So youve added a splash of color to the walls in your kitchen and upgraded the appliances, but its not quite enough. Those cabinets still seem drab, bringing down that fresh look you were going for. Or perhaps youre looking to sell your house, but the kitchen is not a selling point because of worn-out cabinetry. Your cabinets need a pick-me-up, and professionals usually opt for one of three ways to give your kitchen a facelift: replacing, refacing or refinishing.

Replacing

Replacing your cabinets gives you a chance to go with something completely new. A company comes in, guts your kitchen and gives you brand new cabinet doors, drawers and boxes. You can go from a very traditional look to a modern, European style, change the wood, add doors with glass panes, or even restructure the kitchen layout. This is great for old, rundown cabinetry thats been chipped, cracked and worn.

Keep in mind that this generally leads to a bigger project as homeowners will often replace countertops and sinks and maybe even the flooring to give the kitchen a fresh, new look.

Refacing

For a little less drastic and more economical kitchen renovation, refacing is an option. You pick out new doors and drawer fronts to replace the ones you have, and the existing cabinet boxes are covered with a veneer to match your new doors/drawers. There is a wide variety of colors and finishes to choose from.

Refacing cabinets gives you lots of options and half the mess!

For those who want to update their kitchen look without changing the layout, this is a great option. And since the doors and drawer faces are being replaced, they dont have to be in mint condition.

Refinishing

But what if your cabinets are in great shape and you like the style, but the finish needs to be updated, thats where refinishing comes in. Refinishing is the most affordable and usually the quickest way to bring life back into dreary cabinets.

It's vital that the cabinets are in good condition since refinishing includes paint stripping, sanding, and staining or painting. The most economical choice here is to match the existing finish.

Refinishing cabinets requires the right tools!

Creating a unique faux finishing or going from one color or stain to another is more expensive. You can go from whitewashed to a deep cherry wood color. It is, however, hard to go from a very dark to very light.

Painting is another option, with unlimited color choices. You can match your cabinet color to that perfect shade of blue on the dishes as professional paint stores can easily perform a match on any item you bring in. Generally, this is a project for a professional painter. They have the tools and expertise to make cabinets look like new.

Pricing

Refinishing costs: It is most economical to match the finish of the existing cabinetry. The cost of changing the color or creating a faux finish increases the price to as much as it would cost to install nice, lower end cabinets.

Refacing costs are as much as a faux finish, but the advantage to both is that there is less of a mess. Cabinets, flooring and countertop can stay in place and dont need to be replaced.

Cabinet costs: A good quality new cabinet starts at about $550 per cabinet box professionally installed. A typical nice, whole kitchen cabinet package is hard to buy installed for less than $5,000 in a small kitchen. And going to this level probably involves new counters, plumbing fixtures and flooring.

Of course, you can do some mixing and matching. Stain the cabinets to that beautiful oak color, but have a door or two replaced with glass panes to show off the fine china and crystal.

Revamp the kitchen and reface the cabinets in the bathroom. Giving your cabinets a total-body makeover or just a facelift can make the whole house seem to come back to life.

For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 35 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8 to 11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and from 7 to 10 a.m. on KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.

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Rosie on the House: Check out choices for outdated cabinets - Green Valley News

This time of year is normally filled with joy and celebration, as millions of graduates across the country take their first steps into the "real world".

Some of you reading this are families of graduates. Some are graduates yourselves. Either way, you may be thinking of all the 2020 graduates who didn't get a ceremony, celebrated with loved ones over Zoom, and are entering into the most uncertain jobs market since the Great Depression.

I am, too.

So here's my message to the Class of 2020:

I'm not going to beat around the bush. These are hard times. You're graduating into the worst economy in 80 years, and we don't have any idea when or how the economy will recover. Much depends on the course of this tragic pandemic.

On the other hand, I don't want you to despair. You have your entire lives in front of you. And you have your education, and, hopefully, resilience and fortitude.

The multiple crises we're facing are also opportunities to remake this nation and the world, hopefully into more just societies.

In this spirit, I wanted to share with you a final class I taught a few years back, when I and my students were still all together in a classroom. In watching it, it seemed to me that the lessons still hold, especially in this pandemic and economic crisis the importance of personal resilience, the inevitability of failure, the challenge of designing your own hoops to jump through, the new careers and forms of work you'll encounter, the central importance of gaining wisdom about yourself.

I hope these ideas give you the courage to face the future with realism and resourcefulness, and the confidence to dedicate at least some of your life to fortifying the common good.

Robert B. Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has written 15 books, including the best sellers "Aftershock", "The Work of Nations," and"Beyond Outrage," and, his most recent, "The Common Good." He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." He's also co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism."

Link:
Robert Reich's advice to the Class of 2020 - Salon

(CNN) Although most governments are still advising against "nonessential" international travel, a host of popular destinations are beginning to ease their Covid-19 lockdown measures and border restrictions and are moving toward welcoming tourists back.

Earlier this month, the European Union unveiled an action plan to reopen its internal borders in time for summer, while countries such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have formed "travel bubbles," lifting restrictions for each other's citizens.

A number of Caribbean islands are preparing to open their doors to foreign visitors in June, while destinations such as Mexico and Thailand are planning to open up again region by region in the coming weeks.

If you're one of many travelers eagerly awaiting news on where you can travel to this year, here's a guide to the top destinations making plans to reopen, as well as some of those that are keeping their borders firmly closed for now.

Cyprus

Cyprus has pledged to cover holiday costs for Covid-19-positive tourists and their families.

Courtesy Cyprus Tourism Organisation

Cyprus is so keen to get its tourism industry back on track, officials are offering to cover the costs of any travelers who test positive for Covid-19 while on vacation in the Mediterranean island nation.

According to a letter shared with CNN, the Cypriot government will pay for lodging, as well as food, drink and medication for tourists who are taken ill with coronavirus during their visit.

The detailed plan was set out in a five-page letter issued to governments, airlines and tour operators on May 26.

Officials have also earmarked a 100-bed hospital for foreign travelers who test positive, while a 500-room "quarantine hotel" will be available to patients' family and "close contacts."

"The traveler will only need to bear the cost of their airport transfer and repatriation flight, in collaboration with their agent and/or airline," states the letter.

The news came shortly after Cyprus Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos announced hotels in the country will reopen on June 1, while international air travel will restart on June 9.

Once the destination reopens, visitors from only chosen countries will be allowed to enter.

Incoming flights from Greece, Malta, Bulgaria, Norway, Austria, Finland, Slovenia, Hungary, Israel, Denmark, Germany, Slovakia and Lithuania will be authorized first.

From June 20, Cyprus will also permit incoming flights from Switzerland, Poland, Romania, Croatia, Estonia and the Czech Republic.

However, the list is to be expanded to include furthe23r countries in the coming months.

Travelers heading to Cyprus will need to provide a valid certificate proving they've tested negative for Covid-19, while they'll be subject to temperature checks on arrival as well as testing at random during the course of their trip.

The destination has already put measures in place to protect travelers and residents, such as ensuring hotel staff wear masks and gloves, regularly disinfecting sunbeds and keeping tables at restaurants, bars, cafs,and pubs at least two meters (6.5 feet) apart.

Bali

At least 6.3 million people visited Bali in 2019.

SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP via Getty Images

Bali has also been successful in containing its coronavirus outbreak, with less than 350 confirmed cases and, at the time of writing, a total of four deaths.

The Indonesian island now hopes to welcome tourists back by October, provided its infection rates stay low.

Bali's economy is hugely dependent on tourism and visitor numbers have been rising in recent years, with around 6.3 million people visiting in 2019.

All foreign nationals, except for diplomats, permanent residents and humanitarian workers, are currently banned from Indonesia, and anyone entering the island must undergo a swab test and provide a letter stating they are free of Covid-19.

It's unclear what the entry requirements will be if restrictions are lifted later this year, or whether Bali will accept travelers from regions badly affected by the pandemic.

Thailand

Thailand plans to reopen different regions stage by stage towards the end of 2020.

JACK TAYLOR/AFP via Getty Images

Thailand has long been among the top destinations for travelers, receiving close to 40 million foreign tourists last year.

However, visitors have been banned from entering the Southeast Asian country since March because of the pandemic.

While the number of cases here has been relatively low in comparison to other destinations -- Thailand has reported more than 3,000 confirmed cases and over 50 deaths -- officials aren't taking any chances when it comes to reopening the country.

The governor went on to stress there will be limitations on who can visit the country and what regions they can go to once restrictions are relaxed.

"We are not going to open all at once," he added. "We are still on high alert, we just can't let our guards down yet.

"We have to look at the country of origin [of the travelers] to see if their situation has truly improved."

This effectively means Thailand is unlikely to open its borders to travelers from destinations that don't appear to have the coronavirus situation under control.

Those that are given permission to enter may be offered "long-stay packages" in isolated areas "where health monitoring can be easily controlled," such as the remote islands of Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Samui.

However, Thailand's borders are firmly shut for the time being.

Like many other global destinations, Thailand is currently focusing on domestic tourism.

In fact, some resorts and hotels have already been given the go ahead to reopen -- Hua Hin, located about 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Bangkok, being one of them.

Shopping malls, museums, markets and some tourist attractions have also been reopening their doors, with Bangkok's Grand Palace due to reopen on June 4.

France

Residents of France will be allowed to take holidays within the country during July and August.

DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images

France was the most visited country in the world before the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, like the rest of the EU, restrictions are currently in place on all nonessential travel from outside the Schengen Zone (a grouping of 26 countries which normally have open borders).

Travelers who do enter the country, with the exception of EU citizens or arrivals from the UK, will be subject to a compulsory 14-day coronavirus quarantine until at least July 24.

"Since the start of the crisis, the closure of the borders is the rule, and the authorization to cross a border is the exception.

"What is good for tourism is often good for France, what strikes tourism strikes France," he said during a news conference.

Although some businesses have been given permission to reopen, the country's hotels, bars, restaurants and cafs are to remain closed at least until June 2.

Even then, it's unlikely establishments in Paris, which has been marked as a coronavirus "red zone" by officials, will be allowed to open any time soon.

It was announced on May 29 that the country's most visited museum, the Louvre, will reopen July 6.

"Tourism is facing what is probably its worst challenge in modern history," added Philippe. "Because this is one of the crown jewels of the French economy, rescuing it is a national priority."

He went on to state that residents can take holidays within France during July and August.

The country's hotels will be reliant on domestic tourism once they do reopen, as all signs suggest international travelers will not be able to enter for the foreseeable future.

"When the lockdown measures soften, French tourists are likely to want to stay close to home in the short term," a spokesperson for French hotel chain Accor told CNN Travel earlier this month.

"It will be the moment for them to rediscover their own country and we will be there to welcome them."

Greece

Officials in Greece are hoping to reopen the country on June 15.

cunfek/Getty Images

Tourism accounts for almost 20% of Greece's gross domestic product, as well as one in five jobs, so it's perhaps no surprise the Mediterranean nation is angling to reopen to tourists as soon as it possibly can.

The European country, which managed to keep its coronavirus case numbers low by implementing a strict lockdown early on, plans to allow travelers back in on June 15.

"The tourism period begins on June 15, when seasonal hotels can reopen," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on May 20.

"Let us make this summer the epilogue of the [Covid-19] crisis," he added.

However, Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis has indicated health officials will conduct spot tests when necessary.

"Maybe no bars may be open, or no tight crowds, but you can still get a fantastic experience in Greece -- provided that the global epidemic is on a downward path."

The 29 countries are Albania, Australia, Austria, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Estonia, Japan, Israel, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lebanon, New Zealand, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, South Korea, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Finland.

Bars and restaurants have also been allowed to take up business again, while city hotels are scheduled to reopen on June 1, followed by seasonal hotels in July.

All international passengers had previously been required to take a Covid-19 test upon arrival or go into quarantine for 14 days.

Mitsotakis had suggested tourists would be required to undergo testing before their visit as a further precaution in the future, but it seems this is only the case for travelers from countries that aren't on the list, whichn based on a document from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency of airports worldwide "located in affected areas with high risk of transmission of the Covid-19 infection."

Germany

Restrictions in Germany are being gently relaxed as the country prepares to revive its tourism industry.

JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images

Officials are also considering allowing entry to visitors from Turkey, the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, although a final decision is yet to be made.

"The revitalization of tourism is important both for travelers and the German travel industry, as well as for the economic stability of the respective target countries," it reads.

The Austria/Germany land border is also reopening -- travel between Austria and Germany will be possible from June 15 -- and restrictions around the country are being relaxed.

Mexico

Over the coming weeks, Mexico will begin to open up region by region.

ELIZABETH RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images

Mexico is aiming to welcome visitors back within weeks.

While the nation remains in lockdown, with hotels and restaurants yet to recommence business, officials are planning to reopen the country bit by bit in order to get things back on track.

"The target is domestic travelers first, followed by travelers from the US and Canada and then the rest of the world.

The border between the US and Mexico border is closed to "nonessential" travel until at least June 22 and most international flights in and out of Mexico's key airports are currently suspended or significantly reduced.

However, Delta Air Lines will be increasing and/or resuming various services from the US to Cancun, Mexico City Los Cabos and Puerta Vallarta in the coming weeks.

Quintana Roo, a state on the Caribbean side of Mexico that's home to the likes of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, hopes to reopen in mid-June, according to Marisol Vanegas, the state's tourism secretary.

"We want to revive tourism and expect to start opening sights and hotels sometime between June 10 and 15 but don't know which ones yet," she says.

"It depends on what the federal government allows us to do."

Rodrigo Esponda, managing director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board, says he hopes to be able to accept both international and domestic travelers by August and September.

However, beach destination Riviera Nayarit, situated north of Puerta Vallarta, currently has no immediate plans to bring back tourists, according to Richard Zarkin, the public relations manager for the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Turkey

Turkey is aiming to receive international visitors from mid-June.

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Turkey made over $34.5 billion from tourism in 2019, and the transcontinental country is eager to get back in business.

According to Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the destination plans to restart domestic tourism by the close of May and hopes to receive international visitors from mid-June.

The country has set out new guidelines for its hotels and resort facilities, such as temperature checks at entrances and at least 12 hours of room ventilation after checkout. Guests will be required to wear face masks and maintain social distancing.

Meanwhile, restrictions on intercity travel have been lifted, while restaurants, cafes, parks and sports facilities are permitted to reopen from June 1, along with beaches and museums.

Italy

Italy is dropping its compulsory quarantine for arrivals in a "calculated risk" to entice tourists back.

PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP via Getty Images

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Which international destinations are reopening to tourists? - CNN

Once darkness had fallen, the general went to see the situation for himself. Mark Milley strode across the battlefield in olive-green camouflage and heavy boots, not to inspect a residential street in Fallujah or mountains in Afghanistan, but the streets of Washington, D.C.

A reporter asked Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, if he had a message for the American people. His response: "Just allow freedom to assemble, freedom of speech, that's perfectly fine, we support that," he said. "We took an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America to do that, and to protect everyone's rights and that's what we do."

It was a striking statement given that it came just a short time after security personnel, including members of the military police, deployed batons and flashbang grenades to forcibly push peaceful protesters out of the streets surrounding the White House. There are competing narratives as to whether they had been warned before force was deployed, but it is clear why they were moved: to provide a photo op for U.S. President Donald Trump.

Around 6 p.m. on Monday, after several days in which the White House had looked like a defensive fortress surrounded by a sea of furious demonstrators, Trump stepped outside. Up to that point, the president had hardly said a word about the largely peaceful protests or the limited rioting that had beset Washington, D.C., and dozens of other towns and cities across the nation. He was unable to find the courage or desire to give a consoling speech following the horrific slaying of George Floyd, a black man who was murdered by a white policeman who kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes.

Once the crowds were cleared on Monday evening, Trump stood in front of St. John's Church, which had been damaged by fire the previous evening. He fiddled with a Bible, then held it aloft, as though unsure exactly what to do. When Trump was asked about his favorite verse in what he described as his "favorite book" last year, he had been unable to come up with one.

In front of the church, a journalist asked the president about his thoughts about the current situation. Trump muttered a few unintelligible comments into the wind. He was surrounded exclusively by white men and women, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper and the four-star General Milley, who had been tasked by the president a short time earlier with coordinating the military response to the unrest in the country.

The scene was as ridiculous as it was ominous, more reminiscent of South American potentates than of American democracy. Trump, who is fond of taking about "my generals" and also claimed to have the "support of the army," had arranged for a military escort for his foray into the streets of America. He also indicated that he wanted to send military units into American cities to confront the protesters, whom he has described as "terrorists."

The pushback came quickly. Defense Secretary Esper voiced his disapproval of the plan, as did several others. After Trumps church appearance, retired General John Allen, who once commanded NATO troops in Afghanistan and was part of the fight against Islamic State, said, "The slide of the United States into illiberalism may well have begun on June 1, 2020." James Mattis, also a retired general and once Trump's defense secretary, wrote in The Atlantic that Trump was the first president who was seeking to divide the country rather than unite it. But Trump's political allies were still there for him. The New York Times published an op-ed by Republican Senator Tom Cotton headlined, "Send In the Military."

Trump and his political accessories are using the rhetoric of authoritarianism. Militarized police forces haven't just been using violence to quell plundering and rioting, they have also been attacking peaceful demonstrators. Journalists have been arrested as well.

Should we be worried about the United States? Is a fundamental shift taking place in a country that is synonymous with deeply rooted democracy? The current chaos on the streets of America isn't just the product of the countrys economic and societal tensions. The president himself has repeatedly exacerbated those conflicts with his rhetoric. Trump, it seems, needs the chaos. He feeds off it.

Few other democratically elected leaders have as much power as the U.S. president, a reality that can lead to abuse. Trump has made personal loyalty the most important qualification for those with whom he surrounds himself. He harbors deep admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and once voiced his support for the violent crushing of the pro-democracy protests on Beijing's Tiananmen Square, saying it was a sign of strength.

The Russia investigation and his impeachment did not show him the limits of his power, and instead awakened in him a desire to hit back hard and to get rid of anyone within government who does not fulfill his every whim. In the waning months of his first term in office, just a few months before Election Day, he is increasingly putting his authoritarian tendencies on full display.

Not long ago, it seemed absurd to question the strength of America's system of checks and balances. U.S. democracy, more than 200 years old, has survived numerous crises and its resilience has always withstood attempts to grab power. But after more than three years of Trump, and despite him being the democratically elected president, the foundations of American democracy have grown brittle. Trump has continually pushed back the limits of what was considered acceptable under his predecessors. Flouting tradition, he placed the powerful Department of the Interior and the intelligence agencies in the hands of loyal acolytes.

"It's very frightening," says Rosa Brooks, a professor of law at Georgetown University. "I hope that I'm being much too paranoid but it's hard not to think of things like the Reichstag fire at this moment."

From the German perspective, of course, the comparison seems farfetched. In February, 1933, the National Socialists used the fire in Berlins Reichstag building as an excuse to issue the "Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State. This essentially meant the suspension of the Weimar-era constitution and the beginning of the Nazi dictatorship.

The U.S. is far away from that. The system of checks and balances is a long way from being defanged and opposition is lively, as the streets in recent days have shown. In the House of Representatives, the Democrats have a solid majority and both Washington and New York are home to newspapers that wield tremendous power.

But the president is flirting with authoritarianism. And his party is following along.

On Monday, Trump retweeted a post by Cotton, the Republican senator, reading: "If local law enforcement is overwhelmed and needs backup, let's see how tough these Antifa terrorists are when they're facing off with the 101st Airborne Division."

On Monday night, military helicopters circled at low altitude above the streets of the capital to intimidate demonstrators and looters. In military jargon, the tactic is known as a "show of force," and tends to be used in foreign battlefields in places like Iraq or Afghanistan. Meanwhile, National Guard troops in battle equipment lined up in front of the Lincoln Memorial, their faces covered. And then, suddenly, a high fence was erected around the White House on Thursday. To protect the president from the American people.

Daniel Ziblatt, a professor of the science of government at Harvard, co-authored the book "How Democracies Die" two years ago. It quickly became a widely respected work about the rise of autocrats and the strategies they employ. "When we wrote the book, we wanted to avoid seeming too alarmist," Ziblatt says today. "Now, I think we were too optimistic. We thought the Republican Party would break with Trump when he began attacking the democratic system. But that hasn't happened."

The U.S. has been beset by a perfect storm. In absolute numbers, no other industrialized country has been hit as hard by the coronavirus pandemic as the United States, with more than 100,000 dead. The economic consequences of the virus have also been devastating: More than 40 million Americans have lost their jobs, a disaster second only to the Great Depression. And now, the killing of George Floyd has torn open the country's oldest wound: the deep-seated racism left behind by slavery.

Police protecting the White House from demonstrations out front.

During the initial weeks of the coronavirus crisis, many people took comfort in the notion that "were all in this together. The phrase was repeated daily by news anchors, politicians and celebrities. But many black people in the United States saw it as an affront. They have been hit much harder than white Americans by unemployment - even George Floyd had lost his job as a bouncer at a restaurant in Minneapolis. Furthermore, the chance that a black American will die from COVID-19 is three times higher than for white people.

"Our country will thrive and prosper again," Trump said in his inaugural address in January 2017. But now, dozens of U.S. cities have seen destructive rioting, and curfews have been imposed on 60 million Americans.

Racist police violence has a long, ugly tradition in the United States and white terror existed long before Trump rose to power, but almost all presidents in recent history have tried to unite the country. When a white terrorist shot and killed nine black people during a Bible study on June 17, 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina, Barack Obama sang a moving rendition of "Amazing Grace" at the memorial service. It comforted the nation.

"I hope that I'm being much too paranoid but it's hard not to think of things like the Reichstag fire at this moment."

Rosa Brooks, a professor at Georgetown University.

The contrast to Trump could hardly be greater. Last year, the current president awarded one of the countrys two highest civilian honors to the racist radio host Rush Limbaugh a man who once said: "If any race of people should not have guilt about slavery, it's Caucasians." When the first disturbances began following the killing of George Floyd, Trump issued a warning that culminated in the sentence: "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." The sentence was used in the 1960s by racist politicians and police chiefs. Trump seemed to intentionally be throwing a match into a barrel of gasoline. And now, the country is burning.

"I am here to fight for my black skin," says a breathless Tranesha Smith, 25, in Oakland. She is holding up a homemade sign as a dark wall of police assembles in front of her. The sign reads "Peace for George Floyd" on the front and, on the back: "You killed my black brother." She says she is fighting for her children, for all black people. And for justice.

"No justice, no peace," is one of the most frequently chanted slogans at the demonstrations. It is often followed by a second sentence: "No racist police!" Thousands have taken to the streets of Oakland in recent days, just as they have in dozens of other cities and towns around the country: in Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington, Houston, Portland, Louisville and Chicago. Windows have been broken in Oakland, which is located across the bay from San Francisco, and there has been looting.

But on this recent afternoon, the protests are peaceful, at least in physical terms. The anger is still there, expressed in slogans like "fuck the police!" which is chanted over and over again. The heavily armed officers, dressed in dark-colored riot gear, show no emotion under their helmets. Tranesha Smith, who works as an elder-care nurse, is wearing sandals, torn jeans and a colorful top.

A woman with the letters BLM on her face, which stands for Black Lives Matter.

Oakland is a good place to understand the rage of black people in America. Many African American people from the South moved to the so-called "Harlem of the West" in the middle of the 20th century. In the 1960s, it was the birthplace of the militant Black Panthers, who confronted the virulent police brutality of the time with violent force. Their logo can be seen these days on many of the T-shirts worn by demonstrators. Another popular motif is an image of Colin Kaepernick, the former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who popularized the practice of kneeling during the national anthem as a sign of protest. Oakland has a long tradition of black resistance.

And with good reason. Whereas black residents made up roughly half of the city's population in 1980, their share is below a quarter today. One reason for their displacement is the economic boom in Silicon Valley and the entire Bay Area, where high-salaried tech workers drove up housing prices, making it too expensive for many long-time residents to stay. Gentrification has long-since taken root in San Francisco, where black faces are frequently only seen among the homeless.

"I'm here to fight for my black skin."

Tranesha Smith, a protester in Oakland

The geography of Oakland is itself evidence of structural racism: The neighborhoods where the city's black population tends to live are located in the lowlands and crisscrossed by highways raised on cement pillars. White residents tend to live higher up on the hillsides, with views of the bay.

As the demonstrators march past City Hall, they chant the names of the victims: "Say their names! George Floyd! Say their names! Breonna Taylor! Say their names! Ahmaud Arbery!"

Breonna Taylor was killed by police in Kentucky in March. Ahmaud Arbery was a young black man who was apparently shot and killed while jogging in Georgia by a white civilian. They are just three names in a long list of black victims. Many American cities have their own George Floyd.

"But this time, it's different," says Jackie Byers, 48, from a local human rights organization called Black Organizing Project, who is also marching with the demonstrators. It's different, Byers believes, than during the unrest in Ferguson in 2014, when Michael Brown was shot and killed. And different from the 1991 uprising in Los Angeles after police beat Rodney King half to death.

Whats new, says Byers, is that millions of Americans could see the expression on the face of the policeman Derek Chauvin as he presses his knee into the neck of George Floyd for eight minutes and 46 seconds. The video immediately went viral on the internet. The lack of emotion, the impassiveness, says Byers, "is like a stab in our hearts." It reflects, she says, the degree of arrogance of white law enforcement officers who don't have to fear ever having to face justice for their actions.

According to the Mapping Police Violence database, 99 percent of all deaths caused by police between 2013 and 2019 resulted in no charges whatsoever. Each year, around 1,000 people in the United States lose their lives at the hands of the police, though the likelihood of being one of those victims is almost three times higher for blacks than it is for whites.

Another new aspect, says Byers, is that there are now two life-threatening viruses fueling the rage of black Americans: racism, which is deeply rooted in American culture and history, and SARS-CoV-2, which has hit blacks much harder than whites. Together, they have created a social explosion.

The fact that a greater proportion of black Americans die from COVID-19 is also a consequence of the conditions in which they live. On average, black Americans are much poorer than white Americans, which frequently translates to worse health and inadequate access to quality medical care. The average income of a black household in the United States is around $40,000 per year. For white households, that number is $70,000. Black Americans are also relatively more exposed to the virus because they are more likely to work at lower paying jobs that they cannot perform from home working in supermarkets, delivering packages or caring for patients in the hospitals.

Walking around the Chicagos Austin neighborhood with Elce Redmond, one gets a sense of how American capitalism has treated black residents. A community organizer, Redmond has spent 30 years focusing his attentions on Austin, one of the city's poorest and most dangerous districts. Some 81 percent of its population are African-American, and 13 percent are Latino.

Until the end of the 1980s, Redmond says, Austin was a solid, stable neighborhood. But then, spurred by globalization, numerous companies moved production overseas, plunging many people into unemployment and the neighborhood into a constant battle against poverty, drugs and crime. In some streets, nice homes with well-tended yards show that not everyone is losing the battle. But just one block away, entire rows of houses stand empty, with the windows either broken out or boarded up.

Children who grow up in Austin have a difficult start in life. "People used to think they had a chance if they worked hard and didn't give up," says Redmond. But that faith is waning. "The American dream doesn't work because there is a wall: institutional racism." To show what he means, Redmond points to a large building whose windows have been bricked up. It used to be Emmet Elementary School, but like many schools in Chicago's poorer neighborhoods, the school was closed down in 2014. "The only path to advancement is education," says Redmond. "There are plenty of dedicated teachers here, but there is a lack of financial means and there is a lack of desire to change things."

The American education system is heavily tilted toward the haves and away from the have nots. Schools in wealthy neighborhoods receive more public funding than those in poor neighborhoods because funding is dependent on local tax revenues. "Children who need help don't have a chance," Redmond says. And the many local initiatives in Austin can hardly change that situation. Now they are having to deal with the coronavirus as well. "This is a virus hotspot," says Redmond, a situation, he says, that came about in part because of high residential density and a lack of quality health care. The local hospital was shut down years ago.

The virus has combined with this widespread rage to feed the current unrest on American streets. The sentence George Floyd uttered as he was dying, "I can't breathe," has become the slogan of the nationwide demonstrations against police violence. But it also reflects the particularly hard impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the black population in the past several months.

Colin Kaepernick's kneel of protest has also taken on new meaning in recent days, mirrored as it is by the way the policeman knelt on George Floyd's neck. In many parts of the U.S., kneeling has become a way for the police to demonstrate solidarity with protesters. These scenes shouldn't be forgotten amid the news coverage of burning buildings, plundered shops and clouds of tear gas.

America finds itself at a high-stakes crossroads. Although there has been looting and rage, hundreds of thousands of white Americans have joined the anti-racist protests. Indeed, the protests seem to also be aimed at the man in the Oval Office, whose administration does not include a single black person in a prominent cabinet position and whose campaign events are almost exclusively attended by white supporters.

Outside the White House, the United States is becoming increasingly diverse, making it increasingly difficult to win an election without support from black and Latino voters. The unrest is thus not just about racist police officers or jobs, but about who has the say in the United States, about power.

In 2016, Trump received 3 million fewer votes than Hillary Clinton, who won 89 percent of the African American vote. Trump only won because of the Electoral College, which grants the primarily white states in the Midwest influence far outstripping the size of their populations. Demographically, though, whites are shrinking as a share of the population.

In Texas, a Republic stronghold for decades, the non-white population has already overtaken the white population. "We are experiencing the death rattle of the America represented by Donald Trump," believes Eddie Glaude, an historian at Princeton University. "Politically, that leads to panicked efforts to hold onto an America that is dying out. It has been accelerated by COVID-19."

"People used to think they had a chance if they worked hard and didn't give up."

Elce Redmond, community organizer in Chicago

The Republicans have entered into a devil's bargain with Donald Trump. He delivered all that the party has ever pined for: tax cuts, conservative judges and sharp anti-abortion rhetoric. In return, the party has completely subordinated itself to Trump, whose re-election strategy hinges on the support of white voters without a college education. The strategy can only be successful if large portions of the electorate are kept away from the voting booth.

The Republican conception of free and fair elections was on full display in Wisconsin in early April, during a vote in which Democrats also chose their favored candidate for the presidency. Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, wanted to delay the vote to give citizens an opportunity to vote by mail due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But Republicans in the Wisconsin statehouse didn't just reject that effort, they ensured that the number of voting booths was drastically reduced particularly in areas where many African Americans lived. In Milwaukee, 175 of 180 polling stations were closed. Those wanting to cast their ballots had to stand in endlessly long lines.

It was part of a long tradition. "There is no Republican majority in America, except on election days," wrote the New York Times in a recent editorial. Instead of striving to attract new groups of voters, the Republicans have adopted a different strategy: They are trying to prevent minorities from voting at all. And it is made easier by America's system of administration, which is not easy for Continental Europeans to understand.

Because American's do not carry federal IDs, citizens must register to vote. And every state decides on its own which document is required to do so. Since 2014, the state of Alabama has demanded a driver's license. Documents entitling holders to social housing are no longer sufficient, but for many African Americans, they are the only official documents that they possess.

The exclusion of black voters was an invention of the Democrats, once the party of Southern slave owners. After the end of the Civil War in 1865, they wanted to prevent former slaves from rising to positions of power. The Republicans, who have almost no black support today, expanded and modernized those efforts in the 20th century. "It used to be: If you vote, you die," says historian Carol Anderson, referencing the lynchings that used to take place in the South. "Today, intimidation works differently."

Troops from the National Guard standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Crystal Mason is familiar with that intimidation. In the 2016 presidential elections, she wanted to cast her ballot for Hillary Clinton. Because her name was no longer the registration rolls, however, she cast a provisional ballot. It is a standard procedure and votes thus cast are examined after the election to determine if they are valid.

The mother of three had served a five-year jail sentence for a tax offense, but because she was on parole, she was ineligible to vote. By phone, she explains that she didnt know about the rule, and received a shocking surprise a few months later: She was being charged with voter fraud. Mason was ultimately sentenced to ten more months in prison for violating her parole and sentenced to additional five years in jail for voter fraud. A court rejected her appeal. The three judges who ruled on her case had all been appointed by Republicans. "Prison for a vote cast in good faith that wasnt counted this is a textbook example of voter intimidation, argues Anderson, the historian.

Another popular method Is to cleanse voter-registration rolls. The Republican-run state of Georgia stalled 53,000 peoples voter applications shortly before the states gubernatorial election in 2018. Because of alleged discrepancies within the registration system, these residents were made to meet confusing identification requirements in order to vote. Of those affected, 70 percent were black hardly a coincidence. Ultimately, Republican Brian Kemp, a fervent admirer of Trump, won by approximately 55,000 votes.

Its unclear if these kinds of tactics will help Trump win the election in November. The virus has shattered the strong economy he hoped would propel his election campaign. Millions of Americans have lost not only their jobs, but also their health insurance in recent weeks. The economic hardship in the U.S. is now so severe that many families no longer know how to feed their children. Miles-long queues have formed in front of food banks, and American downtowns are on fire.

Trump is trying to profit from the anger felt by many Americans about the looting, which has been especially serious in New York, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis, all of which are run by Democratic mayors. "I am your president of law and order, Trump said in a White House address on Monday. But it is unclear if those kinds of appeals will actually help him.

The nation is watching footage on its screens of burnt-out police cars and shattered storefronts, of an America in chaos. In a recent CBS News survey, 49 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with Trumps management of the crisis, compared to 32 percent who thought he was doing a "good job.

American self-confidence has always been predicated on the belief that it is special. In his farewell address on January 11, 1989, Ronald Reagan spoke of a "shining city upon a hill, admired not only for its prosperity but for its richness in ideas, its goodness and cosmopolitanism. Ten months later, the Iron Curtain fell, and it seemed like the age of American dominance was upon us.

This notion of American exceptionalism also came up in Trumps inauguration speech in January of 2017, albeit in a vulgar form: "American will start winning again, winning like never before, the president said. Three and a half years later, there are no signs of victory. The defeat in the war in Afghanistan, the longest in U.S. history, is now as good as certain. The war will soon have lasted 19 years and cost the lives of 2,400 U.S. soldiers and Trump is eager to withdraw from the country, though there is little doubt that the Taliban will take over in Kabul when he does, much like the Communists overran Saigon after the last GIs left Vietnam. China is seizing the opportunity provided by the crisis to impose itself on Hong Kong, and Trump is in danger of destroying the G-7 Summit, the last influential venue for discussion among the Western developed nations.

As a result, older voters in particular seem to increasingly be turning away from Trump and toward Biden and the Democrats. In a survey conducted by Morning Consult, a polling institute, 45 percent of those asked said they would vote for Joe Biden, Trumps challenger, due to the protests. Whats particularly unsettling for Trump is that his challenger is currently ahead in the polls in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Biden now even has a chance of winning in erstwhile Republican strongholds like Arizona, Georgia and Texas. Polls predict a very close race in these states, something would have been unthinkable a few months ago.

Now a seemingly outrageous question is increasingly being asked: Would Trump accept defeat? "The next five months before the election could become very serious. Trump has the potential to significantly affect free and fair elections. He can undermine the entire electoral process and create maximum chaos, says Bill Kristol, who was long one of the country's leading conservative voices. Kristol is known for bringing Sarah Palin, John McCains running mate in the 2012 presidential election, into the spotlight, and was the editor-in-chief of the Weekly Standard, a now-defunct conservative magazine once owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Kristol broke away from Trump early on, partly because he argues Trump is leading the Republican Party to disaster. He believes Trump is capable of anything in a fight for political survival. "He can fake a crisis, spread false information, for example, by simply claiming a week before the election that he discovered a conspiracy.

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The article you are reading originally appeared in German in issue 24/2020 (June 6, 2020) of DER SPIEGEL.

A look back to February 2016 is instructive when it comes to Trump's view of democratic mores. At the time, he was only one of many candidates for the Republican nomination and he had just lost the first primary in Iowa to Texas Senator Ted Cruz. The voting was fair, but Trump still claimed he had been cheated. "Ted Cruz didnt win Iowa, he stole it, Trump wrote on Twitter. "Based on the fraud committed by Senator Ted Cruz during the Iowa caucus, either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified. Neither of those things happened.

Back then, few took Trump's allegations seriously. Now, though, hes in the White House, and many people he trusts occupy positions in the state apparatus. Briefings on the security of the presidential election, for example, are now being given by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, a Trump acolyte who has spread the abstruse theory that the scandal about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was in fact a conspiracy perpetrated by Barack Obama.

Rosa Brooks of Georgetown University argues that there can be no doubt that Trump is setting the stage for a refusal to accept a potential election defeat in November. Brooks has formed a working group for the Democrats that is tasked with preparing Bidens campaign team for the worst-case scenario: a president planning a coup dtat. If Biden doesnt win by a landslide, Trump will most likely claim victory, Brooks believes.

Trump had peaceful protesters cleared out of the way for his photo op in front of St. John's Church near the White House.

Trump has been saying for weeks that his opponents in the fall presidential election are preparing to carry out large-scale fraud. The Democrats believe its no coincidence that the presidents criticism is focused on postal voting, even though it makes no sense at first glance. A study by Stanford University published in mid-April concluded that neither Republicans nor Democrats would benefit from a U.S. vote carried out entirely by mail.

Around half the American electorate wants to vote by mail this fall, more than ever. This is mainly because of the coronavirus, which has led millions of Americans to want to avoid waiting in long lines for hours in front of their polling locations, as is common in the U.S. At the same time, Trump and congressional Republicans are refusing to provide additional money to ensure an orderly election process. "That's a recipe for distrust, says Nathaniel Persily, who teaches at Stanford University Law School and specializes in American electoral law.

Trump already declared in 2016 that he wont voluntarily concede defeat, and the chaotic electoral system in the U.S. gives him several opportunities to question a Biden victory. Over 10,000 different bodies are responsible for carrying out the presidential elections cities, municipalities, counties and the postal voting system is a patchwork quilt. In some states, like Texas, vote-by-mail is only permitted if the voter gives a valid reason. Other states have switched entirely to mail voting. There are also different deadlines and security standards. In some states, the signature on the envelope must match the signature given at the time of vote-by-mail registration, which opens the door to challenges to the validity of hundreds of thousands of postal votes.

Now Rosa Brooks and many other American lawyers are working through scenarios that, until recently, seemed unthinkable. What if, on election day, Republicans imposed a curfew on cities with traditionally large numbers of Democratic voters? What should be done if the outcome is close and the president refuses to recognize the result in a swing state like Pennsylvania? Given that it takes days to receive and count all postal votes, what should be done if Trump proclaims himself the winner before that happens?

"We don't have some single entity that can validate" the outcome of the election, Brooks says. "Its purely political. The more the professor has looked into the subject, the more pessimistic she has become that a president can be stopped if he has no qualms about ignoring the will of the people. Its not even clear that the Supreme Court would accept a suit against a president who refuses to vacate the White House. And even then, what if Trump simply disregards a Supreme Court ruling?

"The next five months before the election could become very serious. Trump has the potential to significantly affect free and fair elections.

The Secret Service would have to escort the president out of the Oval Office. But the Secret Service reports to the Department of Homeland Security, Brooks says. "Their boss is the secretary of homeland security. His boss is Trump."

There have been several extremely close election results in the United States. In 1960, Richard Nixon lost to John F. Kennedy by less than 113,000 votes. In 2000, the race between George W. Bush and his Democratic rival, Al Gore, came down to only a few hundred votes in Florida. But in both cases, the country was spared a constitutional crisis by the fact that the defeated candidates ultimately conceded defeat. This kind of humility can hardly be expected from Trump.

"Trump is going to contest whatever happens if he loses, Jacob Hacker, who teaches political science at Yale University, argues. The question would then be whether American society can force the president to back down. Trump may have the Republican Party and parts of the state apparatus under his control, but the protests that are happening daily across the country are increasingly turning towards the president.

This past Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of people, young and old, black and white, once again protested outside the White House. They were facing down police officers with helmets and truncheons. The crowd included Pat Rolich, 60, from Virginia. "Trump is escalating the situation, causing more and more violence. It almost feels like living in a police state, he says. For him, it is clearer than ever that Trump is no longer tenable as a president. "We need someone who can bring peace back to our country.

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A Perfect Storm: Democracy on the Defensive in Trump's America - DER SPIEGEL

Pubs and bars could be re-open from July, the Environment Secretary, George Eustice has claimed.

Mr Eustice said that he is hopeful the hospitality industry and the pub sector will be able to open "during the month of July, subject to science.

He said the Government is "already working with the hospitality and pub sector to identify what social distancing measures" might be able to put in place to make service possible.

His comments come just a day after Bella Italia, Las Iguanas and Cafe Rouge owners announced plans to contact administrators after two months of coronavirus lockdown.

The Environment Secretary said the Prime Minister has outline a plan to get pubs and restaurants opening "tentatively" during the month of July.

He said: "As the Prime Minister has outlined, we intend that the hospitality sector, including pubs, would be able to tentatively start gradually opening hopefully during the month of July - subject to the epidemiology supporting such a move."

Bella Italia, Las Iguanas and Cafe Rouge are just the latest high street restaurant staples facing difficulties as a result of the crisis.

The owners of restaurants Frankie & Bennys and Chiquito have announced more than 100 branches will close across the UK.

It has earmarked 42 sites which it plans to close, in addition to another 76 Frankie & Bennys sites it identified earlier this year.

It is estimated that thousands will be out of a job by the time Britain begins to see a glance of the "new normal" and hospitality workers have been urged to find jobs at Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's in the meantime.

The Environment Secretary also highlighted the agricultural fruit-picking scheme, as only a third of the usual European fruit-picking workforce will be available to work in the UK as a result of the virus.

Shadow Environment Minister, Daniel Zeichner, said: "The foolish dismantling of the seasonal agricultural workers scheme, now made worse by the Covid crisis, means we're facing an alarming shortfall in the experienced 70,000 people needed to pick our crops."

Mr Eustice said: "We estimate that probably only about a third of the usual East European workforce that would come to work on our farms is either here or in some cases has continued to come.

"That means that this year we will need a British workforce to step up and assist in getting the harvest in this year and we're very encouraged by results so far."

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Pubs and restaurants to 'hopefully' reopen in July, Cabinet minister says - Daily Star

Incoming Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Monday that, in addition to preparing the countrys security for the future, he intends to work towards implementation of all aspects of the Trump administration peace plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But Gantz stopped short of specifically endorsing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus stated plan to swiftly, and unilaterally, implement a controversial clause of the plan annexation of parts of the West Bank that the Palestinians want for a future state.

Most other members of the international community, especially Europe and the Arab world, vociferously oppose Netanyahus plan to unilaterally apply sovereignty over the entire Jordan Valley and Israeli settlements across the West Bank.

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And Gantz is also believed to oppose unilateral annexation that could seriously hurt Israels relations with numerous countries, including neighbor Jordan.

Channel 13 news reported Monday that Gantz and ally Gabi Ashkenazi, the new foreign minister, voiced reservations about annexation in their talks last week with visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

At a changing-of-the-guard ceremony, where he formally replaced outgoing defense minister Naftali Bennett, Gantz said that striving for peace has always been an important part of the Zionist spirit.

Alongside this and for its sake, we will maintain our strength, to seize regional opportunities in general, and to advance the US government and US President Trumps peace plan and everything it contains, Gantz told those gathered at the ceremony held in Tel Avivs Kirya military headquarters, where the ministry is located.

Gantz also said he intends to lead a multi-year program to enable the IDF and the defense community to deal with current threats and future challenges.

Passing the baton to Gantz, Bennett urged him not to let up in the campaign against Irans military presence in Syria.

Though Iran has begun a process of withdrawal from Syria, the work needs to be completed. Weve increased the number of attacks against Iranian forces and the Quds Force in Syria, he said.

Bennett, who is now headed for the opposition, after being left out of the new government, added: We cant let up on Iran for a moment. We must increase the diplomatic, economic, military, and technological pressure, and act in other dimensions.

Bennett, who had been defense minister since November last year, also urged securing the remains of two IDF soldiers held by the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.

Serving as defense minister was a great privilege, Bennett said. I have now finished. Benny, continue from here.

Gantzs remarks aligned with those of new Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, who at his own installment ceremony earlier in the day also expressed his support for the Trump plan, without endorsing Netanyahus annexation intentions.

Ashkenazi, a member of Gantzs Blue and White party, called the US administrations plan a historic opportunity to shape Israels borders.

Were facing significant regional opportunities, primarily President [Donald] Trumps peace initiative. I consider this plan a significant milestone, he said at a modest ceremony at a Foreign Ministry conference room in Jerusalem. President Trump presented us with a historic opportunity to shape the future of the State of Israel and its boundaries for decades to come.

Incoming Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, right, with his predecessor, incoming Finance Minister Israel Katz, at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, May 18, 2020. (Foreign Ministry)

According to the coalition agreement signed between Netanyahus Likud party and Gantzs Blue and White slate, the prime minister can bring the annexation plan to a vote in the Knesset or the cabinet as soon as July 1. If he secures Knesset approval, he can move forward with the plan even without Blue and Whites support.

Annexation will be advanced in coordination with the US and international dialogue on the issue, while pursuing the security and strategic interests of the State of Israel, including the need for maintaining regional stability, maintaining peace agreements and striving for future peace agreements, the coalition pact states.

Bennett lost the defense minister post in the coalition deal, and chose to take his Yamina party into the opposition, rather than accept a minor ministry.

Earlier in the day, Gantz tapped former Air Force commander Amir Eshel to take over as director-general of his ministry, succeeding Udi Adam who has served in the position for the past four years.

Eshel, a close confidant of the former IDF chief of staff-turned-politician, will enter the position in the coming days, Gantzs office said in a statement.

Former head of the air force, Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Eshel speaks at the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Tel Aviv on January 28, 2019. (INSS)

Adam, who has served in the position since 2016, said he will stay on a bit longer to prepare Eshel.

I am ending my four-year tenure with a feeling of satisfaction from seeing through a number of processes, which contributed and are contributing to the State of Israel and will continue to contribute to the resilience of the IDF, said Adam, who previously served as an IDF general and the director of Israels nuclear facility in Dimona.

Gantz thanked Adam for his service, noting his many accomplishments during his four-year tenure.

I am full of appreciation for the way he managed and manages the ministry and the achievements he has achieved, Gantz said.

During his tenure, Adam oversaw a major expansion of Israels defense exports, reaching a peak of $9 billion last year, according to the ministry.

Adam dramatically improved the preparedness of the Defense Ministry for emergencies. Some of these processes came to bear in the Defense Ministrys response to the coronavirus crisis, the ministry said.

Defense Ministry Director General Udi Adam. (Flash90)

Adam was appointed to the position of director-general under then-defense minister Moshe Yaalon. He stayed on under Yaalons successors: Avigdor Liberman, Benjamin Netanyahu and Naftali Bennett.

Eshel served as the head of the Israeli Air Force from 2012 to 2017, commanding it during the militarys 2012 and 2014 operations against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip, while Gantz was IDF chief of staff.

After retiring from the military, Eshel continued to advise Gantz, accompanying him to the United States earlier this year, during the unveiling of Trumps plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Taking Defense Ministry, Gantz says will promote all aspects of Trump peace plan - The Times of Israel

Just about every product and machine we come in contact with uses electricity. To keep us safe, almost all of them have built-in safety features, especially those on the factory floor. Technicians, maintenance crews, supervisors and managers must be protected from injury due to moving parts, high temperatures, shocks and other electricity-related hazards.

Designers have a host of methods to address electrical safety issues.

When it comes to industrial electrical safety, the best offense can be a good defense. In other words, if there were a way to keep people away from dangerous electrical equipment, it would lower the chances of anyone getting hurt. One simple way to do this is to keep risky equipment secure in an enclosure. Enclosures prevent injuries, along with inadvertent tampering and vandalism.

Most automated and factory equipment requires electrical enclosures, sometimes called control enclosures. They keep moisture, dust and contaminants away from electrical and automation components. They also keep workers from getting too close to electrical components. Enclosures are best located so they do not impede traffic and arent in crowded areas.

Properly selected enclosures protect automation and electrical components inside and keep workers away from hazards.AutomationDirect

Eventually, someone will need to get inside the enclosure. That could be maintenance technicians making annual checks and upgrades or inspectors looking things over. So, inside the enclosure, engineers should choose components and assemblies with guards, shields and other devices to stop visitors from touching energized components. Components should be laid out so theres enough working room and adequate airflow. Wires should be neatly routed using wire ducts so that wires and workers are protected.

On equipment itself with moving parts, hot surfaces, or other physical hazards, the best approach providing physical barriers or guards to contain those hazards. Of course, any guard can be defeated by removal, so plant managers should also use non-contact or interlock safety switches that make it difficult to bypass. And if the guard is moved, sensors detect it and automatically have the equipment stopped and/or de-energized.

Some guards and panels must be easily movable to accommodate cleaning and replacing parts. In these cases, trapped-key interlock safety switches hold the door closed with a mechanical lock-and-key until the equipment stops and is safe to access.

Another way to physically safeguard electrical and automated equipment adds devices such as light curtains, mats, edges and bumpers. These can all be arranged around potentially dangerous equipment to detect someone approaching and stop equipment operation before the operator gets too close to the hazard.

The electrical design inside enclosures should also be safe in terms of power distribution and control circuitry. It must follow NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (NEC), which is the benchmark for safe electrical design and installation practices to protect people and property from electrical hazards. Provision and sizing of disconnect switches, overcurrent devices, conductors and associated components are all covered by the NEC.

Disconnect switches are primary electrical safety devices that isolate downstream electrical systems from upstream power. They are used in electrical switchgear, panelboards and control panels, as well as for mounting close to power-using machines such as motors. Disconnect switches can be locked open by users to ensure downstream equipment is electrically safe for maintenance or repair.

In power distribution and control panels, overcurrent devices such as circuit breakers fuses, and motor overload devices, protect downstream conductors by automatically opening a circuit when theres an overcurrent or short-circuit. This protects equipment and workers from fault conditions.

Circuit breakers, fuses and overload devices protect downstream conductors if there is an overcurrent or short-circuit. Technicians can use them to safely de-energize equipment.AutomationDirect

Surge protection is another electrical safety provision and has recently received increased attention, especially since the 2017 revision of NEC section 670.6. This added the requirement to have surge protection on industrial machinery safety interlock circuits. Electrical surges can be caused by failing equipment, utility problems, and lightning strikes, and can damage operational equipment and control circuits. Surge protective devices on safety interlock circuits help ensure safety functions operate continually and are protecting workers.

For motor-driven electrical equipment, prudent designers include devices not absolutely required but proving additional protection. For instance, phase-monitoring relays detect electrical problems such as phase loss or phase imbalance, each of which can cause hazardous operating conditions. Similarly, some equipment can be equipped with vibration, temperature, and seal leak sensors. Wiring these sensors to relays or automated switches can stop equipment if a problem is detected.

In addition to safely enclosing electrical devices and installing wiring and devices per NEC, designers can take additional steps to keep workers safe. Some of these steps are mandated by standards such as ISO 13849 Safety of Machinery, while others are simply good engineering practices.

Machinery designers must also follow ISO 13849 and perform a risk assessment to identify hazards and how to safeguard against them.

Cable-pull safety switches are particularly effective safety devices because they can span large areas of equipment and those working in the area can easily actuate them. These switches get wired into safety relay modules or more advanced safety controllers, depending on the required safety level needed. When theres no trouble, these relays and controllers let equipment operate and hold all trapped-key interlocks closed. However, if a safety sensor is triggered, the equipment is de-energized and brought to a safe state as quickly as possible.

Outside of dedicated safety circuits, designers can provide automation features to help operators efficiently and safely run equipment. These include visual and audible indicators so workers can quickly understand the operating state and condition of the equipment. Specialized indicators such as modular stack lights are a good way to provide this type of indication from a much greater distance than small control-panel lights.

Pilot devices such as switches and pushbuttons, or even human-machine interfaces (HMIs), can be combined with control wiring and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to facilitate safe startup, operation and shutdown of equipment. Careful configuration and programming of HMIs and PLCs is essential for good equipment performance and safe and efficient operator interaction with machinery.

Safety relay modules, such as these from AutomationDirect, provide engineers options for interlocking equipment to protect workers.AutomationDirect

Incorporating sufficient safety for industrial machinery and systems is never a one-and-done proposition. Some safety requirements for electrical and controls are mandated by codes and standards such as the NEC and ISO. Other safety measures are based on good engineering practices and careful consideration of how workers may interact with equipment. Designers can keep safety first for electrical and automation systems by following a layered approach that evaluates changing conditions and develops designs based on a portfolio of products to address physical, electrical and automation safety concerns.

Kevin Kakascik is a technical marketing engineer at AutomationDirect.

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Redesigned Testing Machine Set Up to Gather and Use Big Data - Machine Design

Italy will allow travel to and from abroad starting on June 3, the government announced late Friday night.

According to the decree approved by Italy's Cabinet, restrictions will also be lifted on travel within Italy meaning residents will once again be allowed to freely travel from region to region.

Read more:Which European Union countries are open for summer tourism?

Restrictions on movement within regions will end earlier on May 18. The statement stressed, however, that local and state governments can curb travel in certain areas if there is a spike in new infections.

Some regions urged Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to roll back the restrictions sooner, but Conte has pushed for a gradual rollback of restrictions to prevent a second wave.

"We're facing a calculated risk in the knowledge that the contagion curve may rise again," Conte said in a televised address. "We have to accept it otherwise we will never be able to start up again."

In Greece, all beaches in the country were reopened on the weekend (May 16 &17). According to media reports, strict regulations were observed: The distance between parasols had to be four meters and only two sunbeds per parasol were allowed. Beach bars could only to sell packaged food and not to serve alcohol. Is this a preview of summer holidays in Europe despite the coronavirus pandemic?

Since Friday (May 15), people entering North Rhine-Westphalia from other EU countries and Schengen states no longer have to go into a 14-day home quarantine. The other German states are to follow in the next few days. Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland are also exempt from the quarantine regulations. This will make travel to neighbouring countries much easier.

From Saturday (May 16), Germany will again open its borders to neighboring countries France, Austria and Switzerland. There will only be random checks, and no more checks at all for Luxembourg. However, there must still be "good" reasons for crossing the border. And love is accepted as such. For example, German-Swiss couples at Lake Constance (photo) can visit each other again.

The Austrian government has announced that the border with Germany will be opened on June 15th. Tourism in Austria has been effectively suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. On May 29th, hotels and accommodation establishments in Austria will be allowed to reopen. Austrian tourism is heavily dependent on guests from Germany.

Borkum, Juist (photo) and the other East Frisian islands are happy to be able to greet tourists again, even if it's a limited surge of visitors. Since Monday (May 11), overnight stays in holiday apartments and camping sites throughout Lower Saxony are allowed again. Holidaymakers must stay at least one week. However, day tourists and hotel overnight stays are still prohibited.

Thuringians are pioneers. Weimar is the first city in Germany to reopen restaurants and cafs. Since Wednesday (May 6), people have been sitting in the sun with a coffee or beer and enjoying a step back towards normality while keeping their distance. Restaurants and hotels in the other federal states will also resume their limited operations by the end of May.

Holidaymakers might also be able to travel to the Balearic or Greek Islands in summer. "If there are very few new infections there and the medical care works, one could also think about a summer holiday in those places", the Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism, Thomas Barei, told the "Tagesspiegel" newpaper. Long-distance travel, however, was likely to be cancelled this summer.

On May 18th, the coronavirus lockdown for Bavaria's outdoor gastronomy is to end and the beer gardens will reopen. Of course under strict conditions, waiters have to wear masks, for example. On May 25th the indoor gastronomy is to follows, restaurants and cafes, with a limited number of guests. From May 30th onwards, the operation of hotels, and holiday homes in Bavaria will be allowed again.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is the first federal state to reopen to tourists from all over Germany: From May 25th they can again stay in hotels, guest houses and holiday homes. 60 percent of the bed capacity will be released for this purpose. This means that the tourist season can start with the Whitsun holidays in popular holiday regions like the Baltic Sea and the Mecklenburg Lake District.

One of Beijing's most important sights can be visited again after months of closure due to the coronavirus crisis. From Friday (May 1), visitors are allowed back into the palace complex on Tiananmen Square under strict security conditions. Instead of the previously usual 80,000 visitors, a maximum of 5,000 guests are to be admitted daily.

Germany extended on Wednesday (April 29) its worldwide travel warning due to the coronavirus crisis to at least June 14. The Federal Foreign Office said that "severe and drastic restrictions in international air and travel traffic and worldwide entry restrictions, quarantine measures and restrictions on public life in many countries can still be expected."

Gastronomes have set up empty chairs in central locations in Germany, such as here in Dsseldorf, to draw attention to their situation in the coronavirus crisis. "Without direct financial aid, most of our businesses will not survive," says Guido Zllick, President of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association. "Suppliers and partners are also increasingly being drawn deeper into economic crisis."

Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is confident that the border between Austria and Germany will soon be opened again for tourists. Both countries are on the right track in containing the spread of the coronavirus, Kurz told ARD television on Wednesday (April 22). This is the precondition for a revival of tourism. He did not name an exact date for the opening of borders.

"A normal holiday season with crowded beach bars and busy mountain huts will not be possible this summer. That would be unacceptable," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday (April 21). However, he did not rule out the possibility that borders for tourists could be reopened before the summer and that holiday travel with certain restrictions might be possible.

The Oktoberfest has been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.Bavaria's premier Markus Sder and Munich's mayor Dieter Reiter announced the decision on Tuesday (April 21)."It pains us, and it is a great pity", said Sder. But in times of the coronavirus, the danger of infection at the folk festival, which attracts about six million visitors annually, would just be too great.

The Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Gnther, hopes that tourism on the North and Baltic Seas will be revived in the summer. Despite the coronavirus crisis, he "definitely did not write off the summer tourism business," he said on April 19. While they are now proscribed, stays in secondary residences, holiday homes and finally hotels could be made possible again in three steps.

The government resolutions (April 15th) stipulate that people in Germany should continue to refrain from making private trips. The worldwide travel warning is to be upheld. Accommodation offers are only available for necessary and explicitly non-touristic purposes. Restaurants will also remain closed. Tourism is one of the industries that has been hit hardest in the coronavirus crisis.

The entry ban imposed by the USA on foreign nationals from Europe will remain in place for the time being. Italy and Spain are still struggling with the coronavirus crisis and France has just extended measures to contain infections by the virus, US President Donald Trump said on Monday (April 13). The entry ban will remain in force until the countries show signs of improvement, Trump said.

Hotels, cafes and souvenir shops are closed. It is unusually empty outside the Royal Palace in Palma (picture). The Easter season on the Spanish holiday island of Mallorca has been cancelled. The Majorcan hotel association now fears that due to the uncertain situation in the main markets of Germany and Great Britain, some hotels will remain closed even during the peak season.

By Sunday (April, 5) 205,000 travelers had been brought back to Germany, according to the federal government.Airplanes from Peru and Colombia were the most recent to take off.More than 40,000 Germans however are still stranded abroad. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter."We will continue our efforts to find solutions for the travelers who have not yet been able to return."

Thousands of foreigners stranded in New Zealand because of the coronavirus crisis will be able to leave the Pacific state from Friday (April 3). On Thursday, the New Zealand government announced that it would allow the "safe and orderly departure of tens of thousands" of stranded people. Earlier it had stopped return flights by foreign governments.

A light installation on the Matterhorn in Switzerland is giving a sign of solidarity and hope in the fight against the corona virus. Encouraging messages are also being projected on to many other tourist landmarks around the world. "Stay safe", "Stay at home" could be see on Monday evening on the Great Pyramid in Giza near the Egyptian capital Cairo.

The repatriation process for Germans stranded abroad is ongoing. Until now, main destinations such as Egypt or Morocco have been addressed. "It will be more difficult with countries that only have small groups of scattered adventure vacationers," said the crisis manager of the German Foreign Office. Tourists in the Pacific Islands must first be rounded up in New Zealand and then flown out.

After long delays Thailand closed its borders on Thursday (March 26). The authorities had delayed the decision for a long time to safeguard the tourism sector. Now tens of thousands of tourists are stuck in the Southeast Asian tourist country. The German government has so far not organized a repatriation for German tourists, as Thailand is not considered a risk region.

The German foreign ministry announced on Wednesday (March 25) that, together with tour operators, it had brought back more than 150,000 Germans from abroad. Tour operator TUI added that almost 95 percent of the tourists who were stranded because of the coronavirus pandemic are now back in Germany. They were mainly flown out from Egypt, Spain, Portugal and the Cape Verde Islands.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said that the warning against traveling abroad will remain in effect until the end of April. "This includes the Easter holidays," he said on Twitter. "Stay at home! Protect yourself and your fellow human beings," he appealed to the population. Many tour operators have also extended their travel ban until the end of April.

The EU Commission is supporting the return to Europe of tens of thousands of long-distance travellers. It intends to cover a large part of the costs, since most of the flight connections have been cancelled. "We are here to help them return," Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a video message.

African countries have also ordered numerous measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. South Africa, for example, has banned access to the country for people coming from risk areas. Nigeria is monitoring the temperature of travelers at airports, ports and borders. Cameroon has closed its borders indefinitely.

The Australian government has imposed an indefinite ban on all foreign travel by its citizens. Prime Minister Scott Morrison also called on all Australians who are abroad to return home. A 14-day compulsory quarantine for all people entering the country has already been in place for some time. Here, too, it has become quiet in the cities.

The coronavirus crisis is impacting travelers and the tourism industry with full force. Several tour operators, including TUI, has cancelled trips, and some airlines are shutting down. Germany's federal and state governments decided that overnight stays should only be used for "necessary and explicitly not for touristic purposes". Germans are to "no longer take holiday trips at home and abroad".

The EU has closed its entire external borders for 30 days as from Tuesday (March 17, 2020). "All travel between non-European countries and the European Union will be suspended for 30 days," French President Macron said in a television address on Monday (March 16,2020) evening. The Schengen Area, which includes several non-EU countries, has also closed its external borders.

More and more countries are sealing their borders, and many flights are cancelled. With special flights Lufthansa and its subsidiary Eurowings want to bring up to 6,500 stranded holidaymakers from the Caribbean, the Canary Islands and on Mallorca back to Germany. In Morocco, the German government is assisting German tourists who are stranded there due to their return flights being cancelled.

On Monday morning (March 16, 2020), Germany introduced entry controls at the borders with the five neighboring countries: France, Denmark, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland. Border crossings will be reduced to what is strictly necessary. Goods can continue to pass through, including commuters, but not travelers without good reason. The duration of the measures remains open.

Whether Spiekeroog, Sylt or Rgen: Vacation on the northern German islands in the North and Baltic Sea is no longer possible as of March 16, 2020. Those who had already moved into their accommodation have been asked to return home. The health systems of the islands are not equipped to deal with large numbers of infected people. Regulations are to follow for mainland tourism.

Disneyland Paris and Disney World Florida have closed until the end of the month. Disney Cruise Line have also suspended all new departure through the same period. The company said the decision was made "with great caution" to protect guests and employees. The company said the parks in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai, which had already been closed, will also remain shut.

All ski areas in the Austrian provinces of Salzburg and Tyrol are ending the winter season early. Cable car operation will be discontinued as of Sunday (March 15, 2020). Hotels and accommodations will be closed from Monday. The provincial governments said that this should slow down the spread of the virus in the Alpine country. The two provinces account for most leading Austrian ski areas.

Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the USA is imposing a general 30-day travel ban on people from Europe. The entry ban comes into force on Friday (March 13, 2020) at midnight (local time). It does not apply to US citizens residing in Europe who have tested negative for the pathogen.

India has declared all tourist visas invalid for 1 month because of the corona virus. Only travelers who are already in the country are allowed to stay, the Indian Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday (March 11, 2020). The entry ban is to last until April 15 for the time being.

Climbing Mount Everest via the north side has been forbidden by Chinese authorities. The necessary permits for expeditions to the world's highest mountain were withdrawn on Thursday (March 12, 2020).

In order to reduce the spread, the border into neighboring Austria can only be crossed from Italy with a medical certificate. Slovenia has closed its border, and Albania has banned Italian air and ferry traffic. Many airlines have cancelled flights to Italy until at least 3 April. Germany, the UK, and Ireland tightened travel recommendations and called on their citizens to leave.

The Costa Crociere shipping company is cancelling all cruises in the Mediterranean for the time being. The cruises will be suspended until April 3, the Italian company announced on Tuesday (March 10). The measure affects thousands of passengers. Ships still operating in the Mediterranean will only call at Italian ports to let passengers disembark.

The dome and roof terrace of the Reichstag parliament building in Berlin have been closed to visitors since Tuesday (March 10, 2020) until further notice to prevent the possible spread of the coronavirus. The walkable dome and the roof terrace are visited by more than 2 million people every year, according to the Bundestag.

All ski facilities in Italy have been closed since Tuesday (March 10, 2020) due to the corona crisis. Prior to this, hoteliers and cable car operators in the South Tyrol region (photo) had already agreed to close their facilities. South Tyrol is particularly popular with winter sports tourists from Germany and Eastern Europe. The closure is effective until at least April 3.

The Czech Republic (picture) and Poland are carrying out checks at the border with Germany to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. Since Monday (March 9), travelers have faced random temperature checks. The German government has warned against travelling to risk areas. And air passengers from China, Japan, South Korea, Iran and Italy will have to expect controls when entering Germany.

On March 8 the Italian government issued an entry and exit ban for the more than 15 million inhabitants of the northern Italian regions, which include the key business center Milan and the tourist magnet of Venice (photo). Cultural, sporting and religious events are also banned for visitors. Museums, cinemas and theaters remain closed nationwide.

Repeatedly cruise ships have to be quarantined or prevented from docking. After cancellations in Thailand and Malaysia, the Costa Fortuna (photo) with 2,000 passengers, including 64 Italians, has been allowed to enter the port of Singapore. In Oakland, California, 2,000 passengers and 1,100 crew members of the Grand Princess are quarantined because 19 of them have tested positive for COVID-19.

Sights in Asia are particularly affected by travel restrictions for Chinese tourists. Hotspots such as the Senso-ji temple (picture) in Tokyo and the temple complexes of Angkor Wat in Cambodia are reporting a sharp drop in visitors. On March 9, the Ministry of Tourism in Thailand reported a 44% drop for February. Tourism accounts for 11% of the gross domestic product.

Author: Andreas Kirchhoff, Susan Bonney-Cox

The current curbs will stay in place until after Italy's Republic Day holiday on June 2 to prevent mass travel over the holiday weekend.

No quarantine for tourists

The measures are currently limited to residents in Europe's visa-free Schengen area, the government clarified later on Saturday.

Travelers will also not be required to quarantine for 14 days upon entering Italy after June 3.

The announcement was a major move for Italy as it seeks to reopen its tourism industry and salvage some of the summer vacation season.

Italy became the epicenter of the coronavirus in Europe in late February, enacting one of the world's strictest coronavirus lockdowns.

The country has the third-highest death toll in the world after the US and the UK, with over 31,600 fatalities due to the virus, although new COVID-19 cases have been steadily dropping.

Read more:Germany aims to reopen borders - what you need to know

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Italy to allow unrestricted travel starting June 3 - DW (English)

You would expect the sailing community to be more understanding than most others of the difficulties inherent in setting out any sort of comprehensible and feasible plan for the resumption of life in all its forms as the Covid-19 pandemic recedes, for our sport is an activity of many unpredictables. There may have been large pandemics before. But they didnt occur in a significant form in such a complex and acceleratingly busy a world as weve been living in since the turn of the century.

Thus you can certainly make plans and keep making plans, but it would be foolish to expect anything resembling a Fixed Plan, all-encompassing and set in stone.

In sailing a race, for instance, the variables of wind strength and direction, sea state, tidal conditions, and configuration of the fleet are changing in an infinite and endless continuum. Rigid plans are a delusion. We may not all be like ace helm Gordon Maguire, who is so aware of the relative wind changes that he can anticipate them in advance by some time, and sense them in real terms something like a fifth of a second ahead of getting the information from the electronics, all of which can add up to quite an advantage in a complex race. But even the most basic sailor knows that everything turns out at least slightly different from expectation, and we go forth in the fond belief that it might even be better than hoped.

Gordon Maguire (yellow jacket) helming Ichi Ban to Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race victory. It is his enhanced ability to anticipate and utilise the continuous change in the sailing environment which has made him Australias most successful offshore racing skipperEqually, in cruising, the overall Cruise Plan can be a burden which is sometimes best abandoned - or at least put into storage - at an early stage. But with a flexibility of approach, your may eventually find alternative and more enjoyable ways of getting to your original cruise objective, and there are few summers with weather so bad that even the most adroit cruise management cannot provide something satisfactory to reflect on at seasons end.

So in contemplating the return to normality plans being put forth by the five different governmental administrations in what the late Gerald FitzGibbon (Eternal Honorary Secretary of the Howth 17 Class) used to describe as the Anglo-Celtic Archipelago, we see differences in approach sometimes so marked that we can only wonder if they are all dealing with the same basic problem.

The Government in London may set out a general plan for England, but it is immediately sniped at for its absence of savvy about how the average household functions, with the point being made that their current Cabinet includes exceptionally few women, even though Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister once said that any woman who could competently run a household can make a fair fist of running a country.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher she reckoned that the competent running of a household was excellent training for running a country.With this broad plan complete with too many specifics and hints at actual dates being run out and then changed next day, the various sailing and boating bodies have been making the best of it for their own areas of interest. Thus we find intriguing snippets such as the fact that family groups may do a spot of boating on their local waterways and canals provided they avoid using locks, where safe social distancing would be very difficult. But you wouldnt get very far on most English canals without transiting a lock. In crowded England, these are highly sociable places, where the habit of lounging ashore and interacting with the boat crews going through is so prevalent that those who do it regularly are known among the boat people as gangoozlers. Theyre a species unknown along the Shannon, our mighty waterway which is mercifully restricted to just seven locks, and has thousands of acres of clear uncrowded water.

The lordly River Shannon provides much better opportunities for social distancing than the typical English canal.For the unfortunate Welsh with their long border with England, yet with a higher proportion of at-risk people in their population, the extension of the Lockdown is insisted. But whether the Welsh can stop the English pouring over the border this weekend is a moot point. Even at the height of the Lockdown, a policeman in Llandudno in North Wales flagged down a be-leathered man on a large shiny motorbike, to be told that he was just out running an urgent errand. The errand was apparently to buy sausages. His point of departure? Nottingham.

In the Lockdown period in England, this has proved to be the ideal machine for nipping down to the shops for a packet of sausagesInevitably, away to the north, the instinctive hostility between the English and the Scots has been regularly re-surfacing. Its only a matter of time if it hasnt been done already - before someone quotes the quintessential English writer PG Wodehouses comment: It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.

Meanwhile the rather wishy-washy slogan Stay Alert has become national policy. At least theyd the sense to use this version. There are those among us who can remember some other crisis when the official exhortation was Be Alert. This didnt last long, as the local Voluntary Thought Police were soon adding The World Needs More Lerts underneath.

Whatever, already we are in the blame game, and on that count, we should remember the wickedly effective re-working of the pious thoughts of the famous American sports-writer Grantland Rice (1880-1954):

And when the One Great Scorer comes,To write against your name,He marks not that you won or lost,But how you spread the blame

That will be the theme in London and elsewhere for quite some time, and in contemplating the happenings on that larger island next door, some of us might incline to the scary thought that we are seeing the Romans becoming Italians, with the Dark Ages imminent, and with the occasional complete pessimist perhaps even wishing that St Georges Channel were at least twice as wide.

Social distancing, Cheltenham style. Even in imminent pandemic times, no patriotic Irish race enthusiast could be anywhere else.As it is, in retrospect there are two people across the water that we can blame for some of the Covid-19 in Ireland. One is whoever decided that the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival should go ahead, where the hazards were immediately obvious once it was under way. And the other is Jurgen Klopp. For had not Herr Klopp brought Liverpool Football Club to such a peak of excellence, their many Irish supporters would not have been obliged to mix at a crucial time in pandemic development with vast numbers of infective Spanish and Italian fans at the international championship fixtures that his inspired team management had made possible.

Jurgen Klopps huge success in managing Liverpool FC may have contributed to Irelands experience of Covid-19Even with St Georges Channel at only fifty nautical miles wide, and the North Channel even narrower, there still seems to be a really useful saltwater cordon sanitaire between Ireland and chaos, and while there has been the occasional squabble, the level of social cohesion and adherence to the rules of Lockdown in Ireland have been encouragingly high. But such a balancing act can be maintained for only so long, and people are climbing the walls in their hopes of getting back to some form of sailing, or afloat in some way.

Thus this week here in Howth wed a keen sea angler who thought he might get away with a couple of hours of his beloved sport if he launched his little outboard boat from an almost-forgotten ramp hidden away outside the back of the harbour. For although sailing is a complete no-no under total lockdown, as even the smallest sailing boat sticks out like a sore thumb, any little powered boat suddenly appearing past the harbour mouth is assumed by casual observers to be a local lobsterman going legitimately about his business, the launching and so forth having been well hidden from the real lobstersmen within the harbour.

Howth Harbour from the north. A little-known launching ramp to the west of the harbour was utilized by a desperate sea angler to launch his boat in secret, but an engine break-down blew his cover.But God is not mocked, as our Cunning Cod Catcher discovered. His engine wouldnt re-start when his fun was finished. So the Howth Inshore Lifeboat had to bring him in. But as there are so few clearly established laws and rules about how to act in this current exceptional situation, with no statutory body with any muscle to take responsibility and prosecute in some way, the Flexible Fisherman simply stayed absolutely schtum, didnt say a single word to anyone, and it all just petered out when everyone had to go home for their tea.

But after Monday (May 18th) were told that easing is going to begin, and soon those golfers who have been managing to slip under the radar (for weve ten golf courses more or less within five kilometres of here) will now be legitimate provided theyre maintaining Social Distance.

That noted mover and shaker in sailing progress, Peter Ryan the Chairman of the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association, reckons the Social Distance two metre requirement is the stumbling block, and while Mark Mansfield of Cork has been thinking long and seriously about how to resume keelboat racing while complying with pillars of the current policy, Peter Ryan reckons the authorities are going to have to re-think on this one, particularly if valid testing methods can be securely in place.

Sociable times. Peter Ryan of ISORA (right) at the launching of a Race Sponsorship with John Rutter and Michael Martyn of Kona. But in the current difficult times, Ryan is looking at ways in which such socialising can be minimized in order to allow offshore racing to take place.Then too, we can expect mask-wearing to be mandatory. This is a pain for those of us who wear spectacles, as many mask designs cause our glasses to mist up, such that while we may be models of infection protection as we move about the place, its not a good look if youre trying to ride a bike, drive a car or simply walk on a pavement in keeping with current social distance requirements, as youll be more concerned with not walking misty-eyed into barely-seen other people or trees or lamp-posts or buses.

So where is our much-vaunted Sense of Freedom in Sailing in all this? Well, its still there when sailing is in its purest minimalist form, which has to be kite-surfing or windsurfing. This is pop-up sailing, requiring virtually no shoreside infrastructure, and you dont need a car, let alone a car and trailer, to get your vehicle into action. Its absolutely fine and about as socially-distanced as you can get provided you remain in control of the situation. But if you get into difficulties and require rescuing, youre immediately into a situation of intimate potential infection, and spoiling the sport for everyone else.

Kitesurfing in Dublin Bay. It may not be sailing as most of us know or expect it, but its the form of sailing which is most compliant with Social Distancing and other Covid19 requirementsMoving on up the size scale, the next least infective sailing sport is surely for someone who has his or her own driving licence and a tow vehicle and a versatile trailer for something solo-sailed like a Laser or the significantly lighter RS Aero, ideally with a beach to launch from, for at all times its the avoidance of sociability-encouraging shoreside infrastructure which is the key.

But if we move into any boat size above that, the anti-infection problems rise exponentially, and were very quickly into areas where intense shoreside socializing is an integral part of the complete sailing/regatta experience. Yet although the cancellation of the Glandore Classics in mid-July was something we could take in our stride, as it was in a sense linked to the already-cancelled RCYC Tricentenary Cork Week, the cancellation of Cruinniu na mBad in Kinvara, scheduled for the 14th to 16th August, was something of a wake-up call (and a shock) when it came at precisely 11.19 on Wednesday morning.

Dr Mick Brogan (left) with his Arctic voyaging shipmate Jarlath Cunnane at the Ilen Reception at the Royal Irish YC a year ago. It was with heavy hearts that Dr Brogan and his Committee decided this week that Cruinniu na mBad 2020 in Kinvara in August had to be cancelled. Photo: W M NixonFor mid-August is all of three months away, and with the current hopeful progress in handling the pandemic, we couldnt help but hope that Kinvara might be a real possibility. But the Kinvara chairman Dr Mick Brogan is a Connacht GP in addition to his many traditional boat regatta and voyaging credentials, he brought his medical knowledge to his Committees acute awareness of just how un-self-consciously and totally sociable the Kinvara gathering is, and they regretfully but decisively pulled down the shutters.

In fact, Kinvara during Crunnui na mBad is sociability on a scale which well matches the apres-ski scene in the Alpine village of Ischgi in the Austrian Tyrol, which was notoriously one of the earliest hotbeds of Covid-19 infection in Europe, and it would be tempting fate and rejecting the science to think that even three months hence, Cruinnui na mBad could safely be staged.

Hotbed of infection the aprs ski scene at Ischgi in Austria

Where social distancing is impossible aboard Mick Brogans traditional ketch Mac Duach at Cruinniu na mBad at Kinvara

But not all sailing events are so closely inter-woven with a massive social gathering ashore, and while its a bit rough on established yacht club hospitality facilities to suggest such a thing, in the extremity of our current situation, with enthusiastic sailors mad keen to get afloat, it should be possible to devise sailing events involving little or no shoreside infrastructure at all.

We discussed some aspects of this four weeks ago in outlining Peter Ryan of ISORAs thinking about the possible staging of the Dublin Bay to Cork Harbour Race as early as 31st July, and its a theme which can usefully be developed if the authorities dont completely put the kibosh on such ideas.

For the heart of it all is ISORAs offshore nature. It could be argued that its HQ is a waypoint midway between Dublin Bay and Anglesey. Thus all its activities can be totally offshored and certified disease-free. Its members boats would only be eligible to race if they can produce an electronically-verified medical certificate showing that all their crews are virus-free as they assemble aboard to race. Thus they will in effect become a healthy family bubble going sailing.

The ISORA fleet getting away for an offshore race which started outside Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Provided each crewmember is certified free of Covid-19, ISORA could provide racing without any direct reliance on shoreside infrastructure or facilities. Photo Afloat.ie/David OBrienAs for all the administration of the racing, it can be done with a fast and seaworthy committee boat (something like John Brennans new Redbay Stormforce 1650 as recently revealed on Afloat.ie would be ideal) complete with virus-free crew. The speed and seaworthiness are important as both the start point and the finish as monitored by this one boat have to be kept as flexible concepts, and while the use of a shore point for the other end of the start and finish lines is preferable to give the people on land some sense of identifying with the race, its not essential, and the South Burford Buoy in Dublin Bay and the Daunt Buoy off Cork Harbour could serve equally well.

Its appreciated that with such a setup, the temptation to simply keep the fleet in the Irish Sea and make up the miles with a course taking in the Isle of Man or other in-place fixed marks would be considerable. But we have to remember were talking 24-carat gold sailing history here with the 160th anniversary commemoration of the totally-pioneering Dublin Bay to Cork Harbour Race of 1860, so a bit of respect for some tradition is very much in order.

Meanwhile, theres nothing more exasperating than people insisting that they have to have a clearcut and transparent plan with definite figures and real dates so that they can confirm the arrangements of their own personal programme.

You would think that were facing into a busy summer with a hectic choice of May Balls, June Regattas, and July Gala Events. But the fact is, folks, were facing into a desert. Thus ingenious sailing ways of getting around this are now top of the agenda, but theyre not going to happen any time soon. And with scant rainfall since February, it may become a desert in more ways then wed like.

With some really imaginative thinking and compliance with restrictions, we may be able to ensure that this is not the memory we carry forward from the Irish sailing season of 2020.While many glassfibre boats may have been kept happily afloat through the winter in their marina berths, most wooden traditional and classic craft have been lifted ashore. Even where they are stored under good covers, the recent prolonged periods of bright sunlight, extreme afternoon heat, and exceptional night-time cold have been very bad indeed for their old timbers. Ideally, they should be afloat as soon as possible. But if that isnt permitted until some time in June, then relief can be provided with regular gentle hosing.

Yet already were being warned of imminent water shortages, and its only mid-May. The use of hosepipes might soon be severely curtailed. Could it be that - to add to all our woes - were going to finally have to accept that, for many years, we have been managing our islands unrivalled availability of perfect freshwater with the same expertise that the Venezuelans have been showing in the handling of their abundant oil reserves?

The restored Gleoiteog type Galway Hooker Lovely Anne sailing into the River Corrib off The Claddagh in Galway. The timbers of traditionally-built wooden boats like this are particularly prone to deterioration when ashore in hot weather and intense sunshine. They need to be regularly dampened at the very least, and ideally, they should be afloat

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Irish Sailors Need Flexible Thinking & Tolerance in Their Emergence From Covid-19 - Afloat

Each episode of #blackAF, Netflixs new comedy from Kenya Barris, gets introduced with rapper Jay Rocks Win.

You either with me or against me, blares Jay Rock, as a montage of black luminaries fills up the screen.

Im not against Barris per se, but I am certainly against the myopia of his latest project.

Season one of #blackAF begins streaming Friday on Netflix, one of the projects to come out of the $100 million deal Barris inked in 2018. It stars Barris as himself and Rashida Jones as his wife, Joya, in another comedy culled from Barris own life, this time dressed up in Curb Your Enthusiasm drag. (For the sake of clarity, from this point on, when I say Barris, Im referring to the real-life writer and creator of the show. Ill say Kenya to refer to the character in #blackAF.)

The show takes place in the Barris household, where Drea (Iman Benson), one of Kenya and Joyas six children, is filming a documentary about her family with the intention of including it in her application package to New York University film school.

Upon learning of her intentions, Kenya equips Drea with a studio, copious production equipment and a seven-person camera crew. Through eight episodes (Ive seen five), Drea captures her fathers various anxieties, which he claims stem from one place: slavery.

It becomes apparent that Barris has created a show with no real thesis or analysis, other than tangentially tying his own First World problems to structural racism with the worlds most tenuous spool of string. This is not to say that wealthy black people dont experience racism, because they do.

But Barris insists on branding his show about a narcissistic, malcontent father who obsesses about his blackness and the blackness of his family, as a show about blackness, when those two things arent actually the same. #blackAF isnt a show about blackness, its a show about one persons near-pathological need to keep up appearances. Its a conceit that has legs theres an entire genre of television farces built around that very thing, from Veep to Keeping Up Appearances to Jeeves and Wooster to Avenue 5.

#blackAF struggles to get beyond Barris penchant for self-aggrandizement, even though its supposedly filmed through the eyes of his documentarian daughter, which is how it fails where those other comedies succeed. Its a microgenre that requires an intense level of critical self-awareness, and thats the thing #blackAF lacks.

Take, for example, an episode in which Kenya and Joya cant stop wringing their hands about their 13-year-old dancing with her friends to a City Girls song and posting the video to social media. Joya goes on a didactic tangent about a real issue: the adultification of black girls and the problems that come with it. Joya even throws in a reference to Hottentot Venus. But the show is completely blinkered when it comes to the ways that class gives the Barris family a foot up, and thats where its self-aware shtick begins to fall apart.

As a black girl, you dont get looked at the same as these white girls who have purple hair, Kenya tells another daughter when he sees her at a music festival. It completely escapes him that the problems hes constantly obsessing about dont necessarily apply to the Barris children in the same way that they apply to average black girls. Statistically speaking, most black girls are not worried about whether their parents will burn through their trust funds.

Theres another thing that makes this show a poor facsimile of Curb Your Enthusiasm: Theres no Susie Essman equivalent to remind Kenya that hes full of it. Drea comes closest, but she lacks the authority and perspective of adulthood. Kenyas obsessed with black essentialism, but not enough to realize that its not nearly the problem he makes it out to be. So his random, mundane issues get shoehorned into unrelated things, like Juneteenth. Kenya says that hes constantly thinking about the white gaze, but thats just an excuse to avoid any real self-examination, especially since he never delves deeper into any of the issues surrounding race that he brings up.

Rashida Jones plays Joya, a mom of six children who is married to Kenya Barris.

Netflix

Even with all of these issues, Jones acquits herself as well as she can with a vapid goofiness that mostly hinges on her inability to dance well. Barris, as an actor, is flat on screen. Whats especially frustrating is that these topics are stale Baratunde Thurston published How to Be Black in 2012. Ta-Nehisi Coates excoriated President Barack Obama for his condescension and for trafficking in outdated racial essentialism in 2013.

Black people have moved on. Kenya Barris has not.

The fifth episode is about Barris discomfort with seeking and needing the honest approval of white critics. Barris attends a screening of an unnamed film by a black director. He hates it, and he cant understand why anyone would like it or see it as quality cinema. And the fact that his own family likes the film drives him crazy. After a quick trip to New York to visit Tyler Perry, Barris decides to dismiss critics altogether and convenes a video call with Tim Story, Issa Rae, Will Packer, Ava DuVernay and Lena Waithe to parse his feelings about being publicly honest about film and television made by black people.

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We do it all the time with white stuff, he says. Why cant we do it with our own stuff?

Like so much of #blackAF, Barris argument hinges on a straw man. In the case of the fifth episode, where Barris postulates that black artists dont receive an honest critique of their work, he conveniently elides the existence of black critics such as Angelica Jade Bastin, Melanie McFarland, Cate Young, Eric Deggans, Robert Daniels, Candice Frederick, Malcolm Venable, Hannah Giorgis, Doreen St. Felix, Wesley Morris, Jenna Wortham and Joelle Monique.

Before Barris or the character he plays whines about how impossible it is to get an honest assessment of his work from people who look like him, he might want to remember that black critics exist. Whether or not he takes heed of their words is up to him.

Soraya Nadia McDonald is the culture critic for The Undefeated. She writes about pop culture, fashion, the arts, and literature. She's based in Brooklyn.

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#blackAF is painfully devoid of new ideas - The Undefeated