Monthly Archives: June 2021

At what age are chess players at their peak? – chess24

Posted: June 28, 2021 at 9:53 pm

One of the most famous examples of longevity in top-level chess is Vassily Smyslov reaching the Final of the Candidates Matches against Garry Kasparov in 1984. Smyslov turned 63 during the match, while Kasparov celebrated his 21st birthday on the last day of the confrontation three to one age odds!

Nowadays, when you're not a Grandmaster at 14, you can forget about it.

Viswanathan Anand

If you like following live top chess events, such as the Champions Chess Tour, or other high-profile tournaments, you have probably noticed that the commentators often mention how old the competitors are. They draw parallels between the players' ages and FIDE ratings and make some conclusions on the participants' prospects. Professional chess is a tough race: you have to stand out from the crowd as early as possible to make it into the elite circuit of regulars who frequent all the most prestigious events in the world.

Having access to modern technology, especially the top engines that are getting closer and closer to playing perfect chess, allows kids to progress more quickly than ever. Currently, the record for being the youngest Grandmaster is held by ex-challenger Sergey Karjakin, who obtained the highest chess title at the age of 12 years and 7 months. When the feat was achieved back in 2003, it seemed like it would hold forever. Now we can't be so sure. In May 2021, 12-year old American chess prodigy IM Abhimanyu Mishra earned his second GM norm. He's already crossed 2500 and now needs just one more GM norm to break Karjakin's record he could even do it within days, as he started with 2/2 in his latest tournament.

That being said, the older generation is not giving up just yet. Of course, nowadays it is not possible to be a World Chess Champion at age 58, like was the case with Wilhelm Steinitz. Nevertheless, in 2012 the chess crown was at stake in the World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand (42) and Boris Gelfand (43). Moreover, 44-year old Anand won the Candidates Tournament in 2014. Such motivational stories prove that certain unique people are capable of performing brilliantly at age 40+. Still, if we look at the current Top 10 of the FIDE list in classical chess, all the players there are either in their 20s or 30s. The youngest is Anish Giri (26), while the oldest is Levon Aronian (38).

What age are you supposed to reach your peak in chess? The answer to this question depends on such personal qualities as physical and mental health, motivation, tournament experience, and numerous other factors. Many chess experts believe that most top chess players peak somewhere around age 35-40. For instance, this figure is given by GM and Doctor of Science in Psychology, Nikolai Krogius.

As usual, a lot depends on the definitions. If we mean relative strength, e.g. becoming the World Chess Champion, then quite a few people have achieved this feat in their 20s. Some of the names that come to mind are Garry Kasparov (22), Magnus Carlsen (22), Mikhail Tal (24), Anatoly Karpov (24), Vladimir Kramnik (25). However, in terms of absolute playing strength, all of them kept improving their play even after winning the World Chess Championship. Notably, Mikhail Tal, the youngest ex-WCC in the history of the game, used to say that he would have crushed "Misha Tal-1960" had he played the young version of himself at a later stage. In other words, he was getting better as a chess player, but the competition was progressing at an even faster rate.

In case you are interested, here are the ages at which some of the Classical World Chess Champions reached their rating peaks (let's leave rating inflation out of the discussion, since this topic tends to cause holy wars):

FIDE World Chess Champions:

As you can see, with a few exceptions, some of which will be explained below, pretty much all the World Chess Champions peaked rating-wise somewhere between 34 and 43.

Please note that Mikhail Botvinnik, Vassily Smyslov, and Tigran Petrosian were probably past their primes when the Elo system was introduced. Also, we don't know what heights Bobby Fischer could have reached had he not quit chess at a young age. And Magnus Carlsen is an active player who has all the chances to improve on his personal best in the future. The easiest way to track his progress (or decline!) is to take on the reigning World Chess Champion in thePlay Magnus app, where you can play against his AI clone at any age you like.

It is common for professional players to retire somewhat prematurely due to burnout, loss of motivation, financial problems, failure to progress, and other similar reasons. For amateur and semi-pro players, age is less important because most of them have by far not exhausted their potential for improvement. Hence, if you are a bit older than 35 and haven't played chess professionally since early childhood, your age should not worry you too much chess-wise. For example, compared to pros, amateurs usually build up experience much more slowly since they don't play as many games per year. Consequently, it is not unheard of for some people to take chess seriously and improve their personal bests even in their late 40s and 50s.

Last but not least, you can let go of the Elo trap at any age and enjoy playing chess! It is such a great game, after all, so good luck and have fun!

Are you interested in learning more about the World Chess Champions mentioned in the article? Download Magnus Trainer, where you will find interactive lessons about all the World Chess Champions and their challengers, allowing you to see whether you can play as well as them or even improve on their game!

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The Observer view on the right to free expression – The Guardian

Posted: at 9:53 pm

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of democracy, which cannot flourish unless citizens can articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship or sanction. So it should concern anyone who claims to be a democrat that there is growing evidence that women who have expressed a set of feminist beliefs that have come to be known as gender-critical have, in some cases, faced significant professional penalties as a result.

Gender-critical beliefs refer to the view that someones sex whether they are male or female is biological and immutable and cannot be conflated with someones gender identity, whether they identify as a man or a woman. The belief that the patriarchal oppression of women is grounded partly in their biological sex, not just the social expression of gender, and that women therefore have the right to certain single-sex spaces and to organise on the basis of biological sex if they so wish, represents a long-standing strand of feminist thinking. Other feminists disagree, believing that gender identity supersedes biological sex altogether.

Both are legitimate perspectives that deserve to be heard in a democratic society. Both can be expressed without resulting in the abuse, harassment and discrimination of trans people or women. Being able to talk about these alternative perspectives goes to the heart of resolving important questions about how we structure society. They include: whether it is right that the law permits the provision of single-sex spaces and services; whether official government data, such as the census, should record a persons biological sex as well as gender identity; whether women have the right to request that intimate medical examinations or searches are undertaken by someone who is female; what are the appropriate safeguards in the medical treatment of children with gender dysphoria; and whether it is legitimate to exclude those who have been through male puberty from competing in womens sport.

As a society, we need to resolve the question of how to protect the privacy, dignity and rights of trans women while also respecting the privacy, dignity and rights of those born female.

Yet there have been clear and significant attempts to interfere with womens freedom to express gender-critical beliefs. Maya Forstater lost paid work as a result of colleagues complaining about the gender-critical beliefs that she had expressed on social media. The academics Rosa Freedman and Jo Phoenix were disinvited from speaking at Essex University events because of their gender-critical beliefs and were subjected to violent threats from students, with serious wider professional consequences.

Two weeks ago, the Royal Academy announced in a social media post to half-a-million followers that it would no longer be stocking the artist Jess de Wahlss work because of her transphobic views, based on a gender-critical blogpost she wrote in 2019.

These are just a few examples but there have been many more of women being harassed, punished, censured and even physically assaulted for their gender-critical views. Meanwhile, the chief executive of Stonewall has likened gender-critical beliefs to antisemitism. The chilling result is the frightening of women into silence because they fear the consequences of expressing their feminist beliefs.

In recent weeks, there has been an overdue correction in the public realm, reinforcing the fact that both sets of beliefs gender-critical and sex-critical are legitimate perspectives that do not permit people to harass or abuse others or engage in hate speech and cannot be silenced. In the case of Forstater, an employment tribunal has found that her gender-critical beliefs are widely shared, do not seek to destroy the rights of trans persons and have the status of a protected belief under equalities law. The barrister Akua Reindorf undertook an independent review for Essex University and found its treatment of Phoenix and Freedman was unlawful and that the universitys policies misstated equalities law to the detriment of women. And the Royal Academy has issued an apology to de Wahls, conceding that it had betrayed its most important core value: the protection of free speech.

For centuries, patriarchal societies have tried to limit the free expression of women. For centuries, women have fought back against attempts to curb their fundamental human rights. It should not need stating that gender-critical feminists have the same free-speech rights as all other citizens. In a democracy, there is no debate to be had about womens freedom of speech.

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Better the Devil We Know: Supreme Court Rulings on Free Speech and Labor Put Justice Stephen Breyer in the Spotlight – Vanity Fair

Posted: at 9:53 pm

Only the nerdiest of nerds are familiar with the Supreme Courts customs and traditions, and if theres anyone who may be inclined to treat these things as if they were holy sacraments, it is Justice Stephen Breyer. Among those rituals is the issuance of decisions by seniority, and as a result, Breyer, in back-to-back rulings on Wednesday, had starring turns as the senior-most member of the Supreme Courts liberal bloc, to make a statement about what the law is, or should be, for people it tends to treat with a measure of suspicion: students and workers without labor protections.

Broadly speaking, Breyer, in one case, stood up for the First Amendment right of students to express unpopular views when theyre not at school. In the other, he stood up for a California regulation that, for more than 40 years, has granted farmworkers one means to organize in the absence of federal protections that leaves them vulnerable to abuse.

Neither case, Mahanoy Area School District v. B. L. or Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, will likely be remembered as landmarks that will stand the test of time. When I virtually attended the oral argument for both cases, in March and April, that much was clearboth cases felt important, if only because each rested on history, and historic struggles, that this Supreme Court could decide to upend. Neither received the breathlessness of, say, the justices third bite at the Affordable Care Act. Or the future of gay rights in the face of an ascendant conservative, religious majority. In each of those cases, decided last week, the Supreme Court got away with limited rulings that had the virtue of deciding as little as possible, with as much consensus as possible, to feed the perception, at least outwardly, that everything is fine with the nine. Washington may be broken, but they arent. And Breyer, who has received a barrage of calls to retire to ensure President Joe Biden can make a Supreme Court appointment, may have wanted to keep things that way.

Yet if you read a little more closely, both Mahanoy and Cedar Point Nursery do break new ground in constitutional law that will remain with usone for the better, because students, after Wednesday, will have a little more freedom to be themselves on social mediaat least when theyre beyond the schoolhouse gate; the other for the worse, because if theres one group of people who deserve the laws auspices, it is the largely migrant workforce, essential since the pandemic began, that puts food on our tables.

Chief Justice John Roberts was in the majority in both cases, and he may have decided to assign Mahanoy to Breyer because Breyer is the kind of judge who enjoys the work of judgingbalancing tests, cost-benefit analyses, things other than bright-line rules and strict constructionism. Law is hard, and Mahanoy, which asked the Supreme Court to determine whether the First Amendment protects the speech of a cheerleader who expressed a few choice words about cheer on Snapchat, seemed well-suited for a pragmatist, Breyer-like solution. Best of all, he didnt self-censor, as his colleagues or lawyers are sometimes wont to do when F-bombs are implicated: The first image B. L. posted showed B. L. and a friend with middle fingers raised; it bore the caption: Fuck school fuck softball fuck cheer fuck everything, he wrote, referring to Brandi Levy, the student, by her initials.

That language got her suspended from the junior-varsity cheerleading squad. And near unanimously, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that punishing this sort of speech violated her right to self-expression off school premises. But Breyer, writing for the court, pretty much stopped there. Given the many different kinds of off-campus speech, the different potential school-related and circumstance-specific justifications, and the differing extent to which those justifications may call for First Amendment leeway, Breyer wrote, schools simply have a diminished interest, under the First Amendment, in controlling how students behave or express themselves on, say, TikTok or Instagram.

The Supreme Court left it for future cases to decide where, when, and how different circumstances may call for a different outcome. These include serious or severe bullying or harassment targeting particular individuals; threats aimed at teachers or other students; the failure to follow rules concerning lessons, the writing of papers, the use of computers, or participation in other online school activities; and breaches of school security devices, including material maintained within school computers, Breyer added. The lone dissenter was Justice Clarence Thomas, who did self-censor and criticized Breyers vague considerationshe wouldve simply allowed the school to punish the student for her off-campus profanity, consistent with the 150 years of history supporting the coach. (One scholar of these kinds of cases has already branded the ruling painfully narrow.)

If Mahanoy, on the surface, seems like an exercise in unity and splitting hairs, Cedar Point Nursery, the other big case the Supreme Court decided on Wednesday, is breathtaking in its reach, bringing us back to the usual, conservative-liberal divisions of the new, 63 Roberts court. Implicitly, the case is about another freedom the First Amendment protects: the right of workers to organize for better wages and working conditions under a states labor laws. Except the Supreme Court looks a lot different since Donald Trump, who was no friend to labor, transformed it, and the case arrived at its doorstep, instead, as a case about property rights: Does a California law that allows labor organizers to briefly enter farmland, during nonwork hours, a few months a year, to engage in union-organizing activities violate the Constitutions prohibition against the government taking property without just compensation?

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The Path to Recovery in the Caribbean – PRNewswire – PRNewswire

Posted: at 9:52 pm

NEW YORK, June 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Join us for a forward-looking discussion into the Caribbean's recovery and the region's economic outlook post-Covid-19. This forum features a panel of high-profile government officials and investors on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 starting at 11:00 AM EDT.

Panel 1 - "The Path to Recovery in the Caribbean" will focus on the region's economic future, highlighting investment opportunities, how the region is addressing climate change and renewable energy, as well as the revival of the tourism industry.

Moderated by: Shery Ahn, Senior Anchor for Bloomberg TV

Panel 2 - "The Path to Recovery in the Caribbean: the investors view"will gather leaders in the asset management and research industry to discuss the road to recovery of the region, as part of their emerging markets strategy.

Moderated by: Juan Pablo Spinetto, Managing Editor for Economics & Government in Latin America, Bloomberg L.P.

This discussion is one of Bloomberg's Emerging + Frontier Forum series held by the Bloomberg Professional Service team.

Media RSVPs are required and can be made bycontacting: Pam Snook - [emailprotected] Burson Cohn & Wolfe for Bloomberg [emailprotected]

About Bloomberg Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company's strength delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately is at the core of the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg's enterprise solutions build on the company's core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively. For more information, visitBloomberg.com/companyorrequest a demo.

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6 Caribbean-founded LGBTQIA+ organizations you need to follow and support – Yahoo Sports

Posted: at 9:52 pm

In The Know is proud to celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month. During this month, our team will highlight a wide range of Caribbean and Caribbean American-owned brands. We encourage you to support today and beyond.

In The Know is proud to celebrate Pride Month. During this month, our team will highlight a wide range of LGBTQIA+ owned brands. We encourage you to support today and always.

The month of June marks two celebratory occasions for two largely underrepresented groups: theres Caribbean American Heritage Month and Pride Month. While both initiatives are often celebrated separately, many fail to acknowledge that they actually intersect, with many people sharing both the queer and Caribbean experience.

Its no secret that the Caribbeans queer population is often ignored and overlooked. In fact, the Caribbean is historically known for touting anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric.

Several musicians and political leaders have boldly declared that same-gender love is illegal in their respective islands. From Barbados to Jamaica, at least nine Caribbean nations have been recorded to have criminalized homosexuality, specifically, for example.

Some progress is slowly being made, however, with Trinidad & Tobago decriminalizing consensual gay sex in 2018. Prior to this decision, this was punishable with up to 25 years in prison, according to New Now Next. Since then, several Caribbean public figures have publicly voiced their support for the Caribbeans underappreciated LGBTQIA+ community and, hence, more organizations have pushed forward to provide more support and resources to these communities that many of them consider home.

With this in mind, weve compiled a list of six LGBTQIA+ organizations that you should follow to both support and uplift the queer population across the Caribbean now and beyond:

Mohamed Q. Amin, a Guyanese pioneering Indo-Caribbean queer and Muslim human rights activist, founded The Caribbean Equality Project (CEP) in 2015 in response to anti-LGBTQIA+ hate in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York.

Story continues

CEP is a community-based organization that, according to the non-profit, empowers, advocates for, and represents Black and Brown, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming and queer Caribbean immigrants in New York City. The organization [fulfills] its mission through public education, community organizing, civic engagement, storytelling and cultural and social programming.

Learn more at CaribbeanEqualityProject.org

While Pride Month has been a widespread celebration of love and freedom in the United States and Europe for decades, its only recently become a widely celebrated event in a few Caribbean countries in recent years.

Twin islands Trinidad & Tobago, for example, celebrated its first Pride in 2018 after years of independent Pride events, thanks to the hard work of one determined committee called Pride Trinidad & Tobago. The then-newly-formed organization hosted its very first Pride parade in July 2018 and, that following year officially became a non-profit organization dedicated to the mission of bringing communities together to celebrate the lives of LGBT Trinbagonians.

Follow @Pride.TT on Instagram

Contrary to popular belief, Pride celebrations in Jamaica have been taking place as far back as 2006. However, in 2015, the first visible and public Jamaica Pride celebrations were held during the countrys Emancipendence week. Since then, the Jamaican LGBTQIA+ movement has heavily centered around the citizenship and humanity of queer people in the Caribbean country.

Today, J-FLAG, Jamaicas human rights and social justice organization, holds even more weight than it did when it initially launched in 1998. The organization advocates for the rights, livelihood and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Jamaica and aims to build a society that respects and protects the rights of everyone.

Learn more at EqualityJamaica.org

St. Lucias small LGBTQIA+ advocacy group, 758Pride, was created in 2018 and hosted a series of public advocacy and community-building events that aim to end the stigmatization of queer people on the small Caribbean island.

Through this work and movement, St. Lucias LGBTQIA+ community is led to feeling more empowered and appreciated for its diversity and not in spite of it. In 2019, the 758Pride committee launched its first-ever official LGBTQIA+ Pride celebration.

Follow @758Pride on Instagram

SASOD Guyana was founded in June 2003 and has made quite a mark since its inception. The local organization has won awards for leading change as well as education and serving communities to end discrimination based on sexuality and gender identity in Guyana and the wider Caribbean.

This vocal non-profit challenges injustices and engages the State to change laws and policies that discriminate against LGBTQIA+ people and further holds the state accountable for its human rights obligations to queer people. According to Caribbean Prides, SASOD Guyana functions on three programs, which it calls the 3H agenda: human rights, homophobia(s) education and human services programs.

Follow @SASODGuyana on Instagram

Pride Barbados is a largely celebrated collaborative initiative that consists of a committee made up of LGBTQIA+ civil society leaders and event coordinators. The organization also made an acronym for Pride: People Respecting Individuality, Diversity & Equality.

Pride Barbados focuses on providing diverse spaces and events throughout June so that the multidimensional LGBTQIA+ persons in Barbados could participate. According to the organization, intersectionality lies at its core, further propelling its aim to continue creating space for the most vulnerable members of our community.

Follow Pride Barbados on Instagram

If you enjoyed this story, check out these 10 Caribbean-founded Instagram food accounts you need to follow.

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Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Boeing, Intellia Therapeutics, Royal Caribbean and more – CNBC

Posted: at 9:52 pm

Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading.

Intellia Therapeutics Intellia shares surged 50% after the company announced positive results from a phase one study, along with partner Regeneron, of a gene-editing treatment. The treatment is the first time gene-editing technique CRISPR has been delivered systemically as a medicine to the human body. Other companies involved with CRISPR also saw their shares rally, with CRISPR Therapeutics' stock soaring 6.4% andEditas Medicine's stock jumping 5%.

Boeing Shares fell 3.4% after the Federal Aviation Administration said in a letter to the aircraft maker that its 777X long-range aircraft likely won't beapproved to fly until mid- to late-2023at the earliest. The FAA's letter to Boeing, which was obtained by CNBC, said there were numerous technical issues that needed to be resolved.

Cruise stocks Cruises may be back, but cruise line stocks are falling after two teenage guests on one of Royal Caribbean's ships tested positive for Covid-19.Royal Caribbeantraded 6.4% lower Monday, whileCarnival fell 7% andNorwegian Cruisedropped 6%.

Oil stocks Oil names fell as West Texas Intermediatecrude oil futures dipped Monday after gaining more than 10% in June. Occidental Petroleum erased 5%, Marathon Oil dropped 4.8%, Devon Energy shed 4.5% and Chevron fell 3% lower.

Tesla Shares gained 2.5% after Wedbush said the company faces a "moment of truth" following an autopilot software recall in China. The firm maintained its outperform rating on the electric vehicle maker despite the negative headlines.

Nvidia The semiconductor maker saw its equity jump 5% after it received support for its planned $40 billion takeover of U.K.-based chip designer Arm, according to a report in the Sunday Times of London. The public display of support comes from Broadcom, Marvell and MediaTek, all of which are customers of Arm.

NRG Energy The utility stock jumped more than 6% after Goldman Sachs added NRG Energy to its conviction list. The firm said in a note to clients that NRG's strong cash flow profile could enable the company to buy back nearly a quarter of its shares.

Perion Network Shares jumped 17% after the Israel-based ad-tech company reported better-than-expected preliminary second-quarter results. The company reported preliminary second-quarter revenue of $105 million, compared with analysts' projection of $95.9 million, according to FactSet.

Bed Bath & Beyond The retailer's stock traded more than 5.9% higher after CFRA Research upgraded it to a buy rating from hold. CFRA said it's maintaining a $40 price target, implying almost 40% upside.

CNBC's Jesse Pound, Tom Franck and Tanaya Macheel contributed reporting

Become a smarter investor withCNBC Pro.Get stock picks, analyst calls, exclusive interviews and access to CNBC TV.Sign up to start afree trial today

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At Third Horizon Film Festival, Caribbean Films Reflect on Layered Pasts, Presents, and Futures – Hyperallergic

Posted: at 9:52 pm

MIAMI There is a certain beauty to the portraiture of cinema, in being able to showcase the stories of individuals and places that arent often highlighted. For years now, Third Horizon Film Festival has offered these unique glimpses into communities across the Caribbean and their diaspora, through intimate and flat out fun social gatherings. This year, things look a little different, with a primarily virtual event for their fifth edition. As their mission statement notes, the decision was made in consideration of the precarious public health scenario across the Caribbean as well as in communities of color in the US, so overlooked in the recent tangle of pronouncements and new guidelines.

But the move from a public space to a digital realm is a welcome one, with the 2021 lineup of films becoming largely accessible to audiences all around the world (with a few exceptions geo-blocked to the US or Florida). This extends their reach beyond limited screenings within South Florida, providing anyone with a chance to experience the festivals offerings.

This years Third Horizons line-up offers yet another rewarding mix of features and short film programs; a beautiful collection of documents that showcase a variety of individuals reflecting on their past, present, and future. This is most evident in Sofa Gallis Murientes Celaje (Cloudscapes), one of the most experimental and intriguing of the bunch. By opening with a visual metaphor of rocks being worn down into soil and then cementing back into rock, the documentary smartly establishes itself as a piece about how our histories are cyclical.

Murientes film feels inspired by those of Chantal Akerman and has such a clear sense of mood; its visuals and music come together to create a haunting and sentimental piece of filmmaking. Celaje is as much about her grandmothers memories and reality as it is about Puerto Ricos history. The film, like the island itself, evolves constantly, circling its core themes: life and death, like beauty and disaster, are inextricably linked.

She-Paradise, Maya Coziers feature, is a simple and traditional film but no less interesting. This coming-of-age story is an intimately shot film. The way the camera gazes on bodies constantly in motion is both respectful and engaging, particularly in situations that many might perceive as overly sexual and demeaning. There is such an energy to the way lead actor Onessa Nestor embodies this young womans journey towards self-actualization, and whatever highs and lows may accompany it. Its a film that understands the language, spoken and unspoken, that exists between Black women in spaces of their own creation as well as in those where men seek to control them.

Just as rewarding as the features are some of the short films within Third Horizons line-up. Take Helen Peas When Angels Speak of Love, a portrait of Sheshebazzar Bayne, a Miami woman grieving the loss of her sister while also preparing for a new life. Its lovely to watch how Pea mixes in down-to-earth slices of life with flashes of heightened aesthetic, from discussions with her mother to the depiction of her as a mermaid.

By contrast, Cai Thomass Queenie is starkly realistic in how it explores the life of a 73-year-young Black lesbian seeking to apply for NYCs first LGBTQ elder affordable housing development. Disguised as a portrait, the short is a subtle but scathing indictment of housing inequality, and how even the most inclusive efforts still manage to exclude the elderly and individuals with disabilities.

History, sexuality, and spirituality all come together in the best short of the festival: Vashni Korins You Cant Stop Spirit. Centered around the Baby Doll Mardi Gras masking tradition, the short highlights a group of Black women as they dive into the traditions they hold dear. Beyond its compelling showcase of gorgeous outfits, umbrellas, and dances, the film is thoroughly moving in the way it allows these women to tell their stories. There is so much beauty in the rituals they practice, in the way theyve built their own community, and in the way they embrace their identities while acknowledging the rich histories that came before them. Its precisely this layered approach present in so many of the films this year that makes Third Horizon and their programming so necessary.

The 2021 Third Horizon Film Festival continues online and at various venues in Miami, Florida through July 1.

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Commercial Aviation in Caribbean Still Has Its Hurdles – Aviation International News

Posted: at 9:52 pm

For a region highly dependent upon tourism as the Caribbean, air connectivity between islands can still be very difficult, according to Trevor Sandler, CEO of Turks & Caicos-based InterCaribbean Airways. Speaking earlier this month at the 5th annual Caribavia Conference, Sandler noted that a trip on a legacy airline from Turks & Caicos to St. Maarten, such as he took to reach the conference, involved flying from Providenciales to Miami, and then on to Charlotte, in order to reach to St. Maarten. While airlines such as Jet Blue, Frontier, and Air Belgium have begunexpanding their service into the region, small regional carriers such as InterCaribbean and Winnair are working to bridge those gaps and eliminate the need for U.S. connections through interline agreements with major airlines. Sandler noted that when the airline began nearly three decades ago, it carried mainly Caribbean residents, but now given his companys exposure worldwide, tourists from as far away as Australia can account for half the passengers on a given flight.

Another hurdle faced by the region is in the patchwork of regulations and taxes imposed by the various island governments. A short connecting flight from the Dominican Republic to Jamaica via Turks and Caicos can add nearly $300 to the price of the trip in taxes and tariffs alone, aside from the cost of the ticket. Sandler noted that the distance of that trip was comparable to a flight from Miami to Orlando, which would result in approximately one-tenth of the tax add-ons. How do we develop greater airlift? asked Sandler. You make it affordable;but what is affordable if the customer sees only the bottom line of the price on the ticket? Those increases over the base ticket price have served to inhibit the growth of interisland air travel in a region that is overwhelmingly reliant on leisure travel, as the Covid pandemic starkly underlined. He noted that discussions over reducingdeparture taxes across the region have gone on for years, ebbing and flowing with the change of local governments. However,only a few countries including St. Vincent have followed through with meaningful reductions. Sandler is currently attempting to negotiate what he describes as stop-over fares with several countries to share the taxation between them on a multi-island itinerary and encourage interisland trips without having to pass along onerous taxes to the passengers. Meanwhile, having certain countries agree to no visa in transit policies allows for increased routing through connecting flights.

Sandler also addressed the economics of aircraft operations in the Caribbean. With a few exceptions, we dont have populations of millions across most of these islands, so it is that your available base of potential travelers is quite small, so the aircraft you operate across the region simply has to be able to meet the particular demand, he said. With that in mind, InterCaribbean flies a mixed fleet of EMB-120s (which will soon be supplanted by larger ATR-42s) and ERJ145s, along with Twin Otter turboprops. As we hear people trying to compare the aircraft we operate with how much the operating cost of a 737 or an A320 is, thats nonsense because we cant fill up 737s and A320s between most island points, insisted Sandler.

The upheaval in the commercial air passenger industry caused by the pandemic has been well documented, and Sandler told the audience that despite not having a single revenue flight between March28 and July 22 last year, which forced a 50 percent reduction in the companys payroll, the airline hasnot received one penny of support from any government. He said that in the companys home of Turks & Caicos, hotel workers laid off due to the tourism downturn received some short-term benefits, but if you were an airline or airport worker, nothing for you.

In terms of staffing, Sandler explained that pre-Covid, the airline engaged inperpetual hiring because pilots were constantly looking for their next opportunity. That changed after the pandemic, however, asmainline airliner pilots continue to search for jobs. The company also has an onboarding first officer program with a major airline, which gives them what he called vital, hands-on flying experience.

One new development that could aid aviation travel in the area is the "homeporting" of cruise ships at certain islands for the first time. While such ships typically had departed on their Caribbean circuits from Miami and other ports in Florida, due to the Covid pandemic and its resulting travel restrictions and regulationsseveral cruise lines have decided to base ships at Antigua, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and St. Maarten instead. While the cruise lines intend for the measure to last until the end of the summer vacation season, aviation stakeholders such as Sandler hope it will stick. For the first time, the Caribbean has the possibility of embarking cruise passengers without having to go to the U.S., he told the audience, adding that will enable further long-haul flying into those markets, where passengers could choose to extend their on-island stays around the cruise, and even take short flights to visit other nearby islands. I really see thats the most wonderful thing Covid has delivered for our region, Sandler said.

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20 people found dead on boat drifting in the Caribbean – Los Angeles Times

Posted: at 9:52 pm

A boat was found drifting about a mile off Grand Turk island with 20 dead people on board, including two children, authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands said Sunday.

Officials said investigators had ruled out foul play but were still trying to determine what happened. The identities and origin of the dead were also under investigation.

Fishermen spotted the small boat Thursday morning and alerted the marine branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, which towed the vessel ashore.

The police communications officer, Takara Bain, said in a news release that investigators had discounted foul play and were looking at other possibilities, without giving any specifics.

Police Commissioner Trevor Botting said the boat appeared to have come from outside the Caribbean and authorities did not think it had the Turks and Caicos as its destination.

My investigators are working to establish their identities and how they met their death, Botting said.

The Turks and Caicos are often a magnet for desperate Haitians seeking to flee their poverty-stricken nation. The territory also has been used as a transshipment point by human traffickers.

In June 2020, Canadian citizen Srikajamukam Chelliah pleaded guilty to human-trafficking charges before a Turks and Caicos judge and was sentenced to 14 months in prison. He was extradited to Florida and sentenced Feb. 24 to 32 months in prison for conspiring to smuggle people into the United States.

The Sri Lanka-born Chelliah had been caught in August 2019 skippering a boat carrying 158 people, including 28 Sri Lankans. They told investigators they were bound for the U.S.

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St John Celebration Is Back With a Pair of Events Caribbean Journal – Caribbean Journal

Posted: at 9:52 pm

The ever-popular St John Celebration event is back this year, in a safe format amid the pandemic.

The US Virgin Islands Department of Tourisms Division of Festivals will hold two events for St John Celebration on July 3 and 4, respectively.

That will include the Love City Food Fair and Love Fete, both of which are being held to encourage visitors and residents to experience the festivities safety and to promote the Divisions Vaccinate to Party Safe initiative.

Public health safety and celebrating our culture can coexist, said Ian Turnbull, Director of the Division of Festivals.

The first event, the Love City Food Fair, will be held July from 11 AM to 4 PM, hosted by noted Virgin Islander Pamela Richards and Chef Guy Mitchell, former White House Chef.

It will include more than 30 vendors showcasing local food and arts and crafts, with entertainment by Pan Dragons and VerCtyle Band.

All vendors must be vaccinated, with mandatory mask wearing. Attendee capacity will be limited on an hourly basis.

The second event, Love Fete, will be held July 4 from 7 PM to 12 AM, with music performances by Virgin Islands bands Cool Session Brass and Spectrum Band, as well as local artists John Gotti, Rudy Live and Star Martin, headlined by Trinidadian soca artist Patrice Roberts.

It will accommodate 400 patrons, all of whom will be vaccinated, with health protocols like mask wearing and physical distancing.

IT will also be streamed life on the Division of Festivals online platforms.

We are thankful that more and more visitors and Virgin Islanders are getting vaccinated, said JosephBoschulte, Commissioner of Tourism, U.S. Virgin Islands. This allows us to add more events to our festivals calendar, and move to the full return of our annual celebrations, which highlight our vibrant cultural traditions.

CJ

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