The pandemic might be over‚ but the plague of government overreach looks more permanent all the time. That's the lesson out of a recent ruling by a New York state appeals court that effectively upheld the right of state officials to arbitrarily seize and detain pretty much any person they...

Riding the ridge near Mirador de la Cardosa‚ Cantabria‚ on the IMTBike Essence of Northern Spain Tour. The landscape of northern Spain erupted with jagged peaks and rolled along lush green hillsides. Farms folded across every nook‚ and waves pounded the Atlantic coast. Mile after mile of smooth‚ tight curves were waiting to be savored. The evidence was all around: Northern Spain is a rider’s paradise.  This past September‚ I joined IMTBike’s Essence of Northern Spain Tour. Leaving the planning to the pros at IMTBike‚ I simply arrived with my gear in Bilbao up north in the País Vasco (Basque Country) and enjoyed the ride. Over eight days‚ I explored new places with new friends‚ and fabulous riding connected every experience. This tour strung together curvy backroads through vast open spaces‚ rural pastoral lands‚ dense forests‚ and stunning coasts. The tour frequently visits Spain’s Atlantic Coast‚ like here in Colunga‚ Asturias. “Essence” tours like this one are new weeklong versions of longer IMTBike tours. Riders who can only get a week off from work can now enjoy full‑­on tours of northern Spain‚ southern Spain‚ Portugal‚ or Morocco with a shorter time commitment. IMTBike has been perfecting the art and science of motorcycle tours for 27 years. Initially‚ the focus was the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Today‚ it also offers tours of Morocco‚ France‚ Italy‚ and the Alps; exclusive MotoGP tours in Catalunya‚ Jerez‚ and Valencia; global tours in Turkey‚ Japan‚ Thailand‚ Vietnam‚ and New Zealand; and self‑­guided and custom‑­designed tours. Related: IMTBike Sardinia and Corsica Motorcycle Tour Review My fellow tour members came to northern Spain from Costa Rica‚ Guatemala‚ Japan‚ the Netherlands‚ and the U.S. We all love travel‚ adventure‚ and motorcycling – that’s what brought us together – and as always‚ I enjoyed the experience of meeting and riding with people from countries other than my own. Juanan Martin‚ our tour guide‚ has graduate degrees in history and travel journalism – perfect credentials for his role. Paulo Murteira‚ who drove the IMTBike support van‚ loves off‑­road endurance riding and was a laugh a minute! Both were excellent sources of information‚ assistance‚ and insight. During a coffee break‚ our tour guide Juanan reviewed the next section of the day’s ride. From IMTBike’s garage in Bilbao‚ Juanan led us to the Cantabrian Mountains and strings of hairpin turns. At Collados del Asón Natural Park‚ we paused to take in a spectacular panoramic mountain vista. That first day‚ we traversed five mountain passes en route to Santillana del Mar. Our night’s lodging was a parador located on a magnificently preserved medieval town square. Paradors are historic‚ architecturally significant buildings such as former castles‚ monasteries‚ and manor homes. Owned by the Spanish government and operated as luxury hotels‚ paradors preserve these treasured buildings and keep them relevant. We stayed in three of them on this tour. This parador in Asturias was formerly the Monastery of San Pedro de Villanueva. We also grew accustomed to dinner served on Spanish time: 8 p.m. at the earliest and frequently later. Your humble scribe is a big fan of seafood‚ and our daily menus included locally sourced fish and other delicacies from the North Atlantic‚ as well as delicious meat dishes‚ fresh fruits and veggies‚ and a variety of decadent desserts. No one went hungry. Related: Iberian Escape | IMTBike Southern Spain Andalusia Tour Review By the second day‚ tour members had organically clustered into three groups of four bikes each according to their preferred pace. This unofficial order enabled everyone to ride their own ride. Juanan told me that every tour is its own living entity‚ with distinct personalities and group dynamics‚ individual rider skills‚ weather and seasonal factors‚ and more. Everyone wanted something different from their tour experience‚ and Juanan and Paulo were focused on delivering for us all. Later‚ we had our first of numerous encounters with livestock in the road. Flat‚ open expanses of pastureland are uncommon in northern Spain‚ so cows (and occasionally horses and goats) nibble on grass wherever they find it. They seemed accustomed to the passing vehicles‚ so I rolled off the throttle a bit and bellowed “Moo!” before motoring past. We experienced endless curves through the Cantabrian Mountains. Spain has the highest average elevation of all western European countries except Switzerland‚ and the mountains we rode around‚ over‚ and sometimes through were highpoints for me. Topping my list for beauty was Picos de Europa National Park. Founded in 1918‚ it was Spain’s first national park. Today it’s a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve‚ and its natural beauty was wondrous to experience while carving great roads on a motorcycle. While the mountains reminded me of the Alps‚ the Costa Verde (Green Coast) felt like Ireland. Okay‚ maybe not the palm trees. Herds of Asturian Valley cattle‚ the ubiquitous orange‑­colored breed raised in northern Spain‚ grazed on grassy hills overlooking the ocean. What a completely different scene from the brown plains of central Spain. As cows chewed greenery‚ surfers in wetsuits carried their boards down to the sandy beach below. Some of Europe’s most popular surfing destinations are here on Spain’s northern coast. I wondered if this convergence of cattle and surfers gave rise to the expression “Cowabunga!” Love mountains? This view of Riaño‚ León‚ helps one appreciate that Spain has western Europe’s second highest average elevation. From cliffs overlooking the coast‚ we headed inland‚ where entertaining secondary roads wound us through agrarian landscapes past the hilly farms of Asturias. The most common crop appeared to be manzanas (apples)‚ and most homes‚ even those that weren’t farmhouses‚ had a lemon tree in the yard. I admired the resilience of farmers here: There was hardly any land you’d call flat‚ yet orchards were abundant‚ tucked into every conceivable space. Livestock grazed along the roads here too. Though the weather in northern Spain was mostly clear‚ warm‚ and dry‚ we rode through a late‑­day rain shower near Oviedo‚ the bustling capital city of Asturias. On the last stretch to our hotel‚ it was useful having a guide with local knowledge and a solid plan to lead the group though wet‚ busy streets to the tight quarters of a downtown hotel parking garage. ¡Bien hecho‚ Juanan! Well done! The capital of Asturias is Oviedo‚ a beautiful city where we enjoyed a rest day. That evening in Oviedo‚ we had dinner in a sidrería (cidery)‚ a pub‑­like establishment where locals gather to drink cider‚ eat‚ and socialize. We enjoyed multiple courses of Asturian fare‚ washed down with sangría de sidra (cider sangria) made from the same variety of manzanas we saw growing on trees. It was an Asturian holiday‚ and patrons were joyously singing‚ their enthusiasm enhanced by pitchers of sangria. You don’t have to visit a museum to experience culture. An evening walk through Oviedo was a great way to end a riding day. I’ve never visited a prettier city. IMTBike scheduled a rest day halfway through this tour‚ but there was an optional lunch run to the seaside fishing village of Cudillero. Juanan led an exhilarating backroads jaunt through dense forest with little evidence of humans. Cudillero is built into rocky cliffs overlooking the Bay of Biscay. The ascending rows of colorful houses reminded me of similar towns I’d seen in Italy. At the edge of town‚ waves hitting the rocky shore presented spectacular views. That evening‚ I decided to explore more of Oviedo on my own while speaking only Spanish. It had been decades since I studied Spanish in school‚ but after a few days in Spain‚ the fundamentals were coming back. I managed to buy a gift for my wife and order a fish dinner‚ celebrating these minor triumphs with una cerveza. ¡Salud! The optional ride on the rest day followed narrow roads through deep forests. Next morning‚ tour members huddled for our daily riders briefing with Juanan. He emphasized the need to depart the hotel as an organized group – and stay together as we left the city. A major bicycle race called La Vuelta‚ Spain’s version of the Tour de France‚ was passing through the area that morning. Juanan explained that the racecourse overlapped our route‚ and unless we rode through before race organizers closed the road‚ we’d have to wait. Thanks to this helpful attention to detail from our tour guide‚ our well­organized group passed by the busy staging area for La Vuelta that morning on a still-­open road. Our group enjoyed a break at Puerto de Pandetrave in León. After coffee‚ our route cut through Trubia River Gorge‚ where steep rock cliffs reached up on either side of us. Eventually we gained elevation‚ riding through the clouds until we poked above them into sunshine. I love when that happens. We crossed Alto de la Corbetoria Pass and then descended in tight curves to the Lena River to enjoy a stretch of easy sweepers to La Llama. The continuous flow of a curvy river road is always special on a motorcycle‚ and this tour included several of them. Returning to the Picos de Europa‚ we relished technical curves and climbed in elevation before a lunch stop at Puerto de San Isidro‚ an alpine ski resort. At midday in late summer‚ skiers were notably absent. As our group prepared to move on‚ I let Juanan know I was going to ride alone for the afternoon. In this rugged and remote region of León‚ I stopped whenever I wanted to marvel at views of the mountains and lakes against a crystal blue sky. Since I opted for a GPS with routes pre‑­loaded‚ it was no problem arriving on my own schedule (and well before dinnertime) at that night’s parador lodgings. To build roads through northern Spain’s mountainous terrain‚ engineers have designed some impressive solutions. After a mid‑­morning break in Potes‚ we reached Collada de Carmona Pass‚ where our mountain descent abruptly came into view. The road went through a hole cut through the cliff. Above the road‚ multilayer nets of steel mesh were moored onto the cliffside to catch falling rocks and held many they had snared. Then the road twisted down the mountainside‚ switchback after switchback‚ to the valley below. The smooth tar continued‚ snaking through positive camber curves along a meandering river for miles as the next mountain pass grew gradually closer. Up‚ over‚ and down again‚ the grin never left my face. At the next stop‚ our group of elated riders dismounted and exchanged high‑­fives. What a run! Camaleño in Cantabria provided many enjoyable sweepers. While winding roads with dramatic views earned my top score on this tour‚ architecture was a notable runner‑­up. The ultra modern Guggenheim museum in Bilbao is a marvel of design‚ encased in a skin of titanium. In stark contrast‚ the Sanctuary of Loyola in Azpeitia was a grand example of Spanish baroque architecture. And with its classical civic buildings‚ elegant parkside homes‚ and captivating old town edifices‚ Oviedo was as pretty as any city I’ve visited. By design‚ this tour put us on mostly empty roads. But on a warm‚ sunny afternoon in late summer‚ it was no surprise to encounter beach traffic along a scenic coastal route. The view of the seaside below was splendid from a gently curving road cut into the cliffside‚ and the tang of salt air scented every breath I took. A slower pace was fine for a bit. Rest stops present an opportunity for riders‚ each riding at their own pace‚ to regroup. We did that here at Puerto de Pandetrave in León. Then we found ourselves riding into the unexpected. An altered traffic pattern sent us into a congested cobblestone pedestrian zone where some kind of celebration was underway. Clearly‚ this wasn’t the plan. Folks were stunned by the arrival of a dozen motorcycles‚ but Juanan quickly calmed any concerns. The first few riders managed tight‚ bumpy U‑­turns‚ but those farther back were squeezed into an alley. Juanan pivoted several of those bikes 180 degrees on the sidestand – first time I’d seen that technique used on cobblestones – and in short order‚ we rode off as folks smiled and waved. Carving more curves through the Basque Country and down the steep hills into Bilbao‚ our tour came to an end where it began: IMTBike’s garage. We parked our bikes one last time as Juanan poured us a cava toast. Later‚ over our final dinner as a group‚ we relived favorite moments of this exciting tour and started planning more adventures. In 2024‚ the Essence of Northern Spain tour runs June 29‑­July 7 and Sept. 7‑­15. Prices start at 3‚845 euros (about $4‚100 USD) for a single rider on a BMW G 310 R and sharing a double room. Larger motorcycles and private rooms are optional. Not included in the tour price are air tickets‚ lunches‚ gasoline‚ drinks‚ tolls‚ GPS‚ personal spending‚ and tips. Learn more at the IMTBike website.  See all of Rider‘s international touring stories here. The post IMTBike Essence of Northern Spain Tour Review appeared first on Rider Magazine.

A New York City Council member shared a leaked video on social media Sunday night that showed multiple students beating a police officer at Hillcrest High School. Councilwoman Vickie Paladino‚ a Republican‚ shared the video on X after a source in the city’s Department of Education gave her the video. The release of the video comes after the high school garnered national news headlines last week after a large group of extremists in the school forced a pro-Israel Jewish teacher to lock herself in her office as they rampaged through the halls searching for her. The New York Police Department (NYPD) was forced to send dozens police officers‚ including its counterterrorism bureau‚ to quell the uprising at the school. Paladino said that the incident happened the week before the anti-Semitic riot at the school. “The school administration tried to cover this up in the same way they tried to cover up the riot‚” she said. “It’s clear that the administration of Hillcrest is totally compromised and either unwilling or unable to do what’s necessary to provide a safe environment to their students or their faculty. Furthermore‚ they seem more than willing to cover up crimes committed by their students in service of a political narrative‚ and to prevent these criminal students from facing consequences.” She said that had someone not come turned the video over to her office that no one would know what happened and that at this point it’s unclear “what else they’re hiding.” “This cannot continue‚” she said. “Hillcrest High School must be shut down pending a full and thorough investigation‚ and the administration must be held accountable. Furthermore‚ the students who committed these acts must be arrested immediately and face appropriate criminal charges.” The NYPD said in a response to the post that the department was “aware of this incident.” “Violence in our schools will not be tolerated‚” the NPYD said. “The individuals responsible for assaulting the @NYPDSchools agents were taken into custody &; charged according to NYPD procedures. If further information is needed‚ please contact DCPI.” WATCH: An anonymous source within the DOE shared video with my office of students at Hillcrest High School brutally attacking a uniformed school safety officer. This event apparently happened a week before the riot. The school administration tried to cover this up in the same way… pic.twitter.com/AzSMmXkk75 — Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) November 27‚ 2023

A Vermont Christian school that pulled out of a basketball game over a trans-identifying male player is suing the state for barring it from state tournaments as well as a state tuition program. Mid Vermont Christian School in Hartford filed a federal lawsuit against the state in Burlington on Tuesday‚ alleging that the Vermont Agency of Education committed religious discrimination when it refused to designate the school as an approved independent school. “Mid Vermont Christian and its students are being irreparably harmed by being denied participation in the Town Tuitioning and Dual Enrollment Programs and middle school and high school athletics‚” the lawsuit states. “This civil rights action seeks to protect a Christian school and its students and parents from unconstitutional religious discrimination and hostility‚” the complaint reads. Back in February‚ Mid Vermont Christian forfeited a girls basketball playoff game‚ saying a trans-identifying male player on the opposing team jeopardized “the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.” The opposing team from Long Trail High School automatically won the game. The next month‚ the body that governs school sports‚ the executive council of the Vermont Principals’ Association‚ banned the Christian school from future tournaments. The council ruled the school had violated the council’s policies on race‚ gender and disability awareness. Meanwhile‚ the Vermont State Board of Education requires independent schools to provide the board with a nondiscrimination statement and post the statement on their websites. If the board does not approve a school‚ that school may not participate in the state’s town tuition program‚ which funds private school tuition for students in areas without a public school. “The State is entitled to its own views‚ but it is not entitled‚ nor is it constitutional‚ to force private‚ religious schools across the state to follow that orthodoxy as a condition to participating in Vermont’s tuitioning program and the State’s athletic association‚” the school’s lawsuit says. The school’s girls basketball coach‚ who has coached the team for the last 10 years‚ said he could not have imagined telling his daughter she could not play sports due to her religious views. GET 50% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS “No one‚ including our student athletes‚ should have opportunities taken away from them because of their religious beliefs‚” coach Chris Goodwin told Fox News. The lawsuit was filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). “Vermont has repeatedly discriminated against Christian schools and their families for following their religious beliefs‚” ADF senior counsel Ryan Tucker said. “Put simply‚ Mid Vermont Christian School believes that boys are boys and girls are girls. They have been punished for this belief. No school or parent should have to change their beliefs to participate in athletics or a state tuitioning program‚” Tucker said.

A coalition of religious leaders is pushing Congress to pass financial support for Israel’s war on Hamas as well as take steps to combat anti-Semitism. Fifteen leaders of religious organizations and institutions signed a letter sent to Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders on Monday urging legislators to step up support for Israel and the Jewish people. “We represent many faith traditions and have come together‚ in one united voice‚ to defend our shared humanity against barbarism and terror‚” the letter says. Israel declared war on Hamas after an October 7 attack by the terror group left over 1‚200 people dead and roughly 240 people taken captive‚ most of them Israeli civilians. The letter calls the massacre the “most significant massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust.” The letter‚ expressing support for Israel’s war against the terrorists‚ is signed by religious leaders such as Faith &; Freedom Coalition chairman Ralph Reed and Israel365 director Rabbi Tuly Weisz. “As we’ve said many times‚ we support our Jewish brothers and sisters both here at home and abroad. As Christians and as human beings it is our duty to do so. The nation of Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East and the United States must stand by our ally‚” Aaron Gulbransen‚ executive director of the Tennessee Faith &; Freedom Coalition‚ told The Daily Wire in a statement. “Hamas must be defeated and state sponsors of terror like Iran ought to be neutered by the foreign policy of the United States‚” Gulbransen added. “Additionally‚ antisemitism has no place in our society and must be condemned at every turn. We are proud of our national leadership and allies that have presented this letter to the leadership of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.” The religious leaders call on Congress to “fund Israel’s defenses as soon as possible” and pass a series of bills that would aim to combat antisemitism‚ such as the Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors Act and Antisemitism Awareness Act. The letter also calls on the “Department of Justice‚ Department of Homeland Security‚ and other relevant agencies to take all necessary measures to prevent‚ prosecute‚ and punish antisemitic hate crimes in the United States.” GET 50% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS The faith leaders also call on the Biden administration to take stricter approach with Qatar‚ an Arab nation that has made inroads with the West while maintaining deep connections to the Middle East’s terror groups. “[F]orce Qatar to choose between remaining a major non-NATO ally of the United States or continuing its support for Hamas leadership and terrorism‚” the letter says. Qatar has close ties to Hamas and has granted the terror group’s leadership safe Haven in Doha‚ where Hamas’ main decision-making body meets.