Turkey says Gaza aid truck killings ‘crime against humanity’

By Turkish Minute
February 29, 2024

Men carry an injured Palestinian at Al-Shifa hospital after an early morning Israeli attack when residents rushed toward aid trucks in Gaza City on February 29, 2024. The health ministry in Gaza said Israeli forces shot dead dozens of people when a crowd rushed towards aid trucks. Israeli sources confirmed that troops opened fire at Palestinians, with one saying soldiers thought they "posed a threat,” and that many died when they were run over by aid trucks. (Photo by AFP)

Turkey on Thursday accused Israel of “another crime against humanity” after the killing of dozens of Palestinians when Israeli troops opened fire on them as they gathered around aid trucks for food in war-torn Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported.

“Israel has added another crime to its crimes against humanity,” the Turkish foreign ministry said.

“The fact that Israel, which has condemned Gazans to famine, this time targets innocent civilians in a queue for humanitarian aid, is evidence that (Israel) aims consciously and collectively to destroy the Palestinian people,” it added.

The health ministry in Gaza said the incident killed 104 people and wounded more than 750 others in a pre-dawn “massacre” in Gaza City.

The Israeli military said a “stampede” occurred when thousands of Gazans surrounded a convoy of 30 aid trucks, leading to dozens of deaths and injuries, including some who were run over by the lorries.

An Israeli source acknowledged troops had opened fire on the crowd, believing it “posed a threat.”

The looting of aid trucks had previously occurred in northern Gaza, where residents have taken to eating animal fodder and even leaves to try to stave off starvation.

Aid groups are warning of looming famine after nearly five months of war.

The war began on October 7 with an unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures.

Militants also took about 250 hostages, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 31 Israel says are presumed dead.

Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed 30,035 people, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza’s health ministry.

Statement on Mass Killing at Gaza Aid Distribution

February 29, 2024

Statement from Refugees International:

“Refugees International is calling for an immediate independent investigation into the apparent mass killing of civilians today by the Israeli military during an attempted aid distribution in Gaza City. The United States should pause military assistance to Israel pending the completion of the investigation and accountability for those responsible.

This incident bears the clear hallmarks of a war crime. There is no justification for the killing of civilians desperate to receive lifesaving relief for their families.

The tragedy comes amidst a wider context of prolonged and intentional Israeli besiegement and collective punishment of Gaza’s civilians, particularly in Gaza City and other northern areas. Israel has strictly limited aid deliveries to the north for several months. As a result, one in four households in Gaza—around a half a million people—are experiencing catastrophic-level hunger. Gaza accounts for the “highest share of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity that the IPC initiative has ever classified for any given area or country.” A recent assessment shows that one in six children in the north face acute malnutrition, and 3 percent suffer from severe wasting. UNRWA reports that it has not been permitted to conduct a food distribution in the north since January 23. WFP announced on February 20 that it was temporarily suspending all deliveries to the north after its convoys were swarmed en route to delivery areas it had been prevented from accessing for weeks. Notably, this WFP incident did not produce a mass casualty event.

This strategy of deprivation has produced growing desperation and numerous reports of public order breaking down. U.S. humanitarian envoy David Satterfield recently raised public concerns about the ability to safely distribute aid within Gaza.

Meanwhile the IDF’s conduct in Gaza has created an atmosphere of impunity for violations of the laws of war. Large-scale killing of civilians has been normalized in the course of its military operations. IDF soldiers have posted countless photos and videos on social media of themselves mocking and humiliating the Palestinian population – many of which constitute war crimes evidence in their own right. Today’s violence occurs amid a consistent backdrop of undisciplined impunity.

This tragedy is a direct and inevitable consequence of Israel’s approach to the war in Gaza. The Netanyahu government has pursued a strategy of deprivation, indifference to civilian harm, and impunity, all implemented by undisciplined forces. The only surprise is that a tragedy of this nature had not happened sooner.”

READ: Biden says reported firing on Gaza food line will complicate truce talks

White House calls for investigation into Gaza deaths

ABC News contributor Mick Mulroy discusses the investigation after Israeli forces allegedly opened fire on Palestinians who were waiting for food aid in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday morning.

February 29, 2024

 

WAGGING THEIR FINGER

Pentagon says 'civilians must be protected' after Israeli attack on Palestinians seeking aid

'Too many civilians have been killed in Israel's military operations, and we continue to reiterate that civilian lives must be protected,' says spokesperson

Michael Hernandez |01.03.2024 - 


WASHINGTON

The Pentagon urged Israel Thursday to protect civilians during its ongoing operations in Gaza after over 100 malnourished people were killed while waiting for humanitarian aid.

Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the reports emerging from Gaza are "alarming," adding that the "situation highlights the tragic nature of this conflict."

"We're, of course, very saddened to hear about this loss of innocent lives. And we do acknowledge, as I just said a moment ago, that too many civilians have been killed in Israel's military operations, and we continue to reiterate that civilian lives must be protected," he said.

"This situation also does underscore the critical importance of ensuring that much needed humanitarian assistance. can be delivered to the people of Gaza in a safe, secure and sustained manner," added Ryder.

Thursday's attack occurred at dawn as hundreds of Palestinians were waiting to receive desperately-needed humanitarian aid near the al-Nablusi roundabout area, south of Gaza City, when they came under Israeli fire, according to eyewitnesses. Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 112 Palestinians were killed and 760 others injured.

The Israeli military said an initial investigation found that the Palestinians had approached a military checkpoint overseeing the entry of the aid trucks and that soldiers had fired warning shots at their legs as they continued to advance towards the troops.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv said killed about 1,200 people.

At least 30,035 Palestinians have since been killed and more than 70,457 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

‘Heinous’: Deadly Israeli attack on Gaza aid-seekers condemned

Leaders from Palestine and neighbouring countries speak out against the ‘massacre’ of more than 100 people seeking aid.

Bodies are wrapped in white shrouds on ground outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Israeli troops fired on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza City on Thursday 

[AP Photo]

Published On 29 Feb 2024

Palestinian leaders and neighbouring countries have condemned Israel’s targeting of unarmed Palestinians collecting aid in Gaza, in an attack that has killed more than 100 people.

The office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said an “ugly massacre conducted by the Israeli occupation army” had taken place, following reports on Thursday that Israeli forces opened fire on people receiving aid southwest of Gaza City.

The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 112 people were killed and more than 750 wounded, and called on the international community to “urgently intervene” to forge a ceasefire as “the only way to protect civilians”.

“The killing of this large number of innocent civilian victims who risked their livelihood is an integral part of the genocidal war committed by the occupation government against our people,” Abbas’s office was quoted by the Wafa news agency as saying.

“Israeli occupation authorities bear full responsibility and will be held accountable before international courts.”

Palestinian group Hamas called the attack “a heinous massacre added to the long series of massacres committed by the criminal Zionist entity against our Palestinian people”.

In a statement, the group, which is fighting Israel in Gaza, said the deadly attack on aid-seekers was “unprecedented in the history of war crimes” and was part of Israel’s “war of starvation” against Palestinians in the enclave.

It called on the United Nations Security Council and Arab states to take decisions obligating Israel to stop its mass killings, ethnic cleansing, genocide and violations of international law in Gaza.

Hamas also said it holds Israel and the United States administration under President Joe Biden responsible for the escalation of the war.

Western ‘complicity’

After news of the attack, the Israeli army claimed that civilians in Gaza had attacked the aid trucks and dozens of people had been trampled – although this was disputed by witness accounts.

“At some point, the trucks were overwhelmed and the people driving the trucks, which were Gazan civilian drivers, ploughed into the crowds of people, ultimately killing, my understanding is, tens of people,” Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hyman told reporters.

“It’s obviously a tragedy, but we’re not sure of the specifics quite yet.”

Palestinian novelist Yusri al-Ghoul, who witnessed to the incident, spoke to Al Jazeera from Gaza City’s Shati Camp.

“They [Israel] are always saying their propaganda … I heard them when they are insulting us and shouting at the Palestinians, even the children … [saying] we will kill you every day,” he said.

“[If it was because of overcrowding], why were the knees and elbows being shot? … Why did the Israeli tanks target the Palestinian civilians?”

The White House said it was looking into reports of Israeli fire on Palestinians, describing it as a “serious incident”.

“We mourn the loss of innocent life and recognise the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where innocent Palestinians are just trying to feed their families,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday.

Biden later said that Washington was checking “two competing versions of what happened”, before adding that the killings would make negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza more difficult. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US has asked Israel to provide answers.
Advertisement

The United Nations’ aid chief Martin Griffiths said he was appalled at the “reported killing and injury of hundreds of people”.

“Even after close to five months of brutal hostilities, Gaza still has the ability to shock us,” Griffiths said. “Life is draining out of Gaza at terrifying speed.”

[Al Jazeera]

International condemnation

Egypt, which neighbours Israel and the southern Gaza Strip, meanwhile condemned the attack.

“We condemn the inhumane Israeli targeting of … unarmed Palestinian civilians in the Nabulsi roundabout in the northern Gaza,” Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “We consider targeting peaceful citizens rushing to pick up their share of aid a shameful crime and a flagrant violation of international law.”

Jordan’s foreign ministry also released a statement, saying, “We condemn the Israeli occupation forces’ brutal targeting of the gathering of Palestinians who were waiting for aid on the Nabulsi roundabout near Al-Rashid Street in Gaza.”

Saudi Arabia also joined in the condemnation. A foreign ministry statement said Riyadh rejected “violations of international humanitarian law from any side and under any circumstance”, and called for the international community to compel Israel to open secure humanitarian corridors into Gaza.

For her part, the Belgian deputy prime minister, Petra De Sutter, said she was “horrified by the news of today’s massacre”.

“Murdering people queueing for essential humanitarian aid?” De Sutter wrote in a social media post. “This is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and fully goes against the [International Court of Justice’s] provisional measures.”

Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, called the attack another “horrible crime” committed by Israel.

“These were civilians who are starving because Israel has been depriving them from food for months and does not allow any supplies to them for more than a month now,” he told Al Jazeera from Moscow.

“And then they try to justify it by saying that Palestinians are responsible for being killed by the same Israeli soldiers? It’s unbelievable.”

Barghouti also decried “the silence” of Western countries and blamed their governments for being “complicit with these crimes and allow them to happen”.

“This should stop immediately,” he said. “It cannot stop without an immediate, permanent, complete and total ceasefire.”

Reiterating solidarity with Palestinians, commitment to 2-state solution, main opposition SYRIZA releases statement after Israeli strike kills at least 112 civilians in Gaza awaiting aid

Ahmet Gençtürk |29.02.2024 




ATHENS

Greece's leftist opposition parties expressed solidarity with Palestinians after an Israeli airstrike killed more than 100 civilians in the Gaza Strip.

"The Government, instead of being afraid to utter the words 'cease-fire,' sticking to the logic of the 'given ally,' should take the lead — like other European countries — in the effort to secure it," the SYRIZA party said in a statement.

It reiterated its solidarity with the "hard-pressed" Palestinian people, its strong condemnation of the killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip, and underlined the need to support the UN efforts for an immediate cease-fire in the territory.

The statement came after Israeli forces shelled a crowd of Palestinians early Thursday as they awaited humanitarian aid south of Gaza City, killing at least 112 Palestinians and injuring 760 others, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

SYRIZA also called for an end to the humanitarian crisis, the return of the Israeli hostages, and the immediate resumption of credible talks for a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.​

Moreover, the Greek Communist Party (KKE) called the Israeli attack "yet another heinous criminal act in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people," in a statement.

"Now the solidarity of the Greek people and the youth towards the people of Palestine must be strengthened even more decisively, demanding ‘freedom in Palestine’, stop the carnage in Gaza," it said.

In addition, the social-democratic PASOK party's spokesperson, Dimitris Mantzou, said in a statement that the attack "reveals that the humanitarian tragedy of Gaza is intensifying, now taking on unprecedented proportions."

He demanded that the government intensify its efforts, within the framework of the international community, for an immediate cease-fire, for the end of bloodshed and the return of the hostages to Israel.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

At least 30,035 Palestinians have since been killed and over 70,457 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Surprising methane discovery in Yukon glaciers: 'Much more widespread than we thought'

Date: February 29, 2024

Source:

University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science

Summary:

Global melting is prying the lid off methane stocks, the extent of which we do not know. A researcher has now discovered high concentrations of the powerful greenhouse gas in meltwater from three Canadian mountain glaciers, where it was not thought to exist -- adding new unknowns to the understanding of methane emissions from Earth's glaciated regions.

Global melting is prying the lid off methane stocks, the extent of which we do not know. A young researcher from University of Copenhagen has discovered high concentrations of the powerful greenhouse gas in meltwater from three Canadian mountain glaciers, where it was not thought to exist -- adding new unknowns to the understanding of methane emissions from Earth's glaciated regions

The helicopter's rotor blades spin as its skillful pilot performs aerial acrobatics between the steep Yukon mountain sides where PhD student Sarah Elise Sapper is leading her first field expedition deep into the heart of the mountains of northwestern Canada. From the helicopter windows, her eyes fall on the jagged edge of the Donjek glacier: meltwater swirls out from beneath the ice like a whirlpool.

Soon after landing, it becomes apparent that Sarah has stumbled upon an unusual find on the first attempt. Seconds after starting up her portable methane analyzer it is clear that the air is enriched with methane and the culprit is soon found. Collecting a sample of meltwater, she measures concentrations of methane that far exceed expectations.

"We expected to find low values in the meltwater because it is believed that glacial methane emissions require larger ice masses such as vast ice sheets. But the result was quite the opposite. We measured concentrations up to 250 times higher than those in our atmosphere," explains Sarah Elise Sapper of the University of Copenhagen's Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management.

The field party lifted off and continued to two more mountain glaciers, Kluane and Dusty. And after measuring the methane in the meltwater of each of those two glaciers, the preliminary finding turned out to be more than an anomaly. Here too, measurements showed high methane concentrations. Somewhere beneath the ice, there are previously unknown sources of the gas.

Demonstrates possibility of widespread methane emissions

"The finding is surprising and raises several important questions within this area of research," says Associate Professor Jesper Riis Christiansen of the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management.

Christiansen, the research article's co-author, believes that the finding demonstrates the possibility of methane being present beneath many of the world's glaciers, ones that have thus far been written off.

"When we suddenly see that even mountain glaciers, which are small in comparison with an ice sheet, are able to form and emit methane, it expands our basic understanding of carbon cycling in extreme environments on the planet. The formation and release of methane under ice is more comprehensive and much more widespread than we thought," he says.

Until now, the prevailing view has been that methane in meltwater could only be found in oxygen- free environments under large masses of ice like the Greenland Ice Sheet.

The researchers assume that the production of methane is biological and happens when an organic carbon source -- e.g., deposits from prehistoric marine organisms, soils, peat or forests -- is decomposed by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen, such as we know from wetlands. As such, it is surprising that the mountain glaciers emit methane.

"The meltwater from the surface of glaciers is oxygen-rich when it travels to the bottom of the ice. So we found it quite surprising that all this oxygen is used up somewhere along the way, so that oxygen-free environments form underneath these mountain glaciers. And even more surprising that it happens to such a degree, that microbes start producing methane and we can observe these high methane concentrations in the water flowing out at the glacier edges" states Sarah Elise Sapper.

"Sarah's findings change our basic understanding and send us back to the drawing board in relation to some of the key mechanisms at play," adds Jesper Riis Christiansen.

An uncertain role for the climate of the future

According to the researchers, the findings in Canada do not immediately spur an increased concern in relation to their effect on climate change. However that conclusion may be temporary.

"Methane plays a major role in warming our planet. The challenge with methane is that it is a super-potent greenhouse gas and increasing emissions will accelerate climate warming. From a global perspective, we can measure how much is emitted into the atmosphere and, roughly speaking, where the methane comes from, using the isotopes found in the atmospheric methane. And for now, the contribution of methane from ice-covered regions on our planet, including ice sheets and glaciers, isn't increasing," explains Jesper Riis Christiansen.

However, he emphasizes that the measurements cannot distinguish between methane from glaciated regions and methane from wetlands. Therefore, the numbers could be deceiving. And, the effect of melting remains unknown.

Jesper Riis Christiansen believes that the findings demand vigilance.

"The three sites Sarah measured were randomly selected due to the availability of a research station and helicopter, yet methane was found in all three. In itself, that is a good reason to better understand the area. There's too much that we don't know, and the melting glaciers expose unknown environments that have remained hidden for thousands of years. In reality, no one knows how emissions will behave," says Jesper Riis Christiansen.

He hopes that a better understanding of methane behaviour beneath glaciers will also help researchers better understand the mechanisms at play when wetlands release methane, and thereby contribute to the development of solutions to remove methane from the atmosphere through oxidation -- e.g., through the use of certain soil types.

A subglacial black box

The actual sources and locations of subglacial methane production actually remain somewhat of a mystery, hidden beneath ice masses of all sizes. Indeed, this methane can only be measured as the meltwater emerges from beneath the ice. And because it originates from large areas below the ice masses, this makes it difficult to access exactly where the production happens.

It is known to not originate from the ice itself, as concentrations both in the ice and meltwater atop it are lower than what is measured at the glacier edge. As such, the researchers believe that the methane must derive from a source beneath the ice. And the best theory, as mentioned, is that it is formed by microbes in oxygen-free pockets and then carried out with meltwater.

But this indirect knowledge of the source leaves a great deal of uncertainty about how much methane is hidden beneath the ice.

"It's a big black box under the ice -- and you could say that the meltwater is prying the lid off it. We do not know whether methane emissions from glacial areas will increase in the future with increased melting, or whether the 'lid' has already been opened to such a degree that the methane beneath the ice is actually being washed out with the meltwater," says Sarah Elise Sapper.

Methane and CO2 are different greenhouse gases

The half-life of methane in the atmosphere is 12 years.

CO2 has a much longer half-life, at roughly 1000 years.

On the other hand, methane is about 25 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas on a 100-year basis and a far more serious threat to global climate in the shorter term.

Due to greenhouse gas-driven climate change, researchers around the world are working to develop ways to capture or store CO2.

Similarly, solutions are being devised to limit the emission of -- or increase the oxidation of -- methane. Doing so requires more knowledge about how methane is formed.

Facts: Carbon circulation of methane and CO2

Biological traces from animal and plant material in the subsoil consist of carbon.

Within these environments, microorganisms have developed an ability to convert carbon into energy in a process where methane is created as a byproduct in the absence of oxygen (e.g. in beneath ice sheets or in wetlands)

However, if the methane is released into an oxygen-rich environment, it can effectively be oxidized and converted into CO2 by microbes. Wetlands play an important role in this process.

Once, in the atmosphere, methane reacts with other chemicals (hydroxyl radicals) which keep the concentrations down.

However, as temperatures rise, the amount of methane emitted from ecosystems around the world increases -- from the Arctic to the Amazon. And the balance may be shifting if the processes that remove methane do not react to the same degree.

Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

Sarah Elise Sapper, Christian Juncher Jørgensen, Moritz Schroll, Frank Keppler, Jesper Riis Christiansen. Methane emissions from subglacial meltwater of three alpine glaciers in Yukon, Canada. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 2023; 55 (1) DOI: 10.1080/15230430.2023.2284456

36 Famous Authors Co-Wrote a Pandemic Novel. Can You Guess Who Drafted Each Section?

Margaret Atwood, R.L. Stine and John Grisham are among the writers who collaborated on “Fourteen Days,” which follows a group of New Yorkers who gather on a Manhattan rooftop to swap stories beginning in March 2020


Catherine Duncan
Staff Contributor

February 28, 2024 
The novel is set during the early days of the pandemic, when New Yorkers applauded from their windows each night for medical staff and essential workers. Noam Galai / Getty Images

Three dozen literary giants have joined forces to craft Fourteen Days, a collaborative novel set in the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Each author was responsible for one character’s story, though no bylines appear throughout the text. To find out which writer pairs with each character, readers will need to flip to the end.

The project is the brainchild of Douglas Preston, the renowned thriller writer and former president of the Authors Guild, which commissioned the work. All proceeds from the novel, which debuted this month, will go toward the organization’s activities.

Fourteen Days takes place in New York City over a two-week period beginning on March 31, 2020. It is a time capsule of an unsettling era when lockdowns had just started and city-dwellers were clanging pots and pans to support first responders.

The story follows a group of tenants cooped up in their Lower East Side apartment building who gather on the roof every night. They begin to form a connection for the first time—even though they’ve lived on top of each other for years. Preston wrote the novel’s frame narrative, which unifies the patchwork of stories via the apartment building’s superintendent, Yessenia Grigorescu.

“Many years ago, I had this idea of writing a plague novel, sort of like Boccaccio’s Decameron,” Preston tells the Los Angeles Times’ Bethanne Patrick. “And it was a disaster. It was terrible! When you’re a novelist, you often abandon things, and I abandoned it. But when the pandemic hit, I thought it might be an idea worth resurrecting as a group storytelling project. I suggested it to a few colleagues, and they said, ‘Yes, let’s do it,’ but we have to tell the stories of the people who were left behind.”

Fourteen Days: A Collaborative Novel

Set in a Lower East Side tenement in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Fourteen Days is an irresistibly propulsive collaborative novel from the Authors Guild, with an unusual twist: each character in this diverse, eccentric cast of New York neighbors has been secretly written by a different, major literary voice—from Margaret Atwood and Celeste Ng to Tommy Orange and John Grisham.BUY

Preston enlisted Margaret Atwood, the award-winning author known for The Handmaid’s Tale, to co-edit and contribute writing to the novel. The 36 American and Canadian authors—including Celeste Ng, John Grisham, Tommy Orange, Meg Wolitzer, Charlie Jane Anders and R.L. Stine—each submitted a story that was then edited into Preston’s larger work.

“Margaret Atwood is a great friend of the Authors Guild, and she recruited the authors,” Preston tells the Marin Independent Journal’s Stuart Miller. “She’s such a towering literary figure that everyone responded.”

One of the authors, Emma Donoghue, jumped to join the project before she even “finished reading the first paragraph” of the pitch, as she tells CNN’s Zara Khan. The authors were not given any directions other than that they needed to write in the first person. And though the authors’ names lining the book’s cover are familiar, their exact contributions remain unknown until the very end of the novel, where each writer’s bio reveals which story they wrote.

“It’s a rare experience to get to write a bit of a book and then experience it as an unprepared reader,” Donoghue tells CNN.

The individual stories in the novel vary in length, style and genre. For example, one tale depicts a “spiky-haired bedbug exterminator who claims she used to be a spider,” per the New York Times’ Alexandra Jacobs. Another follows a nun who can predict exactly when a patient is going to die.

“We all have different stories in New York, and we all live on top of one another,” Stine, best known as the author of Goosebumps, tells the L.A. Times. “And we all get along pretty well. That’s what America is supposed to be about.”

While each narrative is unique, Preston thinks they all converge around a common theme: how storytelling can help establish community amid loss and isolation.

“In every human culture on earth, storytelling is a central part,” Preston tells the Marin Independent Journal. “It’s embedded in our very genes. We tell stories to make sense of tragedy, of war, of violence, of pandemics. We tell stories to make sense of a terrifying and senseless world. And that’s what this book is really about.”




Catherine Duncan  is an intern with Smithsonian magazine.

 

Yeast and kelp flies can replace fishmeal in feed for farmed salmon, suggests thesis

by University of Gothenburg

Marine yeast can be produced in nutrient-rich brine from the herring processing industry. The yeast has the potential to be included in feed for salmon farms. Credit: Ingrid Undeland

Kelp flies and marine yeast cultivated on by-products from the seafood industry can be used in feed for farmed salmon. Replacing fishmeal and soybeans can create more sustainable and circular food production, according to a thesis from the University of Gothenburg.

Food from aquaculture, such as farmed fish, is the food industry's fastest growing sector. One key reason is that this is a nutritious and protein-rich food that is generally more sustainably produced than protein from land animals.

However, fish farming also has challenges. One, is obtaining sufficient amounts of sustainable high-quality feed. Currently, fish feed accounts for about half of both the carbon footprint and production cost of farmed fish. By studying alternative and more sustainable fish feed ingredients, researchers at the University of Gothenburg hope to make aquaculture even more sustainable.

A new thesis proposes kelp fly larvae and marine yeast as suitable alternatives to fishmeal and soybeans in feed. These two raw materials can be produced using by-products from the seafood industry, which would otherwise be discarded. The fly larvae and marine yeast have over 50% high-quality proteins and high levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids that fish need to grow and thrive—ultimately providing healthy food for humans.

Strengthening the fish's immune system

"Both the fly larvae and the yeast have good nutritional values, and I noticed that the fish had a healthy appetite for the feed," says Niklas Warwas, a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg. "Another important benefit is that such feed ingredients can strengthen the immune system and thereby protect the fish from diseases.

The focus of Niklas's thesis is on investigating the opportunities for more circular food production that reduces environmental and climate impacts. The marine yeast was cultivated in nutrient-rich brine from the herring processing industry. This brine is a by-product that currently represents a cost for the industry, as it has to be treated before being discharged into the environment. The water could now be reused to produce a new raw material for fish feed instead. In a similar way, kelp flies were fed on a residual product from algae cultivation.

The larvae from the kelp fly can be grown on by-products from algae farms. The larvae are

 rich in protein and can work well as a sustainable ingredient in fish feed. 

Credit: Niklas Warwas

Greater food security

One important advantage is that neither the yeast nor the fly larvae require significant further processing before they can be used as raw material in fish feed, which can reduce the energy consumption of feed production.

"Both the yeast and the insects can be cultivated on a wide range of different organic materials. It is important to create local circular systems where the fish feed can be produced close to the processing factories, which in turn can be located close to the fish farms. This reduces transportation requirements and makes these alternative feed ingredients more competitive."

In today's fish feed, fish meal or soybeans are usually used as a protein source. Both of these are also potential food for humans. Reducing their use in fish feed contributes to greater food security at a time when global trade faces a number of challenges.

"My research can help Sweden to achieve more circular food production, in which by-products are reused instead of being discarded. This contributes to a more resource-efficient food industry, which is important when access to arable land and clean water is under threat and the population is growing."

More information: Warwas, Niklas. Novel Marine Ingredients for Aquaculture—Fish Nutrition, Physiology and Intestinal Health

Provided by University of Gothenburg  Farmed wolffish could be on your plate in the future

A threat to what is ours: How Japanese people react to perceived territorial infringements

by Osaka University

Image of Territorial Infringement. Credit: 2023 Ioku and Watamura, Cultural Invariance and Ideological Variance of Collective Ownership Threat in Intergroup Relations. Peace and Conflict

Throughout the world, it is common for threats to national sovereignty or territorial integrity to stir up strong emotions among the public. Now, researchers from Japan have found that the strength of the reaction to such threats can break down along political lines in interesting ways.

In a study published in Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, researchers from Osaka University have revealed that the Japanese public is highly sensitive to what are known as "collective ownership threats" (COT, i.e., fear of losing control of what is perceived as "ours"), as might be expected given Japan's strongly collectivist and ethnically homogenous character. Interestingly though, Japanese individuals with politically liberal beliefs tend to show a higher degree of sensitivity to COT than conservatives.

Political scientists distinguish between COT and other types of potential threats to a nation, such as economic or symbolic threats. Although there may be some overlap between these types of threats, in the case of COT, the defining feature is the sense that something that is "ours" is being infringed upon by outsiders (such as a foreign nation).

"In Japan, the issue of the Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu Islands in Chinese) is a matter of great public concern," says lead author of the study Tomohiro Ioku. "Reports of threats to Japan's territorial rights over the islands, such as when a Chinese Coast Guard ship recently entered nearby waters, can cause significant public anxiety."

Differences in Fear over Territory by Experimental Manipulation: +1SD for Conservatism, -1SD for Liberalism. Note. The slope of the straight line indicates how much higher fears are in the experimental condition than in the control condition. Participants in the experimental condition read articles about losing Japanese territory, while those in the control condition read articles with no such statement. Credit: 2023 Ioku and Watamura, Cultural Invariance and Ideological Variance of Collective Ownership Threat in Intergroup Relations. Peace and Conflict

Fear over Territory and Resistance to Cooperating with China. Note. The slope of a straight line indicates higher the fear is, the higher the level of resistance. Credit: 2023 Ioku and Watamura, Cultural Invariance and Ideological Variance of Collective Ownership Threat in Intergroup Relations. Peace and Conflict

To investigate how the Japanese public reacts to such infringements, the researchers conducted an online survey of more than 800 Japanese adults in February 2022. As part of this survey, the respondents were shown a fictitious newspaper article depicting a threat from China to Japan's collective ownership, economy, or culture and tradition.

"Our findings suggest that the Japanese public is particularly sensitive to COT," explains Eiichiro Watamura, senior author. "However, what is fascinating is that this sensitivity is even more pronounced among liberals than conservatives."

This finding runs counter to conventional wisdom, which is that conservatives tend to react more strongly to issues involving territorial integrity and national sovereignty. Another interesting finding is that the fictitious examples of COT from China in the study had the result of reducing the participants' willingness to cooperate with Chinese policies such as the Belt and Road Initiative.

This study underscores the psychological importance of collective ownership threats, potentially deterring countries from engaging in activities that infringe on the territorial integrity of others.


More information: Tomohiro Ioku et al, Cultural invariance and ideological variance of collective ownership threat in intergroup relations., Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology (2024). DOI: 10.1037/pac0000707

Provided by Osaka University Making it personal: Considering an issue's relevance to your own life could help reduce political polarization

New Study Opens Window to Cultural Past in Great Lakes Sanctuary

By Hans Van Tilburg and Rachel Plunkett
News

February 2024

While shipwrecks are often the primary focus of maritime heritage preservation in America’s Great Lakes national marine sanctuaries, a recent two-part maritime cultural landscape study of the 962-square-mile Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary reveals that shipwrecks only tell part of the story of human connections to the natural environment in this region. There were many harbors, shipyards, and lumber mills associated with Euro-American fisheries tied to sanctuary waters, and these inland seas were essential for Indigenous peoples for millennia before European contact. The report highlights the need for future Tribal cultural landscape studies by Indigenous peoples in their own voices.

Historic image of steamers in the Manitowoc River in winter. Image: Wisconsin Maritime Museum Collection

Wreck of the schooner Galinipper, Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary's oldest known shipwreck. Image: Becky Schott / Liquid Productions

“People have used these waters for over 10,000 years,” said Russ Green, superintendent of Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. “Historic shipwrecks happen to be the most visible of the sanctuary’s archaeological features, but they represent just a fraction of its history and cultural significance. We hope this report can be a starting point to working in partnership with local Indigenous peoples in future cultural studies.”
What is a Maritime Cultural Landscape?

A maritime cultural landscape study is like a special investigation that looks at the connection between people and the marine environment over time. It explores how humans have interacted with the ocean, rivers, and other waterways, and how these interactions have shaped cultures and communities. This study goes beyond just the physical structures like boats or ports; it also considers stories, traditions, and communities related to waterways.

Birdseye view of the shoreline of Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1885. Image: Library of Congress

Researchers in maritime cultural landscape studies dig into historical records, oral traditions, and archaeological discoveries to piece together a detailed picture of how people have used and lived by the water. They might look at old maps, shipwrecks, fishing practices, folklore, and written and oral histories to understand the deep ties between human societies and the maritime environment. The goal is to preserve and appreciate the rich heritage tied to the ocean and Great Lakes, recognizing its influence on cultures, economies, and daily life.

“These studies help us learn from the past, appreciate maritime traditions, and make informed decisions about how to protect and sustain our maritime heritage for future generations,” Green said.

The two-part cultural landscape study of Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary identifies shipbuilding, manufacturing, fishing, and lumber as significant areas of cultural and environmental interaction, and considers elements of both the Euro-American “Atlantic” maritime landscape and current scholarship on the older Indigenous cultural landscapes.

About the Shipwrecks

Map of the known shipwrecks within Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Image: NOAA

The Great Lakes are a vast natural highway extending over a thousand miles into the heart of North America, and have been integral to Indigenous peoples and American trade and commerce. These waters are not only known for their usefulness as trade routes and fishing grounds, but also are famously known for their treacherous conditions and the many shipwrecks that lie beneath the waves. When looking at just the past 300 years, these waters have been utilized by Euro-Americans and have greatly contributed to the growth of the North American interior. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Great Lakes evolved from an isolated maritime frontier into the nation’s busiest and the world’s most significant waterway.

Co-managed with the state of Wisconsin, the sanctuary along Wisconsin’s “Shipwreck Coast” of Lake Michigan first and foremost manages a nationally significant collection of 40 well-preserved historic shipwrecks. The historically diverse vessels represent broad patterns that are part of American history on the Great Lakes, and preserve the personal stories of entrepreneurship, innovation, tenacity, and hardship that defined the period. Like submerged time capsules, shipwrecks are the central resource type for preserving our maritime heritage.

The newly-completed landscape assessment, however, reveals that beyond the shipwrecks, there are other significant tangible and intangible maritime heritage resources that hold stories from the past worth telling. The report highlights that there is a need to dig deeper into the history of the ports, harbors, shipyards, and lumber mills associated with the sanctuary, as well as the history of Indigenous fisheries and other uses that existed before European contact.
Approaching the Past

Long before European contact, these vast waterways were integral to Indigenous peoples, providing essential trade, communication, and sustenance. People have shaped, and in turn been shaped by, their marine environment in many significant ways, reflected in multiple voices and multicultural perspectives.

Native American fishermen sustainably harvested sturgeon for their meat and eggs (roe) for thousands of years. By the late-1800s, after the rise of the Great Lakes commercial fishing industry, sturgeon were being over-exploited for caviar, smoked meat, and oil. Today, the shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) is listed as an endangered species and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering adding lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) to the Endangered Species List.

The landscape study recognizes that pre-contact history is central to the understanding of the area’s cultural past and present, citing contemporary tribal studies such as studies on the seasonal fishing villages of the Menominee, Ho-Chunk, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi. However, this recognition does not supplant, but rather highlights, the need for Tribal cultural landscape studies by Indigenous communities in their own voices.
Informing Future Management

The study of maritime cultural landscapes allows national marine sanctuaries to engage with and learn from local individuals, families, and communities about their relationships to sanctuary waters and surrounding lands. These voices represent the history and the cultural heritage of Native Americans, fishermen, military, lighthouse keepers, tourism operators, recreational divers, developers, coastal managers, museum operators, and many more.

The landscape characterization provided in this report series supports the information needs of the upcoming condition report and management plan review processes for Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The information provided by the landscape study will also be used to support future educational experiences and public outreach products tied to the sanctuary’s mission, such as partner exhibits, websites, videos, and cultural tourism projects.


Hans Van Tilburg is the maritime heritage coordinator for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Rachel Plunkett is the content manager and senior writer/editor for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

 

Clinical Pharmacists Play Integral Role in Medical Missions: A Case Study in Peru

February 28, 2024

Mike Rizo, PharmD

Commentary

Article

The case study of the medical mission in Peru serves as a poignant example of the indispensable role clinical pharmacists play in health care teams, especially in challenging and resource-limited environments.

Medical missions, while providing essential health care services to underserved populations, necessitate not only surgical expertise but also comprehensive pharmaceutical support. In one mission to Peru, there were about 200 surgical procedures performed including cheloid removal, cleft palate surgery and cleft lip surgery, among others. Some procedures were quick, whereas some took several hours. The patients’ ages ranged from 3 to 75 years.

Image credit: Jeffery Edwards | stock.adobe.com

The Role of Clinical Pharmacists in the Medical Mission
Clinical pharmacists played a pivotal role in medication preparation during the mission, customizing treatments and dosages based on patient characteristics. Their expertise in dosage calculations and compounding techniques ensured precise and tailored medication administration, allowing surgeons and anesthesiologists to focus on their responsibilities. The meticulous approach to the compounding of the different pharmaceutical preparations (such as intravenous antibiotics, antinausea medications, pre-operation and post-operation medications) sped up the process, prevented underdosing or overdosing while maximizing therapeutic efficacy and budget efficiency.

Clinical pharmacists also prepared sterile medications on a disinfected glass surface, strictly adhering to personal protective equipment (PPE) guidelines. Immediate preparation ensured maximum efficacy and stability, eliminating the risk of deterioration or contamination during storage. Pain medications such as hydromorphone, rocuronium for general anesthesia, and antibiotics such as cefazolin and ondansetron were prepared for every patient.

The pharmacists actively developed protocols for medication preparation based on weight and age categories, ensuring standardized and optimal medication administration throughout patient care stages. Protocols addressed pre-surgery, post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), and post-discharge home care.

During the medical mission, clinical pharmacists were responsible for daily stock solutions, ensuring an adequate supply of medications required for the diverse range of surgical procedures conducted during the mission. Their meticulous inventory management and collaboration with pharmaceutical suppliers guaranteed the availability of essential drugs, preventing disruptions in patient care. This proactive approach reflected the adaptability and resourcefulness of clinical pharmacists in resource-limited settings.

Patient Consultations and Education
In addition to their role in medication preparation, clinical pharmacists conducted patient consultations, providing crucial information on medication regimens, potential adverse effects, and postoperative care. Patient education sessions facilitated better adherence to prescribed medications and promoted an understanding of the importance of continued treatment post-discharge. The personalized attention given by clinical pharmacists contributed to improved patient outcomes and overall satisfaction with the health care services provided during the mission.

Collaboration within the Interdisciplinary Team
The success of the medical mission in Peru was significantly enhanced by the seamless collaboration between clinical pharmacists and other health care professionals. Regular communication and interdisciplinary rounds ensured a holistic approach to patient care. Clinical pharmacists actively participated in discussions with surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nursing staff, contributing their expertise to address medication-related concerns and optimize therapeutic outcomes.

Challenges and Solutions
Despite the positive impact of clinical pharmacists, challenges were of course encountered during the mission. Limited resources, language barriers, and unfamiliar regulatory landscapes posed difficulties. However, the adaptability and problem-solving skills of the clinical pharmacists were evident as they found innovative solutions to overcome these challenges. Collaborating with local health care professionals and leveraging technology for language translation facilitated effective communication and streamlined pharmacy operations.

The Importance of Pharmacists as Integral Members of Health Care Teams
Pharmacists are increasingly recognized as indispensable members of health care teams, contributing significantly to patient care across various settings. In the context of medical missions, their multifaceted role extends beyond medication preparation. Clinical pharmacists serve as crucial liaisons between patients, physicians, and other health care professionals, bridging gaps in understanding and promoting comprehensive, patient-centered care.

The expertise of pharmacists in pharmacology, therapeutics, and medication management positions them uniquely to contribute to the optimization of treatment plans. Their involvement in medication reconciliation, dosage adjustments, and identification of potential drug interactions enhances patient safety and overall health care outcomes. In the case of medical missions, where resources may be limited, the adaptability and knowledge of pharmacists becomes even more crucial.

One of the key contributions of clinical pharmacists is their ability to develop and implement protocols for medication administration. This ensures standardized and evidence-based practices, promoting consistency in care delivery. In the context of the medical mission in Peru, the development of protocols by the clinical pharmacists played a pivotal role in streamlining medication processes and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the diverse patient population.

Patient consultations and education represent another facet of the pharmacist's role that cannot be understated. Beyond the preparation of medications, clinical pharmacists actively engage with patients, providing valuable information on prescribed medications, potential adverse effects, and the importance of adherence. This personalized approach not only enhances patient understanding but also fosters a sense of trust and collaboration between health care providers and those seeking care.

Collaboration within the interdisciplinary team is a hallmark of successful health care delivery, and clinical pharmacists are integral to this collaboration. Their participation in rounds, discussions with surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nursing staff ensures that medication-related concerns are addressed promptly, contributing to the overall efficiency of patient care. Contributions such as providing best alternative to a medication when inventory is low or a medication has run out, management of the medication inventory, and creating discharge protocols to address pain management, are just a few among the many contributions pharmacists made to the team. The ability of clinical pharmacists to communicate effectively with diverse health care professionals enhances the synergy within the team, leading to better patient outcomes.

In conclusion, the case study of the medical mission in Peru serves as a poignant example of the indispensable role clinical pharmacists play in health care teams, especially in challenging and resource-limited environments. Their contributions extend beyond the traditional boundaries of pharmacy practice, encompassing medication preparation, protocol development, patient education, and seamless collaboration with other health care professionals. As the landscape of global health care continues to evolve, recognizing and harnessing the full potential of clinical pharmacists is essential for achieving comprehensive and sustainable healthcare outcomes.