Latest news with #Islands
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
This Maine city was called a 'beautiful' and 'vibrant' place. Here's how to visit
Are you ready for a coastal summer in New England? Well, Islands, a travel publication that started in 1981, says this calm Maine spot right by Passagassawakeag River and Penobscot Bay is the place to go. "From the beautiful waterfront, where marinas full of pleasure boats and lobster boats bob happily, to the tidy streets of downtown," Islands said this Maine city is one people will want to visit. To inject some small-town New England joy into your life, the publication recommend heading to Belfast, Maine. Islands named Belfast as the best place to spend a relaxing and fun-filled waterfront vacation, full of good food and quality memories. What Islands said about it: "It's an unwritten law that when visiting a new Maine town, you'll need to find the best mouthwatering lobster roll restaurant. In Belfast, the most frequently recommended spot is Young's Lobster Pound, located right on the water but on the opposite shore, looking back at town. It's a classic waterfront, no-frills lobster pound with a 4.3-star rating on Tripadvisor. There are also dozens of fantastic restaurants, cafés, and bars along Main Street in the heart of town." Young's Lobster Pound can be found at 2 Fairview St. in Belfast. They also recommended downtown Belfast for its plethora of activities like the community arts center in the city and the Belfast Farmers' Market. There is also a chance to do some hiking if you prefer to bask in nature, the publication said. "There are also numerous hiking trailheads nearby, and the Rail Trail, which connects a 2.2-mile path north of town with the Armistice pedestrian bridge that crosses the Passagassawakeag River," the travel publication said. Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@ This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Looking to travel to Maine this summer? Consider this 'vibrant city
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
Islanders urged to prioritize sun safety as skin cancer rates rise in Canada
Social Sharing As Islanders prepare to soak up the sunshine this summer, experts say it's crucial to take sun protection seriously given the rising rates of skin cancer across Canada. A new study from Melanoma Canada shows more than 11,000 Canadians were diagnosed with melanoma in 2024 — a 17 per cent increase over the previous year. An increasing number of those new cases appeared in young people. Falyn Katz, CEO of Melanoma Canada, said men continue to be diagnosed more frequently than women. Of Canada;s 11,300 new skin cancer patients, 6,500 were men and 4,800 were women. "We also need to be talking about the death rate, which is also on the rise. A lot of Canadians don't realize that skin cancer can be deadly — 1,300 deaths each year, so about three to four a day, and 850 out of those are men," Katz told CBC's Island Morning. The study points to two major reasons behind the increase, one of which is a lack of sun safety practices, partly due to the spread of false information, Katz said. "There's a lot of misinformation out there online on sunscreens not being safe or even causing cancer. They're totally untrue. All sunscreens in Canada are reviewed by Health Canada… so they are perfectly safe," she said. She added that Canada's aging population is also contributing to the rising number of cases, since both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers are more commonly diagnosed in older adults. Support available on P.E.I. Health P.E.I. told CBC News that Islanders without a family doctor who are concerned about possible skin cancer, such as a suspicious mole, can reach out for advice through the virtual health-care service Maple. Those already registered on the P.E.I. patient registry can use Maple for free. The service lets them consult a health-care professional who can refer them to a local clinic for in-person assessment. How to protect your skin from the sun Katz said using sunscreen is an important first step in protecting your skin, but the wide variety of products can make it hard to know which one to choose. She recommends choosing broad-spectrum sunscreens with an SPF of 30 or higher — ideally 50 or higher — to protect your skin from both UVA rays (which cause the skin to look older) and UVB rays (which cause burns). "There are chemical and mineral sunscreens available. Check out the ingredients and pick the one that's best for you. Ideally, apply it 20 to 30 minutes before you're going outside in the sun," Katz said. "And [it's] really important to make sure you're reapplying every two hours or more often, if you're swimming or sweating." For those who can't or don't want to wear sunscreen, Katz said covering up is essential. That includes wearing sun-protective clothing with a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) rating, or at least using tightly woven fabrics, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses. She also recommends avoiding peak UV hours — usually from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — and checking the daily UV index on a weather app or website. This week, P.E.I. had several days where the index reached 6 or 7, which is in the range of high to extremely high. Start sun safety young Katz said it's important for parents and schools to teach sun safety early in life, especially given the lasting impact of sunburns in childhood. "One to two blistering sunburns in your youth can double your chances of being diagnosed with melanoma later in life. So it's really important that we establish sun safety behaviours early," she said. That message is echoed by the Canadian Cancer Society. Elizabeth Holmes, director of health policy at the society, said the organization's SunSense program is designed to promote healthy sun habits in children. "It's... working with daycares and in schools to really instill those sun safety behaviours and best practices at an early age, and really creating the support within the school as well as... that individual learning and making it part of your routine," Holmes said. Know the signs, catch it early Holmes said early detection of melanoma greatly improves the chances of treatment being successful, so that the cancer doesn't spread. She said health professionals are trained to look for signs using the ABCDE method. That stands for Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Colour, Diameter and Evolution. People should have a mole checked out if it's asymmetrical rather than round, if the border looks irregular, if the mole changes colour over time, if it seems to be growing, or any other change, like starting to ooze or bleed.
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Douglas Ross questions Holyrood neutrality after FMQs ejection
Former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has questioned the neutrality of Holyrood's presiding officer after he was ordered to leave the Holyrood chamber. Ross was ejected from First Minister's Questions at the Scottish Parliament for talking over John Swinney as he was answering a question. Ross told BBC Scotland News that he had "serious questions" about Alison Johnstone's conduct and said she should "seriously consider her neutral role".He also claimed the presiding officer had allowed SNP and Green MSPs to behave in a way that she did not extend to Conservative members. The Highlands and Island MSP said that it was "unprecedented" for him to be sent out without a was told that he would not be allowed back in to Holyrood's debating chamber for the rest of the day. Outside the debating chamber, Ross told BBC Scotland News that he would seek to speak to the presiding officer and her officials. "I have serious questions about the conduct of the presiding officer," he has had a number of clashes with the presiding officer over recent weeks. He is not the first MSP to be temporarily suspended from Holyrood. Tory colleague Oliver Mundell was ordered out by former presiding officer Ken Macintosh in 2020 for claiming Nicola Sturgeon had lied to parliament over the Alex Salmond 2015, Labour's James Kelly was booted out by Tricia Marwick in a row about a point of order which she contended wasn't a point of order relating to the UK Trade Union Scottish Parliament has been contacted for comment.
CBC
26-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
A new report says P.E.I. can better help its homeless population. Here's how it could work
The final report on how best to support Islanders with complex issues who are experiencing homelessness is now complete, and the province says it has approved the recommendations. CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin spoke with Carlene Donnelly, who wrote the report, about what it suggests and what the next steps will be.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Why do Scots keep voting SNP when they waste so much public money?
It has always been one of the mysteries of political life, certainly to this observer, that taxpayers continue to vote for the people who waste their hard-earned cash in the most profligate of fashions, time and time again. It is difficult to countenance a better example of such behaviour, in separate administrations and under three different first ministers, than that of the SNP over the network of ferries, large and small, that are supposed to be the lifeblood of the islands around Scotland's coasts. Far from honouring their responsibility to those often remote communities, the SNP has put on a show of unparalleled incompetence seldom seen in public life. And yet, time after time, in election after election, their supporters loyally troop into polling stations to put their crosses against the nationalist party and give us another Nat government. Don't they care about their cash being thrown away like a drunken sailor's? Apparently not; just as long as they gain their only priority of Scottish independence they'll waste any amount and suffer any humiliation to get their way. And prodigious waste and extreme international humiliation is what we're talking about here, because of the vast sums – vast in relation to a small country of five million people – that they'll never see again because of what's become known as the 'ferries saga'. There have been any number of tallies of the amount thrown away with the latest being only a pound or so short of one billion pounds. Half of that comes from the £500 million spent on the repair bill in keeping the CalMac ferry fleet at sea while the other £500 million is the new estimate for the latest ferry's completion – eight years late, from its Clyde shipyard. Well actually it's only £460 million, but what's £40 million amongst friends? The ' one billion-pound ferry fiasco ', Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader called it and, personally, I can't think of a better way of describing this farce which, as Russell Findlay, leader of the Scottish Tories, insisted should have been used to fix the nation's roads and schools. First Minister John Swinney, as his wont, accepted that as the head of the Scottish Government he takes full responsibility for everything that's gone wrong but made plain, as is also his wont, that there won't be any SNP ministers being sacked for that responsibility – least of all, himself. He did insist that many of his ministers had been visiting island communities to help them with the difficulties of their ferry service, but said that very few of their cancellations had been caused by ferries breaking down. Most had been caused by bad weather, to which the Labour leader asked if the islanders should vent their anger at the elements, instead. 'Not up for the job' This was a pretty good example of Tories and Labour joining forces to lay into an administration that is extremely good at talking a good game but which over a wide range of policies has proved itself time and time again, as Clement Attlee said, to 'be not up for the job'. They may not wish to do so, but with Swinney insisting that he plans to launch another independence campaign – he has no alternative – I'd like to think that Tories and Labour would get used to joint attacks. But this is probably a forlorn hope. So far, anyway.
