A scholar discovers stories and poems possibly written by Louisa May Alcott under a pseudonym

A selection of Louisa May Alcott books are archived at the American Antiquarian Society, a national research library of pre-20th century American history and culture, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Worcester, Mass. Max Chapnick, a postdoctoral teaching associate at Northeastern University, believes he has found about 20 stories and poems at the library written by Louisa May Alcott under her own name as well as pseudonyms, including E. H. Gould, for local newspapers in Massachusetts in the late 1850s and early 1860s.

Elizabeth Pope, Curator of Books & Digital Collections, examines the writings of Louisa May Alcott, at the American Antiquarian Society, a national research library of pre-20th century American history and culture, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Worcester, Mass. Max Chapnick, a postdoctoral teaching associate at Northeastern University, believes he has found about 20 stories and poems at the library written by Louisa May Alcott under her own name as well as pseudonyms, including E. H. Gould, for local newspapers in Massachusetts in the late 1850s and early 1860s. 

A research walks across the main floor at the American Antiquarian Society, a national research library of pre-20th century American history and culture, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Worcester, Mass. Max Chapnick, a postdoctoral teaching associate at Northeastern University, believes he has found about 20 stories and poems at the library written by Louisa May Alcott under her own name as well as pseudonyms, including E. H. Gould, for local newspapers in Massachusetts in the late 1850s and early 1860s.

Max Chapnick, a postdoctoral teaching associate at Northeastern University, right, looks as Elizabeth Pope, Curator of Books & Digital Collections, points out a writing by “E. H. Gould” at the American Antiquarian Society, a national research library of pre-20th century American history and culture, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Worcester, Mass. Chapnick believes he has found about 20 stories and poems at the library written by Louisa May Alcott under her own name as well as pseudonyms, including E. H. Gould, for local newspapers in Massachusetts in the late 1850s and early 1860s. 

Elizabeth Pope, Curator of Books & Digital Collections, points out a writing by “E. H. Gould” at the American Antiquarian Society, a national research library of pre-20th century American history and culture, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Worcester, Mass. Max Chapnick, a postdoctoral teaching associate at Northeastern University, believes he has found about 20 stories and poems at the library written by Louisa May Alcott under her own name as well as pseudonyms, including E. H. Gould, for local newspapers in Massachusetts in the late 1850s and early 1860s. 

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)


BY MICHAEL CASEY
Updated 10:02 PM MST, January 17, 2024Share


WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — The author of “Little Women” may have been even more productive and sensational than previously thought.

Max Chapnick, a postdoctoral teaching associate at Northeastern University, believes he found about 20 stories and poems written by Louisa May Alcott under her own name as well as pseudonyms for local newspapers in Massachusetts in the late 1850s and early 1860s.

One of the pseudonyms is believed to be E. H. Gould, including a story about her house in Concord, Massachusetts, and a ghost story along the lines of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol.” He also found four poems written by Flora Fairfield, a known pseudonym of Alcott’s. One of the stories written under her own name was about a young painter.

“It’s saying she’s really like ... she’s hustling, right? She’s publishing a lot,” Chapnick said on a visit to the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, a national research library of pre-20th century American history and culture that has some of the stories Chapnick discovered in its collection as well as a first edition of “Little Women.”

Alcott remains best known for “Little Women,” published in two installments in 1868-69. Her classic coming-of-age novel about the four March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy — has been adapted several times into feature films, most recently by Greta Gerwig in 2019.

Chapnick discovered Alcott’s other stories as part of his research into spiritualism and mesmerism. As he scrolled through digitized newspapers from the American Antiquarian Society, he found a story titled “The Phantom.” After seeing the name Gould at the end of the story, he initially dismissed it as Alcott’s story.

But then he read the story again.

Chapnick found the name Alcott in the story — a possible clue — and saw that it was written about the time she would have been publishing similar stories. The story was also in the Olive Branch, a newspaper that had previously published her work.

As Chapnick searched through newspapers at the society and the Boston Public Library, he found more written by Gould — though he admits definitive proof they were written by Alcott’s has proven elusive.

“There’s a lot of circumstantial evidence to indicate that this is probably her,” said Chapnick, who last year published a paper on his discoveries in J19, the Journal of Nineteenth-Century Americanists. “I don’t think that there’s definitive evidence either way yet. I’m interested in gathering more of it.”

When first contacted by Chapnick about the writings, Gregory Eiselein, president of the Louisa May Alcott Society, said he was curious but skeptical.

“Over my more than thirty-year career as a literary scholar, I’ve received a variety of inquiries, emails, and manuscripts that propose the discovery of a new story by Louisa Alcott,” Eiselein, also a professor at Kansas State University, said in an email interview. “Typically, they turn out to be a known, though not famous, text, or a story re-printed under a new title for a different newspaper or magazine.”

But he has come to believe that Chapnick has found new stories, many of which shed light on Alcott’s early career.

“What stands out to me is the impressive range and variety of styles in Alcott’s early published works,” he said. “She writes sentimental poetry, thrilling supernatural stories, reform-minded non-fiction, work for children, work for adults, and more. It’s also fascinating to see how Alcott uses, experiments with, and transforms the literary formulas popular in the 1850s.”

Another Alcott scholar at Kansas State, Anne Phillips, said she was “excited” by Chapnick’s scholarship and said his paper makes a “compelling case” that these were her writings.

“Alcott scholars have had decades to compare her work in different genres, and that background is going to help us evaluate these new findings,” she said in an email interview.

“She reworked and reused names and situations and details and expressions, and we have a good, broad base from which to begin considering these new discoveries,” she said. ”There’s also something distinctive about her writing voice, across genres.”

This isn’t the first time that scholars have found stories written by Alcott under a pseudonym.

In the 1940s, Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern found thrillers written under the name A. M. Barnard was an Alcott pseudonym. She also wrote nonfiction stories, including about the Civil War where she served as a nurse, under the pseudonym Tribulation Periwinkle.

It wasn’t unusual for female writers, especially during this period, to use a pseudonym. In the case of Alcott, she may have wanted to protect her family’s reputation, since her family who though poor had wealthy connections that dated back to the American Revolutionary War.

“She might not have wanted them to know she was writing trashy stories about sex and ghosts and whatever,” Chapnick said.

“I think she was canny,” he continued. “She had an inkling that she would be a famous writer and she was trying to experiment and she didn’t want her experimentation to get in the way of her future career. So she was writing under a pseudonym to sort of like protect her future reputation.”

At the American Antiquarian Society, a researcher eagerly awaited the arrival of Chapnick earlier this month. For them, this find is validation that their collection of nearly 4 million books, newspapers, periodicals, manuscripts and pamphlets is a boon to researchers studying early American history. Many of their holdings are salvaged from attics, antique shops, book fairs, garage sales

“We’re keeping these things for a reason. We’re not just keeping them to hoard them and pile them up,” Elizabeth Pope, the curator of books and digitized collections at the society. “We’re thrilled when people can find stories in them.”

For Chapnick, the collections offer the possibility of finding additional Alcott stories — including those written under other pseudonyms.

“The detective work is fun. The not knowing is kind of fun. I both wish and don’t wish that there would be a smoking gun, if that makes sense,” he said. “It would be great to find out one way or the other, but not knowing is also very interesting.”

MICHAEL CASEY
Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston.

Latest EPA assessment shows almost no improvement in river and stream nitrogen pollution

Ships travel along the Mississippi River in LaPlace, La., as the sun sets on Oct. 20, 2023. The nation’s rivers and streams remain stubbornly polluted with nutrients that can contaminate drinking water, degrade aquatic life and feed the so-called “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a recently released Environmental Protection Agency assessment. 

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

BY MELINA WALLING AND MICHAEL PHILLIS
 January 21, 2024

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The nation’s rivers and streams remain stubbornly polluted with nutrients that contaminate drinking water and fuel a gigantic dead zone for aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a recently released Environmental Protection Agency assessment.

It’s a difficult problem that’s concentrated in agricultural regions that drain into the Mississippi River. More than half of the basin’s miles of rivers and streams were in poor condition for nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer that drains into waterways, the agency found. For decades, federal and state officials have struggled to control farm runoff, the biggest source of nutrient pollution that is not typically federally regulated.

It’s a problem only expected to get harder to control as climate change produces more intense storms that dump rain on the Midwest and South. Those heavy rains flood farm fields, pick up commercial fertilizers and carry them into nearby rivers

“It’s really worrying that we are clearly not meeting the goals that we’ve set for ourselves,” said Olivia Dorothy, director of river restoration with the conservation group American Rivers.

The assessment is based on samples collected in 2018 and 2019 and it allows experts to compare river conditions from previous rounds of sampling, although different sampling sites were used. It takes years for the agency to compile the results and release the report, which is the most comprehensive assessment of the nation’s river and stream health. Phosphorus levels dipped slightly while nitrogen levels remained almost exactly the same.

About half of all river miles were found to be in poor condition for snails, worms, beetles and other bottom dwelling species that are an important indicator of biological health of the river. About a third were also rated as having poor conditions for fish based on species diversity.

“Controlling pollution is a big job. It is hard work,” said Tom Wall, director of watershed restoration, assessment and protection division at EPA. “Things are not getting worse, despite the tremendous pressures on our waterways. And we would like to see more progress.”

Water pollution from factories and industry is typically federally regulated. The Biden administration recently proposed toughening regulations on meat and poultry processing plants to reduce pollution, Wall said.

When nutrient pollution flows into the Gulf of Mexico, it spurs growth of bacteria that consume oxygen. That creates a so-called “dead zone,” a vast area where it’s difficult or impossible for marine animals to survive, fluctuating from about the size of Rhode Island to the size of New Jersey, according to Nancy Rabalais, professor of oceanography and wetland studies at Louisiana State University.

That affects the productivity of commercial fisheries and marine life in general, but nutrient pollution is also damaging upstream. Too much nitrate in drinking water can affect how blood carries oxygen, causing human health problems like headaches, nausea and abdominal cramps. It can especially affect infants, sometimes inducing “blue baby syndrome,” which causes the skin to take on a bluish hue.

The EPA established the hypoxia task force in the late 1990s to reduce nutrient pollution and shrink the dead zone, but it relies on voluntary efforts to reduce farm runoff and hasn’t significantly reduced the dead zone.

Anne Schechinger, Midwest director with the Environmental Working Group, said new regulations are needed, not voluntary efforts. She said the Biden administration has done a lot to improve drinking water, but not enough to reduce agricultural runoff.

Methods to prevent runoff include building buffers between farmland and waterways, creating new wetlands to filter pollutants and applying less fertilizer.

It’s a politically fraught issue, especially in major Midwest farming states that significantly contribute to the problem. Many of those states cite their voluntary conservation programs as evidence they’re taking on the problem, yet the new EPA data shows little progress.

Minnesota is one of the few states that has a so-called “buffer law” that requires vegetation to be planted along rivers, streams and public drainage ditches. But because groundwater and surface water are closely connected in much of the Upper Midwest, nutrient pollution can end up leaching underground through farm fields and eventually bypass those buffers, ending up in streams anyway, said Gregory Klinger, who works for the Olmsted County, Minnesota soil and water conservation district.

There should also be a focus on preventing over-fertilizing – about 30% of farmers are still using more than the recommended amounts of fertilizer on their fields, said Brad Carlson, an extension educator with the University of Minnesota who communicates with farmers about nutrient pollution issues.

Martin Larsen, a farmer and conservation technician in southeast Minnesota, said he and other farmers are interested in practices that reduce their nutrient pollution. He’s broken up his typical corn and soybean rotation with oats and medium red clover, the latter a kind of plant that can increase nitrogen levels in the soil naturally. He’s been able to get by with about half as much fertilizer for a corn crop that follows a clover planting as compared to a corn-corn rotation.

Growing oats and red clover as cover crops improves soil, too. But Larsen said it’s difficult for many farmers to plant them when they often rely on an immediate payback for anything they grow. Cover crops are planted on just 5.1% of harvested farmland, according to 2017 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Larsen said since regulations are so unpopular, more should be done to incentivize better practices. For example, he said that could include companies shifting the makeup of feed they use for animals, giving farmers an opening to plant some crops that use less fertilizer. Or government programs that do more to subsidize things like cover crops.

He said that many farmers in his community acknowledge the need to do things differently. “But we also feel very trapped in the system,” he said.
___

Walling reported from Chicago.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Ford to cut production of electric pickup on lower demand

By AFP
January 19, 2024

Ford is reducing output of its electric F-150 Lightning - Copyright AFP/File JEFF KOWALSKY

US auto giant Ford said Friday that it is reducing production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup, as it anticipates weaker demand for electric vehicles this year.

The automaker plans to cut production at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center to one shift from April 1, impacting about 1,400 workers, with some to transfer to other roles and others expected to take retirement packages.

“Ford expects continued growth in global EV sales in 2024, though less than anticipated,” the company said in a statement.

It is lowering production as it aims “to achieve the optimal balance of production, sales growth and profitability.”

Sales of the F-150 Lightning jumped 55 percent in 2023, with further growth forecast this year, according to Ford.

But the company earlier lowered the listed price by almost $10,000 for entry-level models.

With expectations for slower EV growth in the coming years, the auto industry has been pulling back from earlier targets.

US consumers remain cautious about the vehicles, partly due to costs, as well as concerns about recharging on longer trips, with the slow pace of programs to expand national recharging facilities.

On Friday, the White house announced $325 million in new investments this week, in part to help repair and replace EV chargers across the United States.

Automotive research firm Edmunds predicts that the share of electric vehicles in the United States will represent eight percent of sales in 2024, up from 6.9 percent in 2023.

On Friday, Ford also announced that it would add nearly 900 new jobs as part of a third crew at its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, to boost production of its gasoline-powered Bronco sport-utility vehicles and Ranger pickups.

Flexible underpinnings of new big Stellantis vehicles will help company navigate political changes

 The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept is unveiled, Aug. 17, 2022, in Pontiac, Mich. New large vehicle underpinnings announced by Stellantis, the maker of Dodge cars, on Friday are key to the company’s ability to adjust to European and U.S. government electric vehicle requirements that could change depending on this year’s elections. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)


 The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept is unveiled, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, in Pontiac, Mich. New large vehicle underpinnings announced by Stellantis, the maker of Dodge cars, on Friday are key to the company’s ability to adjust to European and U.S. government electric vehicle requirements that could change depending on this year’s elections. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

BY TOM KRISHER
 January 19, 2024

DETROIT (AP) — On the surface, you wouldn’t think the platform beneath a new generation of automobiles has anything to do with politics and elections.

But at Stellantis, new large vehicle underpinnings announced Friday are key to the company’s ability to adjust to European and U.S. government electric vehicle requirements that could change depending on this year’s elections.

CEO Carlos Tavares says the company’s new large platform is flexible enough to handle batteries and electric motors, gas-electric hybrids and internal combustion engines. The company also can build midsize to large vehicles on those underpinnings, including sedans, crossover vehicles, SUVs and even off-road Jeeps

That flexibility is important, he said, because policies promoting EVs as a way to fight climate change could be rescinded depending on who is elected U.S. president or to European parliaments this year.

Tavares often says that EVs for 40% more to make than vehicles with combustion engines, boosting prices beyond what the middle class can afford. Governments have tried to promote EV sales with subsidies and tax credits, but some countries are starting to rethink those.

“As soon as you do not fix the affordability issue by giving me a significant subsidy that will fix it, then I stop buying,” Tavares said of consumers. “That message is loud and clear.”

Electric vehicle sales growth already is slowing in many countries with consumers balking at the added cost as well as limited range and too few charging stations. On Friday, Ford said it was cutting production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup after weaker-than-expected electric vehicle sales growth.

Some politial candidates, including GOP front-runner Donald Trump in the U.S., have criticized the move to EVs, indicating they would end policies to promote them.

Stellantis, maker of Jeep, Ram, Dodge and other vehicles, has plans for two scenarios, one if populist candidates who are against EVs win, the other if EV-friendly candidates are elected, Tavares said. “One is to accelerate (EVs), the other one is to slow down,” he said. “Not necessarily stop. We need to fix the global warming issue.”

Tavares said in some European countries, governments are imposing electric vehicles on consumers who can’t afford them. So many are keeping their current vehicles longer, raising the average vehicle age, which he said is a “disaster” for the planet.

Stellantis, he said, makes money on its EVs now, unlike many competitors. Those who can’t get strong prices for their vehicles won’t have money to invest in lower-cost new ones, and could wind up being consolidated into another company or going out of business, he said.

If companies keep cutting EV prices to attract buyers and don’t make money, there could be a “bloodbath” in the industry, Tavares said.

Stellantis said vehicles built off the new large platform will be built at multiple North American and European factories. In North America, it’s likely that the first new vehicles to come out will be a replacement for the Dodge Charger muscle car and a new version of the Jeep Wagoneer S.

The platform can handle front wheel drive, all wheel drive and rear wheel drive vehicles, the company said. The first will reach the market this year, with eight vehicles from Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo and Maserati on sale by the end of 2026.

The company can vary the length and width of vehicles and differentiate them from each other with ride and handling changes as well as infotainment and other interior features. Use of a platform for both battery and gasoline powertrains is unique to the industry, with many competitors building different chassis for each type of propulsion.

“The flexibility and agility of this platform is its hallmark and will be a driving force for our success in the shift to electrification in North America,” Tavares said.

A midsize vehicle platform announced by the company last year has similar flexibility, the company said. It’s also planning a new small-vehicle platform.

Earlier menopause can be triggered by toxic heavy metals


Dr. Tim Sandle
January 25, 2024


Picking up a glass of water. — Image © Tim Sandle.

A new health study finds middle-aged women with elevated levels of heavy metals are more likely to have depleted ovarian function and egg reserves. The significance is where this may lead to earlier arrival of menopause and its negative health effects.

The research comes from the University of Michigan, and it is based on assessing data relating to hundreds of women approaching menopause (drawn from the U.S. Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation). This review finds that the presence of cadmium, mercury and arsenic in their urine was connected to low levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH).

The women in the study were ages 45 to 56 were ethnically diverse: 45 percent white, 21 percent Black, 15 percent Chinese and 19 percent Japanese.

AMH measures ovarian reserve, or the number of eggs available for fertilization or menstruation. The temporal significance is since the menopause is the time of life when hormone depletion ends monthly menstruation and sets off many changes to women’s health and wellness.

The of associations between heavy metals and AMH was stronger than the association between smoking and AMH, which is a previously characterised risk factor for depleted ovarian reserve. So far, only a few studies have explored associations of cadmium and lead with AMH.

Commenting on the findings, Sung Kyun Park, associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health sciences at the U-M School of Public Health, states; “Widespread exposure to toxins in heavy metals may have a big impact on health problems linked to earlier aging of the ovaries in middle-aged women, such as hot flashes, bone weakening and osteoporosis, higher chances of heart disease, and cognitive decline.”

Hence, the potential adverse effects of heavy metals on ovarian function should be of significant public health concern. Arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead are commonly found in drinking water, air pollution and some foods, notably seafood and rice.

It is hoped the information will enable researchers to address adverse health outcomes known to be associated with metals and with reproductive hormone changes such as premature menopause, bone loss and osteoporosis, increased risks of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and vasomotor symptoms. The research is published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The study is titled “Heavy Metals and Trajectories of Anti-Müllerian Hormone During the Menopausal Transition.”

Pope defends blessings for same-sex ‘people’ 

JESUITS CREATED LIBERATION THEOLOGY

By AFP
January 26, 2024

Pope Francis has faced criticism from Catholic conservatives after the church agreed to give blessings to same-sex couples - Copyright POOL/AFP Ludovic MARIN

Pope Francis defended Friday the Catholic Church’s recent approval of blessings for same-sex couples, while attempting to soothe his conservative critics.

In December the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, its department for Roman Catholic doctrine, said priests could bless “irregular” and same-sex couples under certain circumstances.

That sparked an outcry in some quarters, particularly in Africa, with critics accusing the Church of back-tracking on the issues of gay marriage and homosexuality, both of which it opposes.

“These blessings… do not require moral perfection in order to be received,” the pope said during an audience with members of the dicastery.

“When a couple asks for it, it is not the union that is blessed, but simply the people who together have asked for it,” he said.

“Not the union, but the people, naturally taking into account the context, the sensitivities, the places where one lives and the most appropriate ways to do it,” Francis added.

The original declaration cautioned that priests could only perform blessings for same-sex couples, divorcees, or unmarried couples in “non-ritualised” contexts, and never in relation to weddings or civil unions.

Opposition to the Vatican’s move has been particularly strong in Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia, as well as in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It has also sparked criticism at the highest levels, with Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, an influential figure in the conservative camp, slamming the declaration as “heresy”.

Earlier this month, the dicastery defended itself, saying the Church was “clear and definitive” about marriage — which it says can only be between a man and a woman — and sexuality, with homosexuality considered a sin.

But it urged “prudence and attention to the ecclesial context and to the local culture” in applying the measure.

Since his election in 2013, 87-year-old Pope Francis has insisted on opening the doors of the Church to all its faithful, including the homosexual and LGBTQ communities.

But his efforts have met with strong resistance among its traditional and conservative fringe.

Quality control at heart of latest Boeing crisis


By AFP
January 26, 2024

Boeing is facing intensifying scrutiny over its quality control practices - Copyright AFP Jason Redmond

Boeing is facing intensifying scrutiny over its quality control practices in the aftermath of a near-catastrophic Alaska Airlines flight three weeks ago when a panel blew out.

That January 5 incident on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 followed months of earlier, smaller problems with the same aircraft.

Exactly how the current difficulties will be resolved remains to be seen, but both the company’s regulator and its customers are demanding change.

“The quality assurance issues we have seen are unacceptable,” said Michael Whitaker, head of the Federal Aviation Administration.

The agency has vowed “more boots on the ground” for a comprehensive investigation of Boeing and contractor Spirit AeroSystems, adding that it will only greenlight production increases when Boeing gets its house in order.

American Airlines joined rival carriers in signaling displeasure, though it has not been directly impacted by the 737 MAX 9 grounding because it does not fly the jet.

“We’re going to hold them accountable,” American Airlines Chief Executive Robert Isom said Thursday on an earnings conference call.

“Boeing needs to get their act together,” said Isom, who characterized the problems as “unacceptable.”

– Earlier problems –

The Alaska Airlines episode represents the most serious operational problem for Boeing since two crashes on 737 MAX 8 planes in 2018 and 2019 resulted in 346 causalities and led to a lengthy grounding of the jet.

The MAX also generated unexpected attention in April when it disclosed that Spirit had employed “a non-standard manufacturing process” during the installation of two fittings in the fuselage section.

In December, Boeing urged customers to inspect for loose hardware on plane rudder control systems after an international operator discovered a bolt with a missing nut while performing routine maintenance.

Such problems have slowed Boeing’s ability to deliver jets, crimping financial performance.

But the problem on January 5 was on a different level.

Video of the incident showed a gaping hole in the side of the plane, air rushing through the cabin, oxygen masks dangling and travelers observing city lights below.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chair Jennifer Homendy said it was “very, very fortunate” that the incident had not ended in tragedy.

On Friday, both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines could resume service of the MAX 9 planes after the FAA approved inspection protocols on Wednesday.

– More oversight –

Michel Merluzeau, an aeronautics specialist with consulting firm AIR, said the MAX travails likely stem from negative workforce impacts of the pandemic, which have been “underestimated,” he said.

“The industry lost a lot of know-how” with the retirements and departures in recent years, he said in an interview.

At its Renton, Washington factory where the MAX is assembled, Boeing on Thursday held the first of a series of “quality stand down” events — pauses in normal operations for day-long sessions to focus on quality control.

Homendy of the NTSB has described the investigation as focused in part on determining why the panel came loose, including learning whether there were bolts on the part.

But even if there had been a glitch in the manufacturing process, “the issue should have been discovered” during Boeing inspections, Merluzeau said.

“This kind of thing can’t slip through the cracks,” he said.

Alaska Airlines Chief Executive Ben Minicucci said that while he is awaiting the official investigations before commenting on what exactly went wrong, his carrier has also assigned its own staff to review Boeing’s processes.

“We want to watch it with our own eyes, what’s going through every phase of the assembly process, putting a second set of eyes,” he told CNBC. “And if we see something we don’t like, we’re going to raise the flag.”

AerCap Chief Executive Aengus Kelly has suggested that Boeing must rethink its focus, with financial targets taking a “back seat” to quality and safety, according to an interview in the Financial Times.

Op-Ed: Evictions and homelessness — A game of Monopoly vs democracy and sanity


By Paul Wallis
DIGITAL JOURNAL AUSTRALIA
January 26, 2024

America is off track. Immigration and homelessness crisis in large metropolises like Los Angeles is the best example. — Image: © AFP

It’s an obscene horror story like no other. It’s called homelessness. Around the world, people are being evicted in the name of money. Ineffectual governments don’t and can’t and obviously won’t do much. Tent cities are common enough.

Homelessness is now at plague levels worldwide. Homeless people are digging caves in California around Modesto. There are just too many statistics about homelessness in the US alone. Berserk rental increases are the main reason. According to CBS, 653,000 Americans are homeless, but really, who knows?

There’s only one question: Why?

You can call it interest rates. You can call it unrestrained market forces. It’s a lot simpler than that. Property owners can raise rent, and nobody can stop them. If everyone raises rents at the same time, nobody can get away. It’s a classic market monopoly worst case scenario. That’s it. No mystery. No Great Conspiracy, except the fact.

The fact is that nobody understands Main Street or tries to understand it. There’s a long tradition of the rock bottom of housing being rental market, too.

Corporate America, and most other countries, are famous for their indifference to Main Street economics in any form. The sub-primes were the classic case of a purely profit-driven approach to housing, however fraudulent

.

New York City. — Image: © Digital Journal

The finance sector decided long ago that Main Street doesn’t exist. If it’s not on the radar, it doesn’t get a mention. The property market is still basking in high property prices. The mere fact that things are so bad is an indicator that the markets are at risk, but the middlemen never seem to lose out.

Corporate landlords routinely gouge their renters. Now everyone else is merrily gouging away. Complex rental legislation and “custom” leases make renting even more turgid. In countries like the UK and Australia, the deregulation of rental protections are ambivalent. In the UK, the Guardian informs us that the Office of National Statistics may stop publishing mortality data related to homelessness.

(Britons never shall be what, again? Remind me. Land of the Free what, you theorize? Explain, please.)

Renters don’t have much clout to fight back. They generally can’t go to a lawyer every time there’s an issue. Their rights are at best nominal. They are not “represented” as a class of people.

In the single-income pays for a house and family days, it was understood that housing was critical to the economy. Now, barely literate graduates of something don’t even know that theory, let alone how to put it into practice.

This economic model, naïve as it seems now, paid for the boom times in America. It effectively created the famous American sitcom lifestyle. This was where buzz cuts and ponytails flourished. Food miraculously appeared on the table, and life was pretty bland according to some but safe.

New York City. — Image: © Digital Journal

The Millennials and Gen Z won’t have that world or anything like it. They’re in midair without a parachute. There are no recorded cases in history of incomes keeping up with greed, and certainly not on this scale.

Two entire generations are headed to “curated” poverty. They might scrape through. Some have enough money, but most don’t.

Happy?

Interest rates aren’t the answer. If you have an extra $200k on your personal portfolio mortgages, hitting people with no money won’t solve that problem. It won’t pay enough, either. You will have to divest or lose the portfolio. Anyone who’s telling you otherwise isn’t doing you a favor.

This is non-democracy at work. It’s the Middle Ages. A landed class vs everyone else tends to turn out badly for any society. It’s a game of Monopoly costing lives.

The stress levels are also dangerous. You may feel great about charging people ridiculous amounts of money until someone shoots you for destroying their lives.

People are moving their whole lives around. Families are winding up in tents, cars, and caves.

What’s wrong with this is that these massive disasters to large numbers of people are mindlessly accepted.

What in the name of insular useless idiots are you paying taxes for? You’re obviously not getting much in return.

What would you like to be paying for?

Sane economic policies that have something to do with reality, perhaps?

____________________________________________________

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

Farmers vow to besiege Paris to win govt concessions


By AFP
January 26, 2024

Some French motorways were blocked on Friday with burning bales of straw 

- Copyright POOL/AFP Ludovic MARIN

Juliette MICHEL and Taimaz SZIRNIKS with AFP regional bureaus

France’s top farmers’ union on Friday announced plans to blockade major roads around Paris, upping the pressure on the government to respond to their demands on pay, tax and regulations.

Facing his first major crisis, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal was expected to offer concessions on Friday as ministers scramble to keep discontent from spreading months ahead of European Parliament elections.

The encirclement of the capital follows days of disruption on motorways as well as tractor convoys through major cities and protests in front of government buildings.

Five toll stations on major road arteries into Paris would be blocked from 2:00 pm (1300 GMT), farmers’ union FNSEA told AFP, including on the A6 and A13 motorways.

The A1 motorway heading north from Paris was already blocked on Friday morning by tractors and hay bales, causing big jams.

“We’re expecting answers from the prime minister today and if we don’t get them the movement will continue,” said Jeremy Allard, a farming union member from northern France manning a blockade.

“Maybe we’ll get some answers by bringing France to a halt this way,” agreed Charles Demeyer, an endive grower also from the north.

In the south, around 400 kilometres (250 miles) of motorway were shut between the Lyon region and the Spanish border.

– ‘Weighing us down’ –

Attal gathered his economy, environment and agriculture ministers on Thursday, as the farmers’ movement reached new heights with major protests and blockades.

The rallies mobilised around 55,000 people, according to the FNSEA.

The government has trailed “concrete proposals for simplification measures” to be announced on Friday when Attal visits the Haute-Garonne department in southwest France, scene of the first motorway roadblocks.

As well as Attal’s proposals, ministers will on Friday receive an update on food purchasing talks between supermarkets and their suppliers — designed to offer revenue relief to farmers.

Farmers have fumed at what they say is a squeeze on purchase prices for produce by supermarket and industrial buyers, as well as complex environmental regulations.

But the last straw for many was the phasing out of a tax break on diesel for farm equipment.

The agricultural fuel tax “is a real priority, a crucial cost reduction,” said Thierry Cazemajou, who grows corn and green beans for a major canned-vegetables brand.

“It’s weighing us down,” he said.

Others have called for binding minimum prices for their farm produce, speedier aid payouts or a pause on restrictions on pesticide use.

Some of the FNSEA’s 140 demands could only be met with new legislation or tricky negotiations at the European Union level.

Demonstrators have also thrown a spotlight on resented free trade agreements between the European Union and food exporters, especially a deal with South American bloc Mercosur that is still in the works.

Farmers charge that their non-EU competitors abroad do not have to meet the same standards on issues such as pesticide use.

– Police holding back –

The authorities have so far held back from intervening by force against road blockades and other forms of protest, including defacement or break-ins at government buildings and food industry sites such as supermarkets and warehouses.

“There’s no cause that can justify property damage or violence… (but) at present there are unfortunately farmers who feel desperate,” Young Farmers (JA) union chief Arnaud Gaillot told broadcaster Sud Radio.

“The situation mustn’t be allowed to turn sour. The government can’t send a message that it doesn’t care or isn’t living up to its responsibilities,” he added.

President Emmanuel Macron’s government still bears the scars of the 2018-19 “yellow vests” movement, which mobilised huge numbers of people across French society and saw ugly clashes between demonstrators and police.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said the farmers are not harming police officers or setting fire to public buildings — drawing an implicit contrast with week-long riots in summer 2023 triggered by police officers’ fatal shooting of a teenage driver.

Thousands in Austria join protests against far right

By AFP
January 26, 2024


A placard that reads 'Never again' at a "Defend Democracy" rally against the far right in Vienna - Copyright POOL/AFP Ludovic MARIN

Thousands of people took to the streets across Austria on Friday to protest against right-wing extremism and racism, inspired by similar rallies in neighbouring Germany.

In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands have joined the German protests against the AfD party, after its members were revealed to have discussed a mass deportation plan at a meeting with extremists.

Among the participants was Martin Sellner, a leader of Austria’s Identitarian Movement, which subscribes to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory that alleges a plot to replace Europe’s “native” white population with non-white migrants.

In the capital Vienna, several thousand demonstrators braved rain to gather near the parliament building on Friday evening, braving the rain.

“We are here to defend democracy and stand up against the extremist movements that are growing in Europe,” one participant, Elena Tiefenboeck, told AFP.

“So that the past doesn’t repeat itself” at a time when the far-right FPOe party is expected to win this year’s parliamentary elections, the 25-year-old student said.

One banner read “Kickl is a Nazi” in reference to the FPOe’s hardline leader Herbert Kickl, known for his fiercely anti-migrant campaigns.

Similar rallies took place in Salzburg and Innsbruck in western Austria.

The rallies were called by the Fridays for Future environmental group along with two other activist groups, Black Voices and the Platform for a Humane Asylum Policy.

More than 200 demonstrations are planned across Germany over the weekend, most of them in midsize towns, including in the east of the country, where the AfD has obtained its best electoral results.

Austria is due to hold general elections this year, but no date has yet been announced.

The conservative People’s Party (OeVP) governs in a coalition with the Greens, but their approval ratings have plummeted.

The FPOe is currently leading opinion polls, buoyed by discontent over inflation, migration and the war in Ukraine.

It is already part of coalitions that govern several Austrian provinces.

Earlier this month, Austria’s interior ministry warned of a “noticeable influx” in the country’s extreme right scene, announcing the arrests of two men.

The Non-Aligned Movement calls Israel’s war in Gaza illegal and condemns attacks on Palestinians



Heads of States and members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), pose for a photo at Speke resort convention centre in Kampala, Uganda Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. The President of the United Nations General Assembly Denis Francis and African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 


Delegates walk outside Speke resort convention centre during the 19th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Kampala, Uganda Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. The President of the United Nations General Assembly Denis Francis and African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)


Jefes de Estado y miembros del Movimiento No Alineado posan para la foto en Kampala, Uganda, viernes 19 de enero de 2024. El presidente de la Comisión de la Unión Africana, Moussa Faki Mahamat, llamó a un cese de fuego inmediato en Gaza. 

Dennis Francis, president of the U.N. General Assembly, speaks during the 19th summit of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Kampala, Uganda, Jan. 19, 2024. President of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis and African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 

(AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

BY RISDEL KASASIRA
January 20, 2024

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Heads of states of the Non-Aligned Movement Saturday called Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip “illegal” and strongly condemned indiscriminate attacks against Palestinian civilians, civilian infrastructure and the forced displacement of the Palestinian population.

While calling for a ceasefire desperately needed for humanitarian aid to access the Gaza Strip, the movement in a joint statement called for a two-state solution, on the basis of the borders before 1967, when Israel seized Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a brief war with neighboring Arab states.

The group also reiterated support for a Palestinian state to be admitted as a member of the United Nations to take its rightful place among the community of nations

The Non-Aligned Movement, formed during the collapse of the colonial systems and at the height of the Cold War, has played a key part in decolonization processes, according to its website. Member countries aspire not to be formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

Ninety representatives, including 30 heads of state, from the 120 countries that are members of NAM took part in the week-long conference in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. It culminated in a summit of heads of state on Friday and Saturday.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 24,400 Palestinians have died in the current war, and the United Nations says a quarter of the 2.3 million people trapped in Gaza are starving. In Israel, around 1,200 people were killed during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that sparked the war and saw some 250 people taken hostage by militants.

The NAM statement said members were very concerned at the continued deterioration of the situation on ground and the humanitarian crisis. It condemned Israel’s continuing settlement construction and expansion activities throughout the Palestinian territories, as well as in Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The group called for the attention of the international community, especially the U.N. Security Council.

“To this end, it is high time to end this abhorrent occupation, which continues to be imposed in flagrant violation of international law, and to ensure the implementation of the countless relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions,” the statement said.

UN Secretary General António Guterres told the summit that the refusal to accept the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people, were unacceptable.

He supported the NAM’s position calling for reform of the Security Council.

“Your Movement has long highlighted the Council’s systemic shortcomings and the need for reforms to make it truly effective and representative. How can we accept that the African continent still lacks a single Permanent Member?” he asked.

Guterres said the killing of 152 UN staff in Gaza is disheartening adding that the Hamas attack on Israel and the destruction of Gaza by the Israel army in 1