IRONY

Green party's Stein blames Democrats for 'disastrous' Trump win


Jill Stein speaking at the Green Party Presidential Candidate Town Hall hosted by the Green Party of Arizona at the Mesa Public Library in Mesa, Ariz., in 2016. Photo courtesy Gage Skidmore

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- This year's Green Party presidential candidate, Jill Stein, has blamed Democrats for their election loss, and has said the two party political system in the U.S. is broken.

She said Democrats have no one but themselves to blame for another "disastrous" Trump victory.

"Once again the two-party system has delivered a disastrous result for the American people," Stein wrote in a social media post. "Now we must continue the uprising for people-powered politics and demand the world we deserve - which will never be delivered by the two parts of war and Wall Street."

Stein and other third party advocates have continually called to reject the two-party system in the U.S. As of July, 157 Greens were holding elected office across the U.S. 1529 U.S. Greens have been elected all time, according to GP.org, the Green Party website.

This year, Stein garnered 18% of the vote in Dearborn, Mich., a strongly Arab-American community. She received her biggest portion of votes in New Jersey. Overall, Stein won .8% of the vote in the state with 44,671 of the ballots cast.

Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris by about 83,000 votes, 49.7% to 48.3%, to win Michigan, so her candidacy is not seen as having affected the outcome there, but did raise issues important to third-party candidates, such as Israel's war with Hamas, concern over climate change, social justice and campaign fince reform.

In an unusual move, Stein held a victory party in Dearborn on election night citing her success in the city, and said that it wasn't numbers that mattered but the sentiment that some voters had expressed against the traditional two party system in favor of her Green Party candidacy.

Nationally, Stein and her running mate, Rudolph "Butch" T. Ware III, were on the ballot in 39 states but failed to score even one half of one percent of the total vote nationally, collecting 628,129 votes, or 0.4%.

UPDATE


Strong earthquakes strike Cuba, causing damage and landslides


A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Cuba at about 11:50 a.m. Sunday. Image courtesy of USGS/Website

Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A pair of strong earthquakes has struck off the southern coast of Cuba, inflicting damage and causing landslides.

The first 5.9-magnitude temblor struck at about 10:50 a.m. Sunday local time, followed an hour later by the larger 6.8-magnitude quake, according to data from the United States Geological Survey.

Both struck off the southern coast of Bartolome Maso, with the first one hitting about 22 miles from the city and ther second 25 miles, the U.S. monitor said, adding both struck at a depth of more than 8 1/2 miles.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba said on X that homes and powerlines were damaged by the quakes, which have also caused landslides.

"We are beginning to assess the damage in order to begin recovery. The first and most important thing is to save lives," he said.

Enrique Diego Arango Arias, chief of the National Seismological Service of Cuba, known as CENAIS, said online that the municipality of Pilon, located in Granma Province, suffered "a lot of damage."

The earthquakes hit after Category 3 Hurricane Rafael tore through the island nation, leaving major destruction in its wake.

'Loopholes' let warring parties use incendiary weapons in Ukraine, Middle East: HRW



White phosphorous munitions are blown up by UN and Hamas sappers in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in March 2010. File Photo by Mohammed Saber/EPA

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Loopholes in international laws governing the use of incendiary weapons are allegedly allowing warring parties in Ukraine and the Middle East to exploit the use of such weapons without adequately protecting civilians.

Human Rights Watch released a new report Thursday tracking the use of controversial weapons in Ukraine and the Middle East, claiming that warring factions are abusing Protocol III to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Parties to conflicts that are allegedly using incendiary weapons include Israel, Russia and the Ukraine -- as well as the government of Bashar Al-Assad, the president of Syria, who is accused of using them against his own people in an ongoing and multi-fronted civil war.

"Protocol III ... governs these weapons, but it has failed to adequately protect civilians due to two loopholes. First, its definition excludes multipurpose munitions, notably white phosphorus, that are not 'primarily designed' to set fires and burn people," the report reads.

"Second, the protocol has weaker regulations for ground-launched than air-dropped incendiary weapons, perhaps reflecting concerns that existed during the negotiations of Protocol III 40 years ago but are not relevant to contemporary practice."

HRW has tracked the repeated use of white phosphorous by the Israeli military in Lebanon and in Gaza since the war began in October 2023. Israel is not a high-contracting party to the CCW.

In statements to the media, Israel has noted that its white phosphorus shells "are used by the IDF for creating smokescreens and not for targeting or causing fires and are not defined under law as incendiary weapons."

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, HRW has tracked at least 157 attacks in Ukraine using surface-fired incendiary weapons between February 2022 and August 2024.

HRW said it has not been possible to attribute responsibility for these attacks to either Ukraine or Russia but both countries possess the type of rockets that can fire such weapons. Both countries have allegedly developed and used armed drones "to deliver incendiary munitions on the battlefield."

In November 2023, high contracting parties of the CCW met as more countries began to express concern about the use of incendiary weapons and called for action.

"The reliance of CCW meetings on consensus-based decision-making, however, meant that the adoption of these states' proposals was blocked," HRW charged in its report.

But another meeting of high contracting parties of the CCW will be held this week, and HRW is urging member states to express their support for strengthening the law and closing the loopholes in it to "further stigmatize the use of incendiary weapons."

"Incendiary weapons are notorious for their horrific human cost. They contain different chemical compounds, such as napalm or thermite, that ignite and inflict short and long-term harm," the report reads.

"Those who survive the immediate harm face a lifetime of physical and psychological scars."

18 escaped rhesus macaques remain on the loose in South Carolina


A wild Rhesus macaque monkey carries her infant in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2021. 43 primates of this type escaped from an enclosure Wednesday at the Alpha Genesis research facility in Yemassee, S.C. 18 remained on the loose Sunday. Photo by Monirul Alam/EPA-EFE


Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Nearly half of the 43 monkeys that escaped from a research facility in Yemassee, S.C., have been recovered, local police said Sunday, but 18 remain on the loose.

Police said that the recovered macaques have undergone veterinary exams and are reported to be in good health, but a "sizable group remains active along the fence line and at this time have bedded down in the trees for the night," police said in a statement Sunday.

The rhesus macaque primates escaped from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center on Wednesday. The company's Chief executive officer, Greg Westergaard, told police Saturday that recovery efforts will continue "for as long as it takes," according to a statement.

Among the largest in the nation, the facility specializes in nonhuman primate research for the biomedical research community. It is designed specifically for monkeys, and has more than 100 acres of land for research and breeding purposes, according to its website.

Alpha Genesis rescue team members are using specially designed traps that contain a trap door to try to recover the primates that are still outside the facility.
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Local residents have been asked to stay away from the monkeys and to keep their doors and windows closed as team members work to recover the macaques that have yet to be rescued.

"The primates continue to interact with their companions inside the facility, which is a positive sign," the YPD said of the monkeys that still have not been captured.

The macaques escaped Wednesday after a caretaker at the facility failed to properly secure a door on an enclosure containing 50 monkeys. Forty-three of them walked out, Westergaard told CBS News.

"It's really like follow-the-leader," he said. "You see one go and the others go."

Half of escaped research monkeys recovered in South Carolina

Nov. 9 (UPI) -- More than half of the 43 monkeys that escaped from a research facility in Yemassee, S.C., have been recovered, local police said Sunday.

Rescue workers from the Alpha Genesis research facility continued to try to recover the remaining 18.

"We are pleased to report that one of the escaped primates has been successfully recovered unharmed," the Yemassee Police Department posted on Facebook Saturday at noon EST.

"A significant number of the remaining primates are still located just a few yards from the property, jumping back and forth over the facility's fence," the YPD said.

The monkeys are among 43 rhesus macaque primates that left an enclosure at the Alpha Genesis research facility on Wednesday.

A caretaker did not secure a door properly on the enclosure containing 50 monkeys, and 43 of them left while seven others stayed in the enclosure, Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard told CBS News.

"It's really like follow-the-leader," Westergaard said. "You see one go and the others go."

He said the loose monkeys are staying close to the facility.

Baited traps and thermal imaging cameras were placed Thursday to capture the monkeys, and Alpha Genesis staff continue feeding and monitoring them while the recovery effort also is ongoing.

"The primates continue to interact with their companions inside the facility, which is a positive sign," the YPD said.

The effort to recover the escaped monkeys will continue for as long as it takes, Westergaard told the YPD.

Local residents are advised to keep their doors and windows shut and locked while the recovery effort continues.

"We strongly urge the public to refrain from entering the area surrounding the facility as these animals can be easily startled," the YPD said on Facebook.

Yemassee is about 60 miles west of Charleston.

Colorado.eduspot.colorado.edu/~norcross/Wh1.pdf

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Famine, Affluence, and Morality. Peter Singer. Philosophy and Public Affairs, vol. 1, no. 1 (Spring 1972), pp. 229-243 [revised edition]. As I write this, in ...

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* In TOM REGAN & PETER SINGER (eds.), Animal Rights and Human Obligations. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1989, pp. 148-. 162. Page 2. men are; dogs, on the other ...

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That's an important step forward, and a sign that over the next forty years we may see even bigger changes in the ways we treat animals. Peter Singer. February ...

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Nov 18, 2005 ... Beasts of Burden forces to rethink the whole "primitivist" debate. ... Gilles Dauvé- Letter on animal liberation.pdf (316.85 KB). primitivism ..

RIP
Firefighter dead, NYC faces wildfire threats caused by historic drought


A forest fire is pictured in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, in a photo shared online by the FDNY. Photo courtesy of FDNY/X

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Dariel Vasquez, an 18-year-old volunteer firefighter from New Jersey, died Sunday in New York while helping battle a wildfire in Sterling Forest.

The Big Apple is cooking amid a historic drought and abnormally warm weather, raising the risk of wildfires in New York City's green spaces.

Vasquez was killed while battling a fire in a forest in Greenwood Lake, about 35 miles northwest of New York City, according to state police.

A large brush fire in Prospect Park in Brooklyn reached two alarms on Friday, the FDNY said on social media, with dramatic photographs showing flames burning through the park's dense trees.

This is the latest in a recent series of wildfires in the area due to dry conditions prompted by an ongoing drought.

Meanwhile, another New Jersey man has been hit with arson and firearms charges after a wildfire in Jackson Township, located about 75 miles south of New York, the New Jersey Forest Service announced on Facebook.

That fire, which burned 350 acres behind a berm in the area of the Central Jersey Rifle Range, was ignited by magnesium shards of a Dragons Breath 12 gauge shotgun round fired by Richard Shashaty, 37, of Brick Township.

"The firing of this type of incendiary or tracer ammunition is prohibited in the State of New Jersey," the Forest Service said.

The entire region has been affected by the drought, with one wildfire along the New Jersey border with New York able to be seen from space.

"We are able to see a wildfire along the NJ/NY border from space courtesy of @NOAASatellites," the National Weather Service in New York said in a statement Saturday.

"Some of this smoke/haze may be visible further south into NYC. Smaller fires are also faintly visible, one in central Passaic County, one in SE Orange County, one in SW Putnam County."

Another fire has burned through at least 39 acres of wooded areas off the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs, just across the Hudson River from New York, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.

That fire has reached 75% containment.

But a wildfire off Cannonball Road in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, has burned through nearly 200 acres of land and threatened at least 55 structures.
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The NWS said New York faced "another dry day with an elevated risk of wildfire spread if ignition occurs" on Sunday. An air quality warning remains in effect for the city and the lower Hudson Valley region through midnight.

Back in New York, the FDNY said in a statement Saturday that it has since responded to "hundreds" of brush fires across the city's five boroughs.

"Some have been minor, and others have risen to multiple alarm fires that threaten life and property," the FDNY said.

"Brush fires can spread quickly, fueled by dry vegetation and windy conditions. October and November have been historically dry and warm."

New York Mayor Eric Adams banned grilling in city parks on Saturday. And the FDNY has encouraged New Yorkers to be mindful of smoking and where they dispose of their cigarette butts and urged people to remain on designated trails when visiting the city's parks.

"If you've been outside, you've likely smelled the smoke from wildfires in our region, including one that burned in Prospect Park," Adams said in a statement. "Stay indoors if you have respiratory issues and avoid burning outside while the risk of fires is high."

CRIMINAL CRYPTO CAPITALI$M

12 years in prison for man who operated bitcoin money laundering wallet



The man responsible for operating the longest-running bitcoin money laundering service on the darknet was handed a 150-month prison sentence this week by a federal judge in Washington, D.C. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The man responsible for operating the longest-running bitcoin money laundering service on the darknet was handed a 150-month prison sentence this week by a federal judge in Washington, D.C.

Roman Sterlingov was also ordered to surrender more than $395.5 million worth of assets, including cryptocurrency, according to the Justice Department.

Following a one-month trial in March, the dual Russian-Swedish citizen was convicted of money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and money transmission without a license in the District of Columbia.

The 36-year-old operated Bitcoin Fog between 2011 and 2021, allegedly laundering $400 million in illicit proceeds for all manner of international criminals, the Justice Department contended.

"Roman Sterlingov ran the longest-running bitcoin money laundering service on the darknet, and today he paid the price," Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in the Justice Department's statement.

"In the deepest corners of the internet, he provided a home for criminals of all stripes, from drug traffickers to identity thieves, to store hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds."

"Through his illicit money laundering operation, Sterlingov helped criminals launder proceeds of drug trafficking, computer crime, identity theft, and the sexual exploitation of children. Today's sentencing underscores the Justice Department's commitment to holding those who facilitate criminal activity fully accountable for their crimes," said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.

In addition to the prison sentence and financial penalty, US District Judge for Washington Randolph Moss also ordered Sterlingov to forfeit his entire interest in the Bitcoin Fog wallet, which currently holds 1,345 bitcoin valued at more than $103 million.

Prosecutors asked Moss for a 30-year prison sentence, while defense lawyers asked for no more than seven years of incarceration.

Sterlingov was facing a maximum of 50 years in prison following the conviction.

"Clearly, Sterlingov's attempt to shroud his illicit activities in a cloak of anonymity ultimately failed against the sophisticated collaborative work of our Criminal Investigation special agents and partners," IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Guy Ficco said in the Justice Department's statement.

"Today's significant prison term and hundreds of millions in financial sanctions against the defendant emphasizes the seriousness of this conviction and should serve as a stark notice that this type of criminal activity will not be tolerated."

2 dead, 12 missing after fishing boat sinks off South Korea's Jeju Island


A handout photo made available by the Korea Coast Guard shows the 129-ton Geumseong, which sank 15 miles off Jeju's Biyang Island, South Korea, on Friday. Of its 27 crew members, 15 were rescued, including two who were found unconscious and later pronounced dead, while 12 others remained missing. Photo by Korea Coast Guard/EPA-EFE


Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Two people died and rescuers were searching for 12 others who went missing in the waters of the East China Sea on Friday after a fishing boat sank off South Korea's Jeju Island, authorities said.

The fishing vessel Geumseong, a 129-ton craft, sent out a distress call early Friday morning when it began sinking about 15 miles off the small island of Biyangdo, located just northeast of Jeju, Korean Coast Guard officials told the Yonhap News Agency.

They said the ship had 27 crew members aboard when it began sinking, including 16 Koreans and 11 Indonesians. Of those, 15 were rescued by a nearby vessel but two of them, identified as Koreans, were later pronounced dead after being hospitalized.

The 12 who remain missing include 10 Koreans and two Indonesians, officials said.

Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Jong-wook activated the agency's Central Rescue Headquarters to launch a full-scale effort to find any survivors, deploying dozens of divers who searched through waters reaching depths of nearly 300 feet.

A spokesman for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told Yonhap he has issued authorization to mobilize all available resources and personnel for the rescue mission.

Crew members said the boat capsized after unloading its catch onto a transport vessel and lifting the net, although questions remain about why the weight of an unloaded net would cause such a large boat to capsize.

One possibility is that heavy floating trash may have been caught up in the net, the Hankook Ilbo daily reported. Refuse floating the waters off Jeju Island has become an increasingly serious problem in recent years, it said.

Preterm babies may experience lifelong harms in education, employment

By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay News

Nov. 8, 2024 / 

Babies born preterm may face a life of lowered prospects. Adults who were preemies are less likely to achieve higher education or snag a high-paying job, researchers reported. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News

Babies born preterm face a life of lowered prospects, a new study warns.

Adults who were preemies are less likely to achieve higher education or snag a high-paying job, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.

What's more, the earlier preterm a baby is born, the worse his or her future prospects appear to be.

"Our findings suggest that the development of long-term supports [including psychological, education and vocational resources] that go beyond clinical care may help mitigate the longer-term effects of preterm birth," said researcher Petros Pechlivanoglou, with The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Preterm birth is known to increase a baby's risk of intellectual and developmental difficulties, according to the March of Dimes. About 10% of all babies worldwide are born preterm.

For the study, researchers analyzed health, education and employment data on all live births that occurred in Canada between 1990 and 1996, a pool of about 2.4 million people.

Results showed that babies born before 37 weeks of gestation are 17% less likely to go to college, 16% less likely to graduate with a college degree and 2% less likely to be employed.

The average income of adults who were born preterm is 6% lower than those born at term, researchers said.

For individuals born at the earliest gestation, 24 to 27 weeks, those associations were even stronger, with a 17% lower annual income and a 45% decrease in rates of university enrollment and graduation.

"Policymakers and society as a whole must recognize that the socioeconomic impact of preterm birth may extend into early adulthood and that considerations for ongoing support could be vital to ensuring this population has equal opportunity to thrive," Pechlivanoglou added in a journal news release.

More information

The March of Dimes has more on the long-term health effects of preterm birth.

Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

DOJ accuses Mississippi Senate of pay discrimination against Black staff attorney


A Black staff attorney working for the Mississippi State Senate was paid only half of what her White colleagues were making despite having similar job duties, the Department of Justice alleged Friday. Photo courtesy Mississippi State Legislature

Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A Black attorney who formerly worked on the staff of the Republican-controlled Mississippi State Senate was the target of illegal racial discrimination, the Department o Justice alleged Friday.

In a complaint filed Friday in the Southern District of Mississippi, federal prosecutors alleged that Kristie Metcalfe was paid "significantly less" than every other staff attorney in the Senate's Legislative Services Office -- all of whom are White -- despite having essentially the same responsibilities.

Metcalfe was the first non-White attorney hired by the LSO in 34 years, the DOJ said. Staffers' duties include legal services such as drafting bills for use by all members of the Senate.

"Discriminatory employment practices, like paying a Black employee less than their White colleagues for the same work, are not only unfair, they are unlawful," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

"The Black employee at issue in this lawsuit was paid about half the salary of her White colleagues in violation of federal law. This lawsuit makes clear that race-based pay discrimination will not be tolerated in our economy," she added.
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The suit claims Metcalfe resigned following eight years on the job after her requests for a pay increase were denied then-Senate Rules Committee Chairman Terry Burton and other committee members.

Federal officials say they are seeking back pay and compensatory damages for Metcalfe as well as an injunction barring the Mississippi Senate from further alleged pay discrimination.

Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann's and Gov. Tate Reeves' offices did not immediately respond to a request for comment sought by The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion Ledger.

Philadelphia SEPTA transit strike averted as union continues bargaining

Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority workers decided to continue negotiations on a new labor contract Friday afternoon, averting a strike that had been set for midnight Thursday.

"We made significant progress today and there was enough progress made where we decided to not go on strike and continue talking," Transport Workers Union Local 234 President Brian Pollitt said in a Thursday statement, "...I'm going to do whatever I can and all the power that I have to try to avoid a strike. I'm going to sit down, roll my sleeves up, get with SEPTA and try to make a deal."

The union workers want raises along with safety and security improvements.

"SEPTA is committed to engaging in good-faith negotiations at the bargaining table, with the goal of reaching an agreement that is fair to our hard-working employees and to the customers and taxpayers who fund SEPTA," SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said.

SEPTA transit will operate normally Friday. The union represents 5,000 transit workers.

Pollitt argued that SEPTA has a $600 million rainy day fund and some of that can be used to give workers raises. He said the union isn't going after the entire $600 million, but said SEPTA can afford to make improvements for transit workers.

SEPTA disputes that and said the fund is a "service stabilization fund" and estimated it is $300 million but SEPTA is facing a financial crisis that could drain the fund.

TWU Local 234 workers authorized a strike in a vote last week if no agreement can be reached at the bargaining table.

"The International Transport Workers Union is throwing its full weight behind Local 234 in its fight against SEPTA.The urgent safety and economic concerns of our transit workers in Philadelphia can't be ignored any longer. We will provide whatever resources are needed to achieve victory," TWU International union President John Samuelson said in a statement.

"If SEPTA forces a strike, transport workers from across the country will enthusiastically join Local 234 on the picket lines: airline mechanics, flight attendants, track workers, subway conductors, train operators, and more. Local 234's fight is our fight too."