Key Largo, the Right to Art and Women Against Regimes
#324 Outriders Magazine
The Opening of the Brera Modern Museum and the Battle for British Theatres
The Brera Modern Museum in Milan will open on 7 December at the Palazzo Citterio. It has been 52 years since the plans for this museum were proposed, and 39 Italian government offices have been involved in the process. The museum, situated next to the Brera Gallery, will showcase over 100 contemporary works of art, most of which were previously in storage. Established in 1809, the Brera Gallery houses Canova, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Hayez masterpieces. The new museum at the Palazzo Citterio has already attracted 30,000 visitors during its three-week temporary exhibition. The expanded Brera, including the Modern Museum, is projected to welcome 500,000 visitors this year.
The Coliseum Theatre in Oldham, which closed in April 2023 after more than 135 years, is set to reopen for Christmas 2025 following a successful preservation campaign. The historic venue is slated to receive a £10 million investment. Actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, who campaigned for its preservation, expressed, “It’s been a fight, but a fight of hearts and minds because the people of Oldham love this place.”
The Watermill Theatre Barnum in Newbury is facing closure in 2023, but it has secured a grant of nearly £119,000 from Arts Council England. Currently, it is staging a new play about the life of American circus promoter P.T. Barnum. The theatre has also benefited from the success of last year’s national award-winning production of The Lord of the Rings, which sold 17,000 tickets in 12 weeks.
Fast Food Chains Competing for Customers and the End of McPlant
McDonald's, Burger King, and other fast-food chains rely on combo promotions to regain customers. In the U.S., McDonald's has introduced a new $5 meal to compete with Burger King and Starbucks, offering customers four drinks for $20. The restaurant industry strives to win back customers put off by rising inflation following three years of rapidly increasing menu prices that have impacted the fast-food sector. McDonald's prices for items like the Big Mac sandwich have surged 21% from 2019 to $5.29, while ten chicken McNuggets now cost about $9.19, marking a 28% increase from five years ago. According to data from Black Box Intelligence, traffic has fallen by 3.3% this year compared to the same period last year.
Due to low customer demand, McDonald's is discontinuing some of its healthier menu items in the U.S., including the McPlant burger, a plant-based patty, and all its salads. The McPlant, a result of a collaboration between McDonald's and Beyond Meat, was added to the menu in 2021. According to Mintel, the U.S. plant-based meat market is projected to decline by 3.6% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd., a Japanese convenience store chain, is introducing food offerings to the U.S. market, including tonkatsu ramen and spicy miso ramen. The chain's traditional model in the U.S. has primarily focused on tobacco and gasoline, but with both markets in decline, it is shifting its focus to food offerings.
Women and the Struggle Against the Regime: Iran and Afghanistan
How are Iranian women challenging the regime? Photojournalist Forough Alaei, winner of the 2019 World Press Photo Award, tells their story in her work. "This project is a story of Iranian role models," says the author. She travelled around her home country, documenting the lives of local women rebelling against the ayatollahs' regime. Her heroines are representatives of a generation that only got to know the free world thanks to access to the internet. Many of Alaei's heroines found an outlet for their frustrations in sports: there are award-winning sports climbers, hockey players, kickboxers, and wrestlers in Alysh, belt wrestling, one of the oldest sports in the world. There are also women who, among the first in Iran, became professional car mechanics, stunt women, and motocross riders.
In Afghanistan, women oppressed by the Taliban and disappointed by the lack of support from the West are creating support networks to unite and fight for their rights. The members of the Purple Saturdays Movement organise peaceful protests every week against the massive restrictions on women's freedoms in Afghanistan and try to raise awareness of civil rights and democracy in society. They also call on human rights activists, intellectuals, and dissidents to form coalitions and organise a more effective resistance to the Taliban. The women secretly homeschool girls because they are no longer allowed to go to school after the sixth grade. They also organise help for single mothers and needy families and take care of orphans.
The Brain, Its Size, Evolution, Gender, and Sociocultural Impact
Preliminary research suggests that biological sex and sociocultural, psychological, and psychological gender are represented differently in the brain. The study analysed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 4,757 children aged nine or ten. Specific brain networks related to biological sex, such as the visual and motor networks, displayed more defined roles. Conversely, the networks associated with sociocultural gender differences were more widely distributed throughout the brain. These findings emphasise the importance of considering the social influence of gender in neurological research and avoiding confusion with physiological sex.
Contrary to long-held assumptions, the largest animals do not have proportionally larger brains. This is not the case in humans, as larger brains, relative to body size, are associated with intelligence, social bonding, and behavioural complexity. Homo sapiens evolved more than 20 times faster than all other mammalian species, leading to the significant brain size characteristic of humanity today. Across mammalian groups, there have been rapid changes towards smaller and larger brain sizes. Primates, rodents, and carnivores experienced the most pronounced and fastest changes in brain size among the animal groups.
Climate Change and Its Effects on the Sherpas, Antarctica, and Cacti
The Sherpa communities in the Himalayas are grappling with significant climate change, threatening their environment, livelihoods, and centuries-old culture. Rising temperatures, melting glaciers, increased risk of avalanches, and shorter climbing seasons all impact their traditional way of life. However, their survival rests not solely in their hands but in the power of international cooperation and environmental protection. Only through global unity can we ensure the preservation of these unique cultures and ecosystems.
For instance, scientists from Rutgers University conducting a months-long expedition to Antarctica have discovered that its eastern part is melting at an unprecedented rate. Studies indicate that melting all the ice in the Wilkes Basin region could lead to a global sea level rise of more than 3 metres. The scientists gathered sea ice and seawater samples from 27 locations in the ocean surrounding Antarctica, enabling them to study biogeochemical processes related to climate change.
The Key Largo tree cactus, the first vascular plant to become extinct in the wild in the United States, fell victim to rising sea levels and soil depletion by tides and hurricanes in the Florida Keys. Despite their ability to thrive in arid environments, cacti are among the most threatened organisms on Earth, mainly due to rising temperatures, increasing sea levels, and wildfires of grass and forests.
Haiti: State Collapse, Gang Rule, and an International Police Mission
Approximately 5 million residents of Haiti, which is nearly half of the population, are struggling to access food due to widespread violence. Gang violence and terror have disrupted supply routes, blocked roads, and resulted in the highest level of hunger in the country's history. Since the assassination of Haiti’s last president, Jovenel Moïse, in July 2021, armed gangs have gained more power, taking control of much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and expanding into nearby agricultural areas. This has led to looting, arson, mass rape, and killings, forcing many people to flee their homes and seek shelter in makeshift camps in cities.
To address the crisis, a UN-backed police mission led by Kenya has been initiated to assist the struggling Haitian state. The operations are supported by the United States, which has pledged over $300 million in aid. The international forces aim to combat gang violence and ensure that democratic elections can be held. Kenya plans to send 1,000 police officers, with several hundred already on the ground. Additionally, police officers from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica will join the mission, bringing the total force to 2,500 people. However, it's worth noting that in Kenya itself, the local police have faced allegations of human rights abuses, including during recent protests within the country.
Oystercatchers vs. Drones, Wildlife Monitoring Satellites, and the AJSU
NASA and NOAA satellite systems help scientists protect biodiversity on the remote Palmyra Atoll in the United States Minor Outlying Islands. In 2020, American scientific institutions launched an “animal internet” in a protected area rarely visited by humans. By tracking the movements of sharks, rays, crabs, seabirds, and other animals, scientists can assess the effectiveness of the protected area. They also monitor sea surface temperature, chlorophyll levels, and ocean current speed for climate change.
In Kenya’s Aberdare National Park, the AJSU anti-poaching unit employs former poachers from the local community to combat wildlife crime. The recruited scouts use their extensive knowledge of the forest and its inhabitants and their understanding of poaching techniques to look for evidence of poaching and illegal logging. They focus their efforts in areas where the forest bongo and the black rhino are the most endangered species.
Oystercatchers at Queens, New York beaches are attacking drones used to scan for sharks and bathers. This aerial conflict between the birds and the machines raises concerns about the safety of shorebirds as they aggressively pursue the buzzing drones to protect their young and nests. The drone launch site will be relocated away from the oystercatcher’s breeding area to address this issue.
The Development of High-Speed Rail in China and Europe
The high-speed rail networks are present in over 20 countries, mainly in Europe and East Asia, as well as in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. A passenger train is considered high-speed if it travels at least 200 km/h on modernized tracks or 250 km/h on new tracks. China spent two decades building the world's largest high-speed rail network, over 40,000 km. By the end of 2021, China's high-speed rail network covered 93% of cities with a population of more than 0.5 million, significantly contributing to the economy and technology sector.
Greenpeace says there are six times more direct flights between European cities than direct trains. Of the 990 routes between 45 major European cities, 114 (12%) are served by direct trains. However, 305 routes (31%) could have a direct connection using existing tracks that are currently unused. In contrast, 69% of the 990 routes are served by direct flights. The cities with the most direct train connections are Vienna (17), Munich (15), Berlin, Zurich, and Paris (13), whereas there are no direct train connections from Athens, Lisbon, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje, and Tallinn.