Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean, about 2,000 miles southwest of southern California. Three attributes make Hawaii the most unique state in the United States: It is the only state not on the continent of North America, the only state in the tropics, and the only state comprised of islands known as an archipelago. A helicopter tour of Hawaii is one of the best ways to view the islands. @minilanikai You book a doors off helicopter tour in Kauai because life’s too short #kauai #hawaii #helicopter #napalicoast #ocean #nature ♬ my tears are becoming a sea – 01 Sometimes called the Garden Island, Kauai is the fourth largest island in the archipelago. During an open-door helicopter tour of Hawaii, you can see how the island got its nickname. The area is resplendent in unparalleled beauty. During the tour, mountains, valleys, tropical rainforests, and cliffs pass your area of vision. The green foliage turns the landscape into a picturesque vision that seems surreal. The original poster likens the view to a scene from “Jurassic Park,” and they’re not wrong. The popular movie was filmed on the islands of Kauai and Oahu. You can even take a Jurassic Park tour of the Kualoa Ranch on Oahu, which served as the “island” in the movie. Image from TikTok. With a doors-off helicopter tour of Hawaii, there are no barriers between you and the incredible vistas as you fly over the islands. You can see every mountain crease caused by thousands of years of erosion. The colors are more vivid, showing you the intense aqua-blue of pristine ocean waters rolling gently onto sand beaches. Waterfalls blissfully cascade over cliffs, creating rainbows in the mist in the bright sunshine. Image from TikTok. If a helicopter tour of Hawaii doesn’t appeal to you, much of the island state is still accessible via hiking trails or several kayaking and snorkeling adventure tours. Please share. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Doors-Off Helicopter Tour In Hawaii Is Exactly As Beautiful As You’d Assume appeared first on InspireMore.

It has taken 46 years and reportedly suffered many setbacks, but on Thursday, the People’s Daily wrote that Chinese workers have succeeded in ringing the entire Taklamakan Desert in trees. Last week, the final 100 trees were planted around the southern edge of the world’s most hostile desert, completing an epic endeavor sometimes called the […] The post China Announces Completion of a 1,800-Mile Green Belt Around the World’s Most-Hostile Desert appeared first on Good News Network.

Liberal governments like those running California, New York, and Detroit are rolling out reparations proposals that treat Americans differently depending on their skin color. That’s a constitutional problem. The 14th Amendment says that governments cannot deny “any person” the “equal protection of the laws.” This means, as the Supreme Court says, that the law applies to everyone “without any differences of race, of color, or of nationality—it is universal in its application.” The problem that equal protection poses for reparations is obvious: Reparations discriminate by race and make one group more “equal” than others. To overcome this defect, reparations supporters argue that the Constitution doesn’t mean what it says. Although it seems to prohibit discrimination against “any person,” they argue that it prohibits only discrimination against black people. Discrimination against other people is constitutional, they say, if it helps black people. This argument is wrong, but it has a ring of truth about it given that the Civil War was fought to free black slaves and that the 14th Amendment was ratified to give black Americans the full citizenship that had been denied to them. But that’s only part of the historical picture. A complete picture shows that the 14th Amendment was written to prohibit all race discrimination so that all individuals would be equally protected under the law. Its authors saw themselves as fulfilling the long-overdue promise of the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.” One of them, Rep. Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania said that the Founders “had been compelled to postpone the principles of their great Declaration, and wait for their full establishment till a more propitious time” and “[t]hat time ought to be present now.” Stevens, a Republican, was not alone in expressing that high ideal during the ratification process for the 14th Amendment and its related civil rights laws: Rep. John Bingham, a Republican from Ohio who was chief author of the 14th Amendment, hoped for the “absolute equality of all citizens before the law.” Rep. John Hale of New Hampshire looked forward to a nation that would “contend for no class, no condition, but for humanity.” Sen. Carl Schurz, a Missouri Republican and former Union Army general, envisioned a world where “liberty and the right of every citizen and every state would be a matter of national concern.” Rep. John Lynch of Mississippi, a former slave, hoped that “the law would know no race, no color, no religion, no nationality except to prevent distinctions on any of those grounds.” Finally, Sen. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts declared that there would be “no ruler drawing lines on the color basis which are always an indignity, an insult, [and] a wrong.”   Noble sentiments like these fill the congressional records. The authors weren’t focused just on black people, they were focused on all of humanity. The theme that repeats throughout the records is that, as Stevens put it, a “law which operates on one man shall operate equally upon all.” Modern advocates for reparations and “antiracist discrimination” reject legal equality. They apply the same discriminatory means that these statesmen rejected—categorizing people by their skin color and assigning them benefits and burdens on that basis—but somehow expect a different result. They will, however, do the same thing that race-labeling has always done: Set one race above others and spark division and hatred at the injustice of it. That’s exactly what happened when the country abandoned the 14th Amendment during the Jim Crow era. And it’s exactly what has been happening  in recent years with diversity, equity, and inclusion and “antiracism.” The good news is that we seem to be emerging from that fog. In the case known as Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that “[e]liminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.” And in his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas reminded us that “[t]wo discriminatory wrongs cannot make a right.” Meanwhile, lawmakers are turning against the illegal discrimination that DEI fosters, and Americans seem to have rejected it in the latest elections. Enforcing equal protection as the Constitution envisions will not automatically end racial tensions or guarantee equal outcomes among racial groups. Promoting friendship, forgiveness, and freedom of opportunity is the great challenge of a diverse society. We can’t meet that challenge without a shared commitment to the principle of equal treatment under law.    The 14th Amendment provides it, if we will embrace it. And in providing that shared vision, it outlaws discriminatory reparations that only divide us by race. The post A Major Constitutional Problem for Reparations appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Like law enforcement in some repressive virtual regimes, Meta is introducing the concept of re-education of “citizens” (users), as an alternative to eventually sending them to “jail” (imposing account restrictions). But this only applies to “first-time offenders,” that is, those who have violated Meta’s community standards for the first time, and if that violation is not considered to be “most severe.” The community standards now apply across Meta’s platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads – while the new rule means that instead of collecting a strike for a first policy violation, users who go through “an educational program” can have it deleted. There’s also “probation” – those who receive no strike for a year after that will again be eligible to participate in the “remove your warning” course. This applies to Facebook profiles, pages, and Instagram profiles. Meta first introduced the option for creators last summer and is now expanding it to everyone. In announcing the change of the policy, the tech giant refers to “research” that showed most of those violating its rules for the first time “may not be aware they are doing so.” This is where the “short educational program” comes in, as a way to reduce the risk of receiving that first strike, and Meta says the program is designed to help “better explain” its policies. Some might say that having clear policies instead of broad and vague ones would go a long way toward better understanding them – but the company has chosen the route of punishing users and then allowing them to complete its “training course.” Meta says that the results it has at this time, concerning creators, are “promising” since 15 percent of those who received their first strike and had it removed in this process said they “felt” they understood the rules better, as well as the way the rules are enforced. Meta does not extend the new policy to users posting sexual exploitation content, as well as using its platforms to sell “high risk” drugs – or glorify whatever the giant decides is a “dangerous organization or individual.” But, Meta is not, as it were, innovating censorship here; YouTube already has a similar option. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Meta’s Re-Education Era Begins appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

A Colorado woman is thankful for her community after they came together to replace her senior dog’s stolen wheelchair. In an interview with CBS News on November 18, Megan Caligiuri of Englewood reveals how her senior’s dog wheelchair got stolen and how her community responded to the theft. Caligiuri said that she has owned a rescued Schnauzer mix, named Griff, for almost 15 years. According to her, she and her dog have always been active – they travel the country and go on 10-mile hikes. Naturally, as Griff got older, the trips became shorter. And while Griff is a little bit energetic for his age, he can no longer walk without assistance. So, in order to still be able to take Griff on adventures (no matter how short they are), Caligiuri bought him a dog wheelchair that helps with the pooch’s weakened hind legs. The wheelchair was a game changer for Griff, Caligiuri said. “Someone saw him trucking around in the snow and was like, ‘He’s such an inspiration!” However, on the night of November 18, someone sadly stole the senior pooch’s wheels. Caligiuri explained, “I take them off after every walk. I leave them outside because they’re dirty. He rolls around through stuff.” “The next morning, he’s pretty jazzed for his next walk. I go outside and they’re gone. I have no faith left in humanity that someone would steal a disabled dog’s wheelchair,” Caligiuri said. After the robbery, Caligiuri filed a police report and posted about it on the neighborhood social app, Nextdoor, hoping someone can help her find her dog’s missing wheels. Even though they’re small, dog wheelchairs are not affordable. So, Caligiuri wanted to get back her dog’s wheels. However, what Caligiuri didn’t expect was the reaction from her community when they saw her post. “Over 80 people responded, offering donations, resources, and support,” Caligiuri reveals after saying that it was heartwarming to see that much compassion. She also reveals, “Someone said they saw a guy on a bike, with what looked like the wheels, serving as a trailer.” Now, the news of Griff’s stolen wheelchair has spread across the community. And that’s how Kathryn Groenewold with Paw Prosper, the parent company of Walkin’ Pets, found out. Walkin’ Pets is a company that offers wheelchairs and support products to improve pet mobility. And Groenewold said the story of Griff’s stolen wheelchair left her team heartbroken. So, Groenewold and her team got to work and hand-delivered Griff’s brand new wheels on Thursday, November 21. “Our team works very hard to make sure that each chair is perfectly fitting for the dog,” said Groenewold. “We hope that Griff and Megan are going to be able to enjoy more good days together as a result.” Now, Caligiuri and Griff can continue on with their adventures and enjoy their walks thanks to the kindness of their community. Caligiuri tells CBS News, “I feel so overwhelmed by the kindness of people. This is how he gets around and how he enjoys life and experiences life.” “My faith in humanity has been restored. Thank you, everyone, so much.”

According to the 1983 report by US Army Lieutenant Colonel Wayne M. McDonnell, titled “Analysis and Assessment of The Gateway Process,” consciousness is more than just a product of the brain; it exists beyond physical boundaries, making the bold assertion that “consciousness never dies.” The report was part of a classified program known as the Gateway Project, which aimed to explore altered states of consciousness. The process was described as “a training system designed to bring enhanced strength, focus, and coherence… to alter consciousness.” Participants engaged in techniques that reportedly allowed their consciousness to shift “outside the physical sphere,” transcending time and space. A recently resurfaced US Army Intelligence report offers a conceptual explanation of how the brain processes energy from the physical world to generate consciousness, which Lieutenant Colonel Wayne McDonnell likens to a hologram. Credit: US Army This method allegedly led participants to recall “all the memories accumulated through experience in reality,” suggesting the possibility of remembering past lives. In essence, they claimed to have accessed detailed memories of previous existences, lending credibility to the idea of reincarnation. The concept of reincarnation is not new, and many believe we live multiple lives. Numerous cases exist where young children have described vivid memories of past lives, some of which have been independently verified. These stories often include specific details about names, places, and events that the child could not have known otherwise. Consciousness transcends space and time. Credit: US Army The Gateway Project inadvertently contributed to this idea by suggesting that consciousness retains its essence and memories even after death. This would align with a perspective that we reincarnate and continue to live new lives. It is worth noting that the project was highly controversial, making any reincarnation-related findings from it far from conclusive. The CIA and other government agencies have long been interested in consciousness studies, particularly during the Cold War era. Programs like MKUltra and Stargate Project explored phenomena such as remote viewing, telepathy, and the nature of the human mind. The Gateway Project, however, stood out for its focus on consciousness as a non-physical entity. It aimed to understand and manipulate consciousness in ways that could have practical applications for intelligence and defense. While much of the research remains classified, declassified documents like McDonnell’s report hint at the extraordinary possibilities being explored behind closed doors. If consciousness indeed “never dies,” what does that mean for our understanding of life, death, and existence itself? The post Declassified Pentagon Report Proposes Evidence for Reincarnation appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Between Rust, The Forest, Sons of the Forests, and dozens of others, I’ve played a lot of survival games in recent years. But The Long Dark sticks in my memory the most vividly. Hinterland has created something that truly combines brutality and beauty. As much as it’s a cruel, often violent battle to stay alive, The Long Dark can be peaceful, meditative and serene - the small moments where you’re finally safe in a cabin somewhere, sipping on the remnants of your stove-brewed cup of coffee, have more power because you’ve had to earn them and fight for them. First released all the way back in 2014, The Long Dark has come a long way, and now it’s blowing up on Steam thanks to a transformative new update. Continue reading 91% rated survival game classic The Long Dark explodes on Steam after big update MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games, Best single-player games, Best FPS games

MSI has just announced a new OLED gaming monitor with great specs and a glorious all-white color scheme. The company released the same monitor in black earlier this year, but this white monitor looks ideal for anyone building a white PC gaming setup. The new MSI MPG 321URXW QD-OLED could potentially be your next best gaming monitor, especially for those wanting to pair it with a white PC case and peripherals. The monitor is a shell swap of the 321URX, with a 4K resolution and 240Hz refresh rate all wrapped in a 31.5-inch monitor. Continue reading MSI’s new OLED gaming monitor is perfect for a white PC gaming setup MORE FROM PCGAMESN: MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC review, MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X Trio review, Best gaming motherboard

If you've never played The Talos Principle, I can't recommend it enough. If you're a fan of games like Portal or The Witness you'll feel right at home with the serene vibes, challenging puzzles, and mysterious world you unravel as you play. It asks questions about consciousness, AI, and what it means to be human - if you fancy having an existential crisis while trying to solve a puzzle. You could play the original right now at a 90% discount, but developer Croteam has just announced an expansive remaster. The Talos Principle: Reawakened doesn't just improve the original game's visuals, it also adds a wealth of new content. Continue reading Beloved puzzle game The Talos Principle is getting a big remaster in Unreal 5

Although the franchise has long outgrown its RTS roots, Warcraft still occasionally likes to yield some strategic fruit. There was that redux of Warcraft 3 in 2020, and 2023 saw the launch of Warcraft Rumble on mobile. While World of Warcraft rolls on with Cataclysm Classic, The War Within, and the upcoming return of Mists of Pandaria, if you've avoided the tower-defense spin-off so far, it's now available on PC. Continue reading A new Warcraft game comes out on PC today, but there’s a twist