Article: Freakish Ice Cube Shows The Scale Of Earth's Vanishing Ice

On Earth, the amount of ice lost each year is equal to a monstrous, over six-mile-high ice cube looming over New York City. And this ice loss is accelerating. In research published Monday in the scientific journal The Cryosphere, earth scientists concluded the planet lost a prodigious 28 trillion tonnes of ice between 1994 and 2017. This means ice mass is melting away, like a shrinking glacier. Since the 1990s, the rate of annual ice loss has increased by 57 percent. "Over the past three decades, ice has been lost from every corner of our planet," said Andrew Shepherd, a professor of earth observation at the University of Leeds and a coauthor of the research.

- Mashable India

Article: Time replaces its logo for the first time in its history. Now, it says 'Vote'

For the first time ever, Time magazine's logo will be replaced with an imperative -- "VOTE." It's both a call to action for readers and a mission statement for the November 2 double issue, which covers the final days of the 2020 presidential election. "Few events will shape the world to come more than the result of the upcoming U.S. presidential election," Time editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal wrote in a note to readers.

- CNN

CNN: Czech nudists told to wear face masks by police

Face masks aren't mandatory everywhere, but strict rules on wearing them have been enforced in the Czech Republic -- even for nudists. The European country has begun to relax restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus, but at the height of concerns late last month, police were called in to remind people that while it was OK to get naked in designated public places, mouths needed to be covered. Czech law enforcers issued a warning after officers were called out on March 27 in the small town of Lázně Bohdaneč, east of Prague, because of complaints about maskless naturists basking in warm weather. "Unfortunately, many of the sunbathing citizens were gathered in large groups, and some were not wearing face masks.," a police statement said. "Upon the arrival of the police, everyone agreed to respect the government regulation [that face shields are compulsory outside the home].

- CNN

Learn more about naturism at Paya Bay Resort.

Article: Overfishing harming Honduran reefs

[Google translation] Overfishing is the ‘titanic challenge’ in which Honduras must concentrate ‘more efforts’ to recover and ensure the health of its corals, national scientists and conservationists warned, during the presentation of the report ‘Mesoamerican Reef Health’ in Tegucigalpa.

After two years of research, the Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI) revealed the results of its monitoring to 73 coral sites in the northern and insular regions of the country.

Ian Drysdale, coordinator of this international scientific organization in Honduras, explained that the objects of study were the live coral cover per square meter, the amount of algae and the biomass (quantity and size) of the fish. This methodology is known as the Reef Health Index (ISA).

Overfishing significantly affected the ISA of Honduras will fall from the highest in the regional rating according to the 2018 report, from “regular to bad” (3.0 to 2.5), and “it is the first time a country has fallen”, ensures the same report and the scientist based in Roatán, Bay Islands.

- La Tribuna (Spanish) 

Article: Blue spaces: why time spent near water is the secret of happiness

In recent years, stressed-out urbanites have been seeking refuge in green spaces, for which the proven positive impacts on physical and mental health are often cited in arguments for more inner-city parks and accessible woodlands. The benefits of “blue space” – the sea and coastline, but also rivers, lakes, canals, waterfalls, even fountains – are less well publicised, yet the science has been consistent for at least a decade: being by water is good for body and mind.

Proximity to water – especially the sea – is associated with many positive measures of physical and mental wellbeing, from higher levels of vitamin D to better social relations. “Many of the processes are exactly the same as with green space – with some added benefits,” says Dr Mathew White, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter and an environmental psychologist with BlueHealth, a programme researching the health and wellbeing benefits of blue space across 18 (mostly European) countries.

An extensive 2013 study on happiness in natural environments – to White’s mind, “one of the best ever” – prompted 20,000 smartphone users to record their sense of wellbeing and their immediate environment at random intervals. Marine and coastal margins were found by some distance to be the happiest locations, with responses approximately six points higher than in a continuous urban environment. The researchers equated it to “the difference between attending an exhibition and doing housework”.

- The Guardian  > Health and wellbeing

Article: "The best beach in Honduras"

Article: magnificentworld.com/honduras-travel-guide/

Article: Why are nudists such friendly people?

Do you remember your first impression of nudists? Chances are that it was something like “a bunch of naked people hiding behind a huge fence doing stuff the rest of the world shouldn’t see”. But what about your first impression of them at the moment that You became a nudist yourself? The word “relaxed” may come to mind or “polite” or “connected”. And probably also “friendly”. We’ve never met anyone coming back from their first nudie experience saying “Those nudists, what a bunch of self-centric idiots”. Why is that? Is nudism actually a secret club of good people? Or is nudism a gift, only given to good people? Or do people actually become good by being nude?

- nakedwanderings.com

Learn more about our naturist options at Paya Bay Resort.

new trends: forest bathing and nature therapy

According to the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (yes, “forest therapy” is actually a thing), forest therapy is a “research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments.” Studies have demonstrated a wide array of health benefits associated with spending time in nature, from lowering cortisol concentrations and blood pressure to improving mood and cognition. Many doctors are even writing “nature prescriptions”, instructing patients to begin spending more time outdoors.

- The Daily Beast

With over 1.5 kilometers of trails through fantastic tropical nature, Paya Bay is perfect place for submerging yourself in the healing power of nature. This is all part of the Magic of Paya!

CNN: Dare to bare: 15 of the world's best nude beaches

I bet some of Paya's clients would vote to include clothing-optional Bliss Beach on this list!

Although still taboo in many places, casting aside your clothes at the shore has become a customary practice around the world in recent times. From rocky coastlines to talcum powder fine sands, and big city bays to secluded shores, there are now hundreds of beaches where it's perfectly legal (or at least de facto legal) to sunbathe, swim and otherwise frolic beside the sea in nothing more than your birthday suit. "Soft, smooth sand, warm ocean breeze, gentle ocean waves and lots of other naturists makes for a great clothing-optional beach," says Nicky Hoffman of The Naturist Society, who's also the managing editor of Nude & Natural magazine and co-author of "The World's Best Nude Beaches & Resorts." While clothing-optional beach destinations may seem like a modern invention, it's actually quite an old idea, a product of the otherwise prudish Victorian era.During the 1880s, American poet Walt Whitman extolled the virtues of the "Adamic air bath" -- his nude walkabouts and swims along Timber Creek in New Jersey, writing of "The free exhilarating ecstasy of nakedness in Nature." Channeling that same vibe, the naturist movement took off in Europe and North America during the first half of the 20th century, with city parks, camp grounds and eventually beaches established for those who wanted to experience nature nude in their most natural state.

- CNN 

May we suggest:

#16 - Bliss Beach at Paya Bay Resort, Roatan,
Bay Islands of Honduras.

Article: "Canary Islands beach choked by tiny bits of plastic"

From far away, it almost looks as though the beach is covered in seafoam. But the white bands washing ashore in Tenerife, in Spain's Canary Islands, are in fact piles of tiny bits of plastic, the latest example of the human-made pollution impacting the world's oceans.

"I’ve never seen the beach like this,” said María Celma Argaluza, a 37-year-old teacher and founder of the Océano Limpio Tenerife (Clean Oceans Tenerife) campaign, in a video of the waste she posted on Facebook on March 24. “It makes me want to cry.”

Argaluza criticised the insufficient measures put in place to address the build-up of rubbish along the shores of the Canary Islands.

Because the islands act as a natural barrier to the Gulf Stream and the Canary Current, they become a dumping ground for rubbish floating in the Atlantic Ocean, May Gómez, a biology professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, told the Spanish daily newspaper El Pais.

 - France 24

Article: Caribbean island of Dominica bans plastic and Styrofoam

The fight against single-use plastic has been gathering steam over the past months, but the Caribbean nation of Dominica has taken the crusade to another level. The island nation has announced its aim to completely ban common plastics and single-use Styrofoam cups and food containers -- effective January 2019. Announcing this intention in June's budget address, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said his government wanted to help preserve Dominica's famously beautiful natural landscape. "Dominica prides itself as the "Nature Isle". We must in every way deserve and reflect that designation," reads Skerrit's statement. "The issue of solid waste management affects that perception and we continue to grapple with it."

- CNN

Article: 'Stunning' report finds that one-third of Earth's protected areas are being destroyed by people

Giraffes run near a drilling rig.

Turns out a large chunk of what should be the world's most protected areas are anything but. A new study reports that human activities — such as city sprawl, road construction and farming — are wreaking havoc on some 2.3 million square miles of protected land worldwide, an area about twice the size of Alaska. Forests, parks and conservation areas around the globe are all seeing human impacts, with protected areas in Asia, Europe and Africa — places with massive human populations — seeing some of the worst effects, according to the new research.

- USA Today

article: less clothing, more vitamin D – a simple health hack with profound benefits

That’s significant because you might be spending most of a day at the beach or by a pool, wearing only a swimsuit, and thinking that you’ll be getting tons of vitamin D, but that may not be the case if you’re constantly slathering on a strong sunscreen. Of course, it’s not good to get sunburned and you should actively try to prevent sunburning, but you also have to be careful not to go overboard or else you won’t get any vitamin D. Ideally, you should only wear sunscreen if you have a tendency to burn easily or if you plan on being out in the sun for a relatively long period of time. If you’re only going outside for a little bit or you typically don’t burn easily, then hold off on the sunscreen. Bring it along with you just in case, but you don’t have to put it on right away necessarily. I like to put a little bit of sunscreen on my ears, nose, shoulders, genitals, and butt – but only after I’ve gone unprotected for an hour or so.

Really it’s just best to get out in the sun unprotected until you get the slightest bit pink and then get out of the sun for the day. Over time your sun tolerance will increase. You’re melanin responses will eventually give you a darker tan that will act as a natural sunscreen. Vitamin D has also been found to have a protective effect against sunburn, so as your vitamin D levels increase that will provide additional protection from sunburn. Nature knows! Here in Florida I can be outside for several hours before I start to turn pink because, as a native Floridian, I’ve developed a pretty good sun tolerance.

So just remember, if you want vitamin D when you go outside you need wear the least amount of clothing comfortably/legally possible and hold off on the sunscreen unless you’re confident you’ll burn.

- nudespots.com

"Vitamin D." Get it?!

article: a beautiful and affordable caribbean isle

Flying in, you'll see an island that is about 40 miles long, 5 miles across at its widest point and vibrantly green. There are no high-rise hotels, because building regulations don't allow for them. Density restrictions within the beach zones have contained development in a good way. Cows and pigs still graze this lush, green island. Bananas and coconuts still grow wild. Despite the dramatic growth in its expat population, Roatán remains an untamed paradise and a Shangri-La for nature lovers. Honduras, with the help of its Ministry of Tourism, became the first country to adopt the concept of "geotourism" as its tourist agenda, going a step further than the popular "ecotourism" and meaning to suggest a very natural experience.

- U.S. News & World Report 

Photo: Devon Stephens Photography

which shade of pantone are you?

- CNN

Our infinite diversity is what makes our species so amazing.

roatan in the press

The next morning I took Freddie's advice and sampled the baleadas, a Honduran dish that begins with a flour tortilla. The kitchen at a rusty corrugated shack off the beach was already hopping in the light of dawn, with locals chatting to the rhythmic slap-slap of fresh tortillas being handmade, then flipped onto a hot stove. I lined up for the Honduran take on tacos — warm, soft tortillas filled with refried beans, cheese, shredded chicken and fresh avocado — then took the breakfast wraps back to our patio overlooking the beach, something that would become a routine before we started each lazy tropical day in Roatán.

- Los Angeles Times 

coral reefs in jeopardy

The industrial age of fossil fuels has severely changed the Earth's ocean ecosystems. Our oceans absorb about one-third of human-caused carbon-dioxide, but unfortunately rising emissions have surpassed what the oceans can sustainably absorb.

As the world continues to burn fossil fuels at an increasing rate, people are pumping more and more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which act like a blanket over the Earth, causing the planet to warm. The warming and the increased carbon dioxide in the oceans are combining to put coral reefs, some of the most biodiverse and important ecosystems on the planet, in jeopardy.

- Yahoo News

even more roatan in the press

Freediving with sharks in Roatan, Honduras – in pictures. Freediving with sharks off Honduras's Roatan island is a thrilling, if nerve-racking, experience. Professional freedivers Eusebio and Christina Saenz de Santamaria shot these photographs as they explored the Cara a Cara site, famous for Caribbean reef sharks.

- The Guardian (UK) 

more roatan in the press

Retire To This Untamed Caribbean Paradise. If you were a backpacking scuba diver in the 1960s, you may have drifted through the Bay Islands of Honduras on a quest for Caribbean adventure. Many fitting that description did. Offshore from Roatan, in particular, the largest of the Bay Islands, was (and is still today) some of the best diving in the world.

The island itself back then was an off-the-radar and wholly undeveloped, untamed outpost where cows and pigs grazed freely and bananas grew everywhere.

About 20 years ago, small hotels and resorts began to appear on Roatan to accommodate the increasing numbers of scuba divers. As visitors discovered this idyllic part of the Caribbean no one had ever heard of, they started to buy land and build homes. This was the beginning of an expat community that, over the two decades since, has grown to become one of the biggest and most established in the world.

- Huffington Post 

roatan in the press

Honduran island of Roatán is a laid-back Caribbean paradise. Off the northern coast of mainland Honduras is a skinny, 32-mile-long island called Roatán. This Central American paradise has been a hot spot for divers for several years. But you don’t have to be a diver to fall in love with the place.

Sitting 35 miles out in the Caribbean Sea, Roatán is surrounded by a large coral reef, and the snorkeling and deep-sea fishing are great, the beaches are gorgeous and the water is crystal-clear. There are plenty of restaurants and bars to hang out in and the people are friendly (most speak English).

Cruise ships started coming here in 2005, and Roatán now has two ship terminals. Many visitors come here first by boat, like what they see and return for a longer stay.

- New York Daily News