Category Archives: High Seas

The future of fantasy looks bright with these 10 sapphic YA fantasy books coming out in 2020 that you definitely want to pre-order and add to your TBR list.

From debut authors to returning favorites, 2020 is jam packed with sapphic YA fantasy books that we cant help but be excited about. 2019 was a monumental year for queer YA fantasy books, and its looking like 2020 will blow 2019 out of the water with representation of LGBT+ in fantasy.

Talking about normalizing LGBT+ in fantasy is something Im passionate about, as well as lifting #OwnVoices books up and finding new queer fantasy to read, which is important because representation in media matters.

This time, I wanted to highlight some sapphic YA fantasy books that are coming out this coming year that are not only on my TBR for 2020, but are at the top of it. There is something for everyone from revolution to different and unique magic systems, danger is. With perilous journeys and tough decisions to make, these young women are not only bad asses, but know how to get what they want.

Queen of Coin and Whispers is a standalone YA fantasy full of some of my favorite things: espionage, betrayals, and treason with a side of romance. This sapphic YA fantasy will surely not disappoint with its Queen heroine and her spymaster who must decide whats best for not only the country, but for themselves.

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Dangerous Remedy is the first book in a new series that mixes the French Revolution with the fantastical as it adds in a dash of disturbing magic powers that are sought after by people on both sides of the bloody war. Full of a diverse cast, this sapphic YA fantasy will keep you on the edge of your seat as Camille has to choose between being loyal to those she loves and whats best for the revolution in this intrigue heavy debut.

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Ruinsong is a standalone f/f, dark with a forbidden romance with two young women who belong to rival factions that have to come to terms with not only their feelings, but with what side they are truly on. Underground rebellions, bardic magic, and ruthless tyrannical queens make this a book you dont want to miss.

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Stunningly dark, Blood Countess brings a bloody retelling of the Countess Dracula herself, Elizabeth Bthory, from the point of view of one of her scullery maids. A historical horror novel, its obvious that this wont be a healthy representation of sapphic love, but one of manipulation and grooming that Elizabeth Bthory was famous for.

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A life swap, where two young women want to live differently than they do, leads to romance as one becomes a physician and another goes to finishing school to learn divination. Add in a war in which they work together to help end, Emilie and Annettes journey of self-discovery seems like the perfect sapphic YA fantasy to add to our TBR list!

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Kim Smejkals dark fantasy debut has unique tattoo-based magic that is linked to deities where the tattoos bind the recipients more than they help. With their lives built on lies, its up to Ceila and Anya to bring down malicious deities and their vicious zealot followers.

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Covens with a history of sordid black magic and murder at sacred sites, is only the beginning of the intricately made world of Witches of Ash and Ruin, a dark tale of ascending into powers and a dangerous murder mystery that two young women find themselves in the middle of. Its described as a mixture of V.E. Schwabs A Darker Shade of Magic and A Discovery of Witches, so this is at the top of my TBR in March.

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The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is an adventure on the high seas with pirates, cross dressing, arranged marriage, where mermaids are wanted for their blood, and two heroines on opposite sides are fighting to stop slave trade. Maggie Tokuda-Halls debut mixes pirates, imperial colonialism and its terrors, and Asian folklore, giving The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea a unique vibe we cant wait to sink are claws into.

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Morally grey heroines are one of my favorite tropes. Not all characters need to be perfectly and lawfully good. Girl, Serpent, Thorn gives us a princess with a curse, where her touch is poisonous, and on her journey to learn more about her curse, she meets a demon with answers, and she has to decide what side of good or evil she falls on, or if there is such thing as being somewhere in the middle when youre cursed.

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This book has everything: seemingly evil queens, human sacrifice for the better of the people, an exchange of life for someone the heroine loves, and an unlikely romance. The Dark Tide is described as being similar to The Wicked Deep, Caraval, and Three Dark Crowns so sign me up immediately. Where not everything is as it seems, The Dark Tide looks to be enrapturing and alluring with its plot and character dynamics. Is it June yet?

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This is only a small sampling of the amazing queer representation and sapphic YA fantasy coming coming out in 2020. To delve deeper and add even more books to your TBR, check out this massive list compiled by Goodreads!

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The 10 sapphic YA fantasy books coming out in 2020 to add to your TBR - Hypable

What is Gaza to us but an Israeli missile, a rudimentary rocket, a demolished home, an injured child being whisked away by his peers under a hail of bullets? On a daily basis, Gaza is conveyed to us as a bloody image or a dramatic video, none of which can truly capture the everyday reality of the Strip its formidable steadfastness, the everyday acts of resistance, and the type of suffering that can never be really understood through a customary glance at a social media post.

At long last, the chief prosecutor of the International Court of Justice (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, has declared her satisfaction that "war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip". As soon as the ICC statement was made on December 20, pro-Palestinian groups felt a rare moment of relief. Finally, Israel will stand accused, potentially paying for its recurring bloodbath in the isolated and besieged Gaza Strip, its military occupation and apartheid in the West Bank, and much more.

However, it could take years for the ICC to initiate its legal proceedings and render its verdict. Moreover, there are no political guarantees that an ICC decision indicting Israel would ever be respected, let alone implemented.

Meanwhile, the siege on Gaza persists, only to be interrupted by a massive war, like the one of 2014, or a less destructive one, similar to the latest Israeli onslaught in November. And with every war, more dismal statistics are produced, more lives shattered, and more painful stories are told and retold.

For years, civil society groups across the world labored to destabilize this horrific status quo. They organized, held vigils, wrote letters to their political representatives and so on. To no avail. Frustrated by government inaction, a small group of activists sailed to Gaza in a small boat in August 2008, succeeding in doing what the United Nations has failed to do: they broke, however fleetingly, the Israeli siege on the impoverished Strip.

This symbolic action of the Free Gaza movement had a tremendous impact. It sent a clear message to Palestinians in occupied Palestine, that their fate is not only determined by the Israeli government and military machine; that there are other actors who are capable of challenging the dreadful silence of the international community; that not all Westerners are as complicit as their governments in the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people.

Since then, many more solidarity missions have attempted to follow suit, coming across the sea atop flotillas or in large caravans through the Sinai desert. Some have successfully reached Gaza, delivering medical aid and other supplies. The majority, however, were sent back or had their boats hijacked in international waters by the Israeli navy.

The outcome of all of this has been the writing of a new chapter of solidarity with the Palestinian people that went beyond the occasional demonstration and the typical signing of a petition.

The second Palestinian Intifada, the uprising of 2002, had already redefined the role of the "activist" in Palestine. The formation of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) allowed thousands of international activists from around the world to participate in "direct action" in Palestine thus fulfilling, however symbolically, a role that is typically played by a United Nations protective force.

ISM activists, however, employed nonviolent means of registering civil societys rejection of the Israeli occupation. Expectedly, Israel did not honor the fact that many of these activists came from countries deemed "friendly" by Tel Avivs standards. The killing of US and British nationals Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall in Gaza in 2003 and 2004 respectively, was just the precursor of Israeli violence that was to follow.

In May 2010, the Israeli navy attacked the Freedom Flotilla consisting of the Turkish-owned ship MV Mavi Marmara and others, killing ten unarmed humanitarian workers and wounding at least 50 more. As was the case with the murder of Rachel and Tom, there was no real accountability for the Israeli attack on the solidarity boats.

It must be understood that Israeli violence is not random nor is just a reflection of Israels notoriety and disregard of international and humanitarian law. With every violent episode, Israel hopes to dissuade outside actors from getting involved in "Israeli affairs". Yet, time and again, the solidarity movement returns with a defiant message, insisting that no country, not even Israel, has the right to commit war crimes with impunity.

Following a recent meeting in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, the International Coalition of the Freedom Flotilla, which consists of many international groups, has decided to, once more, sail to Gaza. The solidarity mission is scheduled for the summer of 2020, and, like most of the 35 previous attempts, the Flotilla is likely to be intercepted by the Israeli navy. Yet, another attempt will likely follow, and many more, until the Gaza siege is completely lifted. It has become clear that the purpose of these humanitarian missions is not to deliver a few medical supplies to the nearly two million besieged Gazans, but to challenge the Israeli narrative that has turned the occupation and isolation of Palestinians to a status quo ante, to an "Israeli affair".

According to the United Nations Office in Occupied Palestine, the poverty rate in Gaza seems to be increasing at an alarming speed of 2% per year. By the end of 2017, 53% of Gazas population lived in poverty, two-thirds of them living in "deep poverty". This terrible number includes over 400,000 children.

An image, a video, a chart or a social media post can never convey the pain of 400,000 children, who experience real hunger every single day of their lives so that the Israeli government may achieve its military and political designs in Gaza. Indeed, Gaza is not just an Israeli missile, a demolished home, and an injured child. It is an entire nation that is suffering and resisting, in near-complete isolation from the rest of the world.

True solidarity should aim at forcing Israel to end the protracted occupation and siege on the Palestinian people, sailing the high seas, if necessary. Thankfully, the good activists of the Freedom Flotilla are doing just that.

Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of The Palestine Chronicle. His last book is The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story (Pluto Press, London) and his forthcoming book is These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons (Clarity Press, Atlanta). Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Istanbul Zaim University (IZU). His website is http://www.ramzybaroud.net.

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On the Road to Gaza: The Freedom Flotilla Will Sail Again - Antiwar.com

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for One Piece Episode 915, "Destructive! One Shot, One Kill - Thunder Bagua!"

Kaido, the primary antagonist of One Piece's Wano Arc, has made his presence known. The last of the mighty Four Emperors to appear in the series, he might very well be the most powerful of them all -- or at least the most dangerous.

Kaido rules in alliance with Orochi, the Shogun of Wano, who stole the land after burning Oden Castle down. But until the past few episodes, Kaido has only been resting in his castle, drinking and brooding. Viewers had no idea of the scale of his incredible power until he, in a few minutes, defeated -- and possibly killed -- the Straw Hat Pirates and friends, before beating Luffy into submission.

RELATED: One Piece Creator Teases the Manga's Endgame Is Nigh

The Four Emperors essentially reign supreme among the high seas of One Piece: Shanks, Charlotte Linlin, Marshall D. Teach and Kaido. Teach stole his position after slaying Whitebeard, meaning that, with the exception of Shanks, all of these guys are not exactly friends with the Straw Hat Pirates.

Kaido in particular has a grudge against Luffy and the gang. He depended on a supply of artificial Devil Fruits in order to transform his pirates into beast-men. These fruits came from Doflamingo, whom Luffy and crew very effectively defeated. Kaido was Doflamingo's biggest customer, who was then cut off from arguably his most necessary resource.

While Luffy didn't defeat Kaido in combat or shake his position of power, he did inconvenience the mighty emperor. Of course, Kaido has the ability to transform into a gigantic dragon, which certainly gives him an edge over Luffy. More than that, however, Kaido can annihilate the Straw Hat Pirates, which he basically does ... while drunk.

Kaido manages to one-shot all of the Straw Pirates while drunk. After drinking enough, he leaves his base to go on a stroll through the clouds, and ends up attacking Oden Castle, where several of the Straw Hat Pirates are hidden. All he does is rear back and deliver a single blast -- one mighty rush of fire -- that melts the castle.

RELATED:10 Things One Piece Needs Resolve Before It Ends

As of now, it's unknown who, if anyone, survived in the anime. As far as Luffy knows, his entire crew -- save for Zoro, Nico, Usopp and Franky -- is dead. On top of that, Tama, the girl Luffy saved at the cost of exposing himself to Kaido, was hurt.

The two-episode brawl consists primarily of Luffy delivering blow after blow, and none of them hurting Kaido. Yet, the fight ends with Kaido deciding to strike back. All it takes is a single strike to put Luffy down. But more than that, he doesn't only defeat Luffy, but he also attacks his pride. He dismisses his dream to be King of the Pirates, further proving that Kaido doesn't simply win on the physical level but also on an emoti9onal one.

Considering that he defeated Luffy while drunk, it appears that Kaido may very well be unstoppable. One Piece has featured powerful antagonists before; every villain, to an extent, is the most dangerous one Luffy has confronted to that point. Furthermore, he has faced the other Emperors before, but Kaido may be the most dangerous.

RELATED:One Piece vs. Naruto: 10 Anime Memes That Make Fans Pick Sides

Kin'emon's plan to defeat Kaido involved getting him, Orochi and the rest of the crew drunk at a certain festival, and slaying them while they're intoxicated. That might work out for the lower-ranking crew members, but against Kaido, their superior?

Kaido may be the single strongest character in the entire series to date. It seems almost absurd that Luffy can have any chance of victory, unless he can figure out a way to defeat Kaido from within his ranks.

Episode 915 adapts the start of Chapter 924 of One Piece. Knowing that, we can piece together a few details about where the anime will go in the next episode: Kaido didn't actually kill any of the Straw Hats, of course; they survived a mountain-melting blast. We also know that Kaido kidnaps Luffy, convinced he defeated all of the Straw Hat Pirates for good.

Luffy's usual, direct approach will inevitably fail against Kaido. The only solution is the more covert, clever approach that Kin'emon outlined in previous episodes. It's the only way to overthrow Kaido. Luffy clearly vowed to defeat the Four Emperors a long while ago, but beating them and shaking their authority over the pirating world might be far more difficult than Luffy anticipated. After all, Kaido far surpasses Luffy as a fighter. His only hope will be to exercise control and strategy, and to utilize the capabilities of his entire crew.

Or, perhaps, with Luffy out of the picture, the others can better serve Kin'emon's plot to defeat Kaido. It would be necessary for them to avoid a direct fight, because, as demonstrated here, a drunken Kaido can still beat all of them in a matter of seconds. Luffy has never faced an enemy as unstoppable as the raging ocean. In order to win, they will need to use all the strategy and resources available to them in order to win. It will become necessary for them to all work together as a team if they have a prayer of winning.

NEXT: One Piece: 10 Whitebeard Pirates Vs Roger Pirates Matchups We Would Have Loved To See

Rogue One Is Still the Best Star Wars Movie of the Disney Era

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One Piece: Kaido Beats Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates With One Blow - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Key Point: Here is the history of this weapon war.

World War II gave us many stories of aerial warfare, men and their machines fighting their way to victory and glory in the name of humanity. However romantic such a notion may be, World War II was the first in which airpower actually won battles, decided the outcome of campaigns, and ultimately the course of the conflict itself. That victory came about as a result of Allied airmen dropping ordnance onto the most important things the Axis countries owned, turning them into rubble or wreckage. Its a simple formula actually: precisely drop enough lead or high explosive onto something, and it will be destroyed.

Fighter Pilots Make Movies. Bomber Pilots Make History!

But not everyone saw the worth of that idea in the 1930s and 1940s. Most airpower enthusiasts of the day saw bombing in terms of large formations of huge multi-engined planes, fighting their way past hostile defenses to carpet an objective with bombs, the target being embroiled in the mess.

The early days of World War II, however, did not see Americas few victories won by huge formations of heavy bombers. Those battles were won by one small, tubby, and not terribly fast airplane, flown by men whose courage and tenacity are still a source of envy and wonder to historians of the period. There was a saying going around at the time: Fighter pilots make movies. Bomber pilots make history! The men who made that history were the aviators of the Navy and Marine scout and bombing squadrons, and their war horse was the Douglas SDB Dauntless dive-bomber.

It is sometimes difficult to remember that before laser-, infrared-, and satellite-guided bombs came into being, delivering ordinance from aircraft was hardly a precision process. Huge sums of money were spent developing specialized bombsights for level bombers, to help lay their loads onto targets with some modicum of accuracy. However, without some sort of terminal guidance for the bombs themselves, even the famed Norden bombsight of World War II would do no better than to lay a string of bombs across an area the size of several football fields. There were, however, simpler and more intuitive ways of putting a bomb close to an aim-point from the air.

Concept Of Dive-Bombing Created

Nobody knows who first came up with the idea of aiming bombs at a target from a diving airplane, but sometime in World War I this became an intuitive way of getting bombs closer to the desired target. The result was a specialized kind of weapons delivery known as dive-bombing. Technical dive-bombing was a uniquely American creation, the product of a small cadre of U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) aviators who wanted to provide close bombing support to riflemen on the ground. It was Lieutenant L.H.M. Sanderson who, in 1919 as a member of Marine Observation Squadron Nine, noted that a diving aircraft pointed at a target made more accurate deliveries, causing the tactical adoption of glide- and dive-bombing by the USMC. Further experimentation showed that the reduced horizontal velocity component of the diving aircraft (compared to that of a level bomber) combined with the superior view of the target by the pilot made for truly precise weapons deliveries by skilled pilots.

Navy Begins Procuring Dive-Bombing Aircraft

By the mid-1930s, the Navy and Marines had both seen the virtues of dive-bombing. The USMC was using it to support troops on the ground as flying artillery, while their sea-service brethren developed the tactics as a precision antishipping tactic. To this end, the Navys Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) began to procure purpose-built dive-bombing aircraft, with the specialized equipment and structures necessary to make them a truly deadly form of warfare. These included aerodynamic dive brakes (to slow and steady the aircraft during the dive), extra structure (to withstand the stresses of pulling out after the dive), trapeze bomb-release systems (to help the bomb clear the propeller), and telescopic bombsights (to assist the pilot in putting the weapon precisely onto the target).

Seeking The Next Generation Of Bombers

Curtiss, long a supplier of Navy and Marine aircraft, produced most of the early dive-bombers. In fact, it was a demonstration by Marine Curtiss F8C Helldivers that led German Air Minister Ernst Udet to procure several for the emerging Luftwaffe as the inspiration for the famous Ju-87 Stuka. The 1930s were a time of amazing technological advancement in the aviation industry, and several new companies began to produce dive-bombers for the Navy and Marines. One of these was the Vought SB2U Vindicator, the first all-metal, low-wing monoplane procured for use by the sea services. Brought into service in 1938, the Vindicator provided a great deal of experience in operations of such aircraft, and led the BuAer to look for a more advanced model for the Navy and Marines. That search led to an emerging aircraft manufacturer in southern California: the Douglas Aircraft Company (DAC).

Founded by Donald Douglas, DAC already had an impressive standing in the aviation world by the late 1930s. Manufacturer of the incomparable DC-3 (which became the military C-47/R4D Skytrain/Dakota), DAC already had built a solid reputation with the Navy with the TBD Devastator torpedo bomber. Despite the unfortunate reputation it would acquire at the Battle of Midway in 1942 (where 39 out of 43 would be shot down), the TBD was the finest carrier-based torpedo bomber in the world when it was delivered in 1937. Like the SB2U, the TBD was a rugged, all-metal, low-wing monoplane that clearly represented the future of carrier aircraft. With the clouds of war beginning to grow, the DAC was going to be a major player in that effort.

Initially, the contract for the Vindicator replacement went to the El Segundo division of Northrop, which was producing a fairly conventional scout bomber design known as the BT-1. But, Northrop sold this division to DAC, and with it came one of the greatest aircraft designers of all time: the legendary Ed Heinemann. Heinemann had already produced a number of successful designs and almost immediately saw the possibilities for an improved model of the BT-1. At the same time, Heinemann began to be influenced by DACs founder on how he might design better aircraft for the sea services.

They Have To Take Punishment And Still Work

He would later write in his book, Aircraft Design: One day when I was a young man just beginning to design airplanes, the great person who founded the company that bore his name, Donald Douglas, took me by the shoulder and taught me a lesson that was simple, though vital to success. At the time, we were trying to generate business from the U.S. Navy. Navy planes take a beating, he said. They slam down on the carriers when they land and get roughed up by the unforgiving elements of the high seas. If we want the Navy to buy our airplanes, we must build them rugged. They have to take punishment and still work.

Applying this and other ideas to the basic BT-1 design, he refined it into the XBT-2, what became known as the Scout-Bomber-Douglas Aircraft Company, or SBD.

SBD Rolled Out With Several Changes

The SBD was a surprising little airplane, as much for what it did not have in the way of features as for what it did have. For example, the SBD broke with the trend for folding wings to save deck and hangar space. By using a compact wing and platform, Heinemann was able to design the SBD to be small enough to fit up to three dozen onto U.S. carriers along with their other squadrons of fighters and torpedo bombers. The lack of a folding wing also saved weight and removed a weak point that made for a more rugged design. Another SBD innovation was the inclusion of perforated split dive brakes, which also functioned as flaps on takeoff and landing.

When fully extended, the split flaps allowed a pilot to dive the SBD at an angle of up to 80 with a terminal velocity (the point where aerodynamic resistance balances engine power and gravity) of around 250 knots. This limited the stresses on the aircraft during pullout and provided a more stable platform during the dive. Nevertheless, the Dauntless (the name the Navy gave the SBD) was stressed to withstand up to 9 gees during maneuvering, and even was able to handle so-called zero lift (nearly vertical) dives. To help the pilot see the target and assist in aiming, a padded 3X sighting scope was mounted over the control panel. All of this was designed to help the two-man crew (a pilot and radio operator/gunner) to put a bomb onto the deck of a moving ship or a ground target with accuracy.

Along with the aforementioned features, Heinemann designed the SBD to take full advantage of the new advances in lightweight materials and structures to improve weight and durability. Although relatively new for its day, the Dauntless had a hydraulic system to power extend and retract the landing gear and dive brakes/flaps, replacing earlier hand-cranked systems. To protect against enemy fighters, two forward-firing .50-caliber M2 machine guns were mounted in the cowling, while a pair of twin .30-caliber Brownings was carried in a rear-firing flexible mount.

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No One Wanted to Mess with the Dauntless Dive-Bomber - The National Interest Online

Crime & Punishment of Saturday, 28 December 2019

Source: GNA

Cannabis

Five persons who were arrested by the Western Naval Command with 35 sacks of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis have appeared before a Circuit Court in Accra.

The Tema Naval Command picked up the five on December 23, this year, on board a boat carrying 35 sacks of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis on the high seas.

Facing charges of conspiracy and possession of narcotics, the five have had their pleas preserved by the court pending further investigations into the matter.

They are Evans Adasu Laweh, Moses Akorlie, Moses Gyinadu, Norgbetey Buanor and Benjamin Bortey Dame.

The court presided over by Justice Mrs Jane Harriet Akweley Quaye remanded the five accused persons into prison custody to reappear on January 10.

Their remand, the court said, was to enable the Police conduct further investigations into the matter.

Prosecuting Assistant State Attorney Mr Adamah Watskin prayed the court to remand the accused persons into prison custody pending further investigations into the matter.

According to Mr Watskin, the substances were being forwarded to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) for analytical examination.

The State Attorney indicated that that other accomplices who are at large were being sought for by the Police.

He said if the accused persons were admitted to bail, they might interfere with evidence and other accomplices who are at large, hence the accused persons should be remanded.

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Court remands five persons with 35 sacks of suspected cannabis - GhanaWeb

This Christmas, thousands of invisible workers will spend the day miles away from their family and perhaps even from the nearest land. These often forgotten workers are seafarers, who spend an average of eight to 11 months at sea as they ship cargo around the globe.

In their remote, watery world, many seafarers not only spend the entire Christmas season away from those they love, but they often miss the most significant moments in family life.

Separation from family is the number one problem. Garry South

You can just imagine telling your wife and your children Ill see you next year. Thats a really hard thing for some of them, especially if their wife is expecting. They miss the birth. Theyre on board for another four or five months and they see pictures of their new baby, but they cant hold them, chaplain Garry South explains to Eternity.

South is one of the few people who has regular contact with up to 38,000 seafarers each year as they pass through Port Hedland Seafarers Centre, on the north coast of Western Australia. These workers power the ships that visit the port to export the Pilbara regions lithium and iron ore resources to China and beyond. Port Hedland is the worlds largest mineral export port, and also Australias biggest port based on total annual tonnes shipped from it.

For the past nine years South has served there as port chaplain for Mission to Seafarers a worldwide ministry of the Anglican Church that provides practical and pastoral care to seafarers and their families in more than 30 Australian ports. Over the years South has discovered the toll that demanding conditions and isolation take on seafarers and their loved ones.

Separation from family is the number one problem if their children are sick or things happen at home, they cant go home. And then if a seafarer is injured or sick on board, they dont always get help because theyre too far out to sea. You sometimes have deaths on board.

South gives another example of a young Japanese cook who discovered his sister was gravely ill just one month after his contract started. Within two months, his sister passed away but he said he couldnt go home because I have a wife and a three-year-old daughter, and if I go home I lose my contract.

So, basically, he had to stay on board.

While employment conditions are not as bad as they used to be, according to South, the chaplain says theres still a lot of improvement to be made. In particular, he singles out support for the mental health of seafarers.

I go to the hospital and visit those that have been injured or sick and its just really sad. Theyre worried about how theyre going to survive because theyre worried their contract will be cancelled For the seafarers, having someone to show them a little bit of interest and try and help them, it lifts them up.

Its about trying to identify with whats going on in their world When we finish work we can go for a walk or go to the supermarket; when they finish work they can only go to their cabin. Garry South

On an average day, South hops into a launch boat and visits at least two ships anchored in the port, staying on each vessel for a couple of hours to chat to the crew. He also takes the opportunity to hand out Bibles, which are funded by Gideons and Bible Society Australia.

Im finding a lot more Myanmar crew coming to Port Hedland now A lot of them are Buddhist and Im giving out lots of childrens Bibles. The Filipinos and Myanmar crew are quite happy to receive a childrens Bible. When they get home, theyll send me a picture of them with their children and wife.

South continues: Recently I was on board a vessel and I spoke to a Myanmar captain. I think he was trying to convert me to Buddhism. It was an interesting conversation because in Buddhism, there is no forgiveness. So I was able to tell him that my Gods into forgiving.

Garry South (centre front) with crew from Myanmar

Souths conviction about the ability of chaplains to change lives comes from a place of personal experience. As a young man he was converted by a chaplain during a 15-minute conversation in a hospital, after a motorbike accident.

God really got my attention then it was a turning point, says South, who afterwards began attending an Anglican church in his home town of Forbes in central-west NSW.

He later entered into church ministry in Narooma on the south coast of NSW, then worked in chaplaincy for a juvenile justice centre in Wagga Wagga in the NSW Riverina and in a drug rehabilitation centre near Coffs Harbour in northern NSW. Then he received a phone call inviting him to take up the chaplaincy position at Port Hedland.

This year, South and his wife Kathy have also taken over management of the local visitors centre to help fund the chaplaincy work. The importance of the couples contribution hasnt gone unnoticed, with South winning the 2019 International Seafarers Personality of the Year award.

For South, it is a labour of love. With most of his three daughters and grandchildren living far away, he says, we understand seafarers a little bit because we only get to go back once a year to visit [our family]. Its about trying to identify with whats going on in their world. What I try and do is to take my shoes off and put theirs on. When we finish work we can go for a walk or go to the supermarket; when they finish work they can only go to their cabin.

And so, South is quite prepared year after year to spend his Christmas serving seafarers.

Since November 30, staff at Port Hedland Seafarers Centre, along with community volunteers, have been packing 2000 Christmas gift bags to give to seafarers. The bags, largely funded by mining companies, each contain souvenirs from the centre (such as a cap and drink bottle), as well as practical items (like toothpaste and a toothbrush) and Christian literature. This year they will also contain beanies hand-knitted by nursing home residents and provided through a local Rotary club.

Crew receive gift bags via helicopter

We start giving the Christmas bags out to each individual seafarer around December 21 for vessels leaving our port then, South explains. Then on Christmas Eve day, I usually fly out to an anchorage which is 16 miles out. So we land the helicopter on a ship there and the crew come and meet us on the helipad, and we give them the bags and then we fly over to the next vessel. Last year I went to about 36 vessels out there.

Then on Christmas Day, we go around the harbour and deliver direct to the vessels that are alongside. Theres 19 berths, so we go around the harbour on the launch boat to each vessel and drop off the Christmas bags.

While Garry admits this outreach is full-on and exhausting, he adds, I have the seafarers thanking me for the presents for the whole of the next year.

But for Garry, the biggest payoff is just seeing the seafarers actually getting looked after.

To find out more or support the Mission to Seafarers visit mts.org.au. To visit the Port Hedland Seafarers Centre directly head to phseafarers.org.

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Santa takes to the high seas - Eternity News

A Belfast mum will be sailing the high seas instead of tucking into Christmas dinner with her family this December 25.

Jacqueline Kavanagh says she will miss her husband Terry and children, Bailey, 18, and 16-year-old Megan over the festivities .

Because while the rest of us are tackling turkey dinners or nut roasts, the 48-year-old novice sailor will be battling all the Southern Ocean has to throw at her team as they embark on the fourth of eight legs in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

The former volunteer, who has been sailing for just two years, said: "It's the hardest but most amazing experience of my life."

The mum-of two, who is originally from Dundalk but lives with her family in Belfast, left London on September 1 for the 40,000 mile race around the globe.

So far they have braved storms and waves taller than buildings as well as ice-cold conditions, 70mph winds and extreme heat on the race.

"I started sailing a couple of years ago and went over to see the start of the previous edition of the Clipper Race in 2017, which left from Liverpool," she explained.

"I thought it looked amazing but I put it out of my head because I thought only crazy people would do it!

"Then I met somebody who had just signed up for the race and she said I should do it, and then kept going on about it. So I signed up for one leg, which turned into two legs... then three, and then it was five of the eight legs.

"I was thinking five was a big achievement and then everyone was like 'why are you doing just five?' So then I found myself signing up to the entire thing! Before I knew it, I was at the start line thinking 'what am I doing!?' I am still kind of thinking that now Im in Australia!"

Jacqueline and her 20 teammates are racing Vietnamese-sponsored yacht the Ha Lon Bay Vietnam against 10 other identical yachts in the Clipper Race.

Already half way round the globe, she recently got to spend some time with her family down under before they headed off on the next leg.

She said from Australia: "My husband Terry and my son Bailey and my daughter Megan have all come out to see me. It was super emotional when they arrived.

"Im sad to say goodbye to them but I will see them in Derry when the race calls in next summer. It was so nice for them to come and see the boat and meet the team so when they read the blogs they have more of an idea who we are talking about. Everyone here has been so amazing to them."

Eleven months away from her family might be tough, but Jacqueline said her loved ones have been incredibly supportive and that she is relishing the challenge.

"My family are proud I think! They tell me they are. I hope they are," she added.

"As well as the amazing opportunity to sail around the world, I am getting the chance to meet some really, really fantastic people who all have totally different stories and backgrounds.

"Steering the boat in big weather has been a highlight. Just being out there and feeling that I can do it - that I can control the boat. The sea is a pretty mad place and it teaches you that you have to respect it.

"I just count myself really lucky that I am able to do this."

This Christmas, Jacqueline will be racing in the Southern Ocean during the aptly titled Australian Coast-to-Coast Leg, a 3,400-mile race from Fremantle to Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays and the fourth of eight stages that forms the global Clipper Race route.

The route takes around 20 days with her team expected to reach dry land between January 9-12.

"I cant think of any other adventure that is anything like the Clipper Race," added Jacqueline.

The Clipper Race is the only event of its kind and gives everyday people, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to race the worlds oceans with 40% never having sailed before they signed up.

Almost 700 crew will take part in the 41,165 nautical mile circumnavigation which takes eleven months to complete and crew can choose to race around the world or take part in one of more of the eight individual stages with the global route.

Each team is led by a professional skipper and first mate and is crewed by everyday people from 43 different nationalities.

So far the race has taken them to Portimao, Portugal, Punta del Este, Uruguay and Cape Town, South Africa and Fremantle, Australia.

After reaching Australia's Whitsundays Islands they head for Sanya in China; Subic Bay in the Philippines; Zhuhai and Qingdao in China; Seattle and New York in the USA and Hamilton in Bermuda. They will also dock in Derry before finishing back in London in Summer 2020.

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Belfast mum to spend Christmas on the high seas in round the world sailing race - Belfast Live

In a video for NBCs Today, Tony nominee Liz Callaway reflects on her work in the 1994 animated musical film The Swan Princess.

In the video above, the Broadway favorite, who provided the singing voice for Princess Odette, recalls working with Tony nominee Howard McGillin and the late Michelle Nicastro and discusses the lasting impact of working in film.

Says Callaway, You do a play or a musical, and it's there for a limited amount of time. These movies and soundtracks, they live on forever. What I particularly like is when someone says that, and then they burst into tears. I'm not happy they're crying, but it means there is something with the movie and the songs that just really struck a chord with people. That is possibly one of the most gratifying things for me to know about.

The Swan Princess, which was directed by Richard Rich, features a screenplay by Brian Nissen, based on a story by Rich and Nissen. The film has music by Lex de Azevedo and lyrics by David Zippel. The cast includes Jack Palance as Lord Rothbart (voice), McGillin as Adult Prince Derek (voice), Nicastro as Adult Princess Odette (voice), Callaway as Princess Odette (singing voice), and John Cleese as Jean-Bob (voice).

See What Your Favorite Stars Are Up to Away From Broadway With Playbill Universe

Callaway has also appeared on Broadway in Merrily We Roll Along, The Three Musketeers, Miss Saigon, The Look of Love, and Cats.

From Elaine Paige to Leona Lewis, see some of the previous Glamour Cats of Cats.

Callaway has been a special guest performer on Playbill Travels Broadway on the High Seas cruises. Cabins are now on sale for Broadway in the Great Northwest, Playbill Travels first domestic cruise featuring Kate Baldwin, Tedd Firth, Aaron Lazar, Beth Leavel, and Faith Prince (April 26May 4, 2020), and for Broadway on the Mediterranean (August 31September 7, 2020), featuring Audra McDonald, Will Swenson, Gavin Creel, Caissie Levy and Lindsay Mendez, and for Broadway on the Nile (December 27, 2020January 7, 2021) and Broadway on the Caribbean (February 1522, 2021), with performers soon to be announced. To book a suite or stateroom, call Playbill Travel at 866-455-6789 or visit PlaybillTravel.com.

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Liz Callaway Reflects on The Swan Princess on 25th Anniversary of Animated Film - Playbill.com

What is Gaza to us but an Israeli missile, a rudimentary rocket, a demolished home, an injured child being whisked away by his peers under a hail of bullets? On a daily basis, Gaza is conveyed to us as a bloody image or a dramatic video, none of which can truly capture the everyday reality of the strip, its formidable steadfastness, the everyday acts of resistance and the type of suffering that can never be really understood through a customary glance at a social media post.

At long last, the chief prosecutor of the International of Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, has declared her satisfaction that war crimes have been, or are being, committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. As soon as the ICC statement was made on December 20, pro-Palestinian groups felt a rare moment of relief. Finally, Israel will stand accused, potentially paying for its recurring bloodbath in the isolated and besieged Gaza Strip, its military occupation and apartheid in the West Bank and much more.

However, it could take years for the ICC to initiate its legal proceedings and render its verdict. Moreover, there are no political guarantees that an ICC decision indicting Israel would ever be respected, let alone implemented.

Meanwhile, the siege on Gaza persists, only to be interrupted by a massive war, like the one of 2014, or a less destructive one, similar to the latest Israeli onslaught in November. And with every war, more dismal statistics are produced, more lives shattered and more painful stories are told and retold.

For years, civil society groups across the world labored to destabilise this horrific status quo. They organised, held vigils, wrote letters to their political representatives and so on. To no avail. Frustrated by government inaction, a small group of activists sailed to Gaza in a small boat in August 2008, succeeding in doing what the United Nations has failed to do: they broke, however fleetingly, the Israeli siege on the impoverished Strip.

This symbolic action of the Free Gaza movement had a tremendous impact. It sent a clear message to Palestinians in occupied Palestine, that their fate is not only determined by the Israeli government and military machine; that there are other actors who are capable of challenging the dreadful silence of the international community; that not all Westerners are as complicit as their governments in the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people.

Since then, many more solidarity missions have attempted to follow suit, coming across the sea atop flotillas or in large caravans through the Sinai desert. Some have successfully reached Gaza, delivering medical aid and other supplies. The majority, however, were sent back or had their boats hijacked in international waters by the Israeli navy.

The outcome of all of this has been the writing of a new chapter of solidarity with the Palestinian people that went beyond the occasional demonstration and the typical signing of a petition.

The second Palestinian Intifada, the uprising of 2002, had already redefined the role of the activist in Palestine. The formation of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) allowed thousands of international activists from around the world to participate in direct action in Palestine, thus fulfilling, however symbolically, a role that is typically played by a United Nations protective force.

ISM activists, however, employed non-violent means of registering civil societys rejection of the Israeli occupation. Expectedly, Israel did not honor the fact that many of these activists came from countries deemed friendly by Tel Avivs standards. The killing of US and British nationals Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall in Gaza in 2003 and 2004 respectively, was just the precursor of Israeli violence that was to follow.

In May 2010, the Israeli navy attacked the Freedom Flotilla consisting of the Turkish-owned ship MV Mavi Marmara and others, killing ten unarmed humanitarian workers and wounding at least 50 more. As was the case with the murder of Rachel and Tom, there was no real accountability for the Israeli attack on the solidarity boats.

It must be understood that Israeli violence is not random nor is just a reflection of Israels notoriety and disregard of international and humanitarian law. With every violent episode, Israel hopes to dissuade outside actors from getting involved in Israeli affairs. Yet, time and again, the solidarity movement returns with a defiant message, insisting that no country, not even Israel, has the right to commit war crimes with impunity.

Following a recent meeting in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, the International Coalition of the Freedom Flotilla, which consists of many international groups, has decided to, once more, sail to Gaza. The solidarity mission is scheduled for the summer of 2020, and, like most of the 35 previous attempts, the Flotilla is likely to be intercepted by the Israeli navy. Yet, another attempt will likely follow, and many more, until the Gaza siege is completely lifted. It has become clear that the purpose of these humanitarian missions is not to deliver a few medical supplies to the nearly 2 million besieged Gazans, but to challenge the Israeli narrative that has turned the occupation and isolation of Palestinians to a status quo ante, to an Israeli affair.

According to the United Nations Office in occupied Palestine, the poverty rate in Gaza seems to be increasing at an alarming speed of 2 per cent per year. By the end of 2017, 53 per cent of Gazas population lived in poverty, two-thirds of them living in deep poverty. This terrible number includes over 400,000 children.

An image, a video, a chart or a social media post can never convey the pain of 400,000 children, who experience real hunger every single day of their lives so that the Israeli government may achieve its military and political designs in Gaza. Indeed, Gaza is not just an Israeli missile, a demolished home, and an injured child. It is an entire nation that is suffering and resisting, in near-complete isolation from the rest of the world.

True solidarity should aim at forcing Israel to end the protracted occupation and siege on the Palestinian people, sailing the high seas, if necessary. Thankfully, the good activists of the Freedom Flotilla are doing just that.

Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books. His latest is These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons (Clarity Press). Dr Baroud is a non-resident senior research fellow at the Centre for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Zaim University. His website is http://www.ramzybaroud.net.

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On the road to Gaza: The Freedom Flotilla will sail again - Jordan Times

Several hotel chains are moving away from single-use in plastics in favour of bulk toiletries, such as these bottles at a Holiday Inn Express.

Corey Stovin/Handout

For those of us who have been relying on hotel stays and cruises for a steady supply of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and sweet-smelling moisturizer, the jig is finally up. As concerns mount about the devastating impact of our over-reliance on single-use plastics, the travel industry is starting to respond.

In July, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced that it will switch to bulk-size amenities for every one of its almost 843,000 hotel rooms a transition expected to be completed in 2021. Marriott International followed suit in August with a goal to eliminate single-use toiletry shower bottles in all global properties, a switch expected to be mostly complete by December, 2020.

When it comes to the friendly skies, United Airlines flew from Chicago to Los Angeles in what it billed as the most eco-friendly flight in history in June, swapping plastics for recyclable or compostable options. And earlier this month, Air New Zealand which in July announced plans to remove single-use water bottles and single-use sauce packets from certain cabins began test driving edible coffee cups.

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On the high seas, Norwegian Cruise Line unveiled a new partnership with Just Goods, Inc (founded by Will and Jaden Smith, no less) to replace all single-use plastic water bottles with paper cartons across its 16-ship fleet by Jan. 1, 2020 a move it says will eliminate more than six million plastic bottles a year. In 2018, NCL eliminated all plastic straws from both its fleet and private destinations.

Five years ago when this first came up, it felt more like something for positive spin, says Harry Sommer, incoming president and CEO of NCL. But its turned into a really core belief of the company. We see the same news about trash in the ocean. Everyone on the executive team has children and grandchildren and we want to leave the world a better place than we found it.

In Canada, Indigenous tourism growth is outpacing Canadian tourism activity over all, according to the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), and demand from international travelers is at an all-time high, with one in three international visitors looking to explore Indigenous culture and traditions.

In 2019, ITAC hosted the largest Indigenous tourism conference in the world, with more than 700 delegates and announced the launch of an Indigenous culinary tourism program, as well as a strategic partnership with WestJet (complete with a $100,000 commitment from the airline). Destination Indigenous, ITACs new consumer travel brand, will be launched in 2020.

Keith Henry, CEO of ITAC, believes that the growing interest is part of the countrys broader reconciliation project. Beyond just activity-based tourism, were seeing a desire to learn about Indigenous people and hear their stories, he says. Visitors want to learn more about the original history and land of this country.

Indigenous tourism experiences run a wide gamut, from hunting and fishing in Quebec or spotting wildlife in British Columbia to learning the traditional art of moccasin making or sampling contemporary Indigenous cuisine while staying at high-design Indigenous-owned lodges. Crucially, these experiences follow the dictate of nothing about us, without us which is why ITAC has also named Indigenous-owned Indigeno Travel as its preferred travel agency.

As the travel industry aims to become increasingly inclusive, new initiatives for people with disabilities are being rolled out. In particular, autism-friendly travel has gained traction.

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In July, Pittsburgh International Airport announced the opening of a sensory space, joining the ranks of other airports including Atlanta and Birmingham in the United States, and Gatwick in Britain.

In November, Mesa, Ariz., became the first-ever Autism Certified City in the world. In practical terms, that means providing specialized training for frontline staff and handing out sensory-sensitive guides that offer a framework for navigating the destination.

Vivian Ly, executive director of Autistics United Canada, says she is encouraged by some of the efforts to improve sensory, communication and cognitive access for autistic people. Airports are a sensory nightmare, she says. They are loud, busy, bright, crowded and overwhelming for anyone really! Reducing this and providing sensory-friendly services would benefit anyone and especially hypersensitive people.

In an ideal world, Ly says, universal design would reduce anxiety. A new joint project from Boise State University and the municipality of Boise, Idaho, uses virtual reality to alleviate some of the stress that autistic children and adults may feel before arriving at an airport and boarding the plane especially if its the first time. The VR experience, which can be used both at the airport and at the Boise Library well in advance of a flight, allows passengers to be guided through the check in process, the security line and boarding the aircraft.

Swimming with dolphins, riding on elephants and posing alongside (highly medicated) tigers remain popular photos on dating apps but the travel industry is finally coming around to the deep harm some of these activities can cause. In June, National Geographic ran a sizable feature dedicated to social media-driven animal encounters and the miseries of captivity, including bears who spend their days chained in an unnatural standing position, elephants beaten by their handlers and sad anteaters fed a diet of flavoured yogurt.

An unofficial ethical code of conduct is emerging, driven in part by consumer preferences and in part by growing and irrefutable evidence of neglect and abuse. In October, G Adventures released their first official animal-welfare policy, which outlines a commitment to avoid physical contact with non-domesticated animals, eschew any shows where animals are required to perform and cuts out the consumption of any endangered creatures. In November, Costa Rica launched a Stop Animal Selfies campaign to encourage visitors to enjoy wildlife from a responsible distance.

Intrepid Group became the first major tour operator to end elephant rides in 2014 and have been a vanguard of this movement ever since. Tara Kennaway, Intrepids senior product manager overseeing operations and responsible business, says that wildlife should be viewed doing what they do best: living in the wild. We know that by showing our travellers and local communities the value of these environments through the economic benefits of tourism, were helping preserve these amazing places and the wildlife that call them home.

While there was much debate in 2019 about who should be flying and how often, the growing popularity of rail travel (both luxe and basic) ties into both environmental concerns and the move toward slow travel a desire to immerse oneself in the journey just as much as the destination.

This year, Eurostar (which recently added Amsterdam as a destination) celebrated its 25th year of service, adding a series of master classes led by experts in food, culture and wine on some of its London to Paris routes. In June, Scotlands Caledonian Sleeper debuted upgraded suites with double beds and private bathrooms. In September, Amtraks CEO announced plans to modernize services, citing the indignities and inconveniences of short-haul flights as the perfect catalyst. And this month, Siemens begins construction on 13 new night trains in Austria sleeper cars to serve the Western European market. Passenger numbers on some routes, such as Vienna-Zurich, have reportedly grown 20 percent over the past year.

With so many options, travellers can now ride the rails and avoid a conversation with friends and family about what emits more greenhouse gases your air travel or their children. Which seems like a good thing for everyone.

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Five positive travel trends from 2019 - The Globe and Mail