The recent tallest water slide in North America known as the Rise of Icarus, after the mythical Greek who flew too near the sun after which fell into the ocean.

This was not lost on me as I sat alone at the highest of the 145-foot tower, high above the hustle and bustle of Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park and the treetops of the Wisconsin Dells region, mentally preparing to launch my body feet first into an extended, winding tunnel.

During an after-hours demonstration in late May, I had already climbed some 260 steps to the highest of the sleek open-air structure. At a height of 20 metres, I had passed the tower's 4 lower slides and shuddered as I realised I used to be not even halfway to the primary attraction. I puffed my way up and resisted the temptation to look down.

The guard gave me the all-clear, so I lay back, let go, and slid into the void. I set free a number of cries of real fear as I fell, then felt gravity as I made several wide, whipping loops across the tower. After what appeared like an eternity, I used to be ejected into the evening light. Only then did I exhale.

It was intense. And crazy. And scary. But on subsequent runs the subsequent morning, my screams become screams of joy.

I'm not an enormous fan of water slides that drop vertically downward, which is true of lots of the tallest slides on the earth. Rise of Icarus, then again, takes advantage of its height by actually giving the user time to benefit from the descent, totaling 780 feet at as much as 30 mph. According to my very own shaky GoPro video (taken with permission), I actually clocked about 20 seconds in Icarus – luxurious for water slides – at 26 mph.

Greek Empire within the Dells

Icarus' journey to America's tallest water slide is the culmination of greater than 50 years of ambition for the Mt. Olympus water park resort within the vast, kitschy middle-class resort area of ​​Wisconsin Dells.

“My parents always wanted to be the biggest and the best,” Marketing Manager Fotini Laskaris Backhaus told me during a tour of the park, referring to the family business that has existed for 3 generations and to which she belongs.

Her grandfather, Greek immigrant Demetrios “Jim” Laskaris, began the business in 1970 because the Big Chief Hot Dog Stand. It evolved right into a go-kart and roller coaster attraction that was renamed Mt. Olympus in 2004, a cheeky commitment to the theme of Greek antiquity and mythology. For years, the primary reason for the park's fame was the truly impressive, 65-foot-tall replica of the Trojan Horse that towers over a go-kart track in the guts of the Wisconsin Dells Strip.

Over time, the park displaced neighbors and added attractions, wave pools and 1,600 rooms, including the easy Hotel Rome and small cabins, becoming a 200-acre pseudo-Greek-Roman empire. In 2022, it added Medusa's Slidewheel, the country's first mechanically rotating waterslide. But something was still missing from the Dells' ultra-competitive water park scene. So second-generation owners Nick and Eva Laskaris decided so as to add much more spectacle.

For Rise of Icarus, Mt. Olympus has tapped leading water slide manufacturer WhiteWater, which built the log flume on the Mall of America, the huge recent Meryal water park in Qatar and the cruise line Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day on Coco Cay within the Bahamas. The recent Rise of Icarus closely resembles Daredevil's Peak on Coco Cay, but is 10 feet taller – and also you don't must cruise to ride the slide within the Dells. An adjoining outdoor water play area for teenagers with cabanas must be ready by July 4th weekend.

Water park lovers are getting a crash course in Greek mythology this summer. But learn from Icarus: rethink your pride and pack some waterproof sunscreen.

When you go

Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Resort: 1881 Wisconsin Dells Pkwy., Wisconsin Dells. Admission $45-$50. Cabanas and reserved poolside seating available. Family-friendly resort rooms, cabins and tent sites available starting at $25; park admission included with lodging (mtolympuspark.com).

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The highest water slides on the earth

Height isn't an important feature of a waterslide. Duration, speed, short lines, and overall fun factor are also vital. However, since Rise of Icarus lays claim to being North America's tallest waterslide, let's take a have a look at another qualified record holders. Sound like an excessive amount of? We'll meet up with you on the lazy river.

The highest

In the age of artificial intelligence, we will't be 100% sure that this dystopian monstrosity in Doha, which opened in winter and appears like something out of Mad Max, is real. But the 12-slide spire appears to have eclipsed the previous world record holder, the 50-meter-high Kilimanjaro Waterslide in Brazil. YouTube water park influencer @MillaChats confirms the icon's existence with a series of video reviews. The tallest slides, Vertigo and Fractionator, involve a one-minute ride in partially transparent tubes that give visitors a glimpse of the world around them.

The former highest within the Dells

Noah's Ark, which still claims to be the most important water park within the country, set the usual for thrill rides within the Dells for over 20 years with its slides launching from the identical “10-story” platform. Point of No Return was inbuilt 2001 and, because the name suggests, is a four-second free fall that's over before you’ll be able to resist and can leave you in pain for days. More interestingly, Scorpion's Tail follows in 2010 with a trapdoor launch and initial drop that results in a see-through looping body slide that's said to be “America's first near-vertical waterslide loop.”

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BIG SUR – Highway 1 at Paul's Slide is scheduled to reopen Sunday, based on Caltrans, attributing the earlier-than-expected completion to favorable site conditions and up to date construction progress, allowing access for the community of Lucia, Camaldoli Hermitage and residents along the newly opened 4.3-mile stretch of highway.

“The challenge with Paul's Slide has always been to repair Highway 1 while movement continues within the landslide site,” Caltrans Director Tony Tavares said in a news release. “Completing the repairs and reopening a 4.3-mile section of this scenic highway will begin to restore some normalcy for business owners and residents in the area.”

On June 7, 4 months after the repairs began, the Dolan Point side (from mile 29.5) was accomplished, however the turnaround point for southbound traffic won’t change.

“After repairs to the Dolan Point Slide are completed, the turnaround point for southbound traffic on Highway 1 at Lime Creek – after mile 32.1 – will remain in place until repairs to the Regent's Slide are completed,” said Kevin Drabinski, Caltrans District 5 spokesman. “The north turnaround point at Lime Creek is a good option as a turnaround point because it provides a good line of sight on approach and provides ample room for large vehicles to turn around.”

Repair work at Dolan Point included removing landslide material from above and reducing rock using blasting crews, followed by installing a double twisted rope mesh along the slope edge.

“Crews connected the seams of dozens of 150-foot-long mesh panels that were lifted into place by helicopter. This mesh will add an additional layer of protection to the highway below the slope,” Drabinski explained.

With Paul's Slide (at mile 22) now open, traffic from the south can travel as far north as repairs to Regent's Slide (at mile 27.8) comfortably allow. The southern turnaround point on Highway 1 shall be moved north from Limekiln State Park (at mile 21) to simply south of the Vicente Creek Bridge (at mile 25.3), where travelers can have a transparent view of the approach and ample room for giant vehicles to maneuver and switch.

After Paul's Slide reopens, crews shall be on site over the following few weeks to remove additional landslide material, complete drainage installation, and implement erosion control measures. Travelers will experience minimal delays and intermittent traffic controls during this work.

The contractor for the repairs to Paul's Slide is Papich Construction of Arroyo Grande, based on Caltrans. The total cost of this project is about $60 million.

Repairs to the ultimate Highway 1 closure will proceed at Regent's Slide, where the northern turnaround point is positioned at Lime Creek, south of the Esalen Institute. Caltrans estimates that repairs at Regent's Slide shall be accomplished by late fall, at which point Highway 1 shall be reopened to direct traffic along your complete stretch of the Big Sur coast between Carmel and Cambria.

Tavares thanked the area people for his or her patience and support through the repair of Paul's Slide. He said the state agency also wanted to precise its appreciation for the persistence, ingenuity and determination shown by Caltrans personnel and contract crews during this process.

Road information and updates may also be found on Caltrans District 5's social media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5), and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.

BIG SUR – A bit of California's scenic Highway 1 that results in the famous Big Sur coast reopened to 24-hour traffic Friday after a storm-triggered rock slide that affected a portion of a lane stabilized thrown into the ocean and hindered tourism.

The gap still must be closed, but after steel and concrete were built into the cliff, a short lived signaling system was activated to permit alternating north-south traffic within the undamaged lane, in response to the California Department of Transportation.

The reopening took place eight days sooner than planned and in time for summer travel.

“Highway 1 is the jewel of California’s highway system and our teams have worked nonstop over the past month and a half to ensure Californians have full access to this iconic area of ​​our state,” Caltrans Director Tony Tavares said in a press release this week.

Big Sur is a 90-mile stretch of the state's central coast where misty, forested mountains rise from the ocean. Much of the highway sits high on cliffs and offers breathtaking views.

After heavy rains, a March 30 rockfall south of Monterey caused about 6 feet (nearly 2 meters) of southbound roadway and a retaining wall supporting the highway to fall about 170 feet (52 meters) into the ocean below fell.

Caltrans determined the opposite lane was usable, but traffic was limited to twice-daily convoys out and in of Big Sur. Initially, only residents and essential employees were allowed to hitch the convoys. Each time, a crane needed to be removed to make room for the convoys, said Kevin Drabinski, a Caltrans spokesman.

In April, Kirk Gafill, president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, told the San Francisco Chronicle that total losses by Big Sur businesses for the reason that collapse were greater than $1 million a day.

Permanent repairs to the highway are being planned and are expected to be accomplished in spring 2025, Caltrans said.

The attack against the Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is widely condemned by world leaders as an attack on democracy.

In Slovakia, too, the act of violence was met with a unified response from the country's deeply divided political leadership. But how long this can last is uncertain. As does the outgoing Slovakian president – ​​and Fico competitor – Zuzana Caputova demanded an end to the “vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations,” said Fico allies criticized the media and the country's opposition to inflame tensions.

As Expert on politics in Central EuropeI used to be interested by how liberal social movements in Slovakia responded to the rise of populist rhetoric and politics that Fico illustrated. This research has revealed not only the increasing rightward shift of former center and center-right politicians, but in addition how this has contributed to the creation of a polarized political environment.

Who is Robert Fico?

Robert Fico has long been a controversial figure in Slovakia Central Eastern European country with around 5.4 million inhabitants and member of the European Union.

A former member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Fico and his colleagues founded the SMER or “Direction” party within the late Nineteen Nineties as a left-wing party critical of the then right-wing Slovak government. The party also maintained one Anti-corruption This message gained popularity within the early 2000s and have become one of the crucial dominant parties in Slovak politics.

Fico became prime minister for the primary time in 2006. But only since his return to power in 2012 has he been seen as a polarizing figure in Slovak politics.

In 2018, Fico Forced to resign following the Murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirovain her apartment just outside Bratislava, the Slovak capital.

Before his murder, Kuciak claimed that SMER was involved in corruption related to the Italian mafia and the embezzlement of EU funds. In 2020 there have been five people, certainly one of them Connections to political figures were accused with the murders.

Fico has denied these corruption allegations. But the murders and allegations of corruption led to mass protests against the federal government and proceed to resonate today.

Polarized politics

Despite Fico's resignation over the matter, the country remained politically polarized.

In 2019 Čaputová of the Progressive Slovakia party was elected the primary female president. But a yr later, the election of essentially the most conservative parliament in modern Slovak history took place in Slovakia.

The gutted Caputova's liberal agenda against the right-wing parties in the federal government.

Right-wing parties have allied with the Catholic Church and conservative organizations to attack gender equality measures and LGBTQ+ rights And restrict reproductive rights.

The deal with culture war issues was accompanied by a coarsening of the political debate in Slovakia.

Hateful rhetoric is commonly utilized in political campaigns to oppose women's rights, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. This rhetoric has contributed to further polarization.

And even before the attack on Fico, there have been indications that the heightened rhetoric was evolving into politically motivated violence. In 2022, two members of the LGBTQ+ community were killed in a bar in Bratislava from a known supporter the acute right.

Nevertheless, Fico continued to depend on populist rhetoric against civil liberties in his 2023 election campaign.

By then he had returned to the limelight through his resistance Public health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. His widely published work followed Opposition to the delivery of military aid to Ukraine after the Russian invasion in 2022. At a time when a few of Slovakia's closest allies, akin to Poland and the Czech Republic, fully supported Ukraine's efforts against Russian aggression, Fico launched a campaign in support of the policies of Hungary's Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin against the West.

This message proved popular and allowed him to return to power in 2023 together with his populist party Received 23% of the votes and to change into the most important party in a right-wing coalition government.

An attack on democracy

Since returning to power, Fico has shown no desire to resolve the culture wars which have divided Slovak society. Rather, his essential focus was on abolition and Restructuring of state authorities and institutions who’ve criticized his policies.

He moved in February 2024 the Slovak anti-corruption agency closed and abolish the special prosecutor's office that investigates corruption – a call that not only drew rebuke from the European Union but in addition brought Slovaks back to the streets to protest.

He also took steps switch off Slovak Television and Radio (STVR) and replace it with a state television channel.

Overall, Fico's efforts to limit civil liberties and suppress opposition were seen as a part of a process intended to rework Slovakia into one Illiberal democracyentirely within the spirit of Orban’s Hungary.

There remains to be loads to learn in regards to the motives and circumstances of the assassination attempt on Fico. But the officials said so it was “politically motivated”.and linked it to his divisive politics.

Any display of political violence is as follows World leaders have pointed this out, an try and undermine democracy. In Slovakia, where political polarization is high, these divisive politics have unfortunately been shown to steer to violent results.