COMMODITY FETISH

Sotheby's auction collection includes Pablo Picasso painting of artist's muse

A viewer observers Femme a la montre, 1932 oil on canvas by Pablo Picasso, which is on display as part of the Emily Fisher Landau Collection at Sotheby's in New York on Wednesday. 

Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo


Sept. 13 (UPI) -- A painting by the influential cubist artist Pablo Picasso with an estimated value of $120 million will lead the Sotheby's auction of the landmark collection of Emily Fisher Landau in November.

Picasso painted Femme à la montre in 1932, soon after the end of the secrecy around his affair with Marie-Thérèse Walter, his "golden muse" depicted in the work.

"He was able to give full painterly voice to his love for her," Sotheby's said of the work.

Picasso first met Walter outside the Galeries Lafayette in Paris in 1927 when the painter was still married to the Ukrainian dancer Olga Khokhlova. She was 17 at the time.

"As time passed, Picasso found it ever harder to exclude his lover's features from his art," the auction house said in the news release.

In its release, Sotheby's claimed that no other Picasso painting from 1932 of "remotely significant importance" has gone up for auction since 2010.

"Its date, scale, subject, vibrancy and provenance are all exceptional, and perfectly aligned. But in addition to this, it has another important distinguishing feature: the watch that the artist has so conspicuously placed on Marie-Thérèse's wrist," Sotheby's said.

"Among the many paintings Picasso created in his long and varied career, only three major works, including this, are known to feature a watch, yet watches were objects of immense significance to him, in various ways."

Emily Fisher Landau, a famed collector who was a member of the board of the Whitney Museum of American Art for three decades, bought the prized work in 1968 at the start of her collecting career -- which began when she used a Lloyd's insurance settlement from a jewel heist in her apartment to begin purchasing art.

She has been known to loan the Picasso painting out for exhibitions, allowing it to be seen by the public and her extensive collection -- with 1,200 works -- were displayed at her own private museum called the Fisher Landau Center for Art from 1991 to 2017.

Fisher Landau died in March at her home in Palm Beach, Fla., at the age of 102. Before her death, she pledged almost 400 of the works to the Whitney Museum.

The "historic" auction, scheduled for Nov. 8-9 in New York, will include about 120 works from her collection, which are believed to be collectively worth more than $400 million.

Other paintings featured in the sale include Ed Ruscha's Securing the Last Letter (Boss) painted in 1964 and an untitled work by color field painter Mark Rothko, the estimated values of which were not outright provided by Sotheby's in the news release.

The sale also includes painting of two American flags by Jasper Johns estimated to be worth up to $45 million, a self-portrait by the pop artist Andy Warhol worth up to $20 million, and a painting by Willem de Kooning estimated to be worth up to $8 million.

THE FUNCTION OF THE CAPITALI$T STATE
Top tech CEOs call for AI regulation in closed-door Senate meeting

IS TO REGULATE COMPETITION

Owner of X and CEO of Tesla Elon Musk calls artificial intelligence a "civilizational risk," as he speaks to the press Wednesday following a Senate AI Insight Forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 13 (UPI) -- The top names in tech, including Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, warned senators in a first-ever closed-door summit on artificial intelligence about the evolving technology's "civilizational risk," as they called for AI regulation.

"The consequences of AI going wrong are severe so we have to be proactive rather than reactive," Musk told reporters in Washington, D.C., as he got into a Tesla after the meeting.

"The question is really one of civilizational risk. It's not like ... one group of humans versus another. It's like, hey, this is something that's potentially risky for all humans everywhere," the chief executive officer of Tesla, Space X and social media platform X added.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hosted the private AI Insight Forum in the grand Kennedy Caucus Room on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, as lawmakers sought advice from 22 AI tech giants, human rights and labor leaders about how government should regulate the new technology.

In addition to Musk, Meta CEO Zuckerberg and Microsoft co-founder Gates, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google CEO Sundar Pichahi attended, as well as leaders from human rights, labor and entertainment groups.

According to Schumer, every leader in the meeting raised their hand when asked if government should regulate AI.

"We got some consensus on some things ... I asked everyone in the room, does government need to play a role in regulating AI and every single person raised their hand, even though they had diverse views," Schumer told reporters. "So that gives us a message here that we have to try to act, as difficult as the process might be."

"I agree that Congress should engage with AI to support innovation and safeguards," Zuckerberg said in prepared remarks. "This is an emerging technology, there are important equities to balance here, and the government is ultimately responsible for that."

"I think people all agreed that this is something that we need the government's leadership on," Altman told reporters during a break. "Some disagreement about how it should happen, but unanimity this is important and urgent."

While Wednesday's meeting was open to all 100 senators, about two dozen lawmakers -- mostly Democrat -- attended. The forum was blasted by some members of both parties who questioned why it was closed to the public and the news media.

"They're sitting at a big round table all by themselves. All of the senators are to sit there and ask no questions," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said.

"The people of Massachusetts did not send me here not to ask questions," Warren added. "There's no interaction, no bumping each against each other on any of these issues."

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who is drafting bi-partisan AI legislation, did not attend the closed-door meeting.

"I don't know why we would invite all the biggest monopolists in the world to come and give Congress tips on how to help them make more money and then close it to the public," Hawley said. "That's a terrible idea."

Three public hearings on AI have previously been held in Washington, D.C.

In June, Sens. Ed Markey and Gary Peters urged the U.S. Government Accountability Office in a letter to assess the potential harms of AI and how to mitigate them. The letter argued that generative AI's ability to mimic voice, music, text and product design could exploit communities and harm society, if unchecked.

Hundreds of AI researchers and tech executives have signed a number of statements and letters over the past year warning about the potential dangers of AI and calling for better regulation.

"Tackling AI is a unique, once-in-a-kind undertaking," Schumer said Wednesday. "Because today, we begin an enormous and complex and vital undertaking: building a foundation for bipartisan AI policy that Congress can pass."

As Musk left the meeting, he was asked by reporters if AI will destroy mankind.

"There is some chance that is above zero that AI will kill us all. I think it's low. But if there's some chance, I think we should also consider the fragility of human civilization."

Federal judge again declares that DACA is illegal with issue likely to be decided by Supreme Court


 People rally outside the Supreme Court over President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), at the Supreme Court in Washington, Nov. 12, 2019. A federal judge on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, declared illegal a revised version of a federal policy that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

 Susana Lujano, left, a dreamer from Mexico who lives in Houston, joins other activists to rally in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. A federal judge on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, declared illegal a revised version of a federal policy that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students gather in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, June 18, 2020. A federal judge on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, declared illegal a revised version of a federal policy that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. 

AP Photos/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File

BY JUAN A. LOZANO
 September 13, 2023

HOUSTON (AP) — While a federal judge on Wednesday declared illegal a revised version of a federal policy that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, he declined to order an immediate end to the program and the protections it offers to recipients.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen agreed with Texas and eight other states suing to stop the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. The judge’s ruling was ultimately expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, sending the program’s fate before the high court for a third time.

“While sympathetic to the predicament of DACA recipients and their families, this Court has expressed its concerns about the legality of the program for some time,” Hanen wrote in his 40-page ruling. “The solution for these deficiencies lies with the legislature, not the executive or judicial branches. Congress, for any number of reasons, has decided not to pass DACA-like legislation ... The Executive Branch cannot usurp the power bestowed on Congress by the Constitution — even to fill a void.”

Hanen’s order extended the current injunction that had been in place against DACA, which barred the government from approving any new applications, but left the program intact for existing recipients during the ongoing legal review.

Hanen also declined a request by the states to order the program’s end within two years. Hanen said his order does not require the federal government to take any actions against DACA recipients, who are known as “Dreamers.”

Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, which is representing DACA recipients in the lawsuit, said it will ultimately be up to higher courts, including the Supreme Court, to rule on DACA’s legality and whether Texas proved it had been harmed by the program.

“Judge Hanen has consistently erred in resolving both of these issues, and today’s ruling is more of the same flawed analysis. We look forward to continuing to defend the lawful and much-needed DACA program on review in higher courts,” Saenz said.

The Biden administration criticized the judge’s ruling.

“We are deeply disappointed in today’s DACA ruling from the District Court in Southern Texas,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday night. “... As we have long maintained, we disagree with the District Court’s conclusion that DACA is unlawful, and will continue to defend this critical policy from legal challenges. While we do so, consistent with the court’s order, DHS will continue to process renewals for current DACA recipients and DHS (the Department of Homeland Security) may continue to accept DACA applications.”

The Texas Attorney General’s Office, which represented the states in the lawsuit, and the U.S. Department of Justice, which represented the federal government, didn’t immediately return emails or calls seeking comment.

The states have argued the Obama administration didn’t have the authority to first create the program in 2012 because it circumvented Congress.

In 2021, Hanen had declared the program illegal, ruling it had not been subject to public notice and comment periods required under the federal Administrative Procedures Act.

The Biden administration tried to satisfy Hanen’s concerns with a new version of DACA that took effect in October 2022 and was subject to public comments as part of a formal rule-making process.

But Hanen, who was appointed by then-President George W. Bush in 2002, ruled the updated version of DACA was still illegal as the Biden administration’s new version was essentially the same as the old version, started under the Obama administration. Hanen had previously said DACA was unconstitutional.

Hanen also had previously ruled the states had standing to file their lawsuit because they had been harmed by the program.

The states have claimed they incur hundreds of millions of dollars in health care, education and other costs when immigrants are allowed to remain in the country illegally. The states that sued are Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, West Virginia, Kansas and Mississippi.

Those defending the program — the federal government, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the state of New Jersey — had argued the states failed to present evidence that any of the costs they allege they have incurred have been tied to DACA recipients. They also argued Congress has given the Department of Homeland Security the legal authority to set immigration enforcement policies.

There were 578,680 people enrolled in DACA at the end of March, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The program has faced a roller coaster of court challenges over the years.

In 2016, the Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 over an expanded DACA and a version of the program for parents of DACA recipients. In 2020, the high court ruled 5-4 that the Trump administration improperly ended DACA, allowing it to stay in place.

In 2022, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld Hanen’s earlier ruling declaring DACA illegal, but sent the case back to him to review changes made to the program by the Biden administration.

President Joe Biden and advocacy groups have called on Congress to pass permanent protections for “ dreamers.” Congress has failed multiple times to pass proposals called the DREAM Act to protect DACA recipients.

“We continue to urge Congress and President Biden to create permanent solutions for all immigrants to ensure none are left in the perilous road DACA has been on for the past decade,” Veronica Garcia, an attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, an advocacy organization, said in a statement.
___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70

Supporters of effort to repeal ranked voting in Alaska violated rules, report finds

BY BECKY BOHRER
 September 13, 2023

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Backers of an effort to repeal ranked voting in Alaska violated state campaign finance rules, including by channeling money through a church-affiliated organization in a way that initially concealed the source of the contributions, a new report alleges.

The report, from the staff for the Alaska Public Offices Commission, recommends penalties of $22,500 for Art Mathias, a leader of the repeal effort, and around $20,000 for the church-affiliated Ranked Choice Education Association among its findings. The report alleges that Mathias, also president of the association, contributed money to the association knowing it “would be repurposed to support” the ballot group behind the repeal effort and that he gave $90,000 using the association as a “third party conduit.”

Those contributing at least $500 to an initiative application group must report that no later than 30 days after making the contribution. Mathias contributed $90,000 in late December, and in a June filing the association reported Mathias as the source of its contributions to the ballot group, the report states.

The report still must be considered by the commission, which is charged with enforcing campaign finance rules in the state.

Kevin Clarkson, an attorney for Mathias, the association and others that were the focus of a complaint filed this summer, said by email Wednesday that many of the report’s conclusions were faulty and that he intended to file a response with the commission.

“The staff has made it impossible for a non-profit to make contributions to a ballot group without subjecting their donors to charges of donating in the name of another,” he said.

Clarkson in an earlier response to the complaint said the association was “entitled” to donate to the ballot group and that the association and Mathias “made no effort to hide” Mathias’ contributions.

The complaint was filed by Alaskans for Better Elections, the group that successfully pushed a 2020 ballot measure that replaced party primaries with open primaries and instituted ranked-choice general elections. The first elections conducted in Alaska under the new system were held last year.

One of the attorneys behind the complaint, Scott Kendall, was an author of the 2020 ranked choice initiative.

The complaint alleged that the Ranked Choice Education Association appeared to have been created as a “passthrough entity, allowing donors to unlawfully conceal their identities behind the RCEA’s name while also potentially providing those donors with an unwarranted tax deduction.”

The public offices commission staff report said it did not weigh allegations around potential tax deductions because that is an issue beyond the agency’s jurisdiction.

Clarkson said allegations around “‘unlawful’ tax deductions are both uninformed and unknowledgeable. In any event, the only government agency with jurisdiction to adjudicate tax-exempt status and the lawfulness of federal income tax deductions that may or may not be claimed, is the IRS.”

The report from commission staff also recommended lesser penalties for reporting and other alleged violations by Alaskans for Honest Elections, the ballot group behind the repeal effort, and another group called Alaskans for Honest Government. The ballot group has been gathering signatures in a bid to get the proposed repeal initiative on the ballot.

Pro-Bolsonaro rioters on trial for storming Brazil’s top government offices


Supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro sit in front of a line of military police inside Planalto Palace after storming the official workplace of the president in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. Brazil’s federal police on Aug. 18, 2923 arrested seven senior military police officers accused of assisting right-wing rioters during the Jan. 8 attacks on government buildings.

 (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE
September 13, 2023


SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Supreme Court justices on Wednesday began deciding whether to convict defendants accused of storming top government offices on Jan. 8 in an alleged bid to forcefully restore former President Jair Bolsonaro to office.

Bolsonaro supporter Aécio Lúcio Costa Pereira, 51, was first in line.

In January, cameras at the Senate filmed him wearing a shirt calling for a military coup and recording a video of himself praising others who had also broken into the building. Almost 1,500 people were detained on the day of the riots, though most have been released.

Pereira denied any wrongdoing and claimed he took part in a peaceful demonstration of unarmed people.

Three other defendants also were standing trial Wednesday as part of the same case, but a final decision for each defendant could drag into coming days.

The rioters refused to accept the right-wing leader’s defeat to leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose inauguration took place one week before the uprising. Lula also governed Brazil between 2003-2010 and beat Bolsonaro by the narrowest margin in Brazil’s modern history.

The buildings of Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace were trashed by the pro-Bolsonaro rioters. They bypassed security barricades, climbed onto roofs, smashed windows and invaded all three buildings, which were believed to be largely vacant on the weekend of the incident.

Lula has accused Bolsonaro of encouraging the uprising.

The incident recalled the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Politicians warned for months that a similar uprising was a possibility in Brazil, given that Bolsonaro had sown doubt about the reliability of the nation’s electronic voting system — without any evidence.

Argentina shuts down a publisher that sold books praising the Nazis. One person has been arrested


Federal agents put seized books inside boxes after displaying them to the press at Federal Police headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. Law enforcement officers say the books were printed by what they describe as the biggest manufacturer of Nazi propaganda in Argentina after carrying out raids this week, following a two year investigation to shut down the illegal printing press and arrest its operator.

A federal police officer puts seized books back inside boxes after displaying them to the press at Federal Police headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. Law enforcement officers say the books were printed by what they describe as the biggest manufacturer of Nazi propaganda in Argentina after carrying out raids this week, following a two year investigation to shut down the illegal printing press and arrest its operator. 

Seized books are displayed to the press by the federal police at Federal Police headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. Law enforcement officers say the books were printed by what they describe as the biggest manufacturer of Nazi propaganda in Argentina after carrying out raids this week, following a two year investigation to shut down the illegal printing press and arrest its operator. 

Seized books are displayed to the press by the federal police at Federal Police headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. Law enforcement officers say the books were printed by what they describe as the biggest manufacturer of Nazi propaganda in Argentina after carrying out raids this week, following a two year investigation to shut down the illegal printing press and arrest its operator.

 (AP Photos/Natacha Pisarenko)

September 13, 2023

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s Federal Police shut down a publisher that sold books that praised Nazi ideology, seized hundreds of texts and arrested one person as part of what authorities characterized as a “historic seizure” of Nazi propaganda, officials said Wednesday.

Law enforcement officers seized around 230 books during Tuesday’s raids in the town of San Isidro, north of Buenos Aires, in which officials said they seized the largest number of texts praising Nazi ideology in recent years.

“We’re still astonished by the amount of material from what is truly a printing press for the dissemination and sale of Nazi symbolism, books and indoctrination,” Police Commissioner General Carlos Alejandro Ñamandú said. He went on to characterize it as a “historic seizure” of Nazi documents in Argentina.

Ñamandú described the books as “high quality,” although videos of the raids released by authorities suggested a homegrown operation rather than a large printing press.

Authorities detained Pablo Giorgetti, an Argentine national who is suspected of being the main person responsible for running the bookstore and has been accused of violating Argentina’s anti-discrimination law.

The bookstore’s website, which is still operational, had a large disclaimer on the front page that it sold books related to the two world wars that have been “marginalized from the more popular bookstores,” but warned that it did not “agree with them” and that the sale was meant for “collecting and research.”

Law enforcement officers seized numerous electronic and printing devices, as well as a large amount of Nazi propaganda material. They seized books ready for distribution that included images of swastikas, iron crosses and other Nazi symbols, an Argentine Federal Police unit said in a statement.

The mere display of this type of Nazi symbols amounts to a violation of Argentina’s anti-discrimination law.

The material wasn’t just sold on the bookstore’s website, but also on numerous online outlets, such as Mercado Libre, the region’s largest online sales platform.

Although authorities did not detail how many items the bookstore had sold, they said that the seller had a high profile on the online platform, which suggests “a high degree of consultation and consumption.”

“This is the first stage of the investigation,” Ñamandu said. “The first thing we did was cut off the sales and distribution channel. We’re moving on to a second stage. The law penalizes not only those who manufacture, but also those who buy.”

The raids Tuesday took place after an investigation that began with a complaint filed by the Delegation of Israeli Associations in Argentina (DAIA), the country’s main Jewish association, in 2021.

“It is astonishing that there are people producing this type of material, and it is concerning that there are people consuming it,” DAIA Vice President Marcos Cohen said.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Wisconsin settles state Justice Department pollution allegations against 2 factory farms

September 13, 2023

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin lawmakers agreed Wednesday to settle allegations that two factory farms violated their pollution permits for more than a quarter of a million dollars.

The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee unanimously approved a $17,500 settlement with North Side Genetics LLC in Fennimore and a $228,000 settlement with Stahl Brothers Dairy LLC. The state Justice Department accused North Side Genetics of failing to construct a feed storage runoff control system by an Aug. 1, 2019, deadline. The department accused Stahl Brothers Dairy of multiple manure-spreading violations.

Republicans passed a state law in late 2016 that requires the Justice Department to obtain permission from the finance committee before entering into legal settlements. The law was part of a GOP effort to weaken Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and Gov. Tony Evers before they began their first terms.

The committee on Wednesday also signed off on a $940,000 settlement with Didion Milling Inc. The Justice Department sued the company in November 2020 alleging inspectors discovered multiple emissions, record-keeping and reporting violations at its Cambria corn mill in 2019. A grain dust explosion at the mill two years earlier killed five employees.

Last year, a federal grand jury charged the company with fraud and conspiracy in connection with the explosion, alleging the company failed to keep up with cleanings at the plant and falsified records to make it appear as if the cleanings were completed. The company responded to the charges by insisting the explosion was an accident.

Scientists call fraud on supposed extraterrestrials presented to Mexican Congress


Experts from Mexico, the United States, Japan and Brazil gathered before the Mexican Congress on Sept. 12, 2023 to share their findings on the existence of UFOs and extraterrestrials that date back to 2017 in the sandy Peruvian coastal desert of Nazca. 

(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

BY MEGAN JANETSKY
September 13, 2023Share

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Supposed aliens landed in Mexico’s Congress but there were no saucer-shaped UFOs hovering over the historic building or bright green invaders like those seen in Hollywood films.

The specter of little green men visited Mexico City as lawmakers heard testimony Tuesday from individuals suggesting the possibility that extraterrestrials might exist. The researchers hailed from Mexico, the United States, Japan and Brazil.

The session, unprecedented in the Mexican Congress, took place two months after a similar one before the U.S. Congress in which a former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer claimed his country has probably been aware of “non-human” activity since the 1930s.

Mexican journalist José Jaime Maussan presented two boxes with supposed mummies found in Peru, which he and others consider “non-human beings that are not part of our terrestrial evolution.”

The shriveled bodies with shrunken, warped heads left those in the chamber aghast and quickly kicked up a social media fervor.

“It’s the queen of all evidence,” Maussan claimed. “That is, if the DNA is showing us that they are non-human beings and that there is nothing that looks like this in the world, we should take it as such.”

But he warned that he didn’t want to refer to them as “extraterrestrials” just yet.

The apparently desiccated bodies date back to 2017 and were found deep underground in the sandy Peruvian coastal desert of Nazca. The area is known for gigantic enigmatic figures scraped into the earth and seen only from a birds-eye-view. Most attribute the Nazca Lines to ancient indigenous communities, but the formations have captured the imaginations of many.

BOLIVIAN SKELETON

PERUVIAN SKULLS

 

In 2017, Maussan made similar claims in Peru, and a report by the country’s prosecutor’s office found that the bodies were actually “recently manufactured dolls, which have been covered with a mixture of paper and synthetic glue to simulate the presence of skin.”

The report added that the figures were almost certainly human-made and that “they are not the remains of ancestral aliens that they have tried to present”. The bodies were not publicly unveiled at the time, so it is unclear if they are the same as those presented to Mexico’s congress.

On Wednesday, Julieta Fierro, researcher at the Institute of Astronomy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, was among those to express skepticism, saying that many details about the figures “made no sense.”

Fierro added that the researchers’ claims that her university endorsed their supposed discovery were false, and noted that scientists would need more advanced technology than the X-rays they claimed to use to determine if the allegedly calcified bodies were “non-human”.

“Maussan has done many things. He says he has talked to the Virgin of Guadalupe,” she said. “He told me extraterrestrials do not talk to me like they talk to him because I don’t believe in them.”

The scientist added that it seemed strange that they extracted what would surely be a “treasure of the nation” from Peru without inviting the Peruvian ambassador.

Congressman Sergio Gutiérrez Luna of the ruling Morena party, made it clear that Congress has not taken a position on the theses put forward during the more than three-hour session.

Believing or not was up to each member of the legislative body, but those who testified had to swear an oath to tell the truth.

Gutiérrez Luna stressed the importance of listening to “all voices, all opinions” and said it was positive that there was a transparent dialogue on the issue of extraterrestrials.

In the U.S. in July, retired Maj. David Grusch alleged that the U.S. is concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers unidentified flying objects. The Pentagon has denied his claims.

Grusch’s highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was the U.S. Congress’ latest foray into the world of UAPs — or “unidentified aerial phenomena,” which is the official term the U.S. government uses instead of UFOs.

Democrats and Republicans in recent years have pushed for more research as a national security matter due to concerns that sightings observed by pilots may be tied to U.S. adversaries.

The mutant tomatoes are here, and they come in peace


This September 2021 photo provided by Richard Gill shows a tomato with a genetic mutation in North London, England. The anomaly occurs when tomato cells divide abnormally due to hot or cold weather, resulting in an extra segment that develops outside the fruit. In this case, two extra segments have developed, lending the appearance of horns. 

(Richard Gill @happymrgill via AP)

BY JESSICA DAMIANO
 September 12, 2023


This is the time of year when, without fail, readers send me photos of their mutant tomatoes.

Many look like Jimmy Durante (if you’re too young to know who that is, think Squidward). Others are horned, and some should carry a “for mature audiences only” warning.

The good news is there’s nothing wrong with these deformed fruits. Unless otherwise diseased, they’re perfectly edible, their taste and nutritional values unaffected. Still, those “noses,” “arms” and, um, other appendages remain an amusing curiosity.

WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?

If you’ve ever cut open a tomato, you know they are divided into internal segments, called locules, which contain gel and seeds. Most tomatoes have about 4 or 5 locules; cherry tomatoes contain 2 or 3; plum or Roma types have 2.


Tomatoes picked in a garden on Sept. 4 in Mamaroneck, New York show deformities often caused by extreme heat or other conditions. The mutations don’t affect the taste or safety of the fruits. (AP Photo/Julia Rubin)

But when a plant is exposed to temperature extremes, such as those above 90 degrees during the day and 82-85 overnight, cell division in the developing fruit could go awry, resulting in the formation of an extra locule. And because there isn’t enough room inside a tomato for an extra segment, it develops and grows outside the fruit. Cue the hilarity!



This June 10, 2018, image provided by Claudia Vos shows a tomato with genetic mutation in Aarschot, Belgium. The anomaly occurs when tomato cells divide abnormally due to hot or cold weather, resulting in an extra segment that develops outside the fruit. (Claudia Vos via AP)

Not every tomato on an affected plant will be deformed, however. “Under the right conditions (temperatures that are too hot or even too cold), this could affect one or two tomatoes per plant, depending on where they are in the development process and what the (weather) conditions are,” according to Timothy McDermott, assistant professor and extension educator at Ohio State University.

The likelihood of one of your tomatoes turning into a bona fide conversation piece is estimated to be about one in a thousand, McDermott said.

This 2022 image provided by Kathy Burrous shows a tomato with genetic mutation in Floral Park, New York. The anomaly occurs when tomato cells divide abnormally due to hot or cold weather, resulting in an extra segment that develops outside the fruit. (Kathy Burrous via AP)

When you consider how many plants are likely growing in your neighborhood alone and how many tomatoes each of those plants produce, those odds aren’t as slim as they may seem.

CAN’T GET ENOUGH WEIRD TOMATOES?

Want to increase (or decrease) your odds? It might help to know that heirloom varieties seem more susceptible to this genetic mutation than hybrids, but, of course, there are no guarantees.

The extra-locule mutation isn’t the only anomaly caused by extreme heat. Sunscald, blossom drop, halted fruit formation and ripening can also arise when plants are grown outside their ideal temperature range, which is between 70 and 85 degrees during the day.

This Aug. 7, 2020, image provided by Bill Alberigo shows a tomato with a “nose,” enhanced comically with a pair of “glasses” made from wire, in Garden City Park, NY. The mutation occurs when tomato cells divide abnormally, typically due to hot weather, resulting in an extra segment that develops outside the fruit. (Bill Alberigo via AP)


When temperatures are predicted to remain above 90 degrees for several consecutive days, providing shade for your plants will help avoid these heat-related issues. Attach a sheet of 40% to 50% shade cloth to stakes inserted into the ground around the perimeter of the bed. Leave it in place from noon to 4 p.m., when the sun is at its strongest, then remove it to avoid problems caused by insufficient sunlight, like nutrient deficiencies, scarce production or stunted fruit.

But if you still grow a tomato that looks like a duck, a devil, a celebrity or something unmentionable, send me a photo so we can share a laugh. It never gets old.

—-

Jessica Damiano writes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter and regular gardening columns for The AP. 

 

 

Cruise ship stranded in Greenland could take days to reach

The Danish Joint Arctic Command has dispatched the ship Knud Rasmussen to assist a cruise ship that is stranded in Greenland. The ship could take several days to arrive and offer assistance. 

Photo Courtesy of Danish Joint Arctic Command


Sept. 13 (UPI) -- A cruise ship that ran aground Monday off in a national park in Greenland could be stuck for days awaiting assistance, according to Danish authorities.

"On Monday afternoon West Greenlandic time, the Arctic Command received a message that the cruise ship Ocean Explorer was grounded in the Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland, and the ship was not immediately able to be freed on its own help," Denmark's Joint Arctic Command said in a statement posted to Facebook.

The cruise ship Ocean Explorer, which is run by the Australian company Aurora Expeditions, was carrying 206 people when it ran aground, with Danish authorities saying the tides did not dislodge the vessel.

"The tide -- which came during the day, local time -- did not give the desired help to sail on," the Danish Joint Arctic Command said.

According to the Joint Arctic Command, none of the passengers have been injured, though media reports indicate that two passengers have come down with COVID-19 and are in isolation.

The commander of the Danish Joint Arctic Command, Commander Captain Brian Jensen, said that while it will be difficult to evacuate the passengers, there is not an immediate danger to the lives of the people onboard.

"A cruise ship in trouble in the National Park is of course worrisome. There is a long way for immediate help, our units are far from that, and the weather can be very unfavorable. In this specific situation, however, we do not see acute danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring," Jensen said.

According to the Joint Arctic Command, an inspection vessel has been dispatched to help the vessel, but the remote location of the national park means it will take some time for help to arrive.

"Artic Command's closest unit is the inspection vessel Knud Rasmussen, which at the time of the report was approximately 1,200 nautical miles from the cruise ship. This means that Knud Rasmussen can arrive at the grounded ship on Friday morning local time," Joint Arctic Command said.

Arctic Command stressed that "the weather can play a role too."

Jensen said the Joint Arctic Command was trying to find ways to reach the vessel faster.

"We have reached out to relevant partners in the operation area to investigate whether other units have a shorter and faster rout to the grounded ship," Jensen said.

A fishing vessel in Greenland will try to free a cruise ship that ran aground with 206 people



A view of the Ocean Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew, which has run aground in northwestern Greenland, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The 104.4-meter (343-foot) long and 18-meter (60 foot) wide Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park. It’s the world’s largest and most northerly national park and is known for icebergs and the musk oxen that roam the coast. According to authorities no one on board was in danger and no damage has been reported. 

(SIRIUS/Joint Arctic Command via AP)

An aerial photo shows the Ocean Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew, which has run aground in northwestern Greenland, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The 104.4-meter (343-foot) long and 18-meter (60 foot) wide Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park. It’s the world’s largest and most northerly national park and is known for icebergs and the musk oxen that roam the coast. According to authorities no one on board was in danger and no damage has been reported.

 (Danish Air Force/Joint Arctic Command via AP)


An aerial photo shows the Ocean Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew, which has run aground in northwestern Greenland, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The 104.4-meter (343-foot) long and 18-meter (60 foot) wide Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park. It’s the world’s largest and most northerly national park and is known for icebergs and the musk oxen that roam the coast. According to authorities no one on board was in danger and no damage has been reported.

 (Danish Air Force/Joint Arctic Command via AP)

A view of the Ocean Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew, which has run aground in northwestern Greenland, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The 104.4-meter (343-foot) long and 18-meter (60 foot) wide Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park. It’s the world’s largest and most northerly national park and is known for icebergs and the musk oxen that roam the coast. According to authorities no one on board was in danger and no damage has been reported. 

(SIRIUS/Joint Arctic Command via AP)

BY JAN M. OLSEN
 September 13, 2023


COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A fishing vessel owned by Greenland’s government will attempt to use a high tide to pull free a Bahamas-flagged luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people that ran aground in the world’s northernmost national park, authorities said.

Capt. Flemming Madsen of the Danish Joint Arctic Command told The Associated Press that the passengers and crew on the ship stranded in northwestern Greenland were doing fine and ”all I can say is that they got a lifetime experience.”

The scientific fishing vessel was scheduled to arrive later Wednesday and would attempt when the conditions were right to pull the 104.4-meter- (343-foot) long and 18-meter- (60-foot) wide MV Ocean Explorer free.

The cruise ship ran aground above the Arctic Circle Monday in Alpefjord, which is in the Northeast Greenland National Park. The park covers 972,000 square kilometers (603,973 square miles), almost as much land as France and Spain combined, and approximately 80% is permanently covered by an ice sheet, according to the Visit Greenland tourism board.

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A cruise ship with 206 people onboard has run aground in Greenland

A Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew has run aground in northwestern Greenland.

Alpefjord sits in a remote corner of Greenland, some 240 kilometers (149 miles) away from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which itself is nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the country’s capital, Nuuk.

The Ocean Explorer’s crew made two failed attempts to get the ship to float free on its own during high tide.

In a statement, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions, which operates the ship, said the passengers and crew members were safe and well and that there was “no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel, or the surrounding environment.”

“We are actively engaged in efforts to free the MV Ocean Explorer from its grounding. Our foremost commitment is to ensure the vessel’s recovery without compromising safety,” the statement said.

Dozens of cruise ships sail along Greenland’s coast every year so passengers can admire the picturesque mountainous landscape with fjords, musk oxen, and the waterways packed with icebergs of different sizes and glaciers jutting out into the sea.

Madsen, of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command, said the passengers on the Ocean Explorer were “a mix” of tourists from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, the United States and South Korea. Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faeroe Islands.

The people onboard “are in a difficult situation, but given the circumstances, the atmosphere on the ship is good, and everyone on board is doing well. There are no signs that the ship was seriously damaged by the grounding,” the Joint Arctic Command said Wednesday.

The weather in the region Wednesday featured sun, a clear blue sky and a temperature around 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the Danish Meteorological Institute.

The Ocean Explorer was built in 2021 and is owned by Copenhagen SunStone Ships, which is part of Denmark’s SunStone Group. It has an inverted bow, shaped like the one on a submarine. It has 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew, and several restaurants, according to the Sunstone Group website.

The Joint Arctic Command said there were other ships in the vicinity of the stranded cruise liner and “if the need arises, personnel from the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol can be at the accident site within an hour and a half.”

On Tuesday, members of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance and enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness, visited the passengers and explained the situation, “which calmed them down as some were anxious,” Madsen, who was the on-duty officer for the Joint Arctic Command, said.

The command, which was coordinating the operation to free the cruise ship, said the nearest Danish navy ship was about 1,200 nautical miles (more than 2,000 kilometers or 1,380 miles) away. It was heading to the site and could be expected to reach the grounded ship as soon as Friday.

The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, including the Arctic Ocean in the north.