party, stands in front of a sculpture at an Icelandic sculpture park on July 9, 2015
Will this insurgent party sail to victory in Oct. 29 elections?
Iceland's Pirate Party is hoping to win the largest share of the vote in the country's Oct. 29 general election, not even four years after the fringe political group formed.
Until this week the esoteric political party had led the polls in Iceland, though the latest opinion poll puts the group a single pointbehind the center-right Independence Party, which is currently a junior member in the country's coalition government.
The Pirate Party's rise against the perceived corruption of Iceland's political elite is the latest— and perhaps most colorful— in a string of anti-establishment insurgencies throughout globe, from the far left to the far right. Here's a bit more about the group:
The Pirate Party formed in 2012, in the wake of the collapse of Iceland's hugely over leveraged banking industry following the 2008 financial crisis. The Party and its motley group of of anarchists, libertarians and internet activists is led by Birgitta Jonsdottir. The 49-year-old former Wikileaks activists, web programmer and "poetician" has been an MP for different parties since 2009, but decided to help start the party, which part of an international anti-copyright movement that originates in Sweden, because "I'm often crossing paths with nerds as I'm such a nerd myself" she told the Financial Times.
Jonsdottir thinks Iceland's population of about 300,000 are sick of corruption and "nepotism." She also likens the country to Sicily and claims it is controlled by a handful of "mafia-style families" and their friends. "That might explain why, when the banks were privatized in 2005, stern laws and promises of professionalism were tossed aside and the banks were handed over to bosses who pleased the 'mafia' families" she writes in the New Internationalist.
This anti-establishment message resonated with some Icelanders and the Pirates gained a seat in parliament in 2013. Support for the movement surged to 43% in an April poll after the Panama Papers revealed that former Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson held investments in offshore accounts— which led to some of the largest protests the country has ever seen.
Gunnlaugsson stepped down as leader, and his replacement called early elections. His party, the Progressives, is now wallowing at 8% in the polls.
An 'aye on power
While slim on policies, the Pirates espouse a set of core values, which include direct democracy, pushing civil rights and more transparency from companies and the creation of informed decisions. The party wants to be the "Robin Hood" of politics by handing power back to Icelanders, and seeks to make the country a haven for hackers and whistle-blowers (including Edward Snowden). It also hopes to make cryptocurrency bitcoin legal tender.
The Pirates have also created a crowd sourced draft of the constitution, which includes provisos to create new rules for governance and to re-nationalize the natural-resource industries of the small country. Like other European populist parties, the Pirates want a referendum on Iceland's relationship with the E.U., but promise to not conduct the nativist, anti-immigrant stance seen in U.K.'s iteration. "We don't want to make the same mistakes that happened in Britain" Jonsdottir told the Washington Post. "You have to make sure that it is an informed campaign. People need to know what [membership] implies."
But forming a stable government could present a challenge for the company of radicals. Jonsdottir has no intention to become prime minister and the party has ruled out working with the current center-right coalition, which includes Gunnlaugsson's Progressive Party. Jonsdottir has conceded in the past that once in power the Pirates might have to temper their idealism.
It currently looks like Saturday's vote may leave Iceland with a center-left coalition of the Pirates and three, or possibly four, other parties. Iceland has historically never had a coalition government consisting of more than two parties survive a full four-year term says the BBC.
If the Pirates do plunder a win, it will be one more example of an outsider turning into the champion of establishment-weary voters.
Posted in crime, govermnent, history, Personal Thoughts/Beliefs, Politics, technology, Truthful articles for your thoughtsTagged Bankers, Banking system, banks, BBC, bitcoin, cryptocurrency, Edward Snowden, elections, EU, government, Iceland, Icelanders, Mafia, Nationalize, Pirate Party, time, voters6 Comments
Russia's President Putin's Aggression In Europe Should Worry Every Russian Citizen
Posted on October 21, 2016 October 21, 2016 by oldpoet56
Putin's aggression in Europe should worry the US
By Richard Shirreff
Updated 10:23 AM ET, Fri October 21, 2016
Russia: The biggest issue for the next US president?
Russia: The biggest issue for the next US president? 00:40
Richard Shirreff: European security is a matter of American security
Putin's aim is clear: to re-establish Russia as one of the world's great powers, he says
Gen. Sir Richard Shirreff is a senior British army officer and former deputy supreme allied commander Europe. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) Since the formation of NATO in 1949 the defense of Europe and the free world has depended on the absolute certainty that whatever president is occupying the White House, the United States will come to the aid of a NATO member if attacked. Any doubt about the American commitment, and the credibility of NATO's doctrine of collective defense, is holed below the waterline.
At a time when the West faces a greater threat from a resurgent Russia since the most dangerous crises of the Cold War, NATO, more than ever, needs to stand strong, united and credible.
Russia's invasion of Crimea and Ukraine in 2014 may have already lit the fuse that could lead to the unthinkable: nuclear war with Russia in Europe.
Consider the words and actions of President Vladimir Putin, who has described the breakup of the Soviet Union as the "greatest geo-strategic tragedy of the 20th century." In his speech on March 18, 2014, the day Crimea was admitted into the Russian Federation, Putin majored on the threat the West posed to Russia by its continued encirclement and warned about the possibility of push back: "If you compress the spring to its limit, it will snap back hard: something you should remember," while claiming the right to protect the interests of Russian speakers everywhere, "even if it will worsen our relations with some states."
Who are Putin's allies?01:40
Overnight, Putin became NATO's strategic adversary, starting a dynamic that could lead to a clash with NATO over the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia (which have significant Russian-speaking minorities).
Two years on and the threat is even greater. Indeed, the ratchet of tension clicks tighter on an almost weekly basis: Even this week we wake up to news of Russia sailing warships near the British coast in "a show of force and a show of capabilities," according to Peter Felstead, editor of Jane's Defence Weekly.
Unprecedented levels of military activity on the borders and in the airspace of the Baltic states, Finland and Sweden have been matched by the rapid buildup of military forces in Russia's Western Military District on the borders of NATO.
For example, in January, Russia announced the formation and deployment of three motor rifle divisions, about 60,000 troops, along the Russian frontier with the Baltic states. And the Russians have kept themselves busy with regular so-called snap exercises to test the readiness of their military, at least one of which was based on a scenario of invasion and occupation of the Baltic states.
Putin's strategic aim is clear: to re-establish Russia's status as one of the world's great powers and to dominate the former republics of the Soviet Union — imperialist intentions that might have been acceptable to great powers in the 19th century but which are an affront in 2016. If the opportunity presents itself, he may well activate long-held plans to march into the Baltic states.
Russian relations with the West at new low 02:29
To paraphrase British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's 1938 comment on Czechoslovakia, why are events in these faraway countries of which we may know little important to Americans?
First, because if Russia puts one soldier across the borders of the Baltic states it means war with NATO.
Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have been members of NATO since 2004 and are therefore protected underArticle 5 of the Washington Treaty, the founding document of NATO, which states that an attack on one is an attack on all. A Russian attack on the Baltic states puts America at war with Russia — meaning nuclear war, because Russia integrates nuclear weapons into every aspect of its military doctrine.
And don't think Russia would limit itself to the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. Any form of nuclear release by the Russians would almost certainly precipitate nuclear retaliation by the United States, and the dreadful reality of mutually assured destruction and the end of life as we know it would follow.
Indeed, Russia is at war with America already. Russian hacking of Democratic Party email servers and, if confirmed, WikiLeaks publicizing of Clinton campaign emails to discredit the Democrats and propel Donald Trump — arguably what Putin would classify as a "useful idiot" into the White House — is classic Maskirovka — deception, aimed at undermining the intelligence and integrity of the enemy in a way that remains below the threshold of conventional warfare. In the words of Dmitri Trenin of the Carnegie Moscow Center, and a man with close connections to the Putin regime, the Kremlin has been at war since 2014.
The Iceland Summit that helped end the Cold War 00:59
But although the clock may be ticking close to midnight, it is not too late. Maintenance of the peace we have enjoyed in Western Europe for nearly 70 years depends on effective deterrence. The bar of risk must be raised too high for Russia to consider any opportunistic move into the Baltic states. This requires forward basing of a credible military capability in the Baltic states and eastern Poland (rather than the token presence agreed at the NATO Warsaw Summit in July).
NATO reserves able to move quickly and effectively to bolster defenses in the Baltics will send a powerful message. It also requires Canada and European members of NATO to recognize that military capabilities lost from cumulative disarmament over the past two decades must be regenerated. This means increasing defense spending, almost certainly above the 2% of gross domestic product agreed — but often not acted upon — by NATO members (less the United States, UK, Estonia and Greece).
2017 is 100th anniversary of the first occasion the United States intervened in one of Europe's wars. The region's security is a matter of American security, and it means continued and close engagement in Europe and a continuation of the strong leadership that America has given NATO from the start.
Posted in govermnent, history, Politics, President Putin, Prime Minister, Russia, Security, U.S.Tagged Baltics, Canada, Cnada, cold war, Democratic, England, Estonia, EU, Europe, Greece, Iceland, KGB, Kremlin, NATO, President, President Putin, republican, Russia, Soviet Unioin, US, war, WarsawLeave a comment


If you run a church, the last thing you might be concerned about is the need for a professional security guard. However, there are more than a few dangerous situations that can arise in a space normally considered safe for all. Consider the following 4 benefits of having a security guard on-site.
When churches side on certain issues, there might be an increased chance of vandalism and other threats. Professional security guards can deter vandalism, especially if they are guarding the parking lot and walking the perimeter of the building. Vandals and other criminals might think twice if they see security protecting a church.
Churches should consider hiring armed guard private protection in Hayward because the guards can stop potential attackers. Whether a violent criminal is looking for an individual or wants to attack the congregation, a security team can be a shield against the violent activity and act as the determining factor between life and death. Several years ago, a gunman walked into a Baptist church and killed a pastor, which is just one of many cases that could have been prevented. Because churches are open for all people, criminals who want to do harm might assume it's a simple task. However, if they see security detail on the premises, they might think twice.
If there's an emergency like an earthquake or a fire during a church service, the church might have not have an orderly way to evacuate the congregation, and there could be a greater risk of injuries or deaths due to people getting trampled in panic. If the church doesn't have an emergency evacuation plan, a Hayward, CA, security agency can help develop one.
In addition to random acts of violence, there are other unexpected situations that can occur on a church's premises, such as a missing child or a medical emergency. A security firm can help assess and manage these risks and develop a plan to increase the church's overall safety.
To learn about additional benefits of hiring professional security for your church, reach out to ADS Guards in Hayward. We offer residential, commercial, and event security in Hayward, and we have been serving the Bay Area for nearly 2 decades. Give us a call today at 1-800-794-1550 to learn more.


text:
SUPPLEMENTS WORLD
H.E. Dr. Ion Jinga, Ambassador of Romania to the Court of St. James's: 135 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Romania and the UK.History and Present
February 19, 2015 358
135 years ago, on 20 February 1880, diplomatic relations at the level of legations led by Plenipotentiary Ministers were established between Romania and the United Kingdom. The same day British, French and German diplomatic representatives in Bucharest handed over to the Romanian minister for foreign affairs Notes of recognition of Romania as an independent state. In his speech on that occasion, King Carol I expressed his joy "to see the establishment of the best relations between Romania and Great Britain, hoping that the friendly connections existing between the two countries will be strongly consolidated in the future".
However, 135 years is too short to understand the depth of the relationship between Romania and the UK. If we go right back into ancient history we find that our two peoples were part of the same single political entity in Europe, the Roman Empire, and there is evidence that when the Romans have built the Hadrian Wall, Dacian troops from modern-day Romania were among the constructors. Tombs of Dacian soldiers and written stones from the Hadrian Wall in Newcastle prove their presence in Britain for several generations. One of these inscriptions in stone, dated AD 219, says: "Under Modius Julius, legate of the emperor with pro-praetorian power, the First Aelian Cohort of Dacians built this, under the command of the tribune Marcus Claudius Menander."
The British Library's collections include books and maps confirming that cultural and economic links between our countries are much older than their diplomatic relations. For instance, commercial privileges were granted to the British merchants in the 16th century, in a document signed by the British ambassador in Constantinople and the ruler of the Principality of Moldova.
Since the time of Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian principalities formed the front line between the West and the East, between the Habsburg, Russian and Ottoman Empires, with Romanian Princes fiercely defending their lands against foreign invaders. As the Ottoman Empire crumbled, Romania acquired a vital strategic importance to British interests in the Bosphorus Straits and the Black Sea, so much so that London sent a vast army to Crimea to halt the Russians' advance into the Danube basin, and in so doing created the conditions for the union of Wallachia and Moldova, two of the three Romanian principalities, and the birth of the modern Romanian State on the 24th January 1859 (Transylvania united with Romania on 1st December 1918).
The 19th Century represents an important moment in the evolution of our bilateral relations. In January 1803 the UK established in Bucharest its first official Diplomatic Mission, the British Consulate in Wallachia, and in March 1814 a second British Consulate was created in Moldova. Romania and the United Kingdom signed the first modern bilateral Treaty of Trade and Navigation in 1880 and at the beginning of their diplomatic relations the two countries were also closely linked through their Royal families, Queen Maria of Romania being British by birth and grand daughter of Queen Victoria. At the start of the First World War Queen Maria strongly advocated entering the war on the British camp and 800,000 Romanian soldiers fought on the Entente side, with more than 335,000 of them making the ultimate sacrifice – 6% of all military deaths in WW I.
Between the two World Wars, Romanian diplomat Nicolae Titulescu and one of the brightest European minds of his time, twice elected President of the League of Nations, was our ambassador to the Court of St. James's. The bilateral relations were so close that Romania was offered the privilege to acquire one of the most beautiful and prestigious venues in London to serve as residence for its ambassadors, 1 Belgrave Square, where in 1939 Romanian Foreign Minister Grigore Gafencu met First Lord of Admiralty Winston Churchill. A picture of the meeting, which I found in a private collection 70 years later, is on my desk and in 2009 I had the privilege to welcome Lady Mary Soames, Sir Winston's daughter, to the same room in 1 Belgrave Square.
During the Second World War our traditional alliance was challenged because on 22 June 1941 Romania entered the war against the Soviet Union in order to retake the Romanian provinces Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, occupied by Stalin in 1940. Romania and Britain ended the WW II as allies once again, but for the next 42 years cooperation was shadowed by ideological differences. Still, even during the Cold War we pursued cultural exchanges, undercutting policy differences to reach our common heritage, traditions and the common humanity our people share.
Today we are part of a unified Europe once again, our alliance is fully restored and the Strategic Partnership established in 2003 is closer than ever. The UK has strongly supported Romania's accession to NATO and to the EU and has been very much part of our success. The development of bilateral relations is mirrored by the quality of cooperation and diversity of common interests. If in ancient times Dacians built the Hadrian Wall, in 2012 their Romanian descendants were among the constructors of the Olympic Village in London. 7,000 Romanian students fill the classrooms of British universities, 4,000 Romanian doctors and nurses work in the NHS and thousands of Romanians are among those who make the City of London the centre of the international financial and commercial diplomacy. More than 3,000 Britons live in Romania and contribute to its vibrant economic and cultural life.
Last Christmas we marked another anniversary: 25 years since the end of Communism in Romania. This remarkable event transformed our relationship. After decades living under a repressive and destructive regime, Romanians asserted their true values of democracy and respect for human rights, and claimed back their place in Europe.
Romania is today an enormous asset to the EU and to NATO, and therefore to the UK. Now as in medieval times, Romania is a Western country with an Eastern aspect, a partner that offers the EU a gateway to the Black Sea and a security provider in the region. Romania is also the place of a priceless natural treasure and a paradise of ancient architecture, and I can only express gratitude and admiration to HRH The Prince of Wales for his passionate commitment in preserving, for the generations to come, of the nature, traditions and fabulous heritage of my country.
Romania and the UK sit at opposite ends of the continent but our perspectives are startlingly similar. We share a common vision of a more open Europe fit to compete in the global world of the future, and we work together to achieve security and countering terrorism. There is much we can do together to make our vision of Europe a reality and I believe this is the legacy of 135 years of bilateral diplomatic relations.
000 Britons live in Romania135 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Romania and the UK.History and PresentAmbassador of Romania to the Court of St. James'sH.E. Dr. Ion JingaMore than 3Romania and the United KingdomThe UK has strongly supported Romania's accession to NATO and to the EU
H.E. Paul Brummell, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Bucharest: Britain and Romania, a partnership between friends
H.E. Mr. Bogdan Aurescu, Romania's Minister of Foreign Affairs: It is no exaggeration to state that Romanian-UK relations stand today at their highest
France's National Front picks Marine Le Pen as new head
Test January 17, 2011
Small blast at Davos forum hotel, no one hurt
More than 120 objects sighted in search for Flight 370
Nine O' Clock March 26, 2014

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home / Media Room / Archive / Who you gonna call? SFU prof studies ghost, UFO and Sasquatch hunters
METRO ILLUSTRATION
by Wanyee Li, Metro News
Who you gonna call? SFU prof studies ghost, UFO and Sasquatch hunters
There are at least seven ghost investigator groups that offer ghost-related services in the Lower Mainland, according to researcher Paul Kingsbury.
Do you want to believe? A SFU researcher is diving into the world of ghost, alien, and Sasquatch enthusiasts in an effort to understand what drives them to search for something many people don't even believe in.
There are dozens of ghost investigators in the Lower Mainland and thousands of people attend UFO conferences and Sasquatch expeditions in the United States every year, according to SFU professor Paul Kingsbury.
Fascination with paranormal activity, including zombies, vampires, and ghosts has even spread to mainstream TV shows.
But some people go a step further and try to solve the mystery – do ghosts exist? That quest is what brings some paranormal believers together said Kingsbury, a cultural geographer.
"It's the perfect object of desire because it's always out of reach," he said.
"It's a fuzzy sound recording, it's never finally trapped, it's never finally caught up with so what you have here is the perfect device or object to incite desire – to keep people interested."
Kingsbury and a group of SFU researchers are halfway through a four-year study on why some people are attracted to cataloguing evidence of UFOs, tracking Sasquatches or communicating with the dead.
SFU geography professor Paul Kingsbury poses at the Vancouver Police Museum Morgue prior to a ghost investigation.
He has attended two UFO conferences, one Sasquatch meeting, and several ghost investigations. Most people at these events are thrown into that world after experiencing what they think is a paranormal experience, he said.
"People get involved in paranormal investigations because they themselves have had a paranormal experience and are interested in knowing more and finding out what they experienced and being with like-minded people."
While cynical non-believers may think ghost investigators – people who look for evidence of ghosts – are out to scam grieving family members, Kingsbury says most investigators don't charge much for their services.
"They are all very passionate. They are driven to do these things. They don't charge for their services, the ghost investigators."
There are at least seven ghost investigator groups in the Lower Mainland, each with up to 10 members who offer ghost-related services, he said.
Meanwhile, UFO conferences function much like academic conferences, with keynote speakers, banquets, workshops, and Q & A sessions, he said.
"It's almost a parallel universe to the academic world."
And like any healthy academic community, there is also diversity and conflict within these groups.
The science-driven folk at UFO conferences often butt heads with alien-abductees, said Kingsbury. And some ghost investigators rely on electromagnetic frequencies while others claim to have a direct line of communication with the dead.
Kingsbury is scheduled to present his preliminary findings at a talk at SFU's Surrey campus Wednesday.
Admission is free and more than 100 people have already RSVP'd to the event, he said.
When asked the all-important question of whether ghosts, UFOs, or Sasquatch are real, Kingsbury said he is more interested in the culture surrounding paranormal activity.
"Geography is more than cold hard fact," he said.
"It is also concerned with social experiences and cultural narrative, so I thought it was important as a geographer to speak to people who are actually engaged very personally and passionately with these paranormal themes."
This article was published originally on Metro News on March 14, 2017.
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WSBK mid-March status
15. March 2021Written by MotoracerZippy
Jonathan Rea on a Kawasaki motocross machine near Barcelona, where the Northern Irishman is busy doing his laps. With his long-term competitor Chaz Davies, however, nothing came of the tests planned in Misano from March 15 (© WorldSBK).
Rea with motocross training & Davies in quarantine
In Misano, a private test with all Ducati Superbike teams, as well as the two Yamaha teams and Puccetti Kawasaki, is currently taking place in unfavorable conditions. Chaz Davies, on the other hand, is out for a short time due to a positive Covid-19 test. Meanwhile, Jonathan Rea is practicing with a motocross Kawasaki, as the pictures in this article prove. The reigning world champion is the only WSBK driver who can claim to have already done around 90 percent of the test work. At BMW, Ducati and Yamaha, however, there is a lot of catching up to do in this regard.
Jonathan Rea began his two-wheeler career in motocross, which has often benefited him on the circuit. The 6-time world champion proved this in front of our eyes on February 29, 2020 in Australia. Knocked off the track by Tom Sykes in race 1, hit the grass and made it back onto the track without falling (© WorldSBK).
The Misano test – in adverse conditions
After BMW and Ducati were absent from the official tests in Jerez in mid-November 2020, bad luck is obviously on their heels this year. In addition to the retirement of Chaz Davies at GoEleven Ducati, the test organized by the Reds takes place in horrific conditions. Puccetti Kawasaki and Yamaha also took the opportunity to participate, and we will report on it in due course. The temperatures between 11 and 13 degrees Celsius, which are currently hip in Misano, remind us unpleasantly of our stays in Aragon and Assen in 2019.
Chaz Davies Photographed by us at the Aruba.it Ducati in Motorland Aragon in 2019 before the start. At that time, the situation was similar to the current situation in the Misano tests, which the Welshman is now missing after a positive Corid-19 test.
The main problem child: BMW
With the new BMW M-1000 RR in particular, there have not yet been any indications as to when Tom Sykes, Michael van der Mark, Eugene Laverty and Jonas Folger will be able to use it on a racetrack for the first time. After all, Ducati and Yamaha are grabbing another chance to practice. For two days, on March 15th and 16th, things will get down to business for them in Misano, before everything will probably continue for everyone in Barcelona from the end of the month. Exactly for this reason, the 6-time world champion is already on site. Whether BMW will then be able to prepare for just under two months until the start of the season, if they will appear in Barcelona at all, is doubted in many places. Last year, unlike Honda with the brand new CBR-1000RR-R, they were the big disappointment for many.
Jonathan Rea on the Motocross Kawasaki in Rocco's Camp near Barcelona. Perhaps this picture of his soaring has symbolic character as far as the coming season is concerned. At least one can hardly prepare more seriously than the Northern Irishman and his team at the moment (© WorldSBK).
WorldSBK provisional calendar for 2021
Since in some countries everything is already indicating that major events such as festivals will not have a chance in the second Corona year, there could also be various cancellations in Europe. The overseas races currently planned in Argentina and Indonesia are likely to have a hard time anyway. There are currently countless quarantine regulations within Europe. Those who are vaccinated can still be virus carriers and the much-sung "return to normality" was already described by well-known experts in summer 2020 as an impossible dream. That is why the realists and paddock members hope for a feasible European season with as many rounds as possible and not just eight like last year.
The next WorldSBK test with probably all participants is the Barcelona test from March 31 to April 1, 2021. For this reason, Johnny Rea is already on site.
WSBK Misano test day 1


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