One of the top things that travelers love to do when they visit the United States is to embark on a great American road trip, filled with plenty of stunning national parks. From Yellowstone's thundering herds of bison to Yosemite's towering granite walls, there's no shortage of natural wonders inside the millions of acres of American parkland.Of course, with 63 different parks to visit, it's inevitable that some won't be a slam dunk for every single visitor. I spent the entirety of 2020 visiting all of the US national parks, and although most were absolutely spellbinding, there are several that I won't be rushing back to anytime soon.Below, I'll get into four of my all-time favorites — plus three let-downs that some travelers might want to skip. I truly love Grand Teton National Park. The landscapes in Grand Teton National Park are incredible. Emily Pennington Rising up from the Snake River Valley like a gaggle of shark's teeth, the Teton Range is one of the most impressive landscapes on the planet. Plus, the park is just a stone's throw from Jackson Hole, Wyoming's famed cowboy-town-turned-ski-haven. As such, there are loads of phenomenal restaurants nearby and chic lodges to bed down in when you're not hiking its hundreds of miles of trails.In summer, grab your bear spray and spend a day hiking to Trapper Lake. If you're visiting when it's snowy out, book a wildlife-viewing trip with Jackson Hole Eco Tours for a chance to photograph moose and wolves. Gates of the Arctic National Park is unlike any place I've ever been. Visitors can get to the Gates of the Arctic National Park via bush plane. Emily Pennington Yes, it's one of the most remote national parks of the bunch, but Alaska's massive Gates of the Arctic is one of the few places on earth that completely upended what I thought a wilderness area could be. Home to thousands-strong caribou migrations, wild rivers, and the imposing peaks of the Brooks Range, this far-north site is well worth the time it takes to get there.Alaska Alpine Adventures is one of the few tour operators that'll bring guests to this Arctic Circle expanse. Choose between a backpacking trip to the Arrigetch Peaks or a river-rafting tour — either way, you'll be privy to the park's otherworldly solitude and miles of verdant tundra. Big Bend National Park truly offers something for every kind of traveler. Big Bend is in Texas near the Mexico border. Emily Pennington Tucked away in remote West Texas, Big Bend offers a scenic escape from the state's mostly flat landscapes. It's also a fantastic park for those of us with short attention spans — choose between scenic drives (like the boulder- and cactus-strewn Ross Maxwell), riverside hikes (like Santa Elena Canyon), or rafting adventures along the Rio Grande. When you're not out adventuring, be sure to take a dip in the park's steamy Langford Hot Springs. There's a good reason Yosemite National Park is so popular. Lembert Dome is one of many peaks in Yosemite National Park. Emily Pennington Made even more famous by films like "Free Solo," Yosemite has always been renowned for its roaring waterfalls, stellar Sierra Nevada hiking, and sky-high cliffs of glacially-polished granite. Yosemite National Park is surrounded by striking, mountainous landscapes, forested hillsides, and quaint gateway towns.Sure, it's one of the more crowded national parks, but I've always found it easy enough to escape the throngs by trekking in the area's high country, road tripping over to Hetch Hetchy, or visiting in autumn (when most kids are back in school). On the other hand, Indiana Dunes National Park left me feeling underwhelmed. I didn't feel transported into nature in Indiana Dunes National Park. Emily Pennington It can be fun to spend half a day tottering around on Indiana's famed lakeside sand dunes — unfortunately, I found this site to be small and city-bound. While exploring Indiana Dunes National Park, hikers are routinely greeted by views of power plants and Chicago's copious skyline. Also, the dunefield used to be much larger than its current sprawl — sadly, much of its mass was carted away by glass companies and manufacturers in the early 1900s.I found the park itself to be a reminder of why we need to preserve important landscapes before they are overly developed by corporate interests. To me, this park is more of a symbol of Western industrialization than a pristine piece of nature. Gateway Arch National Park hardly feels like a real park. Gateway Arch National Park feels more like a monument than a park. Emily Pennington More glorified cityscape than nature preserve, Gateway Arch was established as a national park in 2018, after a Missouri senator sponsored a bill to redesignate the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The move followed a $380 million renovation of the site, refurbishing the arch and adding an underground history museum to the downtown St. Louis property.Although the space-age architecture of the arch itself is impressive, I found this to be the most surprising national park of my quest. With its manicured lawns and paved pathways, it doesn't feel like a typical national park. Even an acting deputy director of the National Park Service has said that the small site fits the department's definition of a national monument much more than a park. Unlike most public lands, Gateway Arch charges additional funds for important attractions once guests enter the premises, like going up inside the arch, which can feel like a Disneyland-style cash grab. I wasn't very impressed by Dry Tortugas National Park. Dry Tortugas National Park felt like more of a monument than an escape. Emily Pennington Maybe I just got a bout of bad weather on the choppy boat ride out to Florida's Dry Tortugas, but I found this to be the least impressive of America's beachy national parks.Its snorkeling areas felt small and relatively uninhabited by marine life during my visit. Although the park's Civil War-era fort is an impressive feat of engineering, it feels much more like a national monument dedicated to our country's history than a blissful island escape.Like most of my least-favorite national parks, access to Dry Tortugas is largely controlled by a private tour operator, meaning that most travelers will have to pay for a ferry ride from Key West to this small cluster of islands.In my opinion, you could visit nearby Biscayne National Park or jet set to the Virgin Islands for a more immersive tropical park experience.

About nine years ago, a new organization called Canary Mission released a YouTube video describing their mission: maintaining a blacklist of anti-Israel college students.American campuses, the video warns, had become hotbeds of anti-Israel extremism: safe spaces for students to attend “Jew-hating conferences and anti-American rallies.” To fight this, Canary Mission would build an extensive database of students and professors who engaged in anti-Israel activity. The primary intent, per the video, is to ensure that anti-Israel students cannot find gainful employment after graduation.“These individuals are applying for jobs within your company,” the Canary Mission video warns. “It is your duty to ensure that today’s radicals are not tomorrow’s employees.”Over the course of the next decade, Canary Mission — which takes its name from the expression “canary in the coal mine” — delivered on its promise. Its database now contains mini-profiles of thousands of students and professors, and has expanded to include professionals like doctors and nurses. People listed in the database have been harassed, disciplined, and even fired. Israeli intelligence has used Canary Mission profiles as justification for detaining listed visitors at the border.And since the second Trump administration began, Canary Mission’s targets have started to be deported from the United States.After plainclothes officers arrested Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk on the streets of Boston in late March, Öztürk’s attorneys claimed the sole reason for her arrest was her Canary Mission profile. While the Trump administration claims she had engaged in activity “in support of Hamas,” the private Homeland Security memo justifying her detention only cited an op-ed she had written in support of boycotting Israel, using language very similar to her Canary Mission page. The organization, for its part, is happy to take the credit (though it did not respond to my request for comment). After Öztürk’s arrest, Canary Mission’s X account posted a celebratory tweet claiming “sources point to her Canary Mission profile as the primary cause.” It currently maintains a list of seven other students and professors who it believes should be targeted for deportation. Two of these, Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, are currently in ICE custody. Mahdawi was arrested after his name appeared on this list (Khalil was arrested before it was published).Canary Mission’s rise is not really a story about one organization, or even the toxic climate of America’s Israel-Palestine debate. Rather, it is a case study in how civil society organizations — normally seen as pillars of liberal democratic life — can become agents of illiberalism. And when such groups can align themselves with a friendly government, the danger rises exponentially.RelatedThe mysterious rise of the Canary MissionThere are many pro-Israel activist in groups in the United States, and many that focus on college campuses specifically. But Canary Mission is unusual in two respects: its opaque structure and extremely aggressive tactics.Canary Mission’s website does not list a president, board, or a staff directory. On paper, its headquarters are in Israel — specifically Beit Shemesh, a medium-sized city near Jerusalem. Yet the address listed on its paperwork is in a padlocked, seemingly abandoned building.Over the years, reporters have identified some of the Canary Mission’s revenue streams — including significant donations from some prominent American Jewish philanthropies. But much of the Canary Mission’s funding remains anonymous due to its use of a pass-through group, called Central Fund of Israel (CFI). Canary Mission represents a different, and more aggressive, strain of campus pro-Israel activism, one that aims not to debate pro-Palestinian students and scholars but to silence them.American donors can give to CFI without having to disclose whether the money is earmarked for Canary Mission, and CFI can disburse funds to Canary without noting their original source. It’s an unusual setup that effectively allows Canary Mission to keep its funding sources fully anonymous.“It really stands out when you look at other similar organizations in the same ecosystem,” says Yousef Munayyer, the head of the Israel-Palestine program at the Arab Center think tank in DC. “I can’t think of another one that hides their funding like this.”The obvious irony — that an organization dedicated to naming and shaming is itself so opaque — is palpable. But it is necessary, in part, because Canary Mission has been a lightning rod for controversy even within the pro-Israel community.No matter what you think about pro-Israel groups’ views of American college campuses, they clearly have the right to express their views and organize around them. And many of these groups engage in political activity — like documenting Jewish students’ concerns about campus antisemitism or creating new right-leaning Middle East studies journals — that are within the confines of legitimate debate and activism in a democratic society.But Canary Mission represents a different, and more aggressive, strain of campus pro-Israel activism, one that aims not to debate pro-Palestinian students and scholars but to silence them. Lila Corwin Berman, a historian of Jewish philanthropy at New York University, dates this approach to roughly the early 2000s. During that time, pro-Israel organizations like Campus Watch and the David Project began publicly targeting professors and students that they believed had engaged in unacceptable speech. These efforts were haphazard at the outset, publishing specific attacks on allegedly problematic scholars rather than maintaining a full-on blacklist. Canary Mission’s database, first unveiled in 2014, represented a qualitative escalation — one explicitly aimed at creating professional problems for anti-Israel activists.This was highly controversial. In 2018, pro-Israel campus groups at five major universities published a joint op-ed calling on the movement to repudiate Canary Mission.“We are compelled to speak out against this website because it uses intimidation tactics, is antithetical to our democratic and Jewish values, is counterproductive to our efforts and is morally reprehensible,” they wrote.This internal criticism did not do much to stop the Canary Mission’s growth, fueled as it was by unaccountable backers. Today, Canary Mission’s searchable database is vast — containing entries for over 2,000 individuals across 38 states, DC, and five Canadian provinces. How the Canary Mission worksTo understand why Canary Mission is so controversial, start by looking at how its blacklist works.Each individual listing contains both a dossier documenting the target’s alleged offenses and their contact information, including direct links to their social media accounts that can facilitate targeted harassment campaigns. The only official way to get an entry deleted is to release a public apology with evidence of new pro-Israel beliefs; these testimonials are then posted on the “ex-Canary” segment of the Mission’s website.Some Canary Mission targets have said or done something that many would find offensive, such as endorsing the October 7, 2023, massacre. But the vast majority of profiles I could find were individuals who either attended a pro-Palestinian rally or wrote something critical about Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians.Canary Mission will describe this banal activity in threatening terms, like “attending a pro-Hamas rally.” But the speech in question is more than just legally protected: It is exactly the sort of political activity that people in a democracy are supposed to use as a vehicle for expressing their opinion. The Mission’s database isn’t primarily about identifying examples of extreme anti-Israel speech or political violence — it is about trying to silence any criticism of Israel by labeling it antisemitic or pro-terrorist.Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts graduate student facing deportation, is a case in point.The Canary Mission profile that reportedly led to her ICE arrest listed a single offense — an op-ed in the Tufts student newspaper calling on the university to (among other things) “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide” and “divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.” Agree or disagree with these positions, advocating for them is clearly legitimate political speech. There is no plausible case that people like Öztürk constitute any kind of threat to Jews on campus. That she is listed by Canary Mission — and that the organization publicly cheered her arrest — reveals its primary interest in policing speech critical of Israel by any means necessary.This can also be seen by the sheer number of Jewish students and professors on the Canary Mission’s database.The American Jewish community is fairly left-wing; roughly two-thirds disapprove of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government. While a strong majority supports Israel’s continued existence as a Jewish state, large numbers of American Jews believe its occupation of Palestinian territory is both strategically unwise and morally indefensible. There is also a minority of anti-Zionist American Jews, more prominent in younger generations, who support the dissolution of Israel and its replacement with a binational state.If you scan the Canary Mission database, Jewish students and scholars make up many of the entries. Reading their dossiers, like the profile of eminent Holocaust historian Omer Bartov, their alleged offenses include everything from criticizing the Netanyahu government’s approach to judicial reform to attending a pro-Palestinian demonstration.If Canary Mission were truly about protecting Jews’ rights to participate freely in campus life, then it wouldn’t include them on a database explicitly designed to hurt their career prospects.From the campus to ICEWe don’t know for a fact that the Trump administration is using Canary Mission’s database to identify deportation targets. There is suggestive evidence: The wording in the State Department memo justifying Öztürk’s deportation, for example, is very similar to what appeared on her Canary profile). But so far, there is no direct proof of a link.The depressing thing is that it makes all the sense in the world.Yet regardless of whether Canary Mission entries are currently directing policy, it’s clear they wish to be seen as doing so. They do this not only by maintaining their list of seven people they wish were deported, but also posting messages in support for actual deportations with slogans like “pro-Hamas extremism has consequences” and “no more safe havens for terror supporters.”These messages demonstrate an undeniable hostility to basic liberal values. Canary Mission has graduated from “merely” advocating professional consequences for pro-Palestinian voices to endorsing outright state repression against them. They are sliding down a slippery slope at a rapid clip.The depressing thing is that it makes all the sense in the world. The idea of trying to silence political opponents rather than debate them is dangerous. There are certainly cases where speech merits consequences: If a professor says discriminatory things about Jewish students, for example, or an activist advocates violence against her peers. But these are generally seen as exceptions rather than rules in free societies: the “boundary cases” where toleration for political expression runs up against other important values.Canary Mission was founded on the opposite principle: that an entire category of speech, pro-Palestinian advocacy, should be treated as presumptively illegitimate. They believe the cause of defending Israel is best served not by engaging in rigorous debate and advocacy, but by making a giant list of people who believe the “wrong” things and ensuring they suffer consequences for those beliefs. This is illiberalism as practiced by civil society — and is, necessarily, less dangerous than illiberalism enforced by the state. But when illiberalism takes root in an influential sector of society, such as pro-Israel activism, it becomes a potential ally for an illiberal regime. No elected leader can turn a democracy into an authoritarian regime on their own. They need partners, influential people and organizations that can operate to weaken resistance to democratic backsliding and help create a climate of fear in which anti-government activity is perceived as costly.The go-to examples are usually people with physical power and money — generals, police chiefs, and the wealthy elite. But there’s a growing recognition that other social groups, even ones that seemingly lack soldiers or billions, can assist in undermining democracy’s foundations.In 2001, the political theorists Simone Chambers and Jeffrey Kopstein warned of a phenomenon they termed “bad civil society.” This is a phenomenon that they describe as “civic participation that weakens liberal democracy” — weaponizing the tools of organizing and activism to oppose the very democratic principles that allow them in the first place. At the time, it appeared that “illiberal forces are small, marginalized, and contained” in the United States. However, Chambers and Kopstein warned, this doesn’t mean they’ll always be irrelevant. Even if “illiberal forces cannot destabilize the state,” the authors write, “they can still “contribute to an insidious erosion of values that leaves liberalism vulnerable to all sorts of threat.”Canary Mission’s behavior in the past 10 years shows that this warning was prescient. The organization isn’t just cheering Trump on from the sidelines; they have put together a public list of potential deportation targets. They are gleefully reveling in the fact that their longtime mission of suppressing speech is now backed by force of law.See More:

The Nintendo Switch 2 is just weeks away, and we've rounded up the best places to preorder the console, its games, and even its peripherals – may the odds be ever in your favourTech13:47, 25 Apr 2025Updated 13:48, 25 Apr 2025This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn moreSwitch 2 upgrades are pricier than expected(Image: AFP via Getty Images)The Nintendo Switch 2 is tipped to be one of the biggest game console releases of all time, let alone one of the most important gaming releases of 2025. While Trump's tariffs have caused major issues for US gamers, UK gamers have been able to pre-order in the last few weeks, but that's not to say it's been easy to do so.The Switch 2's expected popularity has certainly meant pre-ordering is likely to be the only way you can play on June 5, but thankfully, Nintendo is offering a bundle with its major new game, Mario Kart World.Below, we've rounded up the best ways you can still get your hands on the console, although with things shifting in and out of stock, we'd recommend bookmarking this page and coming back later.The Nintendo Switch 2 can be purchased with Mario Kart World (Image: (Image: NINTENDO))Naturally, you'll want a console, but most of the options we've found are the Mario Kart World bundle. It's a limited-time deal, though, so it might not be around forever.The JoyCon's can be used as mice on the Switch 2(Image: Amazon)The Joy-Con controllers are getting a big revamp with Switch 2, and can now be used as mice - but there's no Hall Effect sticks, sadly.Still, the clever magnetic controllers come in the box with your Switch 2, but you can pick up another pair below for multiplayer sessions.Buy them now for £74.99Desperate for a second charger? This one is Nintendo's own(Image: Nintendo)You can also grab a Switch 2 power adapter for heading out on the go, but we'd imagine any USB-C charger will work just fine.Buy it now for £24.99The Switch 2 camera has featured prominently in promoting the console(Image: Nintendo)Nintendo has also made a lot of fuss about its new camera peripheral, which allows you to stream yourself playing, and put yourself into games like Super Mario Party Jamboree.It's not cheap, but if you want the full Switch 2 experience, you can grab it below.Buy it now for £49.99Hori's camera is adorable, but has a much lower resolution(Image: Hori/Nintendo)There's also a Piranha Plant that comes from Hori, with an emphasis on being used portably. Sadly, the resolution takes a hit, but it looks great!Buy it now for £49.99The Pro controller is also an option(Image: AP)This generation's Pro Controller is likely to win out over Joy-Cons once again for "serious" gamers, and it has improved rumble, additional buttons, and the new GameChat feature.Buy it now for £74.85Expect to buy new storage for your Switch 2(Image: Samsung/Nintendo)Finally, your old SD cards aren't going to cut it with Switch 2, since the console needs faster storage. You'll need MicroSD Express cards, like this Mario-branded one from Samsung which will double you Switch 2's storage.Buy it now for £49.99Mario Kart World is Nintendo's big Switch 2 launch title(Image: Nintendo)One of the biggest titles for the Switch 2 is Mario Kart World. In fact, the 24-player racer is likely to be the must-have for the system – but it'll cost you.Much has been made about the new racer's price, and sadly there aren't any discounts just yet.Buy it now for £74.99Tears of the Kingdom is one of the first games we'll be playing on Switch 2(Image: Nintendo)Another killer piece of the new console's launch lineup are Switch 2 versions of games from the original Switch, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, might just be the best of a very good bunch.If you own it already, the upgrade will cost you £7.99 (although it's included in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack price), or you can spend £64.99.We know, it's steep, but as we're talking preorder pricing there just aren't any discounts yet.Buy it now for £64.99Street Fighter 6 looks slick on Switch 2(Image: Capcom)One game that is more affordable and is absolutely fantastic, Street Fighter 6's Years 1 and 2 Fighters Edition comes with all the DLC from the excellent fighting game so far.That means it includes the usual suspects of Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li, but also adds M. Bison and Akuma as well as plenty of others.Buy it now for £49.99Bananza is visually impressive, with plenty of chaos on screen at once(Image: Nintendo)Looking a smidge down the road, the next big-hitter for the new console is likely to be Donkey Kong Bananza, a game we thoroughly enjoyed in our recent hands-on.It's slated for July 17, 2025, so it won't be around when the console arrives, but it is slightly cheaper than Mario Kart World.Article continues belowBuy it now for £66.99For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌

A big win for Leon (Capcom) Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake has become the fastest selling entry in the entire franchise, as attention turns towards the whereabouts of the next entry. Monster Hunter: World might be Capcom’s highest-selling game ever (likely to be overtaken by the more recent Monster Hunter Wilds) but the Resident Evil franchise is still its best-selling IP overall. This has been reinforced in updated sales numbers from Capcom and it’s particularly good news for 2023’s Resident Evil 4. The remake has officially sold over 10 million units worldwide since it launched, which is a one million increase from January this year. According to Capcom, this is the fastest any title in the series has hit this milestone, so it’s very possible it could become the best-selling entry ever down the line. Currently, the highest-selling entries are Resident Evil 2 remake and Resident Evil 7, which have now both sold more than 15 million units each. Resident Evil Village, meanwhile, has surpassed 11 million sales, while Resident Evil 3 remake has sold over 10 million, after five years. As of December 31, 2024, the Resident Evil series has sold more than 167 million units in total, with Monster Hunter, which only became popular in the West relatively recently, on 108 million. Capcom has already confirmed more remakes are on the way, with rumours suggesting the next one will be Resident Evil Zero. While the company has only announced ports of Street Fighter 6 and Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess for the Switch 2 so far, it feels inevitable that Resident Evil 4 remake will eventually make its way to the system – which will likely spike sales even further. More Trending The previous remakes, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, along with Resident Evil 7 and Village, were all released on the original Switch in cloud versions, while many of the original games, including the OG Resident Evil 4, are available on the Nintendo eShop. When will the first Resident Evil 9 trailer be released? Capcom officially announced Resident Evil 9 last year, to be led by Resident Evil 7 director Koshi Nakanishi, but nothing has been said or shown of the game so far. There are rumours it will be open world, to some degree, using technology from Dragon’s Dogma 2, and will mark a ‘big reinvention’ for the series akin to Resident Evil 7 – which shifted the horror to a first person perspective for the first time. While Capcom has given no indication of when it could be revealed, many fans suspect the first trailer will be shown at some point this year – with the most likely venue being Summer Game Fest on June 6. Or perhaps one of the standalone not-E3 showcases from either Xbox or PlayStation. Resident Evil 4 and Zero were both originally Nintendo exclusives (Capcom) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

A Ghostbuster is offered as Tribute in the new Hunger Games, the Toxic Avenger cleans up Los Angeles, and an Arrow star boards a movie adaptation of the world’s most popular autopsy simulator. Do you know what happens to a toad when it’s struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to Morning Spoilers! The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Deadline reports McKenna Grace has joined the cast of the new Hunger Games as Maysilee Donner, Haymitch Abernathy’s fellow District 12 Tribute. The Mortuary Assistant Deadline also has word Willa Holland (Arrow) and Paul Sparks (House of Cards) will star in a film adaptation of the horror video game, The Mortuary Assistant, from director Jeremiah Kipp. Holland will play Rebecca, “the young woman confronting terrifying supernatural forces,” while Sparks has been cast as Raymond Delver, “Rebecca’s mysterious mortician boss, who appears to be a mentor, but also a potential threat.” According to the outlet, “the film is billed as a new chapter in the story that will expand on the game’s world and mythology, delving deeper into the lore of the demonic entities plaguing River Fields.” Urban Legend According to THR, Gary Dauberman is in talks to produce a reboot of the Urban Legend franchise. Shanrah Wakefield has been hired to write the script. Final Destination: Bloodlines Bloody-Disgusting has a new Spanish-language poster for Final Destination: Bloodlines. © Warner Bros. The Toxic Avenger The Toxic Avenger was recently spotted cleaning up the streets of Los Angeles in honor of Earth Day. Fountain of Youth Apple TV+ has released another trailer for Fountain of Youth starring Natalie Portman, John Krasinski, and Eiza Gonzalez. The Bunker A micropathogen specialist (Chelsea Edmundson) is sealed in an underground bunker until she can develop a bioweapon to combat extraterrestrial invaders in the trailer for The Bunker, co-starring Tony Todd and Tobin Bell. Thorns Elsewhere, an “ex-priest working for NASA” investigates a remote observatory that went mysteriously silent after receiving a radio signal from space in the trailer for Thorns, a Hellraiser-inspired sci-fi film including an appearance from Doug Bradley. Darkly Deadline reports Blumhouse has teamed with Jamie Lee Curtis on a television series based on Marisha Pessl’s novel Darkly. The story concerns a teenager named Arcadia “Dia” Gannon as she lands an internship at the titular Darkly, a “terrifying toy and game company” whose founder died under mysterious circumstances. “As Dia and her fellow interns delve into the heart of Darkly, they discover hidden symbols, buried clues and a web of intrigue.” Love, Death + Robots Netflix has also released another trailer for the fourth season of Love, Death + Robots. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Finally, the cast of Strange New Worlds meets Spongebob Squarepants in a crossover promotion at Paramount+, Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

More than a Classroom: The Multifunctionality of Educational Spaces in Global South CommunitiesSave this picture!Laboratorio Tecnologia Y Ambiente, Mencoriari / Semillas. Image © Eleazar CuadrosEducational infrastructure is key to any community. The better the quality of these spaces, the better the learning experience for those who use them. However, these facilities often serve a much broader purpose than just education. In Global South communities, in countries like Peru or Vietnam, where a significant portion of the population lives in rural areas far from urban centers, there are few educational spaces and a lack of places where the entire community—not just the students—can come together.The social, community, and collective roleEducational infrastructure thus becomes much more than just a simple school. They are versatile and multifunctional spaces that have significant social implications in these communities, impacting not only the learning of students but also the cohesion and development of the entire community. It provides a meeting and collaboration space for all its members. Thus, schools and classrooms, both inside and outside school hours, become community centers, spaces for collective meetings, adult learning venues, cultural centers, laboratories, housing, workshops, and more. Related Article Community Growth Through Architecture: Maximizing Limited Resources for Positive Impact The sense of belonging through construction and materialsAn essential aspect of these buildings is the construction process. The conception of these schools begins well before the actual work starts. The process begins with a preliminary study alongside the community that will be the end users, a thorough assessment of the site, available resources (both financial and local materials), the people who will build it, and the fundamental needs of the community. In this sense, the construction itself adds significant value: as a collective and participatory process involving the community, everyone involved gains knowledge about the trade, the use of materials, and teamwork. This not only benefits the personal development of each individual but also imparts a strong sense of belonging to the community.By being involved in the construction, many community members acquire concepts and knowledge about vernacular architecture, adding value to the project. Additionally, using local materials and resources not only reduces construction costs but also gives the project an image with which its users strongly identify. Save this picture! We enhance materials just as they are—exposed brick, exposed concrete, reeds, bamboo, and wood. This represents significant savings while still valuing the building. The honesty of the material in its natural state helps the community feel more connected to the school and dignified by the local construction methods." — excerpt from the description provided by the authors of Escuela Inicial 140. Save this picture!Flexibility of spaces and furnitureAfter defining the community’s primary needs, the design of spaces comes into play, where flexibility and variety in their functions are key. This means creating spaces without a fixed use, but rather open floor plans with multiple organizational possibilities. Another important aspect is the implementation of custom-made furniture capable of providing solutions for different situations. Elements such as benches that also serve as tables, stairs that double as desks, foldable windows, and blinds that become support surfaces, movable panels, and classrooms that can serve as student areas by day and workshops for adults at other times. The building was also conceived as a large piece of furniture that encourages gathering and interaction. Its walls fold to create benches and niches both inside and outside, and its floor is raised thirty centimeters above the natural ground, transforming its entire perimeter into a large public seating area." — excerpt from the description provided by the authors of Aula Ambiental, Taller Síntesis The multifunctionality of educational spaces in Global South communities goes beyond formal teaching. These spaces become the heart of the community, fostering not only learning but also social integration and community development. Below, we present a selection of classrooms and schools that exemplify this reality.PeruElementary School in Santa Cruz de Villacuri Community / Betsaida Curto Reyes + Atelier Ander Bados Save this picture!Save this picture!Technology and Environment Laboratory Mencoriari / SemillasSave this picture!Save this picture!EcuadorHousing and Educational Space La Casa que Habita / Natura Futura Arquitectura Save this picture!Save this picture!ColombiaEnvironmental Classroom / Taller SíntesisSave this picture!Save this picture!Environmental Classroom UES / Plan:b arquitectosSave this picture!Save this picture!MexicoGrow your School / Lucila Aguilar ArquitectosSave this picture!Save this picture!VietnamNa Khoang School / 1+1>2 ArchitectsSave this picture!Save this picture!Bo Mon Preschool / KIENTRUC OSave this picture!Save this picture!CambodiaAdventurous Global School / Orient Occident AtelierSave this picture!Save this picture!IndonesiaSchool of Alfa Omega / Realrich Architecture WorkshopSave this picture!Save this picture!TanzaniaMbalamwezi School / Sebastián Silva Zunza Arquitecto (SSZA)Save this picture!Save this picture!Editor's Note: This article was originally published on August 09, 2024 as part of the ArchDaily Topics: Multi-Purpose Spaces. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us. Image gallerySee allShow less About this authorPaula PintosAuthor••• Cite: Pintos, Paula. "More than a Classroom: The Multifunctionality of Educational Spaces in Global South Communities" [Más que un aula: La multifuncionalidad de los espacios educativos en las comunidades del Sur Global] 25 Apr 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1019866/more-than-a-classroom-the-multifunctionality-of-educational-spaces-in-global-south-communities&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save想阅读文章的中文版本吗?超越传统教室：探索全球各地南方社区的多功能性教育空间是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! 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Watch as I refine a VFX material in Unreal Engine, making it thinner and adjusting its reflectiveness for the perfect look! Perfect for beginners and pros alike!#UnrealEngine #VFX #Tutorial #GameDev #CGI

Hey everyone, CGVinny here! 🎉 Some exciting news coming out of Adobe MAX London – Substance 3D Viewer just got a major upgrade (0.24)! The biggest highlight? You can now directly send scenes from Viewer straight to Photoshop Beta for editing. Plus, customizable interface options & more languages are available! Check out the video for a breakdown and let me know what you think in the comments! More info about Substance 3D Viewer: https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d/apps/viewer.html #substance3d #AdobeMAX #PhotoshopBeta #TechnicalArt #CGVinny ---------------------------------------------------------------------- https://linktr.ee/cgvinny Telegram Group: https://t.me/Substance3DHub

During the Apollo missions, astronauts faced challenges from sharp, fine particles of lunar dust that clung to nearly everything, posing potential health risks while causing instrument malfunctions and allergy-like symptoms. As the space sector prepares for future Mars missions, astronauts and researchers are investigating how Mars dust may impact astronauts and their equipment. Mars, the Toxic Beach Justin Wang, a medical student at the University of Southern California, has a background in planetary sciences and aerospace engineering, compares a visit to Mars like one to a sandy beach. When a person leaves the beach, the sand often sticks to their skin, gets tucked into clothing crevices, and may even be deposited in food or drink items. Except that Mars, a very big and dusty planet, is more like a toxic beach.Wang is the lead author of a new study published in GeoHealth surveying the minerals and chemicals found in Martian soil. Together, his team examined rover and satellite data, Martian meteorites, and any data on the composition of Mars dust.“Mars is known as the Red Planet, and the reason for that is that a lot of iron oxides are there, and iron oxide is something that we are concerned about for the health of humans,” says Wang.In addition to iron oxide, Wang found that Mars dust is made up of many toxic components, including including silica, gypsum, chromium, and arsenic, among others. Although these chemicals and minerals are also found on Earth, people are not often exposed to them in large quantities over extended periods.But inhalation of these chemicals and minerals can cause adverse, irreversible health problems.How Particulate Matter Harms Lungs Glass, for example, is primarily made of silica, and glassblowers have been known to develop a lung disease called silicosis, for which there is no cure.Gypsum is commonly found in drywall and plaster, and construction workers have reported long-term respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis.Black lung disease, also known as coal workers' pneumoconiosis, occurs when coal dust is inhaled over a prolonged period. These particles lodge in the lungs, causing inflammation and scarring over time, according to the American Lung Association. Similar chemicals found in Mars dust have also been identified in coal dust, which the Interagency for Research on Cancer reports to include silica, phosphates, and arsenic, among others.Inhalation of coal or Mars dust can lead to irritation and inflammation of the lungs, creating a pathway to severe lung disease.“With astronauts, they’re working in these small confined spaces without the ability to clean and filter these chemicals out, so they’re exposing themselves — and not just to silica,” says Wang. “Dust particles, including silica, cause irritation and inflammation in the lungs, and as it oxidizes, it reacts with our tissue.”Highly oxidizing compounds called perchlorates — made of one chlorine and multiple oxygen atoms — also pose a potentially serious threat. Although rare on Earth, perchlorates interfere with the thyroid's ability to absorb iodine, which is vital to thyroid function. Perchlorates also make up a “pretty significant” part of Mars dust.Even Smaller Particles Spacesuits are self-contained and act in some ways like scuba equipment. Astronauts use oxygen in tanks in a closed system because there is very little oxygen on Mars and the Moon. Mars dust is very fine and electrostatic, meaning it can get stuck on spacesuit equipment that is carried inside.In most cases, Mars dust particles are too fine for the body to expel.“The size of dust particles on Mars is really, really small because its components have been eroded down over billions of years. So when a person inhales Mars dust, it’s too small to attach to our mucus and for the lungs to cough it out,” says Wang.“Not only is the dust harmful, but it’s going to stay inside the lungs and continue to cause damage, potentially being absorbed into the bloodstream and cause more systemic issues,” Wang adds. Preparing for MarsParticulate matter, like dust or smoke, is often measured using a scale of diameter. Fine particles, like those found in wildfires, measure 2.5 µm in diameter or smaller (PM2.5) and can affect the lungs and heart. Larger particles (PM10 and above) are generally of less concern. Mars dust averages roughly PM3, by comparison.Humans have yet to visit Mars, a transit estimated to take between six and 12 months, that will expose astronauts to other concerns, such as radiation and the effects of microgravity. Still, Wang says Martian dust is not a “game ender” for future Mars exploration.“I don’t consider this mission ending or the most dangerous part of going to Mars, nor do I consider it the most dangerous medical complications that can be seen when going to Mars,” says Wang. “This is just something we need to address — Martian dust as its own entity.”Chris Mason, a professor of physiology and biophysics at Cornell Medicine, says that this “prioritized inventory” of Martian dust helps researchers better understand the environmental impacts of Mars on humans, as well as on equipment and tools.NASA writes that the “surface of Mars is a challenging and inhospitable place,” and the Red Planet’s fine dust presented challenges to rovers. In 2020, scientists developed a specially designed tire tread that could withstand the shape-shifting materials on the Martian surfaceJust like the physical properties of Mars dust pose challenges to human-made objects, exposure to the toxic dust can also erode their structure. Exposure to the chemicals is likely okay in the short term, but long-term exposure presents logistical challenges to structural objects in addition to biomedical issues, says Mason.This means that containment methods need to be “even better than they might be in other environments,” with redundancies put in place across measures. Just like double-bagging groceries protects food if the first bag fails, redundancy helps protect structures and astronauts in the event of deterioration.“Anything in space is possible,” saysWang. “Preparation is key. Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.” Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:American Lung Association. Coal Worker’s Pneumoconiosis (Black Lung Disease)NIH. Coal DustMadison’s reporting focuses on marine and environmental issues, climate change, and novel scientific discoveries related to health and technology. Raised on an island in southeast Alaska, Madison is now based in western Montana. Her writing has been featured in Time, Snopes, Business Insider, Mountain Journal, EcoWatch, and Alaska Magazine, among others. When not writing, Madison teaches yoga, raises chickens, and fosters adoptable dogs and cats.

Scanners are slow. Printers are dramatic. And neither is easy to use when you’re in a rush. So we, the StackCommerce deals team, tested an app that claims to do it all—scanning, signing, saving, and even faxing documents—right from your phone.  After one week, we forgot any other methods existed. The SwiftScan document scanner and PDF editor app swept us off our feet. Plus, this weekend only, you can save an extra $18 on a lifetime subscription to the iOS and Android apps with code TAKE30 at checkout, dropping the price from $59.99 to $41.99 through Apr. 27. We scanned everything from receipts to handwritten notes, and the app delivered crisp, professional-looking PDFs each time. The auto-capture feature was a game-changer—just point your smartphone camera at the page, and SwiftScan handles the rest, automatically cropping and optimizing the image.  The mobile PDF editing tools were another highlight. Being able to annotate, sign, and even redact documents right on our phones saved us so much time. We found ourselves using it for everything from signing contracts on the go to highlighting key points in meeting notes.  And when it came to sharing, the one-tap export to email and cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox made sending files a breeze. We even tried the fax feature, and it worked flawlessly for times when we needed an old-school sharing method. But what really made SwiftScan indispensable was the OCR technology. It’s already a major convenience to digitize paper documents and receipts, but being able to search for a specific date, word, or passage can help you stay even more organized. You have less than 48 hours left to get a SwiftScan lifetime subscription for $41.99 with code TAKE30 at checkout (reg. $59.99). This coupon code expires on Apr. 27 at 11:59 p.m. PT. What makes this deal special In a world where most productivity tools keep moving to the cloud, many people are still stuck juggling clunky office equipment just to send a quick scan. The SwiftScan app for iOS and Android offers a way out, with a tool that brings scanning, editing, and even faxing into the 21st century. And unlike most modern apps that charge monthly or yearly fees, this deal gives you lifetime access for a one-time payment.  StackSocial prices subject to change. SwiftScan VIP: Lifetime Subscription See Deal