All posts by She Seeks Serene

My Journey of Reimagining Life, Love and Education

Tourism & Climate Change: The Future Of Air Travel

Exotic destinations, or staycations? As we make choices like these, we ask ourselves: Will we ever be able to fly without feeling guilty again? This film examines the tourism business today, and asks how the industry envisages the future.

The pandemic brought the tourist industry to a standstill. But it also highlighted something we have long suspected: Namely, too much travel is bad for the environment.

Not only that, but tourism transforms entire regions – not always for the better. It profoundly impacts communities and often brings benefits for only a very few. But our wanderlust remains. So, do travelers have to decide between the two extremes: exotic destinations (and high carbon footprints) or holidays at home? Given the climate emergency, can we fly without feeling guilty? How environmentally damaging are cruises? And what does it mean to have a sustainable holiday?

This documentary examines an industry that had gotten ahead of itself, even before it was hit by the pandemic. We hear from mayors, tourism managers, a climate expert, an internet activist and a sociologist. The film travels to the European tourist hotspots of Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik. The tiny island of Palau in the Pacific Ocean demonstrates how sustainable travel can be sensibly organized, and a Parisian start-up develops a concept for virtual travel experiences.

Previews: New Scientist Magazine – June 18, 2022

New Scientist Default Image

What is time? The mysterious essence of the fourth dimension

The nature of time is a tricky notion to pin down. But whether it is a fundamental part of our universe or just an illusion has huge implications

COVER STORIES

FEATURES Could we ever go back in time? Relativity does not rule it out

FEATURES How do we sense time? The brain cells that order our memories

Cover Preview: Monocle Magazine – July/Aug 2022

Issue 155 cover

Where is the best place to live? What makes a city tick? How can we improve our lot? Monocle’s Quality of Life Survey has posed this question for the past 15 years and 2022’s July/August issue contains the latest. How does your city fare? Plus: hot looks, sunny stays and the perfect summer playlist.

City Views: Portland In Northwest Oregon (4K)

Portland, Oregon’s largest city, sits on the Columbia and Willamette rivers, in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Hood. It’s known for its parks, bridges and bicycle paths, as well as for its eco-friendliness and its microbreweries and coffeehouses. Iconic Washington Park encompasses sites from the formal Japanese Garden to Oregon Zoo and its railway. The city hosts thriving art, theater and music scenes.

Morning News: EU-Israel-Egypt Natural Gas Deal, Container Ship Storage

A.M. Edition for June 16. The European Union signed a natural-gas deal with Israel and Egypt on Wednesday in a bid to wean itself off Russian supplies by tapping into the gas riches of the eastern Mediterranean.

WSJ correspondent Dov Lieber in Tel Aviv explains the significance of the deal for Israel and Egypt, even if the agreement doesn’t allow the EU to make up for losses of Russian gas. Luke Vargas hosts.

Timelapse Views: Canyons & Colors Of Moab, Utah

Filmed and Edited by: Ron Risman

This is Moab is a film that was designed to highlight the wide variety of landscapes that you can experience when you visit Moab, Utah – and most of these locations are not located in Arches or Canyonlands National Parks.

Moab Utah is a many things to many people, but what ever it is that brings you to Moab (vacation, off-roading, rock climbing, biking, hiking, photography, painting, rafting, camping) you may not realize that if you just visit the two national parks (Arches and Canyonlands) you’re missing out on 98% of what Moab has to offer.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Moab manages over 1.8 MILLION acres of breathtaking red rock canyons, cliffs, fins, spires and hoodoos – and all of this public land is located outside of the National Parks.

Then there’s the LaSal Mountains, the second largest in all of Utah – with elevations reaching 13,000 feet. Tired of the 100 degree desert heat? Take a drive on the LaSal Mountain Loop Rd and enjoy cooler weather and spectacular mountain scenery.

Moab, Utah is one of the most amazing locations you can visit – whether you’re seeking adventure, solitude, or anything in between. If you’re a painter, photographer, hiker, biker, rock climber, rafter, off-roader, or traveling in an RV or camper – Moab has what you’re looking for. As a photographer Moab offers some of the finest landscapes anywhere on earth – with millions of acres of red-rock sandstone arches, spires, fins, canyons, and hoodoos.

Moab is also home to the second tallest mountain range in Utah – the La Sal Mountains with peaks reaching over 13,000 feet in elevation. Often these peaks are snow-capped even in the spring and early Summer – making for a beautiful contrast between desert landscape and mountains. In summer take a short 1 hour drive from the desert climate of Moab with temperatures near 100 degrees to sitting under an Aspen grove on the La Sal mountains with temperatures in the mid 70’s.

Love stargazing? You’ll love the dark skies around Moab. Head into Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, or Dead Horse Point State Park and enjoy some of the darkest skies in the country. The International Dark Sky Association has designated these locations as dark-sky parks, and you’ll soon discover why. But don’t stop there – anytime you leave town, you’ll discover that the lack of any significant light pollution and the dry high-desert climate ensures a wonderful view of the night sky on most nights. You’ll also be happy to know that Moab is also one of the safest places to hang outdoors – as there really isn’t much in the way of predatory wildlife.

Preview: London Review Of Books – June 23, 2022

In the latest issue – 23 June 2022

Cover Preview: Nature Magazine – June 16, 2022

Volume 606 Issue 7914

Living the high life

The cover image shows plants growing at altitude on Altar Volcano in Chimborazo, Ecuador. Extreme altitudes pose challenges for most forms of life, and flowering plants are no exception. But flowering plants have been found growing as high as 6,400 metres above sea level. In this week’s issue, Michael Holdsworth and his colleagues reveal a molecular mechanism that helps plants to adapt to the extremes of altitude. The researchers studied a range of plants, representing four diverse clades of flowering plants — thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), tomato, poppy and the grass 

Brachypodium distachyon. They found that plants use genetic adaptations to adjust their sensitivity to atmospheric oxygen, whose partial pressure decreases with altitude. By decoding the ambient oxygen level, the plants are able to sense the altitude at which they grow and optimize internal biochemical processes.

Cover image: Cristian Miño, Ecuador.

Views: Ancient Food In Merzouga, Morocco

Ancient food in the Merzouga Region of Morocco. Merzouga is a small Moroccan town in the Sahara Desert, near the Algerian border. It’s known as a gateway to Erg Chebbi, a huge expanse of sand dunes north of town. West of Merzouga, Dayet Srji is a seasonal salt lake that’s often dry in summer. When full, it attracts a wide range of migratory and desert birds, including desert warblers, Egyptian nightjars and, occasionally, flamingos.

Restaurants: Dar Aytma Restaurant and Dar Gnaoua Bambara.