Berlin banned river swimming a century ago. Locals now want to jump back into the water
BERLIN — A century after the city of Berlin banned swimming in the Spree River because it was so polluted that locals were at risk of falling ill, there's a push by swimmers to get back into the water.
On Tuesday, around 200 people jumped into the river's slow-moving, greenish water to show that it's not only clean enough, but also lots of fun to splash and swim in the city's historic Mitte neighborhood along the world-famous Museum Island .
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CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
More than a dozen Massachusetts beaches are closed for swimming today. See the list.
Thursday is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far for many in Massachusetts, with temperatures soaring into the 90s around Boston. If you're planning to beat the heat by heading to the beach, you'll want to check first to make sure your favorite swimming spot is open. The Department of Public Health publishes a daily dashboard of beach closures in the state. On Thursday there were more than a dozen beaches closed for swimming due to bacteria levels or other reasons. One notable entry on the list is Walden Pond's main beach, which is closed all summer because of construction work on a new bathhouse. Take a look below at today's beach closures, which was last updated at 9 a.m. Thursday. List of beach closures in Massachusetts today Damon Pond Beach, Ashby (Bacterial Exceedance) Walden Pond - Main, Concord (Other) Richard P. Sharon Beach, Marlboro (Bacterial Exceedance) Miacomet Pond, Nantucket (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Short Beach, Revere (Bacterial Exceedance) Collins Cove, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance) Juniper Point, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance) Steps Beach, Salem (Other) Peckham Pond at Cape Nihan, Saugus (Bacterial Exceedance) Beamans Pond, Templeton (Bacterial Exceedance) Pearl Hill Pond Beach, Townsend (Bacterial Exceedance) Crow Hill Pond Beach, Westminster (Bacterial Exceedance) Donovans Beach, Winthrop (Bacterial Exceedance) Halford Beach, Winthrop (Bacterial Exceedance) Why are beaches closed in Massachusetts? How does bacteria get in the water? According to health experts, it can enter through stormwater run-off, malfunctioning septic systems and sewer overflows, wildlife and pet waste or agricultural runoff. Swimming in water with unsafe bacteria levels can result in gastrointestinal or respiratory illness, as well as skin rash and itching. Cleanest beaches around Boston A recent report from Save The Harbor/Save The Bay declared that South Boston has some of the cleanest urban beaches in the country. Pleasure Beach and City Point got the highest marks, and Nantasket, M Street and Carson beaches also scored well. The report also said Wollaston Beach in Quincy continues to improve after upgrading their stormwater and sewer systems in recent years.
New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
This Chinese Park Inspired ‘Avatar.' Videos Show It Also Drew Piles of Trash.
The towering sandstone pillars in central China that climb into the misty sky are renowned for their beauty, inspiring the alternate universe in the 2009 blockbuster 'Avatar.' But in recent weeks, the national park of Zhangjiajie, the location of those stunning formations topped with pine trees, has become known for a sight far less appealing: mountains of trash. The government in Cili County in Hunan Province, which oversees the park, ordered a huge cleanup effort this month after videos posted by cave explorers of the garbage buildup spread widely. As of Wednesday, 51 metric tons of trash have been removed from two caves, according to the local authorities. Villagers started dumping trash and pig manure in the caves in 2010, the official Xinhua news agency reported, after the county authorities banned the burning of waste. It took several years before the county's trash collection services were able to deal with the amount of waste being disposed of, including from the county's large pig-farming industry. A cave explorer and environmental activist who had posted some of the most widely shared videos said in a message that he was shocked when he saw the piles of manure and trash, which he said was seven or eight stories high. The limestone in the karst caves was stained so black that he initially mistook the waste for coal, he added. He spoke on the condition of being identified only by his online pseudonym, Xiaofugege, because of the sensitivity of environmental issues in China. Local authorities said that of the 200 caves they had inspected, about two-thirds were contaminated, though drinking water in the region was found to be safe. The authorities have also suspended four officials and were investigating 12 livestock farms over the unlawful discharge of wastewater. The authorities have also posted videos of the cleanup, with cranes hoisting trash from the depths of the caves. But these efforts were halted after toxic and flammable gases were detected in the caves, China Newsweek, a state outlet, reported. China has struggled with industrial pollution elsewhere. In 2011, a chemical company dumped 5,000 metric tons of chromium into reservoirs in Yunnan, in China's southwest, killing fish and livestock, and poisoning the drinking water of thousands of people. And for the past several years, the authorities in Bijie city in the southwestern province of Guizhou found that sewage water had contaminated the waterways, and that at least 12 of the surrounding karst caves were also clogged, in some cases with sewage water, others with manure, and still others with construction or household waste.
Skift
2 days ago
- Skift
A Google Hotels Threat, JetBlue Cost Cutting and Dual-Brand Hotels
For today's episode we look at threats to Google Travel, more hotels with a dual identity, and JetBlue's money woes. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, June 18. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Google Hotels may not be losing relevance in search results, but it's facing growing pressure from the likes of Expedia, Tripadvisor, and Trivago, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. Bernstein said in a research note that the Google Hotels might be bruised, citing two developments that are putting pressure on it. The European Union's Digital Markets Act forced Google Hotels to a lower position on the Google search results page, and Google's AI Overviews are slowly becoming the answer to hotel searches. Bernstein added Expedia is making improvements on price and marketing while Tripadvisor and Trivago have benefitted from the market share losses of Google Hotels. Google Hotels has an 80% market share in Europe, down 6 percentage points from last year. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, hotel designers are increasingly pairing two brands in a single building, an approach that can provide a faster route to profitability, writes Hospitality Reporter Luke Martin. Martin notes dual-brand hotels allow developers to share expensive infrastructure and reduce upfront construction costs and long-term operational overhead. In addition to cutting costs, developers say the dual-brand model broadens market reach, enabling companies to tap into multiple guest segments without building separate properties. Marriott has more than 400 co-branded properties open while Hilton has more than 125 dual-brand properties globally and 100 in development. In addition, an executive at a dual-branded Mercure and Ibis in London said having one front-desk team for two brands creates a much more seamless experience for customers. Finally, JetBlue is looking to cut costs in response to soft demand, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. CEO Joanna Geraghty told staff in a memo seen by Skift that it was unlikely that JetBlue would break even this year, adding the airline is relying on borrowed cash to keep running. JetBlue's moves could include cutting underperforming routes and reducing off-peak flying. Maharishi adds the carrier is also reconsidering hiring plans and could combine some leadership roles. The airline industry has been grappling with declining consumer confidence, which has hit domestic travel demand particularly hard. Legacy carriers like Delta and United reported a profitable first quarter in part due to high demand for international and premium travel.
