Latest news with #Garnett
First Post
15 hours ago
- First Post
Sierra Leone's Tiwai Island Becomes Country's First UNESCO Site Firstpost Africa
Sierra Leone's Tiwai Island Becomes Country's First UNESCO Site | Firstpost Africa | N18G Sierra Leone's Tiwai Island Becomes Country's First UNESCO Site | Firstpost Africa | N18G Sierra Leone's Tiwai Island, once scarred by civil war, has become the country's first UNESCO World Heritage site, thanks to the tireless 25-year efforts of activist Tommy Garnett. This lush forest is a haven for an extraordinary concentration of primates, including endangered chimpanzees, along with rare pygmy hippos and African forest elephants. Garnett, founder of the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA), began his work in the early 2000s, dedicating decades to restoring Tiwai despite civil war, pandemics, deforestation, and poaching. His approach involved convincing local communities to adopt sustainable practices, with tourism revenue now providing jobs and agricultural assistance to them. See More
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NY Times' ridiculous ‘heterofatalism' embrace is further evidence of sad, sickly post-Millennial outlook
Dating is hard, but blaming all men for your horrible choices is easy. A new New York Times piece, 'The Trouble With Wanting Men,' by Jean Garnett, posits that the trouble with wanting men, is … men. Like, all of them. It's part of a genre of man-hating thought pieces that turn hetero love and dating into an all-out gender war — and totally absolve women of any agency or responsibility in their relationships. There's no accountability or introspection, just the big diagnosis that men are the problem, from a woman who has decided to pursue open relationships, casual sex and situationships into middle age. It's a sad, sickly post-millennial take on 'Sex and the City' that's further evidence of just how bleak the modern romantic outlook really is. The piece, which is mostly autobiographical sexual navel-gazing, argues that many women are experiencing 'heterofatalism,' a term Garnett borrowed from UPenn academic Asa Seresin, which describes the way straight women are 'fed up with the mating behavior of men.' It's a word that reeks of misandry. Garnett's own heterofatalism manifests in lamenting with a female friend that they can't just be gay with one another and declaring that 'men are what is rotten in the state of straightness.' It also rears its ugly head when she walks past a couple holding each other close outside a subway and audibly gags. What has left this woman so hurt, so bitter, so … heterofatalistic? Well, her dating past is colorful, to put it kindly. Garnett reveals that her open marriage fell apart because she 'fell in love with another man' — in fact, 'toppled the whole structure of [her] life for a man' — who told her from the outset 'that he did not know how to 'do' relationships.' Ah, yes, the classic. Later, she reveals she sometimes brings her daughter along on dates with this man, who won't commit to anything more than a sexual relationship. She also recounts getting a text from an actual adult male who she went on a date with, reading, 'I was really looking forward to seeing you again but I'm going through some intense anxiety today and need to lay low :(.' Apparently, among her friend group, this is a common experience, and they laugh over brunch about 'men's inability to 'man up and [expletive] us.'' Garnett asks, 'Where were the men who could handle hard stuff? Like leaving the house for sex?' She alludes to being a character in 'Sex and the City' — but what about 'He's Just Not That Into You'? Who are these men she speaks of? For all the complaints I've fielded from friends about their dating lives, men failing to show up for sex is not one. Heterofatalism is just one of many academic terms Garnett cites. We also learn about complementary twoness, normative male alexithymia and emotional labor, among others. The fancy words and citations allow her to hide behind an academic facade — and avoid analyzing whether her own choices are actually what's making her so miserable. In a rare glimpse of self-awareness, she writes: 'I experience desire in terms of a struggle that someone must lose.' But this is the problem. We're not living out a gender war through our love lives. What Garnett has figured out, consciously or not, is that framing the problem as an us-versus-them situation allows her to remove the 'I' from the equation. But, guess what, lady: A lot of your problems would probably subside if you stopped — by your own admission — throwing yourself at men in the first 30 minutes of knowing them. And pursuing ones who give you yellow lights. And indulging in the romantic deathtrap that is non-monogamy. Stop blaming everyone else, straighten out your own life, and get a little agency. There are a lot of troubles with modern dating — from hookup culture to situationships, dating apps to ghosting. Women's struggles should be given a platform. But outlets like the Times seem hellbent on amplifying the voices of the most bitter and dysfunctional individuals who bring their misery upon themselves and distract from the actual issues at hand. Pieces like these bring us no closer to solving the issues that plague modern love. And they make readers want to shake the writer and say, 'Get a grip.' Is the problem all men? Or is the problem the way thatsome women choose to navigate relationships with men? Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
NY Times' ridiculous ‘heterofatalism' embrace is further evidence of sad, sickly post-Millennial outlook
Dating is hard, but blaming all men for your horrible choices is easy A new New York Times piece, 'The Trouble With Wanting Men,' by Jean Garnett, posits that the trouble with wanting men, is … men. Like, all of them. Advertisement It's part of a genre of man-hating thought pieces that turn hetero love and dating into an all-out gender war — and totally absolve women of any agency or responsibility in their relationships. 6 An article in the New York Times, titled 'The Trouble With Wanting Men,' has gone viral. There's no accountability or introspection, just the big diagnosis that men are the problem, from a woman who has decided to pursue open relationships, casual sex and situationships into middle age. It's a sad, sickly post-millennial take on 'Sex and the City' that's further evidence of just how bleak the modern romantic outlook really is. Advertisement The piece, which is mostly autobiographical sexual navel-gazing, argues that many women are experiencing 'heterofatalism,' a term Garnett borrowed from UPenn academic Asa Seresin, which describes the way straight women are 'fed up with the mating behavior of men.' It's a word that reeks of misandry. Garnett's own heterofatalism manifests in lamenting with a female friend that they can't just be gay with one another and declaring that 'men are what is rotten in the state of straightness.' 6 Jean Garnett is the author of the controversial autobiographical piece about modern dating. It also rears its ugly head when she walks past a couple holding each other close outside a subway and audibly gags. Advertisement What has left this woman so hurt, so bitter, so … heterofatalistic? Well, her dating past is colorful, to put it kindly. Garnett reveals that her open marriage fell apart because she 'fell in love with another man' — in fact, 'toppled the whole structure of [her] life for a man' — who told her from the outset 'that he did not know how to 'do' relationships.' Ah, yes, the classic. 6 Garnett argues that 'heteropessimism' is a common experience among straight women today. vgstudio – Advertisement Later, she reveals she sometimes brings her daughter along on dates with this man, who won't commit to anything more than a sexual relationship. She also recounts getting a text from an actual adult male who she went on a date with, reading, 'I was really looking forward to seeing you again but I'm going through some intense anxiety today and need to lay low :(.' Apparently, among her friend group, this is a common experience, and they laugh over brunch about 'men's inability to 'man up and [expletive] us.'' Garnett asks, 'Where were the men who could handle hard stuff? Like leaving the house for sex?' 6 Garnett compares her friends to the characters of 'Sex and the City,' chatting about sex over a meal. She alludes to being a character in 'Sex and the City' — but what about 'He's Just Not That Into You'? Who are these men she speaks of? For all the complaints I've fielded from friends about their dating lives, men failing to show up for sex is not one. Heterofatalism is just one of many academic terms Garnett cites. We also learn about complementary twoness, normative male alexithymia and emotional labor, among others. The fancy words and citations allow her to hide behind an academic facade — and avoid analyzing whether her own choices are actually what's making her so miserable. Advertisement 6 UPenn academic Asa Seresin first coined the term 'heteropessimism.' In a rare glimpse of self-awareness, she writes: 'I experience desire in terms of a struggle that someone must lose.' But this is the problem. We're not living out a gender war through our love lives. What Garnett has figured out, consciously or not, is that framing the problem as an us-versus-them situation allows her to remove the 'I' from the equation. Advertisement But, guess what, lady: A lot of your problems would probably subside if you stopped — by your own admission — throwing yourself at men in the first 30 minutes of knowing them. And pursuing ones who give you yellow lights. And indulging in the romantic deathtrap that is non-monogamy. 6 Many real troubles with modern dating go largely unaddressed in the piece. Shutterstock Stop blaming everyone else, straighten out your own life, and get a little agency. There are a lot of troubles with modern dating — from hookup culture to situationships, dating apps to ghosting. Women's struggles should be given a platform. Advertisement But outlets like the Times seem hellbent on amplifying the voices of the most bitter and dysfunctional individuals who bring their misery upon themselves and distract from the actual issues at hand. Pieces like these bring us no closer to solving the issues that plague modern love. And they make readers want to shake the writer and say, 'Get a grip.' Is the problem all men? Or is the problem the way that some women choose to navigate relationships with men?
eNCA
14-07-2025
- eNCA
The activist who fought for Sierra Leone's first World Heritage site
Activist Tommy Garnett's decades of work paid off when Sierra Leone's Tiwai island -- a lush forest home to one of the world's highest concentrations of primates -- landed a spot on the UN cultural agency's World Heritage list. The 66-year-old and the conservation group he founded are the reason Tiwai, which was nearly destroyed during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war, still exists. "I feel very happy, relieved, hopeful," the environmentalist told AFP from the verdant island, ahead of the announcement. The Gola-Tiwai complex, which also includes the nearby Gola Rainforest National Park, will be Sierra Leone's first UNESCO site. UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay called Gola-Tiwai "a jewel of biodiversity, a sanctuary for rare species and a model of community management." The wildlife and fauna in the two areas have been imperilled for years by threats such as deforestation. AFP | Saidu BAH Tiwai island, located in the Moa River, measures just 12 square kilometres and has 11 species of primates -- including the endangered western chimpanzee, the king colobus monkey and the Diana monkey. In 1992, Garnett, who has dedicated his life to environmental projects in west Africa, created the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA). In the early 2000s, he started working to save Tiwai. Today, the wildlife sanctuary is a gleaming success story for Sierra Leone. Even as the country descended into civil war or was ravaged by Ebola in 2014, Garnett was able to stave off deforestation, poaching and other threats. - Raising the alarm - As well its primates, Tiwai has animals such as the pygmy hippopotamus and the critically endangered African forest elephant. While Gola is the largest expanse of tropical rainforest in Sierra Leone, Tiwai, located to the south, serves as a centre for biodiversity research and a destination for ecotourism. In order to achieve this for Tiwai, EFA had to convince local communities to abandon certain activities to protect the forest. The tourism revenue in turn helps provide jobs, training and technical agricultural assistance. During the civil war, the island's wildlife was almost decimated, but Garnett, his NGO and donors brought it back from the brink. The centre's structures had become dilapidated, the ground covered in empty rifle cartridges and people began logging trees, Garnett said. "We raised the alarm that this place was going," he said. The environmentalist quickly found funding for reconstruction and raising awareness among local communities. - 'Country is grateful' - Since then, Garnett and his group have safeguarded the haven despite an onslaught of Ebola, Covid-19 and disastrous weather. "Our lives and livelihoods and cultures and traditions are so inextricably linked to the forest that if the forest dies, a big part of us dies with it," he said. AFP | Saidu BAH An avid cyclist and yoga enthusiast, Garnett's warm, welcoming approach has easily won him allies. "One of my first experiences in life was having a forest as backyard and recognising the richness of it," he said. Garnett was born in 1959 in the rural district of Kono in the country's east, and lived there until age 18. After studying agriculture and development economics abroad, he returned home in the 1990s to reconnect with his family and help Sierra Leone during the war. He began working in environmental protection after witnessing the conflict's destruction and its reliance on mineral resources and mining, particularly diamonds. For 30 years, he and foundation colleagues have travelled the country confronting traffickers and conducting community meetings. AFP | Saidu BAH Over the past 20 years, EFA has planted more than two million trees in deforested areas across Sierra Leone, Garnett said, including 500,000 between 2020 and 2023. The country's environment minister, Jiwoh Abdulai, told AFP he was "really excited and thrilled" about UNESCO's decision, adding that Garnett gave him a lot of "hope and optimism". His contributions to preserving nature are something "that the entire country is grateful for", he said.
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- The Hindu
Decades of activist's work results in Sierra Leone World Heritage site
Activist Tommy Garnett's decades of work paid off when Sierra Leone's Tiwai island — a lush forest home to one of the world's highest concentrations of primates — landed a spot Sunday on the UN cultural agency's World Heritage list. The 66-year-old and the conservation group he founded are the reason Tiwai, which was nearly destroyed during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war, still exists. 'I feel very happy, relieved, hopeful,' the environmentalist said from the verdant island, ahead of the announcement. The Gola-Tiwai complex, which also includes the nearby Gola Rainforest National Park, will be Sierra Leone's first UNESCO site. The two areas have a spectacular biodiversity that has been imperilled for years by threats such as deforestation. The island, located in the Moa river, measures just 12 sq. km. and has 11 species of primates. In 1992, Mr. Garnett, who has dedicated his life to environmental projects in west Africa, created the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA). In the early 2000s, he started working to save Tiwai. Today, the wildlife sanctuary is a gleaming success story for Sierra Leone. Even as the country descended into civil war in the 1990s or was ravaged by Ebola in 2014, Mr. Garnett was able to stave off deforestation, poaching and other harms. Raising the alarm Gola-Tiwai is a treasure chest of biodiversity: The primates include the endangered western chimpanzee, the king colobus monkey and the Diana monkey. And its forests and waters are home to animals such as the pygmy hippopotamus and the critically endangered African forest elephant. While Gola is the largest expanse of tropical rainforest in Sierra Leone, Tiwai, located to the south, serves as a centre for biodiversity research and a destination for ecotourism. In order to achieve this for Tiwai, the EFA had to convince local communities to abandon certain activities to protect the forest. The tourism revenue in turn helps provide them jobs, training and technical agricultural assistance. During the civil war, the island's wildlife was almost decimated, but Mr. Garnett, his NGO and donors brought it back from the brink. The centre's structures had become dilapidated, the ground covered in empty rifle cartridges and people began logging trees, Mr. Garnett said. 'We raised the alarm that this place was going,' he said. The environmentalist quickly found funding for reconstruction and raising awareness among local communities. 'Country is grateful' Since then, Mr. Garnett and his group have safeguarded the haven despite an onslaught of Ebola, COVID-19 and disastrous weather. 'Our lives and livelihoods and cultures and traditions are so inextricably linked to the forest that if the forest dies, a big part of us dies with it,' he said. An avid cyclist and yoga enthusiast, Mr. Garnett's warm, welcoming approach has easily won him allies. 'One of my first experiences in life was having a forest as backyard and recognising the richness of it,' he said. Mr. Garnett was born in 1959 in the rural district of Kono in the country's east, and lived there until the age of 18. After studying agriculture and development economics abroad, he returned home in the 1990s to reconnect with his family and help Sierra Leone during the war. He began working in environmental protection after witnessing the conflict's destruction and its reliance on mineral resources and mining, particularly diamonds. For 30 years, he and foundation colleagues have travelled the country confronting traffickers and conducting community meetings. Over the past 20 years, the EFA has planted more than two million trees in deforested areas across Sierra Leone, Mr. Garnett said, including 5 lakh between 2020 and 2023. The country's Environment Minister, Jiwoh Abdulai, said he was 'really excited and thrilled' about UNESCO's decision, adding that Mr. Garnett gave him a lot of 'hope and optimism'. His contributions preserving nature are something 'that the entire country is grateful for', the Minister said.
