
Hamburg: Germany's Alluring Second City
Travelers looking for quaint, Old World Europe won't find it in Hamburg. The city's medieval center was virtually leveled by a huge fire in 1842, and World War II bombing decimated the rest. Today's city center is a soulless mixture of office buildings and brand-name chain shops.

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New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
More than half of East Coast beaches tested positive for fecal contamination, shocking new study reveals — how did your vacation spot do?
Hold your nose — and maybe hold off on that beach day. More than 60% of U.S. beaches tested in 2024 had at least one day where the water was so full of fecal bacteria that it failed federal safety standards, according to a new report by Environment America's Research & Policy Center. That's 1,930 beaches out of 3,187 that were dirtier than your dog after a mud run. Advertisement The top offenders? The Gulf Coast, where a whopping 84% of beaches had at least one 'poo-lution' problem day, followed by the West Coast (79%) and the Great Lakes (71%). The East Coast didn't exactly sparkle — 54% were flagged for contamination. Only Alaska and Hawaii offered a relatively clean sweep, with just 10% of beaches testing unsafe. Advertisement 3 So much for West Coast beaches being cleaner than the East Coast. Christopher Sadowski How bad is it? Nearly 1 in 7 beaches showed potentially dangerous levels of fecal contamination on a quarter of all testing days, the report found. And the fun doesn't stop at dirty data. Swimming in these murky waters could bring a not-so-sunny side of summer — think gastrointestinal illnesses, respiratory issues, ear infections, and skin rashes. The report estimates 57 million related cases hit Americans each year, most of which go unreported — or unremembered once the vacation tan fades. 'Enjoying the fresh sea breeze and splash of waves at the beach is a highlight of the summer for many Americans,' said John Rumpler, clean water director for Environment America Research & Policy Center. 'But pollution still plagues too many of the places where we swim.' Advertisement As previously reported by The Post, New York's own Windmill Beach in Sag Harbor made national headlines for being one of the top 10 most bacteria-ridden beaches in the country — with a stomach-churning 43% contamination rate. It's not the Hamptons souvenir you want to bring home. 3 Nearly 1 in 7 beaches tested dirty on at least 25% of the days sampled — meaning swimmers had a 1-in-4 shot of wading into a bacterial brew. Christopher Sadowski In fact, over half of New York's beaches were found to be contaminated with poop or sewage last year, according to a previous Environment America report. Déjà poo, anyone? Advertisement Adding insult to injury? Federal funding to fix this mess is circling the drain. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which helps communities upgrade aging sewer and stormwater systems, needs $630 billion over the next two decades, per the EPA. But the White House's 2026 budget proposal would slash it. 'Now is not the time to slash the water infrastructure funding that communities sorely need to stop the flow of nasty bacteria and pollution to our beaches,' Rumpler warned. And it's not just the infrastructure getting flushed — beachgoers themselves aren't helping. 3 Beachgoers aren't helping this gross situation by peeing in the ocean. NurPhoto via Getty Images As The Post previously dished, a staggering 70% of Americans admit to peeing in the ocean, and 1 in 4 admit to littering, even though 82% say it's the most annoying beach behavior. So before you cannonball into your local shoreline this summer, maybe check if it's a splash zone — or a crap trap.


Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
No need to take off your shoes. TSA has a new screening policy already in effect at some airports
Do you dread taking off your shoes when going through airport security? That requirement is going away at airports in the United States, which means agents for the Transportation Security Administration will allow you to keep your footwear on when you undergo a security screening. Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, announced the change Tuesday afternoon. 'We know that when President Trump was elected that he pledged to make life better for all Americans and that includes those who are travelers going through our busy airports,' Noem said. Noem said it's important to streamline the process as the U.S. is looking forward to big events such as the Olympics and that World Cup that will bring in 'record travelers.' 'Many people will be on airlines traveling in and out of our airports and it's important we find ways to keep people safe but also streamline and make the process much more enjoyable for every single person,' she said. The American Federation of Government Employees also confirmed that some airports adopted the new policy Friday ahead of the change being implemented more widely, and agency trainers were working to update TSA officers, the Washington Post reported. Airplane travelers will still go through multiple layers of screening including identity verification, screening of carry-on luggage and individual screening — all without needing to take their shoes off. There could be an instance when a TSA agent determines additional screening is needed and travelers will be asked to take their shoes off, Noem said. As of Tuesday, the policy had already quietly rolled out at airports that included Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Portland International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina, according to CBS News. Noem said the new policy would be quickly implemented at airports across the nation. Every airport has different screening equipment with varying capabilities, but Noem said her federal agency had 'evaluated the equipment that every airport has' and was '\fully confident' that with the removal of the no-shoes policy, airports would 'still have the security needs in place at every single checkpoint.' It's unclear when Los Angeles International Airport will roll out the new policy. LAX officials referred The Times' questions about the change to the TSA. By the way, the TSA's new shoe-screening policy will only benefit travelers who go through the regular security checkpoint. Travelers who have applied for, enrolled and paid for expedited screening through TSA PreCheck or Clear are already exempt from taking off their shoes during screening. The practice of having travelers toss their shoes in a bin to be screened was established in 2006 after an incident in December 2001 when, months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a man boarded a flight with homemade bombs hidden within his shoes. During an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, British man Richard Colvin Reid tried to detonate his shoes but struggled to light the fuse, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crew members and passengers restrained Reid; the flight diverted to Logan International Airport in Boston, where officers took Reid into custody. Reid confessed to FBI agents that he made the shoe bombs, which held 10 ounces of explosive material, according to federal officials. In April, TSA announced it was working with the Department of Homeland Security to develop 'next generation passenger screening technology,' with a goal of make security screening more efficient, according to the agency. John Fortune, the Department of Homeland Security's science and technology directorate, is leading the department's airport passenger screening research. His team has already developed new ways to enhance current technology used in the screening machine that you stand in with your hands above your head, and created much sharper X-ray images, according to the federal agency. The TSA reported that Fortune and his team were currently researching a replacement or retrofit of the existing passenger screening systems, specifically to target shoes. 'How do you implement a shoe scan, or do you put it in with an existing portal system where the person is already standing while screening their shoes at the same time?' he said. 'Could it be put in place somewhere else within the checkpoint where it might increase efficiencies? Any real-time screening involves reimagining the checkpoint.' DHS did not answer The Times' question regarding Fortune's work and the announcement of the new policy on shoe removal. During Tuesday's announcement, Noem said the federal agency had the ability to implement other security screening technology and would be piloting several different security checkpoints across the nation 'that will allow individuals to come in through a security checkpoint and maybe not even have to interact with officers at all, walk through machines, keep their bag with them, not remove laptops.' She estimated the pilot programs could be explored over the next six to nine months.

Epoch Times
9 hours ago
- Epoch Times
Hamburg: Germany's Alluring Second City
Hamburg is Germany's second-largest city and its most important port. Like other great European 'second cities'—such as Marseille, Glasgow, and Antwerp—this northern port city has a special pride. Popular with Germans (but a rare stop for Americans), Hamburg feels real and has an edgy charm. Visiting, you sense it knows where it came from and where it's going. Travelers looking for quaint, Old World Europe won't find it in Hamburg. The city's medieval center was virtually leveled by a huge fire in 1842, and World War II bombing decimated the rest. Today's city center is a soulless mixture of office buildings and brand-name chain shops.