Bundestag Climate protection in Fast track

Status: 06/24/2021 4:41 a.m.

The Bundestag wants to pass the stricter climate protection law today. The opposition speaks of a quick shot – and doubts the effect.

From Martin Polansky, ARD capital studio

The federal government hastily got the new climate protection law in motion. At the end of April, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled: The previous Climate Protection Act of 2019 must be improved because the measures to reduce emissions from 2031 are inadequate. After the decision in Karlsruhe, there would actually have been time until the end of next year to remedy the deficiencies. But the Union and the SPD wanted to prove their ability to act again in terms of climate protection.

Environment Minister Svenja Schulze from the SPD speaks of a “very important week for climate protection in Germany”. “This means that climate neutrality will become law in Germany in 2045. And with this, we will fulfill the mandate of the Federal Constitutional Court in the shortest possible time and ensure a fair balance between the generations.” The Karlsruhe judges had emphasized that future generations could be burdened too much in their freedoms by climate protection measures, if not changed in time.

2045 greenhouse gas neutral

The amendment now stipulates that Germany is to become greenhouse gas neutral as early as 2045 – i.e. from then on it will not emit more carbon dioxide than is absorbed primarily through forests. To achieve this, the annual savings targets for power plants, industry, traffic, agriculture and buildings are tightened.

And after a long turmoil, the federal government has agreed on some immediate measures: for example, additional wind turbines and solar systems in the coming year and simplified repowering, in which old wind turbines are replaced by new and higher ones. Communities should also benefit financially when they provide open space for solar systems.

And: The federal government has launched an eight billion euro investment program to accelerate the energy transition. “We want to involve the citizens with us. We want to get people excited about climate protection. That is why we rely on the promotion of environmental technologies,” says the chairwoman of the Union in the Bundestag Environment Committee, Anja Weisgerber from the CSU. “And we want to prevent jobs from being relocated due to excessively strict climate protection requirements. We achieved that in the agreement.” Some in the Union and the SPD are concerned that voters’ enthusiasm for climate protection could wane as soon as it becomes concrete and costly. Therefore, the SPD has blocked plans of the Union to increase the CO2 price for fuel, heating oil and natural gas, which has been in effect since the beginning of the year, more quickly.

Costs for the tenants?

At the same time, the CO2 costs for heating remain entirely with the tenants. The Union did not want to burden the landlords additionally. And: CDU / CSU have blocked the SPD’s plans for a significantly faster expansion of renewable energies. Because new wind turbines and power lines are unpopular in many places.

Criticism comes from the environmental expert of the Greens Oliver Krischer: “We have agreements in the smallest details that hardly make a difference in the matter,” he says. “And there is no progress at all with the major measures such as phasing out coal, refurbishing buildings, or switching off combustion engines.”

“A quick shot”

The Left and the FDP speak of an election maneuver. The federal government does not have a clear plan for climate protection, says the FDP environmental expert Lukas Köhler: “What the federal government is doing now is a quick shot that is neither coordinated at European level nor in any way really stipulates that it works efficiently and purposefully. ” With the government majority of the Union and SPD, the tightened climate protection is likely to pass the Bundestag today. The current federal government no longer has to achieve the new climate targets. To this end, future governments will be bound to the goal of greenhouse gas neutrality in 2045

Less CO2 through power plants EUEmissions trading paying off

Status: 06/17/2021 3:36 p.m.

The European emissions trading system had an impact last year. According to figures from the Federal Environment Agency, CO2 emissions in Germany’s power plants have fallen sharply. It looks different with industry.

From Martin Polansky, ARD capital studio

The German power plants emitted 15 percent less CO2 last year than in 2019. Coal power plants in particular were shut down. The energy sector and industry in this country have reduced their CO2 emissions by 33 percent since 2013. This is shown by current figures presented by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA).

According to the head of the German Emissions Trading Authority at UBA, Jürgen Landgrebe, European emissions trading has proven its worth. “The greenhouse gas emissions of the plants in Germany have fallen significantly.” Since 2018, the EU has decided to significantly strengthen its ambitions in European emissions trading. “And as a result, the markets reacted immediately,” said Landgrebe.

Significant price increases since 2018

Emissions trading is seen as a market-based instrument to reduce CO2 emissions. The system has existed since 2005. It ensures that around 1,800 power plants and industrial companies in Germany require emission certificates in order to be allowed to emit CO2.

The certificates are traded. The number of these decreases annually, which means that their price increases gradually. As a result, CO2 emissions are also becoming more and more expensive. While the certificate price was quite low for a long time, it has increased significantly since 2018 – to more than 50 euros per ton of CO2.

Gas-fired power plants and renewable energy systems have benefited from this, said the head of the emissions trading office. Last year, more than 45 percent of the gross electricity consumption in Germany was covered by renewable energies. “The aim is for us to price fossil fuels heavily so that renewable energies also become competitive more quickly,” said Landgrebe.

Weak effects in industry

Many market observers assume that emissions trading could lead to the shutdown of coal-fired power plants in this country much earlier than 2038. This end date was agreed a good two years ago in the so-called coal compromise between industry, environmental associations and trade unions. The federal government had largely adopted the compromise in the coal exit law. In industry, however, the effect of emissions trading has so far been less pronounced. Emissions have only fallen by around eight percent since 2013 – also due to the corona pandemic. In many cases there is a lack of marketable alternatives, for example for chemical plants or the steel industry. The latter is to switch from coke to hydrogen in the long term.

Help for retrofitting

The head of the German Emissions Trading Authority advocated increasing the pressure on industry. Fewer CO2 certificates should soon be issued. In addition, public aid is available for retrofitting. Landgrebe referred to the European innovation fund, which will provide approximately 20 billion euros for corresponding investments.

“The national decarbonisation fund is also providing around two billion euros to strongly promote such technologies and bring them to market readiness,” said Landgrebe.

Special taxes on industrial imports?

The steel industry and other sectors fear that European companies could suffer competitive disadvantages if the pressure to switch becomes too strong. The argument goes that climate protection does not benefit from steel coming more from India or China in the future.

In the European Union there are therefore considerations to impose special taxes on industrial imports from regions of the world with low climate standards in order to protect domestic industry. The EU Commission wants to present plans in July on how emissions trading can be used even more. On the one hand, consideration is being given to lowering the CO2 cap more quickly in order to meet the more ambitious European climate targets. On the other hand, certificate trading could be expanded to the areas of transport and buildings.

Surcharge at the gas station

In Germany, there has been a national CO2 pricing for fuel, heating oil and natural gas since the beginning of the year. However, this system is currently not based on a fixed CO2 cap, which is gradually being lowered, but on a price surcharge, for example at the petrol station – in the hope that people will use less fuel.

Similar to the issue of phasing out coal, European emissions trading could in the long run make the special national regulations superfluous in this country – if it proves to be the more efficient and market-compliant system for reducing CO2 emissions

The old chimney built of red bricks is located on the campus of Pullman Hanoi Hotel. Photo: Qinghai Location of Pullman Hanoi hotel, formerly Tam Tile Factory or La Tuilerie Tonkinoise. The factory is equipped with presses to produce bricks and tiles; there are two chimneys 50m high, built according to European standards to draw air into the double tunnels of the kiln, each 100m long. The factory was built by Mr. Nguyen Van Giem, also known as Nam Giem. During its heyday, more than 600 workers worked here. The factory was shut down during World War II and reopened in 1956, and later became a state-owned enterprise.
Entering the renovation period, the factory and land were invested with foreign FDI capital to build one of the first five-star hotels in Hanoi but still retain a chimney. In the project of building the hotel, the designers once intended to destroy both chimneys of the brick factory. Fortunately, in the end, “historical evidence” was kept to decorate the hotel due to the demolition party, after the demolition of the first one, the price was too high for the other. Perhaps this is also a “destiny”, not a human effort.
Today, the more than hundred-year-old chimney looks so small and simple compared to the majestic buildings or the splendor and prosperity of Hanoi Capital. However, this evidence has contributed greatly to making Pullman Hanoi Hotel well known to many people, especially for those who love Hanoi and want to keep the old beauty in the heart of the city, which contains both cultural and cultural elements. history in the same space.
Priceless Values
There is a man named Martin Rama who fights tirelessly for the preservation of ancient Hanoi. He has a photo book “Hanoi a roaming place” taken and written by him, while implementing the project “Sustainable Urban Development in Hanoi – Sustainable Development of Hanoi Capital” initiated and chaired by him. The project aims to advise the city on how to develop the new and preserve the old. Anyone who loves Hanoi like Martin loves how to keep the beauty of Asia mixed with French architecture, the look of Russian onions, ancient China and a little bit of the wet rice civilization rising low and high, in the heart. City…
Today, Hanoi in particular and Asian cities in general have made rapid development steps, many commercial centers have been built but still lack a high-class commercial center that can combine shopping. with cultural and historical elements in the same space. In London (UK) has a Covent Garden, San Francisco (USA) has a beautiful Ghirardelli area.
Many investors find demolishing old houses and building new ones as the cheapest way and according to the wishes of people with money. But the cultural values ​​hidden in each brick or wall with hundreds of years old cannot be calculated in money. According to Martin Rama, an important principle that needs special attention is to prioritize in-situ resettlement for the original residents of Hanoi. He said that Hanoi is inherently attractive and unique not only because of its uniqueness in architecture and landscape… but also by its residents. Every Hanoian is already a cultural entity with great attraction, this value cannot be calculated in money…
Returning to Pullman Hanoi and its durable old chimney, I secretly wish, if only investors were like this hotel owner, understanding what cultural and historical elements are in the same space to be next to. The construction of the new building still preserves some of the old features. Currently, the Cat Linh underground station of the Nhon UMRT line – Hanoi station, with an entrance next to the Pullman hotel on Cat Linh street is under construction and gradually formed. We, the people of the Capital and tourists can completely go to Pullman by French-style subway and hope that 100 years later, there is still a historic chimney.
With another UMRT project, Line 2, section Nam Thang Long – Tran Hung Dao, international visitors can go directly from Noi Bai airport to Hoan Kiem lake, connecting from the modern place to the “sacred and sacred” place. pompous”. On that UMRT line, there is underground station C9 (Hoan Kiem station) which will be a link between the past – present – future, contributing to the construction of the capital of a thousand years of civilization, bright – green – clean – beautiful… The construction The metro station in Hoan Kiem Lake area not only develops transportation infrastructure, contributing to socio-economic development, it is also a way to bring tourists from all over the world to the heart of the capital. do, is the current hyphen with the thousand-year cultural values ​​of Thang Long – Dong Do – Hanoi. The story of the chimney column that survives the construction of a monumental structure is a good example of the success of an approach that respects the past. The capital of Hanoi has thousands of years of civilization, through a long history we have countless stories like that, the heritages carry with them layers of cultural and historical sediments that need to be enhanced and brought to life. new colors over time.

Poland’s high inflation With price jumps from the pandemic

Status: 08.06.2021 8:12 a.m.

The Polish inflation rate is well above the German rate – now more than five percent. In many ways, this is a consequence of the pandemic, experts say. But when will the central bank react? From Martin Adam, ARD studio Warsaw The pandemic is not over yet when another topic is pushing the front pages of Polish newspapers. “Why so expensive?” Asks the “Gazeta Wyborcza”. The “Rzeczpospolita” replies: “We pay for growth with inflation.” In fact, what is happening in Poland is what financial experts in Germany are warning of: the inflation rate is rising – currently to a ten-year high of well over five percent, according to the standardized European calculation. That is one of the highest values ​​in the European Union. For comparison: In Germany, the inflation rate was 2.5 percent in May .

Devaluation clearly noticeable

The devaluation of the Polish zloty is clearly noticeable, explains financial market expert Pawel Majtkowski. “Compared to last year, wages have risen by ten percent, but the prices of fruit and vegetables by 20 percent. So we are already feeling the price increases,” he says. “In addition, there are higher production costs, transport costs and the costs of higher wages.” All of this is reflected in prices. Inflation is most evident in the case of fuels. According to the national statistics office, gasoline and diesel for private cars have become more than 30 percent more expensive within a month.

“Polish economy is doing well”

But don’t panic, it’s all normal and a consequence of the corona pandemic, explains economic advisor Lidia Adamska. “Inflation in Poland reflects processes that we see in the post-Covid landscape around the world. But the Polish economy is doing well,” she says. “The gross domestic product is growing, the employment and unemployment figures are also optimistic.” There are various factors that are currently weighing on the Polish currency, only some actually have to do with the corona pandemic: The low interest rates, which are supposed to stabilize the economy, make money cheap. It is available in large quantities, which always carries the risk of being devalued. After the rapid slump last year, crude oil prices are also picking up again, making gasoline and diesel more expensive. In addition, there are higher food prices because Polish agriculture has not recovered from the past two years of drought. A bad harvest means high prices. With restaurants and hotels that are slowly reopening in Poland, demand is also increasing.

Raising the minimum wage is having an effect

The political decision at the beginning of the year to increase the gross minimum wage to 18.30 zloty per hour, the equivalent of around 4.10 euros, also has an impact. This is supposed to distribute the Polish economic boom more fairly. However, the service industry in particular, which has been shaken by the corona lockdown, is passing the higher wage costs through to customers. The bottom line is that everything will be expensive. But it will certainly be countered soon, suspects the economics expert Ignacy Morawski. “In a sense, inflation is the price of low unemployment,” he says. “I suspect the central bank will soon raise interest rates to control inflation.” When exactly this will happen and how far inflation will rise, hardly anyone in Poland has yet wanted to make a forecast.

The world’s largest department store: The huge area, more than 500,000 m2 of the Shinsegae Centum City department store has been recorded in the Guinness World Record. The 14-storey commercial center includes many shopping complexes, gyms, diverse entertainment categories. Shinsegae Centum City is invested up to 1.9 billion USD. Image: Flickr. The largest seafood market in Korea: Jagalchi is a wholesale market that supplies a huge amount of seafood to Busan and other nearby cities. This market is up to 65,000 m2, always bustling night and day with all kinds of fresh seafood at affordable prices. Image: Misha145, _luigi_riccardi_. Miniature Santorini: Coming to Busan, you will be immersed in a beautiful cultural and artistic space like the island town of Santorini. At Gamcheon Cultural Village, every wall, window, and fence is decorated with many unique artworks created by people and artists decades ago. Image: Ainhoa_martin_ , gamsungcross. Cinematic Sanctuary: Busan Cinema Center is the official venue for the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), one of Asia’s most popular cinema events. Huge central dome, hanging up to 42,600 LED lights. Three cinemas in 3 buildings Cine Mountain, Biff Hill, Double Cone and Haneulyeon performing arts stage are also shimmering. Image: Jeff__benjamin, imfinethanxu. Love Lock at Yongdusan Park: In Korean, Yongdusan means “Dragon’s Head Mountain”. This park is known as “love paradise” for couples. The center of the park is the 118 m high Busan TV tower. The base of the tower is filled with love locks and romantic messages of couples. Busan Tower is also an ideal place to enjoy a panoramic view of the port city below. Image: Gabezrh, estefi.aortg. The oldest book alley in kimchi: Bosudong is one of the few traditional old book alleys that still exist in Korea. The alley is 200m long, there are about 50 shops close together, selling all kinds of books such as popular dictionaries, old comics… You can come here in September to participate in the interesting Bosu book alley festival. -Dong. Image: Ktothailand, quietkindblog.

Chef Angel Leon is working on separating seaweed seeds for food. Photo: Time According to Aponiente’s research, lab tests have revealed the enormous potentials of seaweed seeds: Specifically, this seaweed seed is gluten-free, high in omega-6 and -9 fatty acids and high in content. 50% more protein than rice grains. And the most important thing is that this marine plant can grow all over the ocean field, giving normal yield without any conditions like fresh water or fertilizer. The discovery by Spanish three-star Michelin-certified chef Angel Leon made him wonder that the sea meadows stretching across the turquoise water near his home in Cadiz Bay in the past, are now This is an extremely valuable plant. The 44-year-old chef has become even more famous when he is known as one of the most innovative chefs in the world for his efforts to study the nutritional ingredients in seagrass or eel. considered “the rice of the sea”. Thanks to the culinary instinct that has been honed over the years at the famous restaurant and food research firm Aponiente, Mr. Leon is continuing to research and analyze each ingredient in the seeds of this seaweed that soon becomes. the new food of humanity. This discovery opened up the opportunity for three-star Michelin chef Angel Leon to continue on the mission of processing regular eel grass as a potential superfood. “In a world that is three-quarters water, it can fundamentally transform the way we think about the oceans. This will probably be the start of a new concept of the sea as a large garden in the future, “Mr. Leon said. If you first hear this, being told by a chef will be immediately skeptical. But in Spain, Mr. Leon has been known as el Chef del Mar (chef of the sea), has long crossed the boundaries of seafood from tinkering with research and processing of marine plants. discard and turn them into delicious food at restaurants near Cadiz Bay. Close-up of seaweed, also known as eel is seeding. Photo: Aponiente “When I founded Aponiente 12 years ago, my goal was to open a restaurant serving everything that was still considered worthless in the sea. The first years were really bad because no one understood why I went to serve customers with products that no one wanted to use, ”Mr. Leon said. However, he did not give up, the chef continued to pursue “the menu of the unknown of the sea” and his efforts were recorded in 2010 with the first Michelin star. . And by the time his restaurant Aponiente won its third Michenlin star in 2017, Mr. Leon has become an important, defaulted player in the Spanish cuisine as the “chef at the forefront. in an attempt to reposition the way humans treat the oceans “. What Mr. Leon and his colleagues call eel algae seeds “sea grain” or “rice of the sea” in order to continue to deepen and expand research on this issue, is still one of the ambitious projects. most of him so far. Climate change superfood After discovering eel seeds by accident in 2017, Mr. Leon began a search for any documents mentioning the count of eel seeds used as food. The experimental model of growing seaweed for seeds in the Cadiz saline swamp is highly appreciated by environmental scientists. Photo: Aponiente Fortunately, he found an article from 1973 in a scientific journal stating that the seeds of the seaweed eel are an important part of the diet of the Seri, an indigenous ethnic group in Sonora, Mexico. And that is also the only known case of this sea grain, used as a food source for humans. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Leon’s next plan was to consider developing this plant to be harvested in the current Cadiz Bay area, a plant that once grew naturally well before has now been harvested. The narrow area combined with the impacts of humans and climate change makes sea meadows in general decline sharply every year. Mr. Leon personally questioned the researchers at Cadiz University and the local government conducted a pilot eel-seaweed project in three subdivisions of 0.30 ha of salty swamp to become a place where he called “sea garden”. Juan Martín, the environmental director of Aponiente, said it took up to 18 months after batches of eel seaweed seeds to be finished and Leon performed the final tests on his own. “Then one day he asked me to come in a very serious voice and said, ‘Juan, I want to try some cereal because I don’t know what it tastes like.’ And unbelievably, he jumped into this project blindly, pocketing money to find a way to turn this sea grain into different menus, “Mr. Martin said. Mr. Leon says: It’s interesting that you eat eel seeds with the hull tires intact, like brown rice, it has a bit of the taste of the sea. But when the husk is separated, the salty taste of the sea is gone. When he cooked it, he found that the rice tasted very good, and when it was cooked, the rice took two minutes longer and simmered for a longer time, the softer it would be. The positive impact of the sea eel restoration project does not stop there, this seagrass field also has the ability to capture carbon 35 times faster than the tropical rain forest. They are described by the World Conservation Union (WWF) as an “incredible tool” in combating the climate crisis, because seagrasses absorb 10% of the ocean’s carbon each year. although it only covers 0.2% of the seabed area. The good news about Chef Leon and his team was immediately “turbulent” around the world. “When I first heard about it, I said ‘it was interesting’,” said Robert Orth, professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, who has spent more than six decades studying seagrasses. What this chef did “. According to Professor Orth, seagrass has been used as roofing material, insulation and even for packaging seafood, but it has never been grown as food. It is a challenging and mysterious initiative. The wild sea meadows have been dying at an alarming rate in recent decades, while very few researchers have been able to successfully breed and develop seagrass varieties. However, with Leon’s first “sea garden” project, the average yield potential could reach about 3.5 tons per hectare. Although the yield of this eel is only one-third of what humans can achieve with rice, it is valuable that the team has shown the potential for low-cost and friendly farming. environment. “If nature gives you 3,500 kg of food without doing anything – no antibiotics, no fertilizers, only seawater and waves – then we can recommend planting plants. New food – sea cereals ”. Seaweed seeds are considered a superfood in the future because they contain 50% more protein than rice and this plant stores carbon much faster than tropical rain forests .. Photo: Aponiente Now another project is being pushed to expand the scale of the growing eel seaweed to 5 hectares and every step is carefully monitored, in the hope that researchers will better understand the conditions – from temperature. water to salinity – which this new crop needs to thrive. Mr. Leon and his colleagues envision their project to one day go global, paving the way for people to exploit the potential of this new crop to promote aquatic ecosystems, to feed. ocean populations and effectively combat climate change. “We have opened up a window,” said Léon. I believe it is a new way to feed humanity “.

Cheeky theft All 16,000 paintings, sculptures and ceramics in the Gardner Museum were collected by a woman named Isabella Stewart Gardner. After inheriting a huge fortune from her millionaire father in 1891, she and her husband Jack Gardner – also a millionaire – began to visit Europe, and buy Roman sculptures and vases. antique, paintings by painter Rembrandt. After realizing her collection was very valuable, she built a museum named after her in the hope that it would contribute to “educating and entertaining the public forever”. Empty picture frames at the Gardner Museum Isabella passed away in 1924, and due to the couple’s only child, who accidentally died at a young age, she confiscated the entire museum. However, without the financial patronage of the female millionaire, the Gardner Museum quickly declined. On the evening of March 18, 1993, two police robbers tricked two young night guards, 23-year-old Rick Abath and 25-year-old Randy Hestand, to open the door to the museum on the grounds of investigating a case. Puppet takes place inside. The two security guards had no doubt that March 18 was St. Patrick’s Day, which was an “occasion” for the people of Boston to party and fight. The two thieves quickly restrained Rick and Randy, disabled security cameras and removed the precious paintings from the frame. The two thieves left at 2:45 am, and two security guards were bound and gagged with tape until the other guards arrived at 8:15 a.m. Two thieves took away the most valuable artworks on display at the museum: Rembrandt’s only seascape painting “Storm on the Sea of ​​Galilee”, “Ladies and Gentlemen in Black” as well. by Rembrandt, one of more than 10 paintings surviving to this day by the most talented Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer “The Concert”. In addition, they also stole a self-portrait of the painter Rembrandt, 5 draft drawings by French Impressionist Edgar Degas, a painting by the painter Edouard Manet and when they could not remove the Yellow flag. When Napoleon came down, they took away an antique Chinese bronze jar. Painting “Storm on the Sea of ​​Galilee” painted by painter Rambrandt – the most valuable item of what was stolen When she donated the museum to the city of Boston, Isabella made it clear her condition in her will, presumably to protect her brainchild from merchants, that no one was allowed to sell or donate. Contribute works of art, do not add any new works, and do not rearrange collections, and if these terms are breached, everything, including land. The Gardner Museum built … will be renamed to Harvard University. These strict provisions inadvertently created a major obstacle for the museum’s management: they could not hang other paintings to replace stolen ones, so they had to hang empty frames – like one. how to remind all of the lost treasures. Years passed, and these frames became the most popular “works” here. For Anthony Amore, director of security at the Gardner Museum and chief investigator of the theft, the fact that visitors were more concerned with empty frames than the remaining works made him concerned that Theft will overshadow the real value of the stolen treasures. “The paintings are artifacts of hundreds of years ago, to demonstrate a past that is not preserved in photographs. With just one ticket, one can see Rembrandt’s brush strokes, and now Now, we don’t maintain museums for money, but because we want to end the tragedy of the missing paintings. ” Theories were put forward for three decades Mr. Anthony investigated the case as detailed and comprehensive as possible, because he believed that if he answered every tip-off email and followed every trace he received, no matter how far away they sounded, he would be. Surely he will find something. Mr. Amore is still working with FBI agent Geoff Kelly, who is in charge of investigating the Gardner burglary. Gardner museum’s security director, Mr. Anthony Amore Mr. Geoff is the latest FBI agent in a series of agents assigned to investigate the case since 1981. Over the past three decades, the FBI has conducted a series of underground investigation campaigns from Miami, USA to Japan. The village is far away, and every time they leave empty-handed. Mr. Witman, a retired FBI agent, believes that the Corsician gang’s line in France that he infiltrated under the guise of an antiques “trigger” in 2006 actually owns the paintings. stolen in 1981. However, since many years have passed, he is not sure if they still keep those treasures. Responding to this clue, Mr. Anthony said that the paintings were not in France. Currently, the FBI has come up with a theory that Anthony is quite confident, that is the artwork stolen by two low-level minions in a criminal organization in Boston. The FBI once believed that Carmello Merlino was holding them because during a 1998 eavesdropping, agents overheard Merlino blabbering that he knew where the spoils were. However, later, when arrested for armed robbery and interrogated by the FBI, he was unable to indicate where the Gardner museum property was hidden. Merlino was sentenced to 47 years in prison, and died in 2005. The FBI and Anthony tracked down two tycoons in Maine, USA in 2003 and almost found the stolen stuff. In 2013, the FBI announced that they knew the identities of both thieves, and that both had passed away. As of now, the paintings may be in New England, USA. Portrait sketch of two perpetrators Geoff maintains his theory: Boston tycoon Whitey Bulger donated the paintings to the Interim Irish Republican Army (IRA) – a paramilitary organization aimed at ending British rule in the North. Ireland, and the IRA have indeed been involved in a number of antiques smuggling. After Bulger was arrested and the museum’s assets have yet to be found, Geoff argued that the two thieves did not follow the IRA’s orders but were still associated with the organization because they committed the crime on St. Patrick’s Day – one Important holidays for the people of Ireland. In addition, it is true that the IRA stole works of art, but they only stole domestic museums, such as the Russborough Museum in Ireland – which has been stolen by the IRA four times in a row. Mr. Anthony also pointed out that there are many works of Rembrandt in Europe, so the IRA does not have to fly to America to cause the crime. Mr. Geoff’s hypothesis was supported by inspector Charles Hill – a member of the committee that had found the picture “Scream” in 1994 – supported. Mr. Charles asserted that gangster Martin Foley, owner of the notorious debt collection company Viper, which has a close relationship with the Rossborough Museum’s painting thief, has “led the way” to two perpetrators selling the items. Gardner Museum items, that’s why Martin knows where the paintings are. Currently, Martin Foley is being sued by the Irish Property Criminal Bureau for owing $ 830,000 in taxes and Charles convinced him that he would be rewarded with $ 10 million, more than enough to pay, if he would declare it all. However, Charles thinks Martin is afraid of being prosecuted by both the FBI and Ireland for possession of fraud. There is another theory about the people behind the theft, which is that two security guards staged the crime. Dutch historian Arthur Brand, who has been dubbed the real-life Indiana Jones, opposes this argument and believes two security guards were not involved in the case. Attempts to solve the case in 2021 The Gardner Museum is currently closed due to the epidemic, but Mr. Anthony still goes to work every day, communicating with all the informants about the case. Over the years, many witnesses have passed away, but Anthony patiently added new findings and reread the tens of thousands of pages of evidence the FBI had provided. This man believes the answer must lie somewhere. Former lawyer Martin Leppo, although he did not search for the paintings, was still unable to stop pursuing the case, partly because so many people contacted him every day. Of course, Mr. Martin also encountered many imposters. For example, in 2019, a woman demanded to meet him and insisted her father was involved in the case, and she knew where the paintings were. But when Mr. Martin asked to see the paintings, she disappeared. “A few days ago someone called me to invite me to Saudi Arabia because he had a clue where the stolen items were, and I told him if he could find it, call me back,” he said. .

In addition to the economic efficiency, the community based tourism also contributes to preserving and promoting cultural values. Photo: Hoai Anh Attraction from destinations The Western region of Thanh has the advantage to develop community-based ecotourism products. Possessing rich and diverse natural resources including forests, lakes, mountains, caves, waterfalls and many landscapes, landscapes … Along with that, this is also a region with cultural potentials. Special ethnic minorities are favorable conditions for the construction and development of community ecotourism, providing visitors with many activities to explore and experience such as stall dancing, forest exploration, boating. on the river, camping, fishing, catching crabs, organizing a BBQ party, setting a campfire … If marine tourism only attracts tourists in the summer, cultural and spiritual tourism mainly focuses on the first months of the year, community ecotourism is the only product of the province that attracts visitors all four seasons. . Coming to Pu Luong in any month of the year (except for the time of holiday to welcome guests due to the COVID-19 epidemic), visitors will feel the attractiveness of the community tourism products. Especially, on weekends or holidays, resorts in some villages in Ba Thuoc district such as Don village, Ham village (Thanh Lam commune), Bang village (Thanh Son commune), Hieu village (Co Lung commune) … is always in a state of “room fire”, even the homestay of the households are in the same situation. And the greatest success in these tourist spots, not only is the number of visitors or revenue increasing year by year, but the important thing is that the number of visitors coming back and refering to their friends here is huge. We ran into a German expert – Martin during a business trip in Pu Luong, he happily said: “Community tourism in Western Thanh is worth a visit, or alone, or together with friend. Maybe, people like this season, people like that season. Personally, I like to explore the West all four seasons of the year. Each destination gives me different feelings, different interesting things. And for Pu Luong, there are lovely stilt houses, eco-friendly resorts, beautiful nature. Whenever I stop the journey and recollect, I always remember the typical flavor of the mountains in the West. I have come and will definitely come back. Along with Pu Luong community tourism, many tourists have chosen other attractive destinations such as: Hang village (Quan Hoa); Ma village (Thuong Xuan), Instinct Cat (Lang Chanh), Ngam village (Quan Son) … Or beautiful waterfalls such as: Thac May (Thach Thanh), Ma Hao waterfall (Lang Chanh), Want waterfall (Ba Ruler) … Here, visitors can choose the type of homestay accommodation (staying at a homestay) or staying at the resorts. And wherever you are, you can also enjoy some typical dishes of the mountains and forests in the West such as: wild banana flower salad, green rice, bitter soup, boiled chicken, can wine … to immerse yourself in literary activities. culture, culture of indigenous people, all will give visitors great feelings about the destination. According to the report of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in the 2016-2020 period, the community tourism zones and destinations are estimated to receive nearly 6 million visitors, 2.2 times more than the 2011-2015 period. In particular, the highlight is Cam Luong fishing stream tourist area (Cam Thuy district), in the 2016-2020 period, welcomes over 1.4 million visitors, 1.88 times more than the period 2011-2015; Community-based tourism in Ba Thuoc district, in the 2016-2020 period, welcomed nearly 200,000 visitors, 4 times higher than the 2011-2015 period … Efficiency doesn’t stop at numbers It can be said that, up to now, the CBT has begun to harvest the first “fruits”. Not only the number of visitors or revenue, but through tourism activities also contribute significantly to preserving culture, improving and improving the quality of cultural and spiritual life for local people. local people, especially people in remote and isolated areas where there are still many difficulties. Also thanks to the development of tourism, the system of roads, electricity, water, to the villages and villages are interested in investing, commercial services develop more diversified … to serve the needs of tourists, in People also benefit directly from these conditions. It is worth mentioning, from attaching importance to the development of community based tourism models, many districts have urgently built a tourism development project, elaborated a detailed planning of tourist sites and destinations, facilitating the collection of attracting investment, exploiting potential values ​​for community ecotourism development such as: Quan Son, Quan Hoa, Cam Thuy, Lang Chanh, Ba Thuoc, Thuong Xuan, Nhu Xuan, Nhu Thanh, Thach Thanh, Cam Thuy. At the same time, to attach importance to propaganda, mobilization and encouragement of the population community to renovate and upgrade facilities and add tourist services; to support localities in studying and building new tourist products to attract tourists; focus on restoring traditional craft villages of brocade weaving, culinary culture … to attract domestic and international tourists to visit, stay and relax. Recently, Lang Chanh district has announced a detailed plan of 1/500 scale Ecotourism area of ​​Nang Cat village, Ma Hao waterfall, approved by the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee in Decision No. 2120 / QD-UBND (date 9- 6-2020). This community eco-tourism area associated with cultural experiences has a total investment of 113,407 billion VND. The planning of Ecotourism zones of Nang Cat village – Ma Hao waterfall is built on the basis of protecting “aquatic” resources, landscape, environment, organizing landscape architectural space on the basis of need. taking full advantage of topography, natural landscape, greenery system, water surface, terraced fields, at the same time creating a fit and harmony with the architectural space of existing village areas, preserving the traditional lifestyle and architecture … thereby step by step helping local people to have a stable income from tourism, developing local socio-economic, and bringing the Nang Cat Village Ecotourism Area – Ma Hao waterfall becomes an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists. Ms. Vuong Thi Hai Yen, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: Outstanding results in the development of community tourism not only stop at the increasing number of tourists coming to Thanh Hoa; The revenue increases every year, but the awareness of localities and communities in sustainable tourism development is increasingly positive. Local leaders have actively met with investors, consulted with investors how to do tourism effectively and not affect the environment and ecosystems. On the side of the people, there has also been a clear change in awareness and determination to do tourism for economic development and gradually learn how to do tourism in a well and methodical way. Post and photo: Hoai Anh Lesson 2: Models of “premature death”.