
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Volcanoes: Crucibles of Change'
Author: Richard V. Fisher
'Volcanoes: Crucibles of Change' explores the science and mystery of volcanoes. The author chronicles not only their geologic behavior but also their profound effect on human life.
The book covers the surprisingly large variety of volcanoes, the subtle to conspicuous signs preceding their eruptions, and their far-reaching atmospheric consequences, according to a review on goodreads.com.
Tourists will find their scientific curiosity whetted by this informative and entertaining book.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
4 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
‘Rested' Pacquiao Relishing Boxing Comeback at 46
Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday shrugged off concerns about his decision to return to boxing at the age of 46 as he prepares for next month's world welterweight title comeback against Mario Barrios. The charismatic Filipino boxing icon stunned the sports world last month after announcing he would take on World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Barrios on July 19 in Las Vegas, four years after his last fight ended in a disappointing defeat. Pacquiao, who won 12 world titles in eight different weight classes during a glittering professional career that began in 1995, told reporters on Tuesday that the glamour of championship boxing had prompted his return. "I'm returning because I miss my boxing," Pacquiao said at a press conference in Los Angeles. "Especially these situations -- being interviewed, press conference, training camp, everything like that. "I missed that. But it has been good for me -- I've rested my body for four years. And now I come back." Pacquiao said that he had been left devastated following his decision to retire in the wake of his loss to Yordenis Ugas in 2021. "I always thought, even when I hung up my gloves, 'I can still fight, I can still feel my body, I can still work hard,'" Pacquiao said. "That moment when I announced hanging up my gloves four years ago -- I was so sad. I was crying, I cannot stop the tears coming out my eyes." Pacquiao, though, revealed that working out at his home in the Philippines persuaded him he still had the fitness and strength to fight. "I realized when I'm playing basketball, training at the gym my house -- I have complete sport facilities in my house -- that I still have that passion. I still have that speed and power," he said. - 'Low-risk' comeback - Some in boxing have expressed concerns about whether Pacquiao's comeback against Barrios, who is 16 years his junior, represents a risk to the Filipino's safety. Addressing those concerns, Pacquiao noted that his family and loved ones were firmly behind his comeback. "I'm thankful for them for their concern," Pacquiao told AFP. "But the people who really concern me, is my family. My family saw how I move, saw how I train, saw my body condition. They support me because they can see the old Pacquiao style." Pacquiao, who has reunited with veteran trainer Freddie Roach for next month's fight, is able to challenge immediately for a title due to a WBC rule that allows former champions to request a title fight when coming out of retirement. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman told AFP on Tuesday that Pacquiao had been cleared to return to the ring by the Nevada Athletic Commission after undergoing medical exams, describing the fighter's comeback as "low risk". "Manny Pacquiao is at no higher risk than any fighter going into the ring," Sulaiman said. "Manny has rested his body for four years. He's not a drinker. He's not a drug user. He's a family man that has taken care of himself. So of the different aspects of dangers, he's at the lowest risk." Pacquiao's opponent, Barrios, said he would set aside the Filipino's status as one of the most beloved fighters of his era. "There's nothing but good things to say about him outside the ring," Barrios said of Pacquiao. "He's a hard guy to dislike. But at the end of the day, you know it's kill or be killed. "And I know if at any point he has me hurt, you know he's going to get me out of there. So I just have to go in there and make sure that my hand is raised at the end of the fight."


Al Arabiya
5 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Chinese researchers charged with smuggling toxic fungus into US
Two Chinese scientists have been charged with allegedly smuggling a toxic fungus into the United States that they planned to research at an American university, the Justice Department said Tuesday. Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa fraud, the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said in a statement. Jian is in US custody while Liu's whereabouts are unknown. The Justice Department said the pair conspired to smuggle a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the United States that causes 'head blight,' a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice. The fungus is classified in scientific literature as a 'potential agroterrorism weapon,' it said, and causes billions of dollars in losses each year. It causes vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock, it said. According to the complaint, Jian and Liu, her boyfriend, had both previously conducted work on the fungus in China. '(Liu) first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America... so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,' the Justice Department said. US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr described the smuggling of the fungus into the United States as a 'national security' concern and emphasized Jian's membership in the Chinese Communist Party. 'These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a 'potential agroterrorism weapon' into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme,' Gorgon said. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said he was not aware of the case when asked for comment at a regular news briefing on Wednesday. 'The Chinese government has always required Chinese citizens overseas to strictly abide by local laws and regulations, and at the same time safeguards the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens overseas in accordance with the law,' he said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed last week to 'aggressively revoke visas' for Chinese students, a move condemned by Beijing as 'unreasonable' and 'discriminatory.' Kseniia Petrova, a scientist from Russia at Harvard, is facing potential deportation after she failed to declare biological samples in her luggage upon returning from a trip to Paris.


Asharq Al-Awsat
8 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Where's Marty McFly's Guitar? Search Is on for ‘Back to the Future' Prop 4 Decades Later
Marty McFly grabbed a guitar in 'Back to the Future' and rocked out with the band at a 1950s high school dance, helping him narrowly avoid blinking out of existence before time-traveling back to the 1980s. The guitar, in real life, wasn't as lucky. Filmmakers went looking for the instrument while making the movie's 1989 sequel, but even now it's nowhere to be found. Four decades after the blockbuster film debuted, the guitar's creator has launched a search for the iconic Cherry Red Gibson ES-345. Gibson, which is based in Nashville, is asking the public for help tracking it down as the movie turns 40 and as the company produces a new documentary about the search and the film, 'Lost to the Future.' In a video by Gibson, with the movie's theme song playing in the background, 'Back to the Future' stars such as Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Harry Waters Jr. make a cinematic plea. There's also a surprise appearance by Huey Lewis, whose band Huey Lewis and the News performed the soundtrack's headliner song, 'The Power of Love.' Lloyd, in the cadence of Doc Brown, says in the video that the guitar has been 'lost to the future.' 'It's somewhere lost in the space-time continuum,' says Fox, who played McFly. 'Or it's in some Teamster's garage.' In the film, McFly steps in for an injured band member at the 1955 school dance with the theme 'Enchantment under the Sea,' playing the guitar as students slow dance to 'Earth Angel.' He then leads Marvin Barry and the Starlighters in a rendition of 'Johnny B. Goode,' calling it an oldie where he comes from even though the 1958 song doesn't exist yet for his audience. Fox said he wanted McFly to riff through his favorite guitarists' signature styles — Jimi Hendrix behind the head, Pete Townshend's windmill and the Eddie Van Halen hammer. After digging and dancing to 'Johnny B. Goode,' the students at the dance fall into an awkward silence as McFly's riffs turn increasingly wild. 'I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet,' McFly says. 'But your kids are gonna love it.'