US companies break long silence on abortion rights

Abortion rights activists gather outside the US Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on May 3, 2022

New York (AFP) - After carefully avoiding the taboo topic for decades, more and more US companies are taking a stand on the right to abortion, a sign of a new generation with growing influence and very different expectations than their predecessors.

Mere hours after the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion indicating the national right to abortion would be overturned, a variety of American businesses began to react publicly.

"Given what is at stake, business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees," Levi Strauss said in a statement. "That means protecting reproductive rights."

Like the iconic denim brand, Apple has also pledged to cover costs for employees who have to travel to another state to get an abortion.

Revoking the nationwide right to abortion "will jeopardize the human rights of millions of women," the review platform Yelp told AFP, saying it would have "a seismic impact on our society and economy" and urging other companies to "step up to safeguard their employees."

Since Texas in September implemented a law banning abortion after six weeks -- before many women even know they are pregnant, and with no exceptions for rape or incest -- the stigma on speaking out has started to break.

Amazon, Uber and even the bank Citigroup have all announced they will cover the additional costs that the Texas legislation might cause for their employees.

"We're in a very unusual political time where this issue's come back up as a pressing political issue, and it will force companies to take a stand," said Maurice Schweitzer, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton business school.

"Businesses that are located in states that might overturn (abortion access), they have to make a decision one way or the other: Are they going to offer that benefit in terms of travel to a location where those services could be accessed? Or are they not?" said Neeru Paharia, a professor at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business.

"It kind of forces a lot of these (companies) to take a stand on this issue."

According to The New York Times, Tesla, which moved its headquarters from California to Texas, has also pledged to cover its employees' abortion-related expenses.
'New generational thing'

The newfound boldness of US businesses is also tied to the fact that "in this country, people who are pro-choice are larger in number than people who are anti-abortion," said Paharia.

The announcements by several leading companies are part of a "general trend" that has been developing for the past decade and "picked up steam" under former US president Donald Trump, she said.

Immigration, LGBT rights, gun regulations, the Black Lives Matter movement, voting rights -- hot-button issues keep coming up, in a climate of heightened polarization, and many companies have been pressured to respond by their employees.

"This is a new generational thing," explained Mark Hass, a journalism and communication professor at Arizona State University. "The millennial generation, Gen Z are... increasingly concerned about who they work for, the values of those companies."

"Companies like Apple, companies like Amazon, companies like Uber... rely on having the best employees," he said. "So their employees are sort of their North Star," or guiding force.

Paharia agreed: "It's a tight labor market, and certain kinds of job skills are hard to come by."

In a country where public confidence in elected officials has been eroding for many years, employees are also expecting more from their employers, she said.

Schweitzer made a distinction between the new economy's flagship companies, whose employees are better educated than average and often able to work anywhere, and more traditional companies, which are sometimes located in more conservative regions of the United States.

The latter often have less mobile and less skilled workers, with a more limited influence on their employer.

"That's going to be a big part of why tech companies, for example, are going to react more strongly to this than other companies who would rather stay out of it," he said.

Unlike before, firms that have taken sides publicly have generally avoided backlash, calls for boycotts or smear campaigns.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio did introduce a bill Tuesday that would prevent companies from receiving tax breaks on expenses tied to covering abortion-related travel, but the bill is unlikely to pass.

However, "the groups that are interested in restricting abortion access, they're a minority. And they seem to be winning on this issue right now," said Schweitzer. "So I'm not surprised that they're being a little bit quiet."

2022/5/7 
© Agence France-Presse

US groups call for abortion rights marches on May 14

Protesters on both sides of the abortion rights issue rally in front of the Supreme Court, where temporary security fences have been erected, on May 5, 2022

Washington (AFP) - Multiple US organizations that support abortion rights called Thursday for nationwide protests on May 14, after a leaked draft opinion showed the Supreme Court poised to overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

"We don't have the luxury to waste any time," said Kelley Robinson, executive director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund -- the political arm of the reproductive health care provider Planned Parenthood -- during a joint press call on Thursday.

Robinson, along with the leaders of three other national progressive organizations, called for a "massive day of action" on May 14, and announced four "anchor marches" in New York, Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as "hundreds of events all across the country."

"Nationwide we are going to be expressing our outrage," said Robinson.

The groups are also urging more mobilization throughout the summer, when the final Supreme Court decision is set to be issued.

"It's no exaggeration to say that for the women of this country, this will be a summer of rage," said Rachel Carmona, head of the group Women's March, which was founded by organizers of the first national opposition rally to former president Donald Trump in 2017.

Protests already erupted around the country starting on Monday night, when the news outlet Politico published a draft Supreme Court opinion that said the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision enshrining the national right to abortion was "egregiously wrong from the start."

"We hold that Roe and Casey (another case affirming the right to abortion) must be overruled," wrote conservative Justice Samuel Alito in the 98-page draft.

On Tuesday, more than a thousand protesters on both sides of the hotly debated issue gathered outside the Supreme Court's headquarters in Washington.

Law enforcement in the nation's capital, still on edge after the right-wing riot on January 6, 2021, have already set up temporary fencing around the court.
'See you at the ballot box'

The leaked ruling has also thrust the issue of abortion to the center of the November congressional midterm elections, potentially opening a path for beleaguered Democrats to stem expected losses.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said "it will fall on voters to elect" officials who back abortion rights, and vowed to work to pass legislation in Congress that codifies Roe v. Wade.

"We are seeing an energy that we haven't seen before," said Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, during the joint press call Thursday.

"Our message to Republicans is clear," she said.

"We will see you on the streets in May. We will see you on the streets in June and we sure as hell will see you at the ballot box in November."

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts described the leak as a "betrayal" on Tuesday.

"Court employees have an exemplary and important tradition of respecting the confidentiality of the judicial process and upholding the trust of the Court," Roberts said in a press statement.

"This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust."

The chief justice also announced that an investigation would be launched to find out who leaked the document.

CNN reported Thursday that Roberts, in his first public event since Monday, said the leaker would be "foolish" to believe they could influence the judges' positions, and that "one bad apple" would not alter "people's perception" of the court.

2022/5/5
© Agence France-Presse

After abortion, gay marriage? Fears US court may target other rights

Abortion rights demonstrators outside the US Supreme Court on May 3, 2022

New York (AFP) - After abortion, could gay marriage be next? With America's Supreme Court poised to roll back half a century of abortion rights, activists fear conservatives will set their sights on other constitutional freedoms, starting with same sex unions.

Also under threat could be gay sex or access to contraception, while future rulings could impact new areas such as transgender rights, legal experts say.

"The results of this case, if this opinion is actually the final opinion, will unravel constitutional rights that generations of Americans have taken for granted," said professor Katherine Franke of Columbia University's Center for Gender and Sexuality Law.

"Its limits are hard to anticipate," she added.

The Supreme Court's draft ruling -- leaked Monday -- would overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that enshrined abortion rights across the country if confirmed by the court, which has until end June to decide.

Fears that other rights could next be in the crosshairs of the court's conservative majority stem from Justice Samuel Alito's draft majority opinion, in which he argued that the right to abortion was not protected by the constitution.

Alito wrote that in order for rights to be judicially protected, they must be "deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition," which he argued abortion was not.

The 14th amendment does not mention specific rights but has been widely referenced by courts over the years in granting certain fundamental rights, such as contraception in the 1960s and in 2015 when the-then liberal leaning Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.

"If anything like Alito's opinion turns out to be the final opinion of the court, it does open the door for people who want to attack same-sex marriage or gay sex in new cases," Arthur Leonard, an expert on equality law at New York Law School, told AFP.
'Emboldened' conservatives

Alito, 72, stressed that he was talking about "the constitutional right to abortion and no other right," but that doesn't reassure legal experts like Leonard.

"I don't believe him," said Leonard, adding there would be a "temptation" among the conservative justices to use their 6-3 majority to undo rights that have long vexed the religious right in America.

Leonard said that if Alito applies his opinion elsewhere it is "going to endanger a lot of potential new areas" such as transgender rights.

Around half of US states have laws prohibiting gay marriage. They could be triggered again if the Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex union is repealed. A handful still have laws prohibiting sex between same-sex partners.

Leonard thinks the Supreme Court, which shifted firmly conservative after the appointment of three members by ex-president Donald Trump, would stop short of ruling on gay sex, though.

"Public opinion has changed so sharply on that issue," Leonard notes. "There's a strong majority now in public opinion polls that say just keep their hands off what consenting adults do in private.

"But marriage is a very public thing. Marriage is a status that's recognized in society and entitles you to rights, benefits, etc."

The draft ruling on abortion has activists fearful for the future of same-sex unions, of which there are more than half a million in the United States, according to census figures released in 2019.

"We're definitely worried," Trevon Mayers, senior director at New York City-based LGBTQ advocacy group The Center, told AFP.

"The leaked draft of the court's opinion suggests that conservative members are emboldened by their majority, and may also be prepared to roll back other hard-fought fundamental rights.

"Systems of power, including our courts and elected officials, need to focus on ensuring all people have access to the health care that they need, rather than the opposite," he added.

Republicans have yet to comment publicly on whether they would welcome the Supreme Court looking at gay marriage but Democrats have indicated that threats to other rights will be a key angle of attack for them during Congressional midterms later this year.

President Joe Biden warned the Supreme Court ruling -- if upheld -- would reach far beyond the question of abortion, to "all the decisions related to your private life -- whom you marry, whether or not you decide to conceive a child or not."

"A whole range of rights are in question," he said.

2022/5/4 
© Agence France-Presse

Nearly half of LGBTQ youths in US considered suicide last year: study

The Trevor Project, a non-profit that works to prevent suicide among young people in the LGTBQ community, polled nearly 34,000 people aged 13 to 24

Washington (AFP) - Nearly half of LGBTQ youth aged 13 to 24 in America seriously considered committing suicide last year, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The poll of nearly 34,000 people was conducted by The Trevor Project, a non-profit that works to prevent suicide among young people in the LGTBQ community.

This annual survey "demonstrates that rates of suicidal thoughts have trended upward among LGBTQ young people over the last three years," said Amit Paley, the organization's executive director.

The study found that 45 percent of respondents said they seriously considered suicide last year, and that 14 percent tried to take their life.

Among those aged 13 to 17, the share of those who said they seriously considered suicide rose to 50 percent.

Suicide attempts among young Americans rose throughout the population -- especially among teenagers -- during the pandemic's two years of remote school and social isolation.

But a 2019 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already found "a significant difference" between levels of suicidal thoughts among young people, based on their sexual identity.

To wit: 14.5 percent of heterosexuals reported having seriously considered suicide but the figure shot up to 46.8 percent among those who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, the CDC said.

Events in recent years have only reinforced these trends, said The Trevor Project.

It said the proportion of young LGBTQ people in America who seriously considered suicide last year is up two percentage points from 2020 and five points from 2019.

"The Covid-19 pandemic and record wave of anti-transgender legislation continue to negatively impact LGBTQ youth's mental health," the organization said.

Seventy-three percent of people in the community reported feeling anxiety last year and 58 percent experienced symptoms of depression, the poll said.

2022/5/4 
© Agence France-Presse

LGBTQ leaders warn of renewed wave of hostility

More than 600 people representing over 100 countries have gathered in California to discuss LGBTQ rights

Long Beach (United States) (AFP) - The LGBTQ community around the world is facing a wave of attacks, said leaders and activists from more than 100 countries meeting this week in California.

The gathering is the first global get-together for community members since the world shut down for Covid -- and participants warned the environment for queer youth was deteriorating.

Julia Ehrt, director of the International Lesbian, Gay, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World) said the community has historically faced "enormous levels of violence and discrimination."

But there has been a marked emergence in recent years of anti-gender narratives that are "trying to disenfranchise them from the human rights that they deserve."

Over 600 representatives were attending the week-long ILGA World global conference that began Monday in Long Beach, California, with a focus on young people.

"We've been really fighting for queer rights all across the world, but particularly queer youth rights have been sidelined (and) been invisible," Martin Karadzhov, chair of Ilga World's youth committee, told AFP.

"This conference provides us with the first ever space where we can really center the conversations."

That includes the discussion of "harmful practices such as conversion therapies, which are unethical, unscientific and torturous, yet legal in nearly 180 countries," he said.

The semi-regular conference was put on hold while the world grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Its return this year has been a breath of fresh air for participants.

"Many LGBTQI activists work in conditions of extreme oppression, isolation and violence," said Jessica Stern, the US State Department's special envoy for LGBTQI human rights.

"And if you live and work like that, it takes a toll on your emotional well being."

Brian Wenke, of the Los Angeles-based "It Gets Better" education project, said the gathering came at an important time for queer youth in the United States.

"This year alone, over 300 bills in 36 (US) states were introduced, ranging from restrictive sports participation to 'don't say gay' bills, which are cleverly disguised as parental rights in education," he said.

These legislative efforts are an attempt to rob queer young people of "the experience that they need to grow and thrive and be fully functioning self-aware and competent adults."

The conference, whose participants could select from over 40 different gender identities on the registration form, is for Karadzhov an opportunity to "bust the myth that trans and gender diverse identities didn't exist before, that it's something new."

For the 28-year-old, previous generations faced similar crises and attacks.

"We need to really look at the common experiences and stories that we can connect with."

2022/5/3

© Agence France-Presse

'Doctor Strange' fans 'inspired' as America Chavez brings Latina and LGBTQ representation to the MCU

Kristina Garcia
Sat, May 7, 2022

Marvel executive Victoria Alonso, left, and America Chavez actor Xochitl Gomez, center, speak from the El Capitan stage at the premiere of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

With her witty humor, charm and fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence, the character of America Chavez in the latest "Doctor Strange" franchise film is already stealing hearts as an LGBTQ and Latinx addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Played by Xochitl Gomez, America tries to defeat an unexpected evil in the new Sam Raimi-directed “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” At the Thursday premiere at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, fans arrived dressed in Scarlet Witch crowns, magical cloaks, "WandaVision"-inspired cosplay and the occasional Spider-Man suit — but it was America who left the biggest impression.

“I feel empowered and inspired by characters like her," audience member Lance Parilla said, adding that he planned on watching the movie again the next day. "It's not just because of her heritage as a Latina, but also what she represents: She represents not just me, but my fellow LGBTQs.”

People gather outside the El Capitan Theater for the first screening of "Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness." (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Fans watch actor Xochitl Gomez, who plays America Chavez in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," introduce the film. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Fans tour an exhibit of costumes from the film before the first screening. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Many others apparently agree. "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" started the weekend with $90 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales by end of day Friday, according to studio estimates, plus $139.3 million internationally. The $90 million was enough to be the seventh biggest domestic opening day in history.

At the Thursday premiere, Gomez appeared on the El Capitan stage, as did Victoria Alonso, president of physical and post-production, visual effects and animation production at Marvel Studios.

“It’s been very well known [that] I don’t like superheroes,” Alonso said sarcastically to the audience. “But what I do love is what they mean to you.”

For Megan Hill, who came to watch as an early 13th birthday gift, a Latina who identifies with the LGBTQ community is the kind of representation she’s been searching for.

“She's a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and a lot of people are hating on her. But I'm a part of that, and I think that's amazing,” Megan said. “For her to be a main character, I think is just great. Because a lot of young girls will definitely look up to her. And I know it's something I've been missing my entire life. And I'm just happy now that I get it.”

Megan Hill, 12. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Saudi Arabia was among the countries that have banned the “Doctor Strange" sequel because of its queer character, and Gomez — whose multiverse-traveling teen sits at the center of the movie — has been harassed on social media.

In the face of that negativity, the premiere drew supporters including John Ramirez, who cosplayed as Doctor Strange and who at the start of the pandemic in 2020 used El Capitan’s marquee to propose to his now-wife.

“It's great that everybody gets representation, because I just think that that's how movies always should be. We should all be included,” Ramirez said. “I did hear about her scene with her parents and stuff on screen and how that was sort of an issue. … I'm glad that it was done really good justice.”

The USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative surveyed 1,300 top box office films from 2007 to 2019, analyzing the inclusion of Hispanic/Latino characters and persons on screen and behind the camera. In 2019, only 7% of films cast a Hispanic/Latino lead or co-lead actor. Across the 13-year span of the survey, the number dropped to 3.5%.

The character of America resists stereotypes — the spicy Latina, the gangster, the housekeeper. El Capitan moviegoers noted America’s authenticity and how her character came off as the typical kid who lives down the block.

Moviegoer Jessie Abarques. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

“I really actually believed she was just a kid off the street,” said moviegoer Jessie Abarques, who added that Gomez had "the whole aura down."

Jazmin Sedano, 18, arrived at the premiere head to toe in her Scarlet Witch costume, accompanied by her mother and her little brother, who dressed as Spider-Man — because Spider-Man was “the one who broke the multiverse,” after all.

Sedano pointed out how America switched languages throughout the film.

“Especially for Marvel, I love how they still put in Mexican culture, so she says some words in Spanish," Sedano said. "And it's like how when we get mad or a little bit anxious, we switch to Spanish. So I feel like that was really cool."

Jazmin Sedano, 18, said she liked the inclusion of some Spanish in the new movie. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Scarlet Witch cosplayer Karin Worley was drawn not just to America's personality, character and superpowers, but also to the parallels with the Marvel character of Wanda Maximoff.

“Wanda probably would be in a much different place if someone had actually taken the time to believe in her," Worley said. Every time someone loves Wanda, that person gets taken away, she said. "It's kind of just wild seeing the parallels between the two of them, because in a different world, they could have been each other.”

Moviegoer and cosplayer Karin Worley, 23, at the El Capitan Theatre on Thursday. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

RIP
Legendary comic book artist George Perez dies


George Perez, the legendary comic book artist known for helping to reshape the DC universe, has died. He was 67. Photo courtesy George Perez/Facebook


May 7 (UPI) -- George Perez, the legendary comic book artist known for helping to reshape the DC universe, has died. He was 67.

His death, which came after his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, was announced by Constance Eza, a friend of the comic artist who managed his social media accounts.

"Constance here, with the update no one wants to read. George passed away yesterday, peacefully at home with his wife of 490 months and family by his side. He was not in pain and knew he was very, very loved," Eza said.

"We are all very much grieving but, at the same time, we are so incredibly grateful for the joy he brought to our lives. To know George was to love him; and he loved back. Fiercely and with his whole heart. The world is a lot less vibrant today without him in it."

Eza said that Perez loved seeing drawings that his fans had sent him and "was deeply proud to have brought so much joy to so many."

"Everyone knows George's legacy as a creator. His art, characters and stories will be revered for years to come. But, as towering as that legacy is, it pales in comparison to the legacy of the man George was," Eza said.

"George's true legacy is his kindness. It's the love he had for bringing others joy -- and I hope you all carry that with you always."

It was "fitting" that Perez died just before Free Comic Book Day, Eza said, calling the day when comic book stores give a free comic book to fans "a day George absolutely loved."

A memorial service will be held for the public at MEGACON Orlando on May 22.

DC Comics paid tribute to the beloved artist in a message posted to Twitter and said that he "made everything look effortless."

"His contributions were pivotal in both driving and reinventing DC's long and rich history. George's stories were a joy to read, and his work resonated with everyone he met," the company said. "He will be missed by those here at DC and fans worldwide."

Perez had written a lengthy letter to fans in December revealing that he had Stage 3 pancreatic cancer.

"It is surgically inoperable and my estimated life expectancy is between 6 months to a year," Perez said at the time.

The artist said he had been given the option of undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy but had decided not to undergo the treatments.

"I've opted to just let nature take its course and I will enjoy whatever time I have left as fully as possible with my beautiful wife of over 40 years, my family, friends and my fans," he wrote.

Before his death, the artist arranged with an agent to refund money paid for sketches he was unable to finish because of his diagnosis.

Perez was born in the South Bronx in New York City in June 1954 and got his start as a studio assistant at Marvel in his teens.

He published his first comic book work in 1974 and began drawing for Marvel's Avengers in 1975 before working on the Fantastic Four series.

His first collaboration with writer Marv Wolfman came while working on a Fantastic Four Annual published in 1979.

In 1980, Perez began working for Marvel rival DC Comics and is credited with launching the New Teen Titans series with Wolfman. Together, the pair created characters including Cyborg, Raven and Starfire.

Perez and Wolfman then together worked on DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths -- a series which massively restructured the publisher's multiverse and killed off a host of major characters.

He then played a key role in the 1987 reboot of Wonder Woman, which tied the character more closely to Greek mythology.

His work on the Wonder Woman character was credited as an influence for the success of the 2017 film starring Gal Gadot by the director of the blockbuster.

In the 1990s, Perez briefly worked on the six-issue Infinity Gauntlet series for Marvel Comics, which was one of the series adapted into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, before returning to the Avengers.

In his career, Perez also worked on several other high-profile properties for Marvel and DC Comics including the characters of Superman and the Green Arrow.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Ncuti Gatwa named first Black actor to take on leading 'Doctor Who' role


Ncuti Gatwa made his name in the hit Netflix series 'Sex Education'

 (AFP/CHRISTIAN MANG) 

Sun, May 8, 2022,

British actor Ncuti Gatwa, known for his role in popular series "Sex Education" will be the first Black actor to play the leading role in the cult BBC science fiction series, "Doctor Who", the channel announced Sunday.

The Rwandan-born Scottish actor, 29, will become the 14th incarnation of the Time Lord from 2023 as the series celebrates its 60th anniversary.

He takes over from British actress Jodie Whittaker, who was the first woman to play character known as "The Doctor" in the show.

"It feels really amazing. It's a true honour. This role is an institution and it's so iconic," Gatwa told BBC News.

"I feel very grateful to have had the baton handed over and I'm going to try to do my best," he added.

The adventures of the doctor -- a time travelling, humanoid alien who traverses the universe -- have maintained a loyal following since they were first aired in 1963.

Gatwa will work alongside screenwriter and producer Russell T Davies, creator of the series "It's a Sin", hugely popular in the UK.

It is a return for Davies, who stepped down as executive producer of the show in 2008 after he relaunched the series in 2005.

Whittaker took on the role in 2017 from Scottish actor Peter Capaldi, best known for playing a foul-mouthed spin doctor in the BBC satire "The Thick Of It".

She announced she would leave the role in July 2021.

mpa/raz/jj

Warhol Monroe portrait set to smash records at New York sales

2022/5/6 
© Agence France-Presse

A journalist takes photos during a press preview March 21, 2022 in New York

New York (AFP) - An Andy Warhol portrait of Marilyn Monroe worth an estimated $200 million headlines this month's spring sales in New York that collectors say are among the most anticipated ever.

Christie's expects Warhol's 1964 "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" to become the priciest 20th century artwork when the auction house puts it under the hammer on Monday.

Not to be outdone, competitor Sotheby's is offering $1 billion of modern and contemporary art including the second helping of the famed Macklowe Collection, during its marquee week in May.

"The excitement is certainly unprecedented," Joan Robledo-Palop, a collector and CEO of Zeit Contemporary Art in New York City, told AFP, about the buzz surrounding this season's auctions.

The 40 inch (100 centimeter) by 40 inch silk-screen Warhol is part of a series of portraits the pop artist made of Monroe following her death from a drug overdose in August 1962.

They became known as the "Shot" series after a visitor to Warhol's "Factory" studio in Manhattan fired a gun at them, piercing the portraits which were later repaired.

Alex Rotter, head of 20th and 21st century art at Christie's, has called the portrait "the most significant 20th century painting to come to auction in a generation."

The current most expensive 20th century auctioned work is Picasso's "Women of Algiers," which fetched $179.4 million in 2015.

The auction record for a Warhol is the $104.5 million paid for "Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)" in 2013.

Other highlights offered by Christie's include Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Derelict" (1982), expected to go for more than $30 million, and "Untitled (Shades of Red)" by Mark Rothko, tipped to fetch up to $80 million.

The auction house is also offering three Claude Monet oil on canvases that are predicted to sell for upwards of $30 million each.

- Rothko, Picasso, Richter -

"Every couple of decades you have a sale where the quality is so high that you don't see all of this at once normally. This season really grew into one of those unique moments," Rotter told AFP.

After selling the first batch of works from the Macklowe Collection -- the most expensive to hit the market at $600 million -- last fall, Sotheby's will auction the remaining 30 items when its sales open on May 16.

Highlights include Gerhard Richter's 1975 "Seascape," estimated at up to $35 million, and Rothko's "Untitled" from 1960 that has a high-end pre-sale estimate of $50 million.

Sotheby's said its modern evening auction of 19th and 20th century works, including by Pablo Picasso and Philip Guston, is its "most valuable" in the category in 15 years.

Picasso's "Femme nue couchée" is appearing at auction for the first time, and Sotheby's expects it to fetch more than $60 million. Other highlights include a Monet view of Venice tipped to fetch $50 million.

Brooke Lampley, head of sales for global fine art at Sotheby's, said she expects records to be broken across categories.

"The art market is very strong. That's why we see such an amazing array of works on offer this season," she told AFP.

Companies envision taxis flying above jammed traffic

2022/5/7
© Agence France-Presse

Companies such as Archer Aviation, whose eVTOL aircraft is seen here, are working on electric-powered aircraft that take off and land vertically like helicopters

San Francisco (AFP) - As urban traffic gets more miserable, entrepreneurs are looking to a future in which commuters hop into "air taxis" that whisk them over clogged roads.

Companies such as Archer, Joby and Wisk are working on electric-powered aircraft that take off and land vertically like helicopters then propel forward like planes.

"'The Jetsons' is definitely a reference that people make a lot when trying to contextualize what we are doing," Archer Vice President Louise Bristow told AFP, referring to a 1960s animated comedy about a family living in a high-tech future.

"The easiest way to think about it is a flying car, but that's not what we're doing."

What Archer envisions is an age of aerial ride-sharing, an "Uber or Lyft of the skies," Bristow said.

Neighborhood parking garage rooftops or shopping mall lots could serve as departure or arrival pads for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Commuters would make it the rest of the way however they wish, even synching trips with car rideshare services such as Uber which owns a stake in Santa Cruz, California-based Joby.

Joby executives said on a recent earnings call that its first production model aircraft should be in the skies later this year.

That comes despite a Joby prototype crashing early this year while being tested at speeds and altitudes far greater than it would have to handle as part of an air taxi fleet.

Joby has declined to discuss details of the remotely piloted aircraft's crash, which occurred in an uninhabited area, saying it is waiting for US aviation regulators to finish an investigation.

"We were at the end of the flight test expansion campaign at test points well above what we expect to see in normal operations," Joby executive chairman Paul Sciarra told analysts.

"I'm really excited about where we are right now; we have demonstrated the full performance of our aircraft."

Its eVTOL aircraft have a maximum range of 150 miles (241 kilometers), a top speed of 200 miles per hour and a "low noise profile" to avoid an annoying din, the company said.

Joby has announced partnerships with SK Telecom and the TMAP mobility platform in South Korea to provide emissions-free aerial ridesharing.

"By cooperating with Joby, TMAP will become a platform operator that can offer a seamless transportation service between the ground and the sky," TMAP chief executive Lee Jong Ho said in a release.

Joby has also announced a partnership with Japanese airline ANA to launch air taxi service in Japan.

And Toyota has additionally joined the alliance, with an aim to explore adding ground transportation to such a service there, Joby said.
Rethinking required

Hurdles on the path include establishing infrastructure and adapting attitudes to make air taxis a part of everyday life.

"For mass adoption, people need to have a mindset change," Bristow said.

"Getting people to want to travel in a different way will take some rethinking."

The need for the change, though, is clear, she reasoned.

Roads are congested with traffic that wastes time, frays nerves and spews pollution.

"There is nowhere else for traffic to go," Bristow said.

"You have to go up."

Miami and Los Angeles are already exploring the potential of aerial ridesharing, and Archer is hoping to have a small air taxi service operating in at least one of those cities by the end of 2024.

"It's a monumental task that we're taking on," Bristow said.

"It's going to take a while before the infrastructure supports the mass expansion of what we're trying to do."

Archer last month announced that it teamed with United Airlines to create an eVTOL advisory committee.

The US airline has pre-ordered 200 Archer aircraft with an eye toward using them for "last-mile" transportation from airports, Bristow told AFP.

"Imagine flying from London to Newark, New Jersey, then getting in an Archer and being deposited somewhere in Manhattan," Bristow said.
More time for life

Silicon Valley startup Xwing specializes in making standard aircraft capable of flying safely without pilots, with an aim of turning commuting by air into a cheaper and more efficient way to travel.

"We're strong believers here that the industry is going through a pretty dramatic transformation," Xwing chief and founder Marc Piette told AFP.

"In a few years you'll start seeing taxi networks of electric aircrafts regionally or on long hauls and it's going to be quite a different landscape."

Thousands of regional airports used mostly for recreation could become part of aerial commute networks, air mobility consultant Scott Drennan told AFP.

To Drennan, the primary reason for taking to the skies is to "give people back their time."