'I'm outraged': Thousands support abortion rights protests across the US

MAY 15, 2022 

 

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Thousands of abortion rights supporters are protesting across the United States today, starting what organisers said would be "a summer of rage" if the US Supreme Court overturns the Roe vs Wade case that legalised abortion nationwide.

Abortion rights activists march on Constitution Avenue to the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, today. Photo: Supplied/ AFP - Jose Luis Magana

Here are some voices from the rallies in New York, Washington DC, Atlanta and Los Angeles:

Gabriela Fraga, 35, held a "pregnant by choice" sign at New York's rally. Fraga, who was born and raised in a Catholic family in Peru, is 32 weeks pregnant and said she has always been very pro-choice.

"I believe in the fundamental right of all people who are able of bearing children to make decisions. That belief has only further solidified going through pregnancy myself," she said.

"I only became pregnant when I became pregnant because I had the conditions - material, emotional, psychological - to allow for a good life for this child that I'm very excited to have."

Jillian Larussa, 27, said the right to abortion should be made into law, rather than resting on the legal precedent set by the decision in the 1973 Roe vs Wade case: "because this is healthcare."

"This isn't the end," she said as she marched over the Brooklyn Bridge. "This is gonna happen for gay marriage, it's gonna happen for contraceptives, so it's important we hit the streets and we fight against it before we lose rights."

What you need to know: Why US abortion laws could be changed by Supreme Court ruling

Elizabeth Leek, a 75-year-old massage therapist, was holding a sign that read "Grandma says respect women's choices" and wearing a flower crown at the "Bans Off Our Bodies" rally in front of the Washington Monument.

Leek said she almost died from an unsafe abortion when she was 18, before Roe vs Wade. Now she feels "outrage" and is scared for her six grandchildren. She said she is fighting for them to have healthcare and bodily autonomy.

"It breaks my heart," she said of the court's draft opinion. But she still felt buoyed by the crowd of people, old and young, who were out to protest on Saturday.

"It's momentum," she said.

Brita Van Rossum, a 62-year-old landscape designer, had come to the Washington DC protest from her home in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

She said it was her first time protesting specifically for abortion rights.

"I'm outraged," she said. "If you can't choose whether you want to have a baby, if that's not a fundamental right, then I don't know what is."

Patricia Fulton, a 52-year-old graphic designer from the Atlanta suburb of Roswell, said, "I am angry and I'm going to stay angry."

Fulton, who was at the rally across from Georgia's statehouse, said the US Democratic Party needed to be stronger if Roe vs Wade were to be defended.

"There's public outrage, but we need more leadership from those who can do something," Fulton said.

Malcolm DeCesare, 34, an intensive care nurse from New York who was at the rally across from Los Angeles' City Hall, said that, as a healthcare worker, "I understand and believe very strongly that we are only ever able to ban safe abortions.

"By banning abortion, or even proposing to ban abortion, we are relegating a whole population of women to the Dark Ages - we are putting them at great risk," he said.

Shannon Flaherty, a 52-year-old who was studying nursing after years as a homemaker, was attending the Los Angeles protest with her 16-year-old daughter Piper and two of her daughter's friends.

She said she and her own mother "have lived with men making decisions for our bodies and our lives for a long, long time and it's got to end.'"

Piper said the draft decision was a sign that history was moving in reverse.

"It just makes me really angry that people want to control this, especially when there are so many other things that people could be doing to save people's lives like overturning the death penalty or providing free healthcare," she said.

-Reuters

Workers and Labor Groups Stand Up for Abortion Rights

Workers turned out for abortion rights across the country on a national day of action. We need a large, organized labor movement in support of the fight for reproductive justice.

Left Voice May 14, 2022

Image: Luigi Morris

Today, workers and unions across the country turned out for a national day of action in support of abortion. Representing UFT, HCT, Starbucks Workers United, RWDSU, NYSNA, and others, workers marched in protests across the country carrying signs of reproductive rights and cross-industry solidarity.

We need a large, mass movement of the working class to rise up for the right to free, safe abortion on the demand. These groups of organized workers are just the beginning.

Israel's assassination of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was not the first, nor will it be the last

May 13, 2022 

Palestinians in Gaza condemn Israel’s targeting is Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on 10 May 2022 [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]


Dr Adnan Abu Amer
AdnanAbuAmer2
May 13, 2022

Israeli occupation's assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian journalist working at Al-Jazeera News Channel, was not spontaneous or arbitrary, or an exception to the norms. This assassination is a rather deliberate and approved approach since the beginning of the conflict. The occupation has always regarded the camera, pen, notebook and microphone all to be hostile weapons that must be targeted as they are no less dangerous than guns, bombs and bullets.

Since the outbreak of the first Palestinian popular uprising, the occupation has sought to impose a media blackout. It reduced the importance of the confrontations, gave misleading information about the number of martyrs and tried to keep such news away from the front pages of newspapers and news bulletins.

Later, the tactics of the Israeli occupation changed, and it started portraying confrontations with the Palestinians as if they were armed clashes between the two sides. It has done so to justify the violent, indiscriminate bombing of residential neighbourhoods. Soon, these mass demonstrations became a rich substance for Israeli distortion, so Israel worked to rewrite the events through teams that can manipulate minds and feelings, isolate the Palestinian uprising, and confine it to the framework of Palestinian "violence" directed against the Israelis.

WATCH: Israel police attack mourners at Abu Akleh's funeral procession in East Jerusalem

The Israeli occupation, its propaganda and its diplomatic officials started describing the uprisings and confrontations through false assumptions, paving the way for Israeli soldiers to target everything that is Palestinian, including journalists and media workers, as in what happened with the martyr, Shireen Abu Akleh.

With these false claims that Palestinians are the aggressors and Israelis are being attacked, and that Palestinians have started the confrontations so the Israeli soldiers are defending themselves, Israel has been claiming that all the crimes committed by the army are a reaction to Palestinian "violence". This, however, is far from the truth and objectivity, and is an attempt to justify the occupation's actions and acquitting it. For example, Israeli correspondents often accused the Friday sermon at Al-Aqsa Mosque to include inciting phrases that helped inflame the emotions of the worshippers, while overlooking the provocative scenes of Israeli soldiers armed with heavy weapons, searching the worshippers in a humiliating manner!



Israel shoots dead Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, during invasion of Jenin – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]

At the same time, the Israeli military censorship is an important link in the chain of tightening its grip on everything that is reported in the coverage of Palestinian events, with one aim in mind – which is not to condemn or indict the occupation, even if it commits a clear crime in broad daylight, and in the presence of witnesses, as in the case of martyr, Shireen Abu Akleh. This censorship dictates specific positions with regard to security issues and, despite the great development that the Israeli media has witnessed in daily discussions and political affairs, the security side still controls it, imposing itself strongly on it, citing security interests as the reason.

As an essential part of the censorship process, the Israeli occupation uses a number of selective terms in semantics and expression, including: "Judea and Samaria", instead of the occupied West Bank; "saboteurs and terrorists" to refer to guerrillas; "Palestinians" instead of the Palestinian people; "preventive operations" instead of incursions; "engineering works" instead of bulldozing agricultural land; "security steps" instead of revenge and punishment and "local thwarting operations" instead of assassinating Palestinians.

These terms contribute to the promotion of the theatrical play prepared by the army. Although the army is the one which commits the crimes, through this vocabulary it produces a play that hides details of its crimes, and the media volunteers to promote this farce.

At the same time, Palestinian journalists have been subject to a large share of Israeli incitement against them, by persecuting them and preventing them from fulfilling their professional role as part of the confrontation waged by the occupation against the Palestinians. Therefore, the Israeli occupation plays a flagrant incitement role against journalists, which confirms that the Israeli killer tries to justify his crimes by slandering the victims and accusing them of being the cause of a crime they deserve! This reminds us of the famous saying of Golda Meir when she said: "I will not forgive the Palestinians because they force our soldiers to kill them." This is like Israeli accusations of martyr, Shireen, of going to a sensitive security area of ​​Jenin camp!

READ: Israel lacks credibility to probe journalist's death

There are several methods adopted by the Israeli occupation to promote lies against journalists. These include questioning whether Palestinians were killed at the hands of soldiers and settlers, fabricating lies about the circumstances of their martyrdom, and fabricating a false balance between the occupier and the people under occupation, between the killer and the ones killed; between two opposites that do not meet.

At the same time, the Israeli occupation has always targeted the media and the press, which play a professional role in covering the events of the conflict. It has adopted several methods to promote the official position, by omitting the Palestinian narrative, by not bringing Palestinian speakers on talk shows but, rather, Israelis talking to each other and accusing Palestinians who have no one defending them. Meanwhile, Arab media, including Al-Jazeera, continues to host Israeli speakers, claiming to allow space for all diverse points of view.

All information covering events and news reports is provided by official government and military sources, without any reporting on the suffering of the Palestinian people, in a clear direction to keep Palestinians completely isolated from the world. Even when talking about Palestinian victims, they are viewed as numbers. The Israeli broadcast outlets, audio, visual and print, report the number of dead and wounded, all of whom were shot by the army, without mentioning their names, ages, places of residence, or the circumstances of their martyrdom.

READ: We must protect the truth after Abu Akleh's murder

What is more dangerous than all the above is that the Israeli occupation has practiced a strange propaganda policy since the start of the conflict with the Palestinians, based on blaming their victims. To the Israeli occupation, they did not die because the Israeli army killed them but, rather, because their bodies "faced" the bullets, as stated by one of the Israeli journalists. This means that the occupation does not care about the killing of Palestinian victims, but rather the energy it takes an Israeli soldier to kill them. Thus, he does not look at the lifeless corpse, but at how much energy it took to kill this victim!

Immediately after the martyrdom of Shireen Abu Akleh, various Israeli comments came out justifying her killing, claiming that there is no such thing as a "clean war". Therefore, Israel should not regret the unintended injury to Palestinian civilians, including journalists, in the context of its war against the resistance.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

Brazil university awards PhD for thesis on Palestinian women

May 14, 2022 

Soraya Musleh, a Brazilian researcher of Palestinian origin, obtained a PhD in Arab Studies from the University of Sao Paulo (USP)

May 14, 2022 

Soraya Musleh, a Brazilian researcher of Palestinian origin, obtained a PhD in Arab Studies from the University of Sao Paulo (USP), with a recommendation to publish. The researcher's thesis was titled "The History of Palestinian Women: From Salons to the Beginnings of Resistance Literature".

The paper, presented in Portuguese, discussed the story of Palestinian women from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1960s, a period that included the main events that changed the reality in Palestine, during which the heroic and historical Palestinian resistance manifested.

The doctoral thesis, discussed last Wednesday, also focused on the lives and work of Palestinian pioneers in literature, arts and politics, such as May Ziada, Karima Abboud, Kulthum Odeh, Asma Toubi, Sathej Nassar, Hind Al-Husseini, Samira Azzam, Najwa Kawar and Fadwa Toukan.

Musleh said: "Palestinian women have never been silent and will continue the historical and heroic resistance, such as Shireen Abu Akleh, who was cowardly assassinated by the Zionists. She joined the group of journalists who were targeted by the occupation forces in cold blood, and we will not stop demanding justice for her, because it is justice for us all."

In an interview with Quds Press, Musleh said that she: "Sought through her paper to narrate an important aspect of Palestinian women's history to dismantle the stereotype prevailing in the world that Arab women in general, and Palestinian women in particular, are submissive and are not a part of the public space. Therefore, I wanted my paper to tell a more complete and realistic story about the women of Palestine."

Musleh spoke about the challenges she faced while preparing her thesis: "It was not easy to find translated materials into English and Spanish about Palestinian women, and even in Arabic. Not enough on the matter was available because of the references and documents that were lost due to the Nakba."

Musleh explained: "In my master's degree, I prepared a study on my father's village, from which he was displaced, which is Qaqun northwest of Tulkarm, and later developed it into a book in Portuguese on the Palestinian Nakba in two parts. It included the testimonies of some survivors from the town, including my father."

She emphasised: "The Palestinian women in the literature of the resistance are inseparable from their struggle against the Nakba. Even female writers worked directly in the resistance movements."

Musleh was born in Sao Paulo and graduated from the Faculty of Journalism. She then obtained a master's degree in Arabic studies from the University of Sao Paulo. She is a member of the Brazilian Press Syndicate, a member of the Coordination Committee of the Front in Defence of the Palestinian People and an activist in the Brazil-based Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

KRAZY CHRISTIANS 

Trump Allies Warn of 'Demonic Territory,' 'Satanic Portal' Over Biden WH

BY JASON LEMON ON 5/14/22 AT 5:06 PM EDT

Prominent allies of former President Donald Trump warned of a "demonic territory" over the country and a "Satanic portal" over the White House as they spoke at a weekend conference.

The ReAwaken America Tour held what it described as a "sold out" event in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Friday and Saturday. Speakers at the far-right event included Pastor Mark Burns, right-wing strategist Roger Stone, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, the former president's son Eric Trump and retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.

Burns, a staunch Trump supporter and GOP House candidate for South Carolina's 4th district, took aim at the LGBTQ community, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and leading Democrats in Congress as he spoke on Saturday. Notably, despite his unwavering support of the former president, Trump recently endorsed his incumbent opponent, Representative William Timmons, in South Carolina's GOP primary.


"The Bible say that 'we fight not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against rulers in high places.' Satan is bigger than Lindsey Graham," Burns said, drawing audible agreement from the audience. Graham represents South Carolina.



"You wanna get rid of Lindsey Graham?" the pastor asked. "Then get rid of the demonic territory that's over the land. Y'all not talking back to me. I can't get no help in here," he added, drawing applause and some cheers from the large crowd.

Graham was widely viewed as a Trump ally during the former president's tenure in the White House. However, the GOP senator has received some backlash from Trump since he left office.

"I mean, Lindsey's a nice guy, but he's a RINO," Trump told Newsmax in February. RINO is an acronym signifying "Republican in name only."

Speaking on Friday night, Stone, who received a pardon from Trump in December 2020, talked about Satan as well.

"There is a Satanic portal above the White House, you can see it day and night," the Trump ally claimed. "It exists. It is real. And it must be closed. And it will be closed by prayer," he added, drawing claps and cheers. Stone went on to claim that this "portal" first appeared after President Joe Biden "became president, and it will be closed before he leaves."


Flynn described the U.S. as having a "biblical destiny" at the event. The retired general referenced the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible, explaining that the author talked about a "city on a hill." He then referenced former President Ronald Reagan, saying "he said it's a shining city on a hill." Flynn contended that the U.S. was built on "a set of Judeo-Christian principles."

Burns, who Flynn previously endorsed, also proudly declared in his remarks that he calls LGBTQ people "queer" and asserted that gay marriage is "illegal," citing the Bible. He also said that he would go to Congress and "declare the word of God right to Nancy Pelosi's face, right to AOC's face." AOC is an acronym for the name of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive New York Democrat.

Pastor Mark Burns and right-wing strategist Roger Stone spoke about Satan at the ReAwaken America Tour event in South Carolina this week. Above, Burns and Stone participate in a rally supporting former President Donald Trump on January 5, 2021 in Washington, DC.SAMUEL CORUM/GETTY IMAGES

ReAwaken America has held regular events across the country in recent months. Since mid-April, the tour featuring Trump allies, right-wing commentators and GOP candidates has visited Oklahoma, Florida, California, Michigan, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Ohio and Oregon. It also has upcoming events scheduled in Virginia and New York. The events combine conservative Christian religious ideals with generally pro-Trump and anti-Biden rhetoric, rallying attendees to fight back against Democrat control in the nation's Capitol.

Burns regularly combines religious themes with his political remarks. At a February ReAwaken America event in Ohio, he said that God would "raise up armies" to help conservatives "shut down" Democratic-led America.

"Are you ready to fight with me? Shout yeah!" the pastor yelled during his remarks. "Are you ready to stand with me? Shout yeah!"

Clarence Thomas Remarks on Roe v. Wade Leak Renew Focus on Jan. 6 Ties

BY ANDREW STANTON 

ON 5/14/22 

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' remarks about the court's leaked draft opinion regarding Roe v. Wade on Friday has renewed focus on his ties on the efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Thomas, speaking at a conservative conference in Dallas, condemned the leaked opinion that would ultimately overturn the court's ruling on the landmark decision that has guaranteed abortion-rights to women across the country since 1973.

Should the Supreme Court overturn its decision, it would immediately upend abortion-rights for millions by allowing states to make their own laws regarding reproductive rights. Several Republican-led states already have laws in place that would ban abortion almost immediately if the decision is overturned.

Thomas, who warned that the leak represents a breach of trust in the nation's highest court, joined justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett in the majority opinion.

"When you lose that trust, especially in the institution that I'm in, it changes the institution fundamentally. You begin to look over your shoulder. It's like kind of an infidelity that you can explain it, but you can't undo it," he said, the Associated Press reported.

Politicians and pundits, however, quickly hit back against his remarks, pointing out how the ties he and his wife Ginni Thomas have to the U.S. Capitol riot that occurred last year have also eroded trust in the Supreme Court.

Earlier reports uncovered that Ginni Thomas showed support for overturning the results of 2020 election in text messages to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows—an effort pushed by former President Donald Trump and his allies, alleging widespread voter fraud that is yet to be proven. She allegedly encouraged him to "Help This Great President stand firm Mark!!!"

In light of the text messages, the justice faced criticism for being the only one to vote in favor of Trump in a case he aimed to block investigators from getting access to documents related to these efforts.

"Justice Thomas's wife participated in an insurrection to overthrow the government and he's lecturing others about institutional distrust?" tweeted Congressman Bill Pascrell, a New Jersey Democrat.



"Justice Thomas's wife helping promote the Big Lie and incite an insurrection against Democracy has done irreparable damage to the Supreme Court, and it has destroyed the trust of the American people," wrote political commentator Ana Navarro-Cárdenas

"Nobody has destroyed the "trust" in the Supreme Court more than Clarence Thomas, who refused to refuse in a case involving his own wife. The shadow docket is a close second," attorney Daniel Goldman, who served as lead counsel in Trump's first impeachment, wrote.

"Clarence Thomas doesn't have to look over his shoulder. He can just look at Ginni and see how compromised the institution has become," wrote MSNBC host Katie Phang.

Missouri Bill Bars Pharmacists From Questioning Ivermectin Prescriptions

BY THOMAS KIKA ON 5/14/22 

A bill coming out of the Missouri state legislature would bar pharmacists from questioning and potentially preventing ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine prescriptions.

The measure that would put this rule into effect was included in HB 2149, a bill that broadly concerns professional licensing. The bill passed the Missouri state House by an overwhelming majority on Thursday, 130-4, according to The Kansas City Star. It will now be sent to the desk of Republican Governor Mike Parson to potentially be signed into law.

As worded, the bill would bar pharmacists in the state from contacting patients or doctors "to dispute the efficacy of ivermectin tablets or hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets for human use." The measure also prevents doctors who "lawfully" prescribe either of the drugs from being stripped of their professional licenses or otherwise punished.

Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine rose to prominence during the pandemic as potential treatments for COVID-19 and gained significant popularity among anti-vaccination advocates. Neither drug has been approved by the FDA to treat COVID and several accredited studies have indicated that the drugs can be harmful to patients in certain cases. A recent study also found that ivermectin in particular is no more effective against the virus than a placebo.

Above, a representational image of a vial of ivermectin.

LUIS ROBAYO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

The measure was added to HB 2149 by Senator Rick Brattin, a Republican state lawmaker from Harrisonville, Missouri. Brattin, who admitted to buying ivermectin for himself in the past, said he had heard concerns from numerous doctors about the potential for losing their licenses over prescribing the drugs.


"Unfortunately, because of the politicization of those two drugs, [doctors are] being targeted," Brattin explained to The Kansas City Star. "I wanted to protect them from that."

The measure has also drawn heavy criticism, especially from Democrats.

"...The Missouri legislature has chosen to 'own the libs' by issuing a gag order against every pharmacist in this state from offering their medical opinion on taking either one of those medications—even if it could kill their patient," Lindsey Simmons, a former U.S. House candidate and Democrat, tweeted Thursday. "Pharmacists can be disciplined for informing the patient of the medication's risks, but not for simply handing it over. And for an authoritarian government that purports to be 'pro life' and for 'free speech,' they've put forward a law that prohibits one + could end the other.

Representative Patty Lewis, a Democratic state lawmaker and member of the committee that crafted the bill, explained to the Star that the measure was added in order to appease far-right elements in the state's Senate.

Ivermectin is traditionally prescribed as anti-parasitic for patients dealing with things like worms, and can also be useful against head lice and for skin conditions like rosacea. Hydroxychloroquine is typically used to treat malaria, and has also found use against conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Newsweek reached out to the office of Governor Parson for comment.

Major US baby formula producer agrees with regulators on restarting production

AFP
May 16, 2022

Abbott warned that it will take six to eight weeks to get baby formula back on the shelves even afer it resumes production at its facility in Sturgis, Michigan

Abbott warned that it will take six to eight weeks to get baby formula back on the shelves even afer it resumes production at its facility in Sturgis, Michigan

Washington (AFP) - Amid a US shortage of baby formula, officials announced Monday a previously closed manufacturer would re-open and encouraged foreign companies to apply to import their products -- although it will take weeks to see more stock back on store shelves.

A "consent decree" agreement between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and major formula manufacturer Abbott outlines steps needed to restart production at the company's plant in Michigan, which was shut down due to a recall, Abbott said in a statement.

"Once the FDA confirms the initial requirements for start-up have been met, Abbott could restart the site within two weeks," the statement said.

However, the company cautioned that "from the time Abbott restarts the site, it will take six to eight weeks before product is available on shelves."

Abbott, which produces the popular Similac brand used by millions of American families, announced a voluntary recall on February 17 after the death of two babies.

In a separate move, the FDA also said Monday it plans to accept applications from international baby formula manufacturers "who don't normally distribute their infant formula products in the US," FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement.

Currently, the United States produces about 98 percent of the formula it consumes.
Import applications

The FDA plans to work to quickly review such applications, especially ones that come from "countries that have health and safety inspection systems similar" to the United States, according to a senior White House official.

The process would also prioritize applications showing "clear quality and safety and nutritional adequacy," a different senior administration official added.

According to Califf, foreign-made baby formula could appear on US shelves within "weeks."

The Biden administration was also reaching out to US manufacturers to offer help with logistical challenges, such as shipping, the officials said.

US families have grown increasingly desperate for formula amid a perfect storm of supply chain issues and the massive recall.

The average out-of-stock rate for baby formula hit 43 percent earlier this month, according to Datasembly, which collected information from more than 11,000 retailers.

Abbott's agreement with the FDA to restart production at the plant in Sturgis, Michigan also needs to be reviewed by a federal court after the Justice Department filed a complaint on Monday.

The complaint says the facility "failed to comply with regulations designed to ensure the quality and safety of infant formula, including protection against the risk of contamination from bacteria."

"The actions we are announcing today will help to safely increase the supply of baby formula for families," US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Robert Ford, chairman and chief executive officer of Abbott said he regretted the situation and that the company already had begun "working to implement improvements and take corrective action."

"We know millions of parents and caregivers depend on us and we're deeply sorry that our voluntary recall worsened the nationwide formula shortage," he said in the statement.

The FDA and White House officials reiterated Monday that parents who are concerned about running out of baby formula should talk to their child's doctor, and that it is not safe to water down existing formula or to make your own at home.

The scarcity is the latest crisis to confound President Joe Biden's push to get the US economy on sound footing amid the highest inflation in four decades and the ongoing global supply chain bottlenecks.

Power outage: Could a solar storm switch off the world's technology?

DPA
May 16, 2022

The Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, at Selfoss in southern Iceland. Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind, the stream of particles and plasma emanating from the sun. Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/dpa

The Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, at Selfoss in southern Iceland. Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind, the stream of particles and plasma emanating from the sun. Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/dpa

Solar storms make for wonderful light shows as auroras zipping through the heavens but they can also bring about a state of emergency.

The phenomenon doesn't present any danger to the Earth as a planet, but could well harm humans who are increasingly dependent on technology.

During a solar storm, or disturbance on the sun, high-energy particles and a massive plasma cloud can emanate outwards across the heliosphere towards the planets, potentially massively disrupting infrastructure on and around Earth.

Space company SpaceX felt the painful effects of such space weather recently, when a solar storm knocked out 40 of its satellites.

Solar storms mostly occur from giant explosions of plasma known as coronal mass ejections, and solar flares from active regions - and we are likely to see more of them in the coming years. The sun has a roughly 11-year cycle and its activity has been increasing again since 2019, with forecasts suggesting a peak in 2024 to 2026.

The violent particle and radiation bursts during phases of high activity are likely to have increasingly severe consequences on Earth, given our growing reliance on technology.

Solar storms hurl high-energy particles and billions of tons of plasma into space, which can swiftly come rocketing towards the Earth, some 150 million kilometres away.

Although the Earth is protected by its magnetic field and atmosphere, such storms can cause massive damage, wrecking satellites and power grids and causing the collapse of communication and navigation systems.

"It is possible at any time for a very extreme solar storm to occur, and it could have far-reaching consequences," says European Space Agency (ESA)'s space weather mission coordinator in Germany, Melanie Heil.

Space travellers use the site's satellite control centre to monitor solar storms. While Heil says it isn't "super likely" that all of the satellites will break down, some could be affected.

What's needed on Earth is a timely warning, in order to protect the power grids. Turning down capacities in generators and transformers might protect them from damage. However, a major event could be tough to predict. "The latest calculations say we can expect about a 10% probability of an extreme space weather event in the next 10 years," says Heil.

Any warning time is likely to be brief as solar particles shoot through the vastness of the solar system at a speed that is hard to imagine. "If we weren't able to observe something like this, we would be vulnerable at any time," Heil says. Certain observation points already provide data but work is still under way to expand capacities to create more reliable predictions.

Scientists hope that ESA's Vigil probe will allow them a much better look at solar storms. "Because of its location in space, the Vigil mission will be able to take a sharp look at potentially dangerous solar activity," says ESA mission chief Giuseppe Mandorlo. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2027 and, unlike in the past, is able to take a sideways look at the sun and track the storms, says Heil.

ESA was surprised at the damage suffered by billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX. "It wasn't actually a particularly strong solar storm, which is why no official warning was sent out," says Heil.

The SpaceX satellites were in the wrong place at the wrong time, she says. When it hit, the storm compressed the atmosphere so much that the orbiters were unable to reach their target point 300 kilometres higher up and burned up in the atmosphere.

SpaceX wants to use satellites to set up its Starlink system to provide high-speed internet connections.

The private space company is doing a "good job" with Starlink, says the US space agency NASA. Both NASA and US weather agency NOAA are currently working with SpaceX to further improve Starlink operations.

NASA is also working to better understand weather events in space, as everyone is wondering how severe the current solar cycle will be.

It is a question with no answer so far. Solar Cycle Prediction Panel (SCPP) suggested its maximum would be pretty muted, similar to the previous cycle, in a 2020 forecast. However, that prediction was countered by a team led by Scott McIntosh of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. His researchers say the maximum is likely to be strong, with many solar storms.

How Archaeologists Recreated a Lost Norwegian Village

2022/5/14
© InsideHook


By Tobias Carroll

Countless human settlements all over the world are lost to time and the elements. That can be a challenge for the archaeologists tasked with exploring the ways people lived in the past in these locations; it’s much easier to visualize how a specific place worked when one can walk around what remains of it, after all. All of this helps to explain why a new initiative around the town of Borgund, Norway is so exciting — and holds so much promise.

The Borgund Kaupang Project, begun in 2019, focuses on learning more about one of a handful of Norwegian towns to exist in medieval times. As the Project’s website notes, there have been a number of excavations of the town over the years, but “little research has been carried out on the extensive datasets available.” At least, not until now.

An article at Atlas Obscura documents the processes taken by the archaeologists involved in revisiting Borgund. As Gitten Hansen, one of the archaeologists working on the project, told Atlas Obscura, excavations began in 1953. “We’re talking about the largest excavation of a medieval site in Norway outside of the still existing towns,” Hansen said — all of which suggests there’s a lot for scientists and historians to revisit.

The excavations continued for decades, with most of what was found left in the care of the University Museum of Bergen. Using these items, archaeologists have done everything from restoring textiles found in the digs to speculating about the role of shipbuilding in the town. It’s both an interesting way to recall the past and a wide-ranging exploration of what can be gleaned from the most modest of objects and records.

Val Demings slams Rubio, anti-abortion rhetoric at pro-choice conference – Orlando Sentinel

May 14, 2022

The Black Chronicle News Service

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In a speech in Orlando on Saturday, U.S. Senate hopeful Val Demings touted her pro-choice stance and attacked Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s position on abortion as “radical.”

Rubio, who’s seeking a third term, has long supported bans on abortion with no exceptions, most recently saying a failed Senate bill to codify Roe v. Wade would legalize ”the killing of unborn children right up to the day of delivery.” The 1973 Supreme Court ruling is on the cusp of being overturned, according to a draft opinion obtained by Politico.

His campaign described his likely opponent in November as “a radical who supports abortion up until the moment of birth,” in what is likely to become a wedge issue in the race, Florida Politics reported.

Demings called the claim “foolishness,” voicing her support for abortions “up until the point of viability or when it threatens the health of the mother.” She also pointed to Rubio’s past support for a 2001 “scarlet letter” law signed and later deemed unconstitutional, which required unwed mothers in Florida who wished to put their children up for adoption to publish details about their sex lives in newspapers.

“Desperate people say desperate things,” Demings said in response. “… I know they are searching for something to draw the attention away from his extreme view about the constitutional right that people have in this country.”

She added, “The nerve of him to say there should be no restrictions, even including incest, rape and abuse — now I think that’s extreme.”

Speaking at the She’s The Change conference hosted at the Rosen Plaza Hotel by pro-choice group Ruth’s List, Demings also called Roe v. Wade “established law.” The Women’s Health Protection Act, the Senate bill that would have codified the ruling and invalidated state abortion bans, failed to overcome the Republican filibuster, with a 51-49 vote against moving the legislation forward.

“When I decided to raise my family, I didn’t ask my congressman, I didn’t ask my governor and I’m dang sure I didn’t ask my senator,” Demings said. “Women have a right to choose her own destiny. We’re not going back, we’re not shutting up, we’re not sitting down, we are going to fight and fight and fight some more.”

The leaked draft opinion penned by Justice Samuel Alito sparked outrage throughout the U.S., with mass protests taking place around the country while doctors and abortion providers speak out as others, including religious conservatives, praise the possible decision.

It also comes as Republican state legislatures pass restrictive abortion bans in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s official ruling, expected to come down later this year. Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except if the fetus is found to have a “fatal fetal abnormality.”

Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book claps at the end of Congresswoman Val Demings speech at the Ruth’s List Florida’s, She’s the Change leadership conference in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, May 14, 2022. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

The law, which many fear could be expanded next year after the Supreme Court’s ruling, does not include exceptions for rape or incest. A statewide poll by the University of North Florida found nearly 60% of Floridians are opposed to the newly-signed ban.

“We are here today to protect life,” DeSantis said at a signing ceremony in Kissimmee. “We are here today to defend those who can’t defend themselves.”

Florida Democrats have scrambled to mobilize their base ahead of November’s elections, where Rubio’s Senate seat and the governorship are at stake, as the party nationally has embraced abortion as a key issue in this year’s midterms. A Pew Research Center poll in March found 61% of voters support legal abortion in all or most circumstances.